"Mud room" bench....

This is a project you see a lot on Pinterest and it is a super simple and functional use of normally wasted space.

Case in point…my daughter-in-law’s sister’s (Laura) house….

This room is next to her kitchen…designed to be the “breakfast room” space but is really used as a thoroughfare from the garage into the house and has become a general “drop zone catch all. “ With two small kiddos, it could be the perfect “craft room” and drop zone but as you can see there was no form or functionality to the space.

So she sent me this “inspiration” photo.

A functional and organized space for shoes, backpacks, coats, etc.

Heck, I can build that!

She likes the board and batten look of my entry more than the “panelling” look in her inspiration photo. No biggy. Remember what I have said before…the key to any project is first, your inspiration…..second, your plan and third, the execution.

So we had the inspiration…just a few tweeks and we had a plan…

Now it was time to execute!

I have said before I am not a “how to” kinda person…I am a “YOU CAN DO IT” kinda person. So find a tutorial for installing board and batten and building a bench that makes sense to you and works for your space.

First up…the bench. I had to off center the middle support because of an outlet but it was pretty basic stuff…2x4s, construction mastic and wood screws. Again, find a tutorial that makes sense to you! (Even I look at tutorials sometimes and say WTH!)

I build the legs of the bench out of 2x4s then clad them with plywood. Simple.

I used 1x6 pre-primed pine to trim out the front of the bench. MDF will “swell” if it gets wet so you can use it on wall treatments but I highly recommend using a solid wood product on anything adjacent to the floor.

I always use pre-primed or prime and sand before I install to avoid having to prime and sand inside the house!

I used 3 1x6 lengths of oak for the bench top. You can also use pine…MUCH cheaper but Laura liked the look of the oak. I used a rooter on the edges, just a hair, so when I joined them together they look more “plankish” than solid.

I built the bench top, using a biscuit joiner, in the garage… no stain just 3 coats of polycrylic, and then installed it before I moved on to the wall treatment.

For the board and batten wall treatment I used preprimed MDF.

I usually install the horizontal pieces first…making sure they are perfectly level. Then I go back and add the vertical boards. Putty all the nail holes and seams and make sure you caulk EVERY joint and crack…sand it all super smooth.

REMEMBER if you can feel it you are going to see it after paint…so sand and feel with your hands! Sometimes it can take 2-3 coats of joint filler to get good coverage.

We covered the wood bench top and painted with a brush and roller…three coats!

GORG!!!!

We added cute little hooks Laura picked out!

I was still loading tools and the littlest (3 y.o.) was already claiming all the hooks for his back pack and Hulk costume and mask! Probably should have added more hooks…lol!

Props to Laura…I really believe the vision and inspiration are the most important keys to any successful DIY project.

She did good and I have no doubt this little area will now serve her family well!

How do you eat an elephant....

I have talked often about checking off chores on my “honey do” list.

Now that I have completed a few major projects I am working my way through the list of “mundane chores” on my refrigerator….

Some people make their lists on their phones…some on erase board calendars. Me…just a plain ole’ note paper on the fridge.

It works for me. You do what works for YOU!

But just do it…make a list and complete one little chore at a time.

Whether it be repair something, paint something or clean out something.

This one has been on my fridge since this spring…nothing happens overnight!

My neighbor wants to paint the inside of her house. She doesn’t want to pay a fortune for someone else to do it but she is completely overwhelmed with the thought of painting IT ALL!

As I have said before…how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Case in point…one of the chores on my list is “paint trim.” By that, I mean ALL the trim throughout my entire house.

Why? Well I painted it lighter when we first moved in and now I found a white I like better. As I have completed a few trim projects around the house (the dining room wainscotting, the breakfast trim, the entry board and batten) I have painted them the “new” white (BM Chantilly Lace). That makes the old trim look “dingy.” Course now my kitchen cabinets look “dingy” so that will get added to the list

Holy crud what a chore.

So I have broken it down into manageable small projects. A few weeks ago I painted the trim in the entry. Then the trim in the living room and dining room. One day this week I did all the crown in the den and kitchen and the next the base and door trim. Still haven’t painted around the windows and eventually I will work my way to the master bath.

