How to Paint a Brass Bar Cart Glossy White

This bar cart makeover has been a long time coming.  Because I found a great dining room cabinet right after buying this for the dining room, I decided to use the cart in the hall in lieu of the chevron useless table:

Because the hall has beige and dusty teal tiles, I thought the bright colour I originally planned would look weird.  My Mom concurred and suggested a glossy white, which we also
thought wouldn’t look too offensive with the grey smoked glass. 

Although the brass was a hit with some folks, the finish was worn in a lot of spots, and the finials had to go:

Luckily, the finials unscrewed easily, but then there was a weird, welded on frame to hold them in place inside the frame of the cart.  We replaced the finials with slices of wood dowel, which we glued in.  But then, paint was necessary to hide our hack:

Here’s one last look at the cart in its gold glory (which actually could have been pretty):

Here it is, all shiny and new.  I used Rust-Oleum Universal Primer and Paint in one, in gloss white.

Alright . . . let me level with you folks: it’s lovely and it complements the white embroidery on grey silk down the hall.  It doesn’t scream for attention,
which is good, because this is a busy part of the house with views to
the kitchen, half bath, living room and more.  But if I were keeping
this, I think I might fiddle more.  Something about it looks . . .
not right.  I am thinking charcoal grey would be pretty!  Or maybe that greyish mint I used on the table?  I won’t be fiddling, though, because (conveniently), the colour Mom helped me pick out will
look perfect in her sewing room and there’s no place for this in the lakehouse.  So convenient.

Look how nicely the little wooden dowel caps are hidden with paint on Mom’s new cart:

For now I’m using it, and I love the practicality of the two shelves compared to our previous useless table because I’ve got little nicknacks on the bottom (a piggy bank for loose pocket change, a small Hungarian dish to store the iPod I grab when I go for a walk, a teak tray from Denmark that I snagged at VV), but the top is cleared for landing!  I plonk my purse there the minute I get home . . .

. . . and it’s a super spot for the townhouse features sheet so people can grab one right away during showings or open houses.

Whether or not I like it, or get to keep it, it feels good that it is finally done!