Showing posts with label refinish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label refinish. Show all posts
Goodwill Nightstand Furniture Redo
Jim and I purchased our bedroom set many moons ago. We bought it during a tent sale and there was only 1 nightstand. Not one to love a matchy-matchy look, I decided it was fine and I would come across something someday soon. Fast forward 9 years. No nightstand. Well, until....
Microwave Cart To Pool Center
We are members of a pool club and spend the summer stuffing our bags full of towels, snacks, flip flops, sunblock, etc. to take with us. To help us stay organized, I re-purposed a garbage pick microwave cart into a beach/pool command center!
Table Refinishing, Thanks, and Excitement!
Hi all! This blog post is going to be all over the place but with all good things! First, I am meeting some local bloggers for a day of DIY, lunch, and blog chatter. I am so excited! This is my first blog get together and I must admit I am a tad nervous! What if I'm the only one without a rolled flower necklace or homemade infinity scarf? Yikes. I'll bring my camera though and hopefully I'll have pictures to share!
Updates to Molly's Bedroom
I'm making hurricane lemonade. What? I mean that since Hurricane Sandy threw us a whole lotta lemons we had to make some lemonade out of it. So thanks to Sandy for giving me the time to get some stuff done around here. She made us stay in the house a lot and so we got some little home projects going or finished up! Jim planned and built a firewood rack and cleaned a ton. He is a web based business so when his company lost power he ended up with a week off of work!
I finished a curb alert nightstand for Molly's room and then stenciled a few little doo-dads on her closet doors (she has 4 doors because she has 2 closets) and on the side and top of the nightstand.
I finished a curb alert nightstand for Molly's room and then stenciled a few little doo-dads on her closet doors (she has 4 doors because she has 2 closets) and on the side and top of the nightstand.
Refinished Country Table and Homemade Chalk Paint (Furniture Redo)
My sister found a crummy old table out on the curb for garbage and she thought of me! um?? I guess that's a good thing? HA! Of course it is! She knows I like to DIY furniture redos and she knows I'm struggling to put my dining room together so I was tickled to get it! Plus I knew it would be the perfect project to try out a homemade chalk paint recipe!
I'm using it as a sideboard right now.
Re-glazing A Sink or Tub
What do you do when you can't get rid of your old sink or tub but it's worn, the wrong color, or ugly? Re-glaze it! "But that's pricey!" you say! "You need to hire professionals!" you say! Well, I say, "Forget about it. I got your re-glazin' right here!"
Glass Cabinet Doors
We spent the whole afternoon at the pool and my kids are wiped! We went back after dinner so they got a double dose and now they are tucked in bed snoozing the day away! I hope you had a great day too!
It looked like this when I began. The glass was held in place by very slim pieces of wooden moulding that were nailed onto the cabinet door with teeny tiny nails that only a mouse could hammer in.
You can see the wood moulding here a bit. See it on the right side of the arch? It's boinging out because the nails were rusty, missing, or the wood had dried and split away from them.
I wanted the glass but I knew the original method wasn't going to work for me since I didn't have a teeny tiny hammer or the interest in finding wood that thin, bending it, etc. Nope, silcone caulk was the way for me! I used one that said it was for doors, windows, and trim.
Make sure to get clear as it comes in different colors! This stuff rocks!
I flipped the door so the outer side was on the table. I had a routed lip/ edge/channel in which to lay the glass so I didn't need to do anything to create the lip/edge/channel thing. So I centered it as much as possible in the channel and then slowly ran a bed of caulk so that half the bead was on the glass and half was on the wood. I snipped the tip so that I had a pretty thick bead because there was a large gap between the glass and the door frame.
Then I smoothed the bead with my finger and wiped any smudges with a wet paper towel. I let it dry over night and it was perfect! The glass was held in place and I didn't need to find a mouse to wield a tiny hammer!
Easy peasy. Don't you love when it's easy peasy?
Cheers!
