Green with Envy

I’m going to start off by saying YAY! It’s March! But saying booo to the disgusting snowstorm we had last week. Boston didn’t see much (maybe 1-2 inches which is now gone) but I do know someone who enjoyed the snow on our morning walk:

So, what am I green with envy about? Look what I started last weekend:

Yup. I couldn’t wait to slap some paint on that beauty, but before I did, I had to do some clean up work.

If you remember from my last post I mentioned that I had used Dap wood filler to help fill in the holes from what I believe to be a caned seat. The filler worked great. I just took some general purpose sand paper and made it flush with the wood, and viola! Good as new. I did notice that the filler wasn’t flush in a couple of the holes, so I just used a small spatula and put some more in there. While that was curing, I decided to tackle the seat. It was looking very sad.

Initially I was planning on just taking off this old, dusty fabric and using the existing base and just putting my new foam and fabric on it. But once I took it off, I knew I had to create a new one.

Thankfully, we had a good sized piece of thick plywood to use so I didn’t have to run out to Home Depot. I just used the old one to make a template and started cutting away with the jigsaw.

Now, this took me about 20 minutes to do. Don’t judge. It’s not that I couldn’t follow the template, but I’m about 99.9% sure that I was using a dull blade and I didn’t want to run out and get a new one. I cut above the line to give myself some wiggle room when it came to fitting in the seat. I’d rather have it be too big then too small, so I always have the option to sand/trim it down so it would fit. Which is what I ended up doing for the next half hour.

But once that was done, it fit like a good pair of skinny jeans on a fat day.

Now that was taken care of, I was finally able to get my paint on. I went with BEHR Ultra Lemon Grass in semi gloss that I picked up at Home Depot a while back. I really wanted something that had a nice pop of color and something out of my norm. I tend to always steer towards the blue/turquoise/teal families, and with this, I wanted to have a little fun. But don’t worry, the fabric I chose still has those elements with it.

I went with a paint that also had primer in it to save some time. I didn’t know what kind of coverage I’d be getting and I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. The first coat went on and I realized that it would definitely need more then just one as you can see the wood right through it. Second coat coming up this weekend or maybe even during the week…if I feel like it. Hopefully the next post, you’ll see some progress!

Have you ever worked on refinishing a piece of furniture? What’s the best advice you’ve ever received for painting furniture? I know I could use some advice…painting the spindles has been a challenge and right now I’m using a brush to apply the paint, but am thinking of using a small roller to do the second. Any suggestions?

Projects are a happenin’

First off, I just want to start by saying I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated the blog. I could say that it’s because life got in the way (which is kind of true) but honestly, it’s hard working/staring/being creative on a monitor all day and then come home and write witty happenings of what we’ve been up to. Adam’s been on my case to update (and *cough, cough* he’s right) and I had a stranger who read my blog tell me that I’m one hell of a writer. Talk about motivation! So, what have we been up to recently? A bunch of things.

The project I’m going to focus on for this post is a first for me. In December Adam found one hell of a chair on Craigslist for a bargain ($50!) and we drove down to the South Shore to check it out. It’s from the ’50s, solid wood and has a great MIT engineering emblem on the back. Absolutely perfect for our future office. We met with John and he took us to this amazing barn that had so many good items in it, I could hardly contain my excitement! I don’t know if I’ve been watching way too many American Pickers episodes but while I was listening to John tell us the story behind the chair, my eyes kept wandering to all the goodies that were hidden within this barn! I happened to spot something Adam and I had been coveting for awhile, a drafting table! We’ve been on the search for one to use as our office desk, but they’ve been in the $500+ range. Out of our budget. I also spotted a couple of other things, one of them being a great, rustic chair. I asked if John was willing to bundle the three items and he agreed to sell all three items (the drafting table and the 2 chairs) for $150! Solid. Deal.

So, we packed up the honda and trekked back up to Boston. After taking my lovely chair out into the light of day, it kind of looked like this:
It needs some serious lovin’.
Told ya.

