So getting organized is all fine and dandy, but what if home organizing means that your home now looks like a tax accountant’s office? Not really the look you’re goin’ for? We hear you. If you need to do some office organizing, or just need to find a new way to store things in a prettier way, take a look at this. Whether you have ugly filing cabinets lying around, or need to get new ones to organize a home office, these are some great projects to give new life to metal filing cabinets.

These 18 filing cabinet makeovers take that ordinary, not very attractive (but necessary!) piece of the organizing puzzle and make them awesome. So awesome, you don’t have to keep them hidden away in a corner of the guest room, or tucked into a closet where no one can see them. Some of these easy DIY projects just require paint and a paint brush and your boring filing cabinet will be ready for a new home where it can show off your handiwork! So what are you waiting for? Get inspired and give these quick and easy DIY projects a try!

How to Make a Filing Cabinet Look Nice on a Budget

We get it – you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars decorating filing cabinets! Luckily, there are lots of filing cabinet makeover ideas that won’t break the bank, but still look great. Here are a few of our favorites. 

Industrial Filing Cabinet Makeover

The Painted Hive” shows us how to make this really cool industrial farmhouse style filing cabinet with her easy tutorial. Step-by-step photos make this a simple-to-finish painted filing cabinet project. This started out as a plain old file cabinet, so you can do this too!

top right corner of a modern yet rustic looking black filing cabinet

Dated Filing Cabinet Makeover

This dated file cabinet makeover is by “Simply Beautiful by Angela.” You need to go see the “before” of this filing cabinet to appreciate how gorgeous this is! This is such a fun project, and it just took some chalk paint (homemade for cheap!), some antiquing wax, and a few details.

white filing cabinet with grey faux wood drawer fronts

Chalk Painted Filing Cabinet Makeover

Brooke at “All Things Thrifty” took a 99-cent filing cabinet from GoodWill that looked like a beat-up old metal box, and turned it into this. This chalk-painted filing cabinet is so pretty, and has a touch of Mid Century Modern to make it on trend. Love these legs! This is such an easy-to-follow filing cabinet makeover tutorial.

blush pink painted filing cabinet with gold legs and hardware

Decorate Filing Cabinets Without the Cost

The original inspiration for this Pottery Barn knock-off file cabinet cost almost $600. Yep, you read that right. Luck is with us, because we found this project tutorial from “BrePurposed” that nails this look. And she did it for $45! She simply used some balsa wood planks to replicate the Pottery Barn look, and it turned out so well!

pottery barn inspired filing cabinet makeover
black filing cabinet with grey stained wood planks as drawer fronts

Rusty Metal File Cabinet Makeover Ideas on a Budget

Transform a rusty old file cabinet into this modern statement piece with this tutorial from “Curbly.” I love the fresh colors they chose, and the gold hardware!

filing cabinet with modern geometrical painted front
painted filing cabinet makeover idea

Thrift-Store DIY Tips for Decorating Filing Cabinets

Over at “Love and Renovations,” this guide for a quick and easy thrift-store filing cabinet makeover is amazing! You can completely transform a rusty old filing cabinet and all you need is some spray paint and a few stickers. Quick, budget-friendly, and impactful – the perfect DIY filing cabinet project! 

woman reaching into drawer of a filing cabinet labeled "work" in large decal letters, with a second drawer labeled "life" below

Budget-Friendly Painted Filing Cabinet Makeover

My French Twist” found an old filing cabinet on Facebook Marketplace for just $15, and with a bit of love, a fresh coat of paint, and a secret ingredient (legs, it’s legs), turned it into an adorable accent piece that would look amazing in any home office. No notes! 

Orange painted filing cabinet with legs

Upcycled Filing Cabinet Makeover with Stencils

Even an old, beat-up filing cabinet can be transformed into a stunning masterpiece – you just have to know where to start! At “H20 Bungalow,” this tutorial shows you how to turn an old, cheap, thrift store filing cabinet into a modern marvel with a coat of paint and some fun stencils. It’s so easy to customize this one to suit your style and aesthetic!

light blue painted filing cabinet with white designs stenciled on

Decorate a Filing Cabinet with Homemade Chalk Paint

In My Own Style” got their hands on an old filing cabinet that needed some love. They have some great tips on how to make filing cabinets look good, including with a fresh coat of homemade chalk paint! The transformation is pretty impressive, and I love that this one has casters to make it portable.

white, square filing cabinet with casters

Simple Stencil-Painted Filing Cabinet

Next up, we have this rose gold and white filing cabinet DIY project from ‘One Good Thing by Jillee‘. We love the geometric details on this piece. This specific post is no longer published, but you can always follow painting instructions from another tutorial and

12 Fabulous Filing Cabinet Makeovers

Next-Level Filing Cabinet Makeover Ideas

Ready to go all-out? Believe it or not, there’s a lot you can do with a simple filing cabinet, as these incredible metal filing cabinet makeover ideas are about to show you. Get your creative juices flowing with these next-level filing cabinet upgrades! 

Campaign Dresser Inspired Filing Cabinet Makeover

This DIY filing cabinet makeover is from “The DIY Mommy.” Her campaign-style filing cabinet project looks classy and chic! And we are loving the navy chalk paint. (Did you know you don’t have to prime when you use chalk paint?) This piece looks like a high-end dresser, not a file cabinet makeover!