Jenny
I wanted to post a little tutorial on how I repaired the glass in the cabinet doors of the china cabinet I made over.
It looked like this when I began. The glass was held in place by very slim pieces of wooden moulding that were nailed onto the cabinet door with teeny tiny nails that only a mouse could hammer in.
You can see the wood moulding here a bit. See it on the right side of the arch? It's boinging out because the nails were rusty, missing, or the wood had dried and split away from them.
I wanted the glass but I knew the original method wasn't going to work for me since I didn't have a teeny tiny hammer or the interest in finding wood that thin, bending it, etc. Nope, silcone caulk was the way for me! I used one that said it was for doors, windows, and trim.
Make sure to get clear as it comes in different colors! This stuff rocks!
I flipped the door so the outer side was on the table. I had a routed lip/ edge/channel in which to lay the glass so I didn't need to do anything to create the lip/edge/channel thing. So I centered it as much as possible in the channel and then slowly ran a bed of caulk so that half the bead was on the glass and half was on the wood. I snipped the tip so that I had a pretty thick bead because there was a large gap between the glass and the door frame.
Then I smoothed the bead with my finger and wiped any smudges with a wet paper towel. I let it dry over night and it was perfect! The glass was held in place and I didn't need to find a mouse to wield a tiny hammer!
Easy peasy. Don't you love when it's easy peasy?
Cheers!
Jenny
Dining Room and Powder Room Updates
Hi! We are thoroughly enjoying summer and I can honestly say that we are doing a whole lotta nuthin' and lovin' it. Today Molly went to our town's safety program called Safety Town. It's so cute. For two weeks the kids learn about all types of ways to be safe: bike safety, pedestrian safety, fire, etc. Afterwards, we had our neighbors over. My neighbors are the best. They have two little girls who get along so well with ours and we adore their parents. Just cool people. So the girls spent hours playing outside and then more friends came and the fun continued. Molly was exhausted! This is how I envisioned my summer.
I'll be honest. Last summer was incredibly hard. Molly was very unhappy to move so far from our friends and she missed our sweet little house. She hated our apartment, longed for her yard back and for the familiarity she had always known. She cried a lot and struggled to find friends. She would try to meet other kids at the park and get rejected, mostly because they already had their little friends with them and she would sit by herself with her head on her knees.
To add salt to her wounds, she had double eye surgery and was uncomfortable for much of the summer. I felt like her little heart was so broken and I struggled to find a way to help it heal. I didn't do a great job either. I wish I could go back and be gentler on her. Maybe not fuss so much about her bedtime or her hair being combed or whatever.
I vowed this summer would be different. It would be filled with friends, lightening bugs, swimming, and ice cream cones. Today was a great example. My friend and I laughed as we watched 4 little girls come running barefoot out of the house in various dress up outfits (ladybug, mermaid, ballerina, and fairy!), jump off the deck and sprint to the far edge of our yard to hang upside down on the swing set and to later exclaim that they had seen fairies in the trees. I am so grateful that we found not just a house but a home that is now filled with friends and laughter!
And it's slowly becoming a home we feel reflects us. I recently added the doors back onto my china cabinet and now it's complete! You can check out the back story on this cabinet here.
Here are some snapshots of the dining room.
I need to put some stuff up on the walls that is still packed from our move. Eventually I'll upgrade our dining set and get a much bigger one.
I mentioned that Jim has been working on the powder room and I am so excited! We painted it with chalkboard paint!! It's so cool. I am going with a vintage school house vibe in it but I don't want it to be theme-y.
As we progress I'll post more! Eventually I hope to do bigger reveals. Enjoy these snips though!
Cheers!
Jenny
I'll be honest. Last summer was incredibly hard. Molly was very unhappy to move so far from our friends and she missed our sweet little house. She hated our apartment, longed for her yard back and for the familiarity she had always known. She cried a lot and struggled to find friends. She would try to meet other kids at the park and get rejected, mostly because they already had their little friends with them and she would sit by herself with her head on her knees.
