Remember a few weeks back when us rookies visited the Kane County Flea Market? (Read all about our flea market trip here) Well, I never showed you my big purchase from that trip.

Here it is…

You’re probably thinking. “Ugh, ew Casey, what’s with the dirty toolbox?” Why spend any money to lug that thing back home?

Well, when I spotted this little guy tucked amongst the flea market goods I couldn’t help but envision a new life for it. So I negotiated with the vendor (Originally $12, down to $10!) and happily brought it home.

I had to come up with a way to get rid of all of the gunk, residue, and general nastiness that this toolbox had going on.

I scrubbed the wood thoroughly with a water & vinegar concoction, to get rid of the gunk and unpleasant funk that had built up over many years.

Then, I got out some white paint that I had leftover from my media console makeover project. And gave the piece 2 thin coats of white.

I’m a sucker for all things bright white and clean. But, I wanted to take a small step out of my comfort zone. I decided a white distressed wood would look pretty dang cool on this old toolbox.

I used a medium grit sanding block and paper to rough up the piece.

I concentrated on the edges and sanded down until I exposed some of the original wood.