So I busted out my new orbital sander (thanks Uncle Rick and Aunt Mary!) and sanded her down, because I know deep down, she’s a beaut.
And after about 30 minutes of sanding, this is what it looked like:
Nice backside.

I then brought the chair inside, because I had a lot of holes to fill. I think it had so many holes because it used to be a caned chair which at some point got replaced by a cushion and fabric. All I used to fill the holes was some DAP plastic wood filler. This stuff is amazing, but seriously smells, so make sure if you use it, to do it in a well ventilated area, and wear a mask because it’s really potent. With this kind of filler, I’ll be able to sand it, stain it and paint it. So, I just took a putty knife and started filling a lot of holes.
I’ve got to let this dry out (and find some time!) to sand down the filler and pray that it helps out this poor, poor chair. I’ve picked out an amazing paint color and a great fabric to go with it. I can’t wait to see it done! I just hope the chair holds up so people can actually sit in it!

Have you ever tackled a restoration project? This is my first, so any tips I will gladly take!

I’m in love!

With my gorgeous homemade shower curtain.

Yup, I’m in love with something I made with painters drop cloth and grommets. It was love at first cut. And let me tell you…as a non-sewer, this was INCREDIBLY easy. All I needed to get the job done was the drop cloth, iron on hemming material, grommets, the grommet clamp thingy (technical term) and a good pair of sharp scissors.

First, I just ironed it out since it was packaged and all wrinkly.

Then I grabbed the shower liner I that I bought on Amazon and laid the painters cloth out first on the kitchen floor and lined up the top of the shower curtain on top of it. I probably should have measured it the proper way, but since it only cost me $9 it was ok if I didn’t cut it perfectly.

Once cut, I cut the iron on hemming material to fit the width (about an inch or so) and pinned it in place. With the iron hot, I slowly ran the iron down, checking along the way the glue was actually holding the material together, thankfully it was! Now comes the easiest part of the process.

Originally, Adams parents gave me their traditional grommet set with brass grommets. Adam really wanted stainless steal ones but figured we could just use the ones they have us, but after going to about 4 different hardware stores, there were none. I ended up finding some at A.C. Moore for cheap, who knew! The system that I tried first was what Adam’s parents gave us.  I put the fabric on this metal drum-esque piece, used a hammer to punch a hole in the fabric first, then I used another piece to actually tighten the grommet to the fabric. I tested it out first on a scrap piece and it was rough. Nothing worked easily and I couldn’t figure out why. The grommets just kept bending in half and I was seriously getting frustrated.

I tried using the grommets that Adams dad threw in for us and it worked perfectly. I think here ones I bought were just too weak to handle using a hammer to pound it into the metal part. So I ran out to AC Moore to we what I could find.

I ended up getting their grommet clamp for about $14 (with a 40% off coupon too) and raced back home.

I tested it on a mother scrap piece and it worked incredible. It was so so easy. So I marked where the grommets would go with a pencil and started putting in the grommets. I swear it literally took me 5 minutes to do the whole thing.

I ran back upstairs to hang the liner and new shower curtain up immediately and I took a step back and instantly loved it. I was originally going to use some craft paint and paint a design on it but once I saw it up with the paint color and the floor, I’m really digging the neutral-ness of it all.

So. Let’s do a cost recap.
Painters drop cloth from Home Depot: $9
Shower curtain liner from Amazon: $9 (plus $3 shipping) $12
Grommets from AC Moore: $7 for 10 grommets
Grommet clamp set from AC Moore: $14.99 (plus 40% off coupon) $8.99
Total=$40 (rounded up)

So for $40, I got exactly what I wanted. And if I want to change it up, I can easily swap it out for something else. Maybe someday I’ll get the courage to sew a real one with beautiful fabric. Just need a sewing machine first…

Busy Bees.

Well, we’ve been busy bees this last couple of weeks. We’ve grouted the shower tiles, had the plumbers come in and install everything and we’re working on the finishing touches. So, we pretty much have a functioning bathroom on our hands! How’d we get there?