To add salt to her wounds, she had double eye surgery and was uncomfortable for much of the summer. I felt like her little heart was so broken and I struggled to find a way to help it heal. I didn't do a great job either. I wish I could go back and be gentler on her. Maybe not fuss so much about her bedtime or her hair being combed or whatever.
I vowed this summer would be different. It would be filled with friends, lightening bugs, swimming, and ice cream cones. Today was a great example. My friend and I laughed as we watched 4 little girls come running barefoot out of the house in various dress up outfits (ladybug, mermaid, ballerina, and fairy!), jump off the deck and sprint to the far edge of our yard to hang upside down on the swing set and to later exclaim that they had seen fairies in the trees. I am so grateful that we found not just a house but a home that is now filled with friends and laughter!
And it's slowly becoming a home we feel reflects us. I recently added the doors back onto my china cabinet and now it's complete! You can check out the back story on this cabinet here.
Here are some snapshots of the dining room.
 |
| The day we closed on the house. |
 |
| This buffet was given to me by my parents. It had been in the house I grew up in forever and they gave it to us when they sold. The painting is a Jenny original and I keep thinking I will repaint it the right way some day! LOL! |
I need to put some stuff up on the walls that is still packed from our move. Eventually I'll upgrade our dining set and get a much bigger one.
I mentioned that Jim has been working on the powder room and I am so excited! We painted it with chalkboard paint!! It's so cool. I am going with a vintage school house vibe in it but I don't want it to be theme-y.
 |
| What we were starting with |
 |
| We added a thicker, chunkier than usual cap molding for the top as we wanted to feel a little like a chalk ledge in a classroom of yore. |
 |
| We changed the fixtures over to new ORB ones. I love it! |
As we progress I'll post more! Eventually I hope to do bigger reveals. Enjoy these snips though!
Cheers!
Jenny
How to Remove Wallpaper
Y'all know I've been battling the powder room. Well, we won! It was a long fight and for a while I thought we'd have to surrender and call in back up but with some perseverance and steam we conquered! Do you have shkeevy wallpaper in your home? Get rid of it! Cover it with bead board! HA HA HA! Ok, remove it.
2. If you are left with a paper layer or your decorative layer is hard to peel off then you'll need to score it with a rotating wallpaper perforating tool. Mine was a few bucks at Lowe's. Perforate by pressing the tool against the wall and rotating in circles. It was easy and the more holes you make the easier it is for the steam to get under the paper.
3. Rent or buy a steamer. It was the key to our whole process in both rooms. We chose to buy one since it cost us under $50 at Lowe's and renting would have ended up costing us more. Then I can spray paint it and use it as a planter when we're all done. KIDDING!
Ours came with two size steamer heads and we found the smaller of the two works the best. It is much more concentrated than the larger.
3. Hold the steamer against the wall for a few seconds and then use a metal putty knife to scrape the steamed, wet glue.
If you have the paper layer to remove do this after perforating and use the pallet knife to scrape the wallpaper. Then go back over it as described in step 3 to get the glue off.
*A couple of warnings about the steamer:
If you use too much steam you can gouge the wall board. Be careful to only hold it on as long as needed to soften the glue. And buy Spackle when you buy your steamer.
Also, turn the electric off when you go around open electric outlets and open light fixtures. You have to be careful not to get the steam near the electrical sources.
4. You will probably still have glue residue on your walls. I tried a wallpaper paste remover product. I sprayed it on the walls and then wiped. That being said, I ended up ditching it in favor of hot water with a tad bit of liquid dish washing soap in it. The soap helps break down the proteins in the glue. Worked beautifully.
This will be a choose your own adventure tutorial. You have two step 5s. Pick one.
5. Continue with the process until all the walls are clean and thoroughly dry. Spackle any gouges, holes, etc. Sand until smooth, prime, paint.
5. Decide you're putting up bead board instead and forget the whole thing.
Enjoy!