Only then will I mark that chore off the list!

I told my friend to do the same…make a list of all the rooms she wants to paint and break it down…each room…ceiling, trim and walls…then just start working the list, one area at a time. It may take a few months, but I really believe that if you break down the BIG projects into small manageable chores you are more likely to start and complete the BIG project…eventually.

So make a list and start eating…one bite at a time!

The wardrobe reveal....

Last week I shared the wardrobe cabinet I planned to refinish and convert to a display cabinet….HERE.

Definitely lacking in soooo may respects. But I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with it.

These “inspiration” pictures have been on my computer for over a year, just waiting on the perfect piece to transform!

The last one is probably my favorite…a Pinterest find. It was the one that influenced me the most, as you will see.

So the plan…remove the panels in the door and add glass. Remove all the shelves and add glass shelving. Lighten the back of the inside. Strip the doors and drawers and apply tung oil. Paint the rest of the outside of the cabinet black. Replace the hardware. Add a light.

So of course the first step is to deconstruct and then begin the stripping process on the doors, drawers and inside back panel.

What a chore!!!! I think someone, at some point, had applied at least 20 coats of poly. The 1/2 acetone, 1/2 lacquer thinner process I shared HERE, wasn’t cutting it. I applied Citristrip and wrapped everything in plastic wrap…that seemed to do the trick for 80% of the finish…then I was able to sand off the rest since this was mostly solid, then clean it up with the 1/2 and 1/2 mixture. Remember, you don’t want to vigorously sand veneer because it can be super thin and you can end up sanding right through it. I started with an 80 grit then finished with a 220 grit. Then I hand sanded it with 220 to get it butter smooth.

I knew this piece was old (which is why I know the poly was NOT the original finish) and that was confirmed when I checked out the underside of one of the drawers.

It was signed and dated…most likely by the person who constructed it…August 11, 1914…wow!

The other thing I discovered was the mortise and tenon peg joint. So super cool. Normally drawers are constructed using dovetail joints. This was unusual to find, but probably not unusual for the times.

I removed the doors to make it easier to work on the inside as well as make it easier to strip them. Remember to ALWAYS reenforce screw holes when you remove the screws. Not hard at all. Just take a match stick, dip it in wood glue, then insert the stick in the hole and break it off.

This will ensure that when you go to reinsert the screw, it won’t be loose or “wonky.”

I stripped the inside back panel then sanded it down. I tried lightening it with oxalic acid but it still seemed a tad to dark and a bit yellow. So I ended up applying a whitewash. Just a little white paint mixed with water, brush it on, wipe it off…like a stain. I can still see the character and grain of the wood but it lightens the interior considerably.

There was a tiny bit of veneer on the base of the cabinet and one side was in pretty rough shape. My original plan was to remove all the old veneer and apply a new piece. I planned to paint the outside of the cabinet so it didn’t matter that it would be different than the other side.

Problem was, when I went to remove the loose veneer, some of it was SUPER stuck…as in it was NOT coming off.

Soooo, punt.

I scraped off all that I could then I used wood filler to get a smooth surface.

This picture is after the 1st coat.

The whole process took a lot of time and patience. Fill, let it dry, sand…apply some more, let it dry, sand. It probably took 3-4 applications to get the side perfectly smooth and ready for paint.

REMEMBER, paint will NOT cover poorly patched or repaired areas…if anything it will highlight it. So take your time and do it right!

After patching, puttying and caulking, I primed the entire outside of the cabinet with primer, sanded it smooth with 220 grit paper and then wiped it down with a tack cloth.

I then spay painted it with a flat black paint. Remember, light coats…2-3.

The paint I used SAID it was primer and paint in one. As you may know, I do not trust that and will ALWAYS apply a good primer before paint…always.

I stripped the drawers and doors (using this process) and I used my new favorite tung oil finish to seal them.

I added new shelving support using some leftover walnut I had from my office feature wall project. I wanted good solid support since it would be holding glass shelves and china…glue and nails!

(This is solid natural walnut…no stain…just an oil finish!)

I moved it in the house before I added the glass or hung the doors…just made it lighter and easier to move…okay, RELATIVELY easy…this sucker is big!