Well, let’s back up to the grouting process, something I like to call “the dark times”. I could say that it went smoothly, but unfortunately it did not. So I’m going to be really honest here. I thought I would be a really great girlfriend and grout the entire surround. I will admit that this was my first attempt at grouting by myself, and I was definitely nervous. Of course, it didn’t help that I picked one of the hottest days in July to do it. So I mix everything together just fine, get my tools together to start grouting and get at it. Except it was drying fast…really fast. So fast that it started crumbling on me. I’m grouting, pushing it into the tiles as quickly as I could and trying my hardest. So I eventually get the whole thing grouted, and am about to start wiping it off when Adam comes in, sees that the grout has dried too quickly and not properly and it needs to be redone. An hour and a half wasted, materials wasted, a boyfriend that isn’t too pleased. The next night, I’m painstakingly taking the grout out of the tiles, just to do it again the next weekend, well, Adam did it the next weekend since my track record is sub par.

But on to the good things! How did the the grout turn out? Fantastic.

The plumber came and installed everything beautifully.

Adam’s Dad was kind enough to come to the house while the plumbers did their thing and in a few hours we had a working bathroom! A toilet that flushes! A sink with running water! A shower/tub that can used! No more showering in a tiny stall shower down a flight of stairs.

So, now we’re up to speed. We’ve spent our time mostly doing touch up paint, puttying of holes in the wainscoting (and sanding), and installing the shower rod. Everything went pretty smoothly, until we got the shower rod. It was tough due to the the cement board, but after some sweat (and surprisingly no cursing) Adam was able to get it hung up.

We needed one that was longer in length, so I jumped online and found a shower curtain liner that was 84″ long (thanks Amazon!). I also did some research for an actual shower curtain but haven’t been able to find anything that I’m really crazy about (pattern wise) and all that I came across is one that I found on Bed, Bath and Beyond, but it’s just a white waffle. I like it, because it’s simple and it would look nice in the bathroom, but I think I just want something..different.

Adam’s sister and her boyfriend just moved into a great loft in Brooklyn.  To help define space, they had the genius idea (and inexpensive!) way to do just that…painter’s drop cloth! So, I took their idea and I’m running with it. For as little as $10, I think I have my shower curtain! I love that it has a textured look to it and I can make it any length that I need it to be. With some iron on hemming material (I’m seriously lacking in the sewing department) grommets (thanks BVB and RVB!) I should be good to go! I picked up some greyish/metallic acrylic paint so I can paint on my own pattern. One in particular I’m interested in is a chevron pattern like this:

image found here

I also found these guys at a local sewing shop that I might attempt:

We’ll see. I’m defeintely going to play around with it before hand, like taping it up with some painters tape to make sure I even like it!

Well, I’ve rambled on for far too long. Has anyone attempted to make their own shower curtain before? Any tips will be greatly appreciated.

Wainscoting and Chair rail fever.

First. I’d like to say I’m sorry for the lack of postings recently. I’m blaming summer activities and the heat. Ok. Back at it.

Let’s chat wainscoting.  I’m kind of obsessed. When we first decided to do the bathroom, I instantly envisioned wainscoting, chair rail and crown molding. Add in some gorgeous trim and it would be my ideal bathroom. Well, I’m happy to say, that we’re almost there!

We’ve been busy working on completing the bathroom, and I’m happy to say that I think I can see the end of the road! It’s not just be closing my eyes and picturing how it could look…its starting to actually look that way in real life!

We went to our second home (Home Depot) and looked our options. We could go down  the really expensive solid wood (but beautiful) path or we could do a man made version that already comes primed and ready to go. As much as I would have loved to have the real deal, we went with the man made stuff since our wallets were speaking…loudly. MDF it is! And as we were loading panels (8 to be exact) into the car, I looked at Adam and said, “isn’t it funny how we took down paneling…and now we’re putting it back up?!” We were putting up something like wood paneling, but this is different. This actually looks good!