Jenny
Tools I recommend to remove wallpaper:
- wallpaper steamer
- wallpaper perforating tool
- putty knife
- wallpaper sponge (they have a soft side and an abrasive side)
- bucket
2. If you are left with a paper layer or your decorative layer is hard to peel off then you'll need to score it with a rotating wallpaper perforating tool. Mine was a few bucks at Lowe's. Perforate by pressing the tool against the wall and rotating in circles. It was easy and the more holes you make the easier it is for the steam to get under the paper.
3. Rent or buy a steamer. It was the key to our whole process in both rooms. We chose to buy one since it cost us under $50 at Lowe's and renting would have ended up costing us more. Then I can spray paint it and use it as a planter when we're all done. KIDDING!
Ours came with two size steamer heads and we found the smaller of the two works the best. It is much more concentrated than the larger.
3. Hold the steamer against the wall for a few seconds and then use a metal putty knife to scrape the steamed, wet glue.
If you have the paper layer to remove do this after perforating and use the pallet knife to scrape the wallpaper. Then go back over it as described in step 3 to get the glue off.
*A couple of warnings about the steamer:
If you use too much steam you can gouge the wall board. Be careful to only hold it on as long as needed to soften the glue. And buy Spackle when you buy your steamer.
Also, turn the electric off when you go around open electric outlets and open light fixtures. You have to be careful not to get the steam near the electrical sources.
4. You will probably still have glue residue on your walls. I tried a wallpaper paste remover product. I sprayed it on the walls and then wiped. That being said, I ended up ditching it in favor of hot water with a tad bit of liquid dish washing soap in it. The soap helps break down the proteins in the glue. Worked beautifully.
 | ||
| You can see the difference pretty clearly. The bottom is completely cleaned and the top is not. |
 |
| Too much steam. Wah-waaaah. |
This will be a choose your own adventure tutorial. You have two step 5s. Pick one.
5. Continue with the process until all the walls are clean and thoroughly dry. Spackle any gouges, holes, etc. Sand until smooth, prime, paint.
or
5. Decide you're putting up bead board instead and forget the whole thing.
Enjoy!
Jenny
Distressed Turquoise Table
Hi Friends! I refinished a table this weekend turning it from blah blue to a distressed turquoise. It was kind of a funny story. Jim isn't always so gung-ho about my decorating ideas. It's not that he's not supportive of my efforts it's just that in our long history together he has helped me undo many projects that were good in theory but not in practice. Picture re- sanding every cabinet door and box in our old house because I neglected to prime before painting them black and the paint peeled. He was a good sport and did it without a word but that's just one example. So sometimes I just surprise him and this table is an example. I wanted something bright for our foyer and decided I wanted teal/turquoise/peacock. I threw a can of teal spray paint in our cart while in Wal-mart nonchalantly. He asked me what it was for and I said "Don't worry about it."
Fast forward to Friday afternoon. He walks outside with the AC repairman and sees our entry table in the back spray painted peacock blue. Surprise! To his credit, Jim didn't say a word other than "Painting today?"
I blogged about this table months ago and you can read about it here. Here is a quick run through.
I never felt the blue-gray. Our entry is boring and we aren't going to paint it any time soon. I needed something brighter in there.
I sprayed 2 coats of Krylon spray paint in Teal, sanding lightly between each coat. The next day I used fine grit sandpaper to lightly distress it and then I used a foam brush to coat it with Minwax Dark Walnut stain. I wiped the stain off and let it overnight. The day after that I rubbed on Minwax finishing wax in natural.
I am super happy with it! I don't feel like the pics are an accurate portrayal of the color though. I tried in all sorts of light, with all sorts of camera settings, and it still looks too royal blue. Maybe I'll drag it outside one day.
Cheers!
Jenny
Fast forward to Friday afternoon. He walks outside with the AC repairman and sees our entry table in the back spray painted peacock blue. Surprise! To his credit, Jim didn't say a word other than "Painting today?"