Navy filing cabinet with gold hardware

Filing Cabinet Makeover with Oak Boards

Oh my. This may be a fav. This filing cabinet makeover is ah-mazing! From “Scavenger Chic,” she used chalk paint and oak boards for drawer fronts to turn this into a pretty piece ready for any room in your home. Complete and easy-to-follow tutorial. She did have one problem during her project though. As a result, she gives you a very valuable tip on what kind of adhesive to use, and what not to use.

filing cabinet with narrow drawers and oak wood planks as drawer fronts

Super Cute Filing Cabinet Makeover Tutorial!

This one is a bit more involved, but the results are beautiful, and the tutorial is detailed enough to tell you everything you need to know. This involves painting the woode filing cabinet, and then finishing it with scrapbook paper. The end product is amazing. See the whole tutorial here from “Mod Podge Rocks Blog.”

before and after of a filing cabinet makeover project

DIY IKEA Multi-Drawer Filing Cabinet Makeover

It’s hard to find a cute filing cabinet out there, so rather than investing in one you don’t like, why not do a makeover project, starting with an IKEA cabinet and ending with a multi-drawer antique-style filing cabinet? This tutorial from “Erin Zubot Design” has everything you need to know. 

Large, dresser size filing cabinet made from an Ikea cabinet

Wallpaper Filing Cabinet Makeover Tutorial

Wallpaper isn’t just for walls, it’s also a great way to decorate furniture. As you’ll see over on “Craftibilities,” you can use wallpaper to add a fun new aesthetic to old furniture, like this filing cabinet. Their wallpaper for this project was bold, to say the least, but you can use any type of wallpaper your heart desires. Super cute filing cabinet transformation! 

black filing cabinet with skull print wallpaper

Painted Filing Cabinet Makeover Tutorial

As far as metal filing cabinet makeover ideas go, this one is a winner. I love, love, love this paint color, but of course you can use any type of chalk paint you like. Also, the best part about this tutorial is the picture frames – they’re used to create that texture around the front of each drawer. It almost makes it look like a wood filing cabinet. What a great idea! Find the tutorial at “HGTV.”

turquoise blue painted filing cabinet with picture frames glued on and painted over to create texture

From Plain Metal to Gorgeous Wood Drawer Fronts 

As far as decorating filing cabinets goes, this tutorial from “Katie T’s Home” will show you exactly how to make a filing cabinet look nice. The contrasting colors here are stunning, and I love how she uses vinyl floor planks to create a realistic looking wood surface for the drawers. My favorite thing about this blog post is that she talks you through a few mistakes they made and how to avoid them.

black filing cabinet with faux wood drawer fronts and black drawer pulls

Decorate Drawers with Vintage Wallpaper 

Another idea for how to make a filing cabinet look nice is to decorate it with vintage wallpaper. As you can see from this tutorial courtesy of “Little Pink Studio,” wallpaper is an easy way to turn an old filing cabinet into a stylish, adorable masterpiece. 

white filing cabinet with different vintage wallpapers covering the front of each drawer

DIY Filing Cabinet Desk Idea

And now we have a project that goes a little beyond these filing cabinet makeovers! ‘Beautiful Life Market’ made this DIY desk with filing cabinets as part of their ugly home office makeover. Unfortunately this blog post is no longer published, but we had to leave this one for the inspiration! Simply use another filing cabinet makeover and then DIY a desktop with butcher block or your material of choice!

Decorate Filing Cabinets with Tin Tiles 

If you’re wondering how to decorate a filing cabinet for maximum glam effect, “Amber Oliver” has the answers. They’ve discovered the secret of how to make filing cabinets look good – with tin ceiling tiles! These tiles are super easy to find at Home Depot or Lowes, and I love the texture they bring to this project. It’s such a unique, cute filing cabinet that would work in just about any room. 

blue filing cabinet with texture created by gluing tin ceiling tiles to the drawer fronts

100 Year Old Filing Cabinet Makeover

‘KA Styles,’ a blog that is no longer published, took a 100-year-old file cabinet and turned it into a gorgeous piece… So love that she has a story to go with this piece of history. They don’t make filing cabinets like they used to! I hate that there’s no tutorial published for this one anymore, but it’s too cool not to leave here for you to see.

tall, white filing cabinet

Paint and Decorate Filing Cabinets for the Perfect Makeover!

Now that you know how to make filing cabinets look good, it’s time to start your own DIY filing cabinet makeover project! I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of thinking I want to stop by a yard sale just to find some metal file cabinets to try these ideas out on! 

Did you love our round-up of DIY filing cabinet makeovers and metal file cabinet makeover ideas? Thought you would! Now jump on over to our posts on Craft Room Ideas & Projects, or DIY Entryway Makeovers! And get ideas on where to put your updated old file cabinet with DIY Home Office ideas over at OhMeOhMy!

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3 Comments

  1. Cyndi Blackwell January 26, 2018 at 3:08 pm

    We are in the process of decorating my husband’s home office in a nautical theme. After much thinking and discussion, we are converting two wooden file cabinets to give the appearance of a captain’s chest. Then we’ll top it with off some type of board to create a smaller desk than the one he currently has. He really needed the file space more than the desk space. Your article was very timely! Thanks for added suggestions!

    Reply
  2. Norma Rolader January 27, 2018 at 1:59 pm

    Beautiful and amazing how these all have turned out Thank you for sharing

    Reply
  3. M.R. Francis July 13, 2018 at 9:15 pm

    EVERYONE make mistakes! Even GREAT BOSSES!

    Reply

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