So, my original plan was to put it in my office. But it covered too much of the feature wall I worked so hard on. I moved the Drexel server into the office and put this cabinet in the dining room.

The final touch was the hardware. My original plan was to find some simple tear drop hardware. While looking, I found these precious little ginko leaf designs on Etsy.

Back story…years ago when my kids were little we lived in a house that had a HUGE old ginko in the court yard. I have the loved these trees ever since. Kind of quirky but with a story.

I added a LED light inside the cabinet…simple!

Now I have a place to display more of our family china.

Rather than fill it with all the china I have stored away I selected a few serving pieces of each set. I like to use antique books as risers so I picked a few up at a local flea market.

The only things I purchased were the candle lantern and a fake plant. I know, fake plants are suppose to be “faux pas” these days…I don’t care…I can’t keep a real one alive and it looks lovely.

I love to decorate this room for every holiday so I can’t wait to doll this piece up for fall in a month or so…then Christmas.

I think it will be just stunning!

Painted bathroom litter cabinet...

I keep a list of projects I want to do on my refrigerator. Repair the irrigation line on the norths side of the house, wainscoting in the dining room, paint the trim, trim tops of windows and doors, paint the bathroom cabinet, add a flower bed around the backflow…and on and on it goes.

When something gets done, it gets marked off…when I think of something I want to do, I add it to the list!

It keeps me focused on what I want to get accomplished…eventually! And being able to check a project off my list feels amazing! (Sometimes if I do something that wasn’t on the list, I add it just so I can mark it off)

I’ve managed to get a few things done this week. The flower bed around the backflow is done. The dining room wainscoting is done (will share next week) and the littler box cabinet in the master bath has been painted.

Why did the litter box cabinet in the master bath need to be painted since I just painted it you ask?

Last year I painted the bathroom cabinets and in my opinion the two kind of clash…so it has bothered me for the last year.

So I wanted to paint the litter box cabinet but couldn’t decide on a color.

Last week I was cleaning out some drawers and found a little dish my daughter in law got me as a gift. I have no idea why it was stuck in a drawer, but it was my “inspiration” for the cabinet.

I have three cats…I would have more if Brian would tolerate it. My children know me well.

Anyway, I love pink. When I finally decorated my home office, I added a tiny bit of pink. I try not to over-saturate my house with pink because there is a guy living here, but I do like to throw it in there from time to time.

Pink…

Since I had already done all the sanding and repair and priming and all the other fun prep work before I painted it the first time (HERE I did a fairly decent tutorial for turning a cabinet into a littler box), all I did this time was remove the hardware, scuff the finish with 220 grit paper, tape off the inside and rolled and brushed on my new favorite paint…the BM waterborne alkyd.

Better than my “go to” white…not as stark as black. Shined up the brass hardware again and walla!

Love!

Check. One thing down, a dozen more to go! But that is okay…being able to check one thing off the list feels amazing!

The Pantry Makeover....

It has only been a little over a year since I “froo-frooed” my kitchen pantry. I love it and have found all the little storage elements I added to be very helpful. I have managed to keep it fairly organized.

After living with this space for a few years, it is time to reconfigure it and install new flooring.

First things first….find my inspiration. Same song, second verse…cruise the blogisphere and Pinterest and see what trips my trigger.

Once I had an idea of what I WANT, it was time to take some measurements and draw everything out on graph paper…inspiration + space = ”the plan.” Drawing the space to scale gives me the ability to play around with the elements I think I want on paper before I start sawing and nailing. It also gives me important measurements for cabinets, flooring and shelf material.

I wanted base cabinets to hide rarely used appliances (food processor, grinder, etc), dutch ovens, crock pots, etc.

I wanted a cute counter top for the flour/sugar jars, toaster and can opener.

Lauren’s pantry was most similar to my layout so I looked closely at what she did….

Like Lauren, I knew I wanted to use 12” wall cabinets as the bases. However, I decided to build my shelves a tad differently.

I liked the look of the shelving featured HERE….

Unfortunately I couldn’t find any wall cabinets to use as base cabinets…at least none that are affordable. It’s a pantry. With the cost of materials THROUGH THE ROOF I have to be conscience of the cost of this little project.