I blogged about this table months ago and you can read about it here. Here is a quick run through.
I never felt the blue-gray. Our entry is boring and we aren't going to paint it any time soon. I needed something brighter in there.
I sprayed 2 coats of Krylon spray paint in Teal, sanding lightly between each coat. The next day I used fine grit sandpaper to lightly distress it and then I used a foam brush to coat it with Minwax Dark Walnut stain. I wiped the stain off and let it overnight. The day after that I rubbed on Minwax finishing wax in natural.
I am super happy with it! I don't feel like the pics are an accurate portrayal of the color though. I tried in all sorts of light, with all sorts of camera settings, and it still looks too royal blue. Maybe I'll drag it outside one day.
Cheers!
Jenny
How to Reupholster a Chair Seat
About 6 years ago I reupholstered a chair from a matching pair I received free from a colleague. It was a simple paint/apply seat fabric job using white paint and black and white graphic fabric. I loved how it turned out. I blogged about it here. If you don't want to go back and read here is a synopsis:
What I started with:
And what I had after:
The fabric was getting tired and faded so I reupholstered the seat again this weekend. It is so easy and there are a million tutorials out there so I'll just go through mine quickly.
I had purchased two yards of this fabric at Christmas time. It's by Waverly I think. I saw it in the store and had no idea what I would do with it but knew I loved it. So this is what I used.
And now my chair looks like this:
Here's the story.
Watcha up to this weekend? Anything good to report?
Cheers!
Jenny
What I started with:
And what I had after:
The fabric was getting tired and faded so I reupholstered the seat again this weekend. It is so easy and there are a million tutorials out there so I'll just go through mine quickly.
I had purchased two yards of this fabric at Christmas time. It's by Waverly I think. I saw it in the store and had no idea what I would do with it but knew I loved it. So this is what I used.
And now my chair looks like this:
Here's the story.
 |
| Flip the cushion and take off the old fabric. |
 |
| I pretty much took every tool out of Jim's toolbox to accomplish this. Let's just say I did a very thorough stapling job when I put this fabric on. |
 |
| Replace batting and foam if needed. I did not need to do this. |
 |
| Use the fabric you took off as your pattern for your new fabric. |
 |
| As I was doing this Ellie snuck up and put this here. It was cute. She has to be involved in everything. |
 |
| Years ago Jim bought a staple gun that is used with a compressor. It makes things SO easy! Of course, a compressor doesn't have to be this big. We do enjoy overkill over here. |
 |
| Pull fabric taut and staple, staple, staple. Pretend you don't care how many you'll have to pull out the next time you do this. Just staple and pull your heart out! |
 |
| I like to do 2 sides first before doing the corners. |
 |
| I know some people say to wrap the corners like a package but I have never been able to do that. I just pull and staple as neatly as possible. These are not my best corners. But I kinda don't care because you won't see them when the seat is back on the chair. |
 |
| Dizzy yet? Yeah, I get that the cane back and the fabric make for a woozy feeling. I am going to sew up a simple gray pillow to put on the back. |
The other thing we did yesterday was to pound down every popped nail on our deck. I'm planning on staining it soon to freshen it up too. Here's my man wielding his hammer.
Cheers!
Jenny
Anchor Inspiration, China Cabinet Redo
Jackie at Simple Home. Life is one of my new favorite bloggers. She makes everything seem so easy and accessible to someone like me who is a relatively timid DIYer. I always had the ideas but Jim was the brawn of our troop. But lately he's been working so much that he's just not around and when he is he's not interested in DIY. He is more interesting in R and R. So I have to be more proactive if I want things to happen around here and one of the things that have been holding me back was installing anchors. Yes, dumb, but true. I always felt like I was going to mess it all up, break our walls, etc.
So lo and behold today Jackie had a tutorial on installing anchors. I was inspired. I didn't have the same kind of anchors though. I had these (the red ones). So I grabbed the anchor, the matching screw, the big drill with a million bits so I could size it correctly, and a hammer.
First I figured out where to hang the thing I wanted to hang (chalkboard). Then I sized my drill bit to be a bit smaller than the diameter of the anchor. I drilled and then placed the anchor on the hole. Using the hammer, I sank it into the drywall. Next, I switched the bit to the screwdriver and screwed the nail into the anchor. I didn't screw it all the way in because my chalkboard had a wire and I needed it to hang.
Then I wrote a little blurb from one of my favorite poems about winter and realized that I CAN hang stuff up with anchors!! I'm practically Norm from This Old House. Or Bob Villa. Or Bob the Builder.
Here's the whole poem entitled Winter-Time by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is so descriptive, isn't it?
Years ago Jim received a free hutch/china cabinet from his boss's father who was downsizing. We moved it from the dad's house to Jim's apartment, from our apartment (after we got married) to our first house, from our first house to the POD that stored our stuff, and from our POD to our current house. I finally have a place to put it and a place to fix it up. Here are the beginning stages.
I sanded it completely with my orbital sander and tonight I primed the doors and drawer.
I bought two yards of this fabric and I may use it on the inside of the cabinet top.
I'll keep posting the progress on this project. I can't wait for it to be done. Are you working on anything right now? Any projects in motion?
Cheers!
Jenny
So lo and behold today Jackie had a tutorial on installing anchors. I was inspired. I didn't have the same kind of anchors though. I had these (the red ones). So I grabbed the anchor, the matching screw, the big drill with a million bits so I could size it correctly, and a hammer.
First I figured out where to hang the thing I wanted to hang (chalkboard). Then I sized my drill bit to be a bit smaller than the diameter of the anchor. I drilled and then placed the anchor on the hole. Using the hammer, I sank it into the drywall. Next, I switched the bit to the screwdriver and screwed the nail into the anchor. I didn't screw it all the way in because my chalkboard had a wire and I needed it to hang.
Then I wrote a little blurb from one of my favorite poems about winter and realized that I CAN hang stuff up with anchors!! I'm practically Norm from This Old House. Or Bob Villa. Or Bob the Builder.
Here's the whole poem entitled Winter-Time by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is so descriptive, isn't it?
| Winter-Time |
| Late lies the wintry sun a-bed, | |
| A frosty, fiery sleepy-head; | |
| Blinks but an hour or two; and then, | |
| A blood-red orange, sets again. | |
| Before the stars have left the skies, | 5 |
| At morning in the dark I rise; | |
| And shivering in my nakedness, | |
| By the cold candle, bathe and dress. | |
| Close by the jolly fire I sit | |
| To warm my frozen bones a bit; | 10 |
| Or with a reindeer-sled, explore | |
| The colder countries round the door. | |
| When to go out, my nurse doth wrap | |
| Me in my comforter and cap; | |
| The cold wind burns my face, and blows | 15 |
| Its frosty pepper up my nose. | |
| Black are my steps on silver sod; | |
| Thick blows my frosty breath abroad; | |
| And tree and house, and hill and lake, | |
| Are frosted like a wedding-cake. | 20 |
 |
| The glass for the left door is intact. It just needs to be reinstalled and the muntins attached. |
 |
| If we can fix that molding we will. Otherwise we'll just use glass caulk. |
I sanded it completely with my orbital sander and tonight I primed the doors and drawer.
I bought two yards of this fabric and I may use it on the inside of the cabinet top.
I'll keep posting the progress on this project. I can't wait for it to be done. Are you working on anything right now? Any projects in motion?
Cheers!
Jenny
About Jenny
If I can create beauty, you can too! Creativity is within your reach, trust me. I believe that you don't need any special talents to be creative and you only need to have a willingness to try. So in addition to being a mom, teacher, wife, and sister, I am also a creative tryer!
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
Follow this blog with bloglovin
Popular Posts
Grab my button!