While we were in the molding department, we decided to pick up our chair rail that sits on top of the wainscoting. We went with something simple (and cheap!) and I think it looks so great. We were on a roll and even priced out our molding for the window and doorframe. Luckily the doorframe molding comes with a complete kit so all we have to do is match the window molding to it. Easy peasy.

Installation was actually a breeze too. We took some wood glue, slapped it on and nailed in some finishing nails and we had ourselves some wainscoting!

Adam putting the wainscoting!

So, it really didn’t take us that long to put it up. Maybe an afternoon? All I know is that it took longer for us to make the cuts than it did to install it.

And of course, I had to see what it looked like with all the fixtures:

God it looks good. Too bad everything had to go back to the boxes and wait until the plumber comes. HINT: They’re coming next week!

We’ve been really busy (and we will be up till next Friday) getting everything together and ready so we can FINALLY have a functioning bathroom. It’s been a year in the making, but it’s so worth the wait.

Lights! Camera! Paint!

Finally. We painted! And installed the lights! We’re cookin’ folks.

Look at my handy cutting work (I only got a little bit on the ceiling, but that’s what touch ups are for!

Just to refresh your memory, we went with Olympic’s no VOC paint (read more about that here) in Serene Stream and I’m loving the result. The color is fantastic, vibrant and totally what we were looking for. It surprisingly didn’t take me that long to paint the entire bathroom…maybe about 3 hours with drying time to do two coats. I’d say that’s pretty good! But, enough with the chatter. Let’s get to the good stuff…pictures!

It looks messy, but it seriously came out awesome!

You can see how great the color turned out! And look at Adam…only one full day of doing electrical and he can hook up lights.

And look. They work! Nice job Adam and Dad (who helped with the initial installation)! Look how awesome my find was for lighting. I’m so pumped with how good them look! Imagine the medicine cabinet in between them and the gorgeous white pedestal sink! I can see it now…

We plan on finishing the ceiling with some gorgeous crown molding and replacing that old, single paned window that’s in there with a nice new wooden one, which will also get the crown molding treatment. We’re actually on the hunt for the perfect old door to replace our crappy hollow one that’s there now. So I’ll be checking out craigslist or taking a road trip up to my favorite stores in Maine…ReStore!

I’m just so glad that we’re done with painting. I feel like I can finally see the room coming together! Next up…tiling!

And just because I can, I’m going to end with a pic of this cutie:

When he’s old enough, he’ll totally be helping out with projects. Someday!

Swatches galore

I’ve been looking at swatches ever since we started demo-ing. I’m pretty sure I dragged Adam to the paint section when we went into Home Depot to grab a crowbar to tackle the demo. Needless to say, I was excited to paint. So,  after 8 months of working on this room, I can finally say that we’re ready to paint! As you saw on our last post, we primed the entire bathroom with Olympic’s no VOC paint and we’re going to use it again to paint the entire room. As for inspiration for the color? Can’t really pinpoint where I got the color combo from, but right now I’m really loving blues, greys, white and greens. I think it’s a really great color combination that could essentially work anywhere in the house. But enough talk about color combinations…let’s get on to the swatches!

From left to right: Shark Loop, Chambray, Serene Stream and Chalky Blue.

I started off really wanting something in the blue/grey family and thought that I would love shark loop, but once it got on the wall all I felt was “meh” about it. As soon as I put the other colors up on the wall, I had an instant favorite, but didn’t say anything until I showed them to Adam. Adam walked in and picked his favorite…the same one as me! It was such an easy decision to make, but I wanted to make sure that we really loved it so we lived with the color for a couple of days. I wanted to see how the color was in different lights at different times of the day. But in the end, we chose Serene Stream!! We’ve already picked up a gallon and I can’t wait to get started. I’m contemplating whether or not to use Shark Loop to paint the ceiling, but I think we’ll live with the white ceiling for a bit just to make sure.

So stay tuned to the next post…I need to get my paint on!