I wasn’t real keen on open base cabinets but Lindsey built some really awesome bases…

She posted a great tutorial on building these base cabinets…pretty much exactly the way I built mine!

So all this got worked into “the plan.” Again, a fluid plan, but a plan none the less.

First up…the flooring. The flooring was the original tile and I decided to use the same tile I used in the laundry room. Tiling over the tile in the laundry room worked well so I decided to do that again.

I wanted to reset the shelving and build some additional “shelf towers” so I removed all the existing shelving….

I wanted a new light fixture so I found one I kind of liked. HOWEVER, it came with Edison bulbs. Kind of important since you can see the bulbs through the glass but I just don’t like the light…just too “yellow.”

One morning I woke up thinking “I really don’t like that light.” So I got up, took down the new one and put the old one back up. Again, it’s a pantry…functional is more important that pretty sometimes. Maybe I’ll eventually find something that is both pretty and functional…way down the bottom of the list at this point.

BTW, in case you want to see what “projecting” looks like around here….

I patched and painted the walls white (my new fav, BM Chantilly Lace), grouted the floor tile, then started building the base cabinets and adding the new shelves. I preprimed and sanded all the material so all I had to do after it was assembled was caulk and putty holes. A light sanding, wipe with tack cloth and it was ready for paint. Prepriming and sanding BEFORE you cut and install will save you a MAJOR dust storm in the house.

AGAIN, I am not going to go into a long drawn out tutorial…just so many great tutorials out there.

Some people go to the lake during Memorial Day weekend. I build shelves.

The countertop. I like wood since it is not an actual food prep space.

If I wanted to splurge I would have built walnut counters or even a butcher block. But again…it’s a pantry!

The question then is if I go with a less expensive wood do I stain it with a dark stain or just leave it natural.

SOURCE

I love the dark stain but I worry it is running it’s course. But you know what, I don’t care. I love the darker stain and since the walls and cabinets are white, dark it is! I decided to use the pine “project board” from Lowes, stain with a “brown mahogany” and then apply a couple of coats of polycrylic. (Remember, polyurethane has a tendency to yellow over time)

Floors done, walls painted, cabinets and shelves built and painted, top on. Now the hard part…letting it all sit and cure before I load everything back in. IT IS IMPORTANT PEOPLE!!!! Let your paint and finishes cure before you go all decor-crazy on it…otherwise you will scar and scuff and will have wasted all your time and money!

You may notice I actually gained a couple of shelves on the right and middle walls just by reconfiguring them. I also changed the upper shelves on the left to 10” and 8” deep shelves instead of the 12” that were there. I didn’t need the depth and it seemed to “open” up the space a tad.

I could have carried the top all the way around on the right and still had dog and cat food storage under it…but I needed a few shelves 14” tall so I decided to do a separate “shelf tower.” Perfect for taller items like the stacked storage containers, cereal boxes and wine bottles. All the other shelves have a 10” clearance which is ample tall enough for most of my stuff.

Right side….

Left side…

I love that we added an outlet in this pantry…perfect for the toaster and can opener so they don’t take up real estate in the kitchen.

I think my Kitchen Aide mixer would look cute in here but I like it on my kitchen counter. If it were in here I would have to haul it back and forth to the kitchen…it’s too heavy and I’m too old!

I was a bit bummed that I couldn’t originally find cabinets with doors but honestly I like this look better! While dutch ovens and crock pots aren’t really display worthy, the open shelves keep the room from feeling so small and claustrophobic. Believe it or not this space is only 5 x 5. Tiny but mighty!

I have no doubt that at some point I will add a backsplash…not sure whether it will be tile or wallpaper or something else…but something to give the space a little color and character. Right now I am worn out just getting to this point!

Last year I added glass to the pantry door. I LOVE it and I’m glad that is one chore I don’t have to do now!

The important thing I want to share is that reworking a space can make a huge difference. I now have a pretty pantry that works beautifully as an extension of my kitchen. Remember, I don’t have a lot of upper cabinet storage in my kitchen so this pantry is super important!

On a scale of 1-10? For me, not difficult because I have the tools and the know-how. For a novice DIYer, probably an 8. But there are a ton of tutorials out there for how to build simple shelving or how