How To Paint A Pantry, Or, Now That I Bought It, What Do I Do With It?

Well, this is my very first contribution to "How-To Tuesday" and I'm excited to share the story of our yard sale miracle! I had been combing the internet and conjuring up ideas for how I was going to fix the problem of not enough storage space in my kitchen, so I was in the market for a cabinet.
My daughter Suzanne and I went to the fundraiser yard sale of some friends of ours where we noticed the dad and older brothers with a pickup. We bought a couple of items, then continued with our yard-saling. Suzanne found herself a $50 freezer in great condition, which was something she'd been needing, but she didn't have a way to get it home. We went back to our friends where she hired the dad and brothers and when the truck was moved, there it was! My pantry.
They were hesitant when I asked what they wanted for it, but they told me $20. I had priced them new at $80 before tax, so I jumped at the price! I also had them deliver the cabinet and I spent the rest of the day fixing it up. I was so excited about it that I forgot to take pictures of what it looked like when I first got it home. It's solid wood and looked like it had been bought and used as unfinished. There was some pencil scribbling and black Sharpee markings on it and some crayon. The crayon came of with a scouring pad. I wiped off the dust with a damp cloth, took out the drawers, and painted.(My Dad is a retired professional house painter, and he emphasized the importance of making sure the surface was clean and he told me that the paint wouldn't cover crayon.) Since there was no old paint or varnish or serious dings I didn't need to sand anything either! If you have a surface that is very smooth, the paint won't stick so sanding is a must..
I started with the fronts of the drawers. I made sure no paint got on the metal runners or wheels and I didn't paint the insides. I then painted the cabinet from top to bottom, again, not painting the inside except the shelf that has no door, and the cabinet doors. I used black, water-based paint for easy cleanup and a small 2" paint brush, but I actually used a child's water coloring brush for the close spots around the hinges.
I took out one of the shelves and went to Home Depot with it, where they cut me two more shelves. I didn't know that the little brackets that hold up those shelves came in towo sizes, but I bought a package of each size knowing I could return the unused package later.
Brush strokes are important to pay attention to. With a solid color piece, the strokes look best going in the same direction as the grain of the wood except in small spots. The doorless shelf I painted and the edges of the doors I also coated with a layer of mod podge to help protect them from getting scratched.
All together with the paint, the shelves and the brackets the final cost of my new pantry came to about $35! Not too shabby for a day's work. And now, for the follow up of the cleaning and reorganizing of my other cupboards!
I hope this is helpful to you. Feel free to ask in the comment section if you have any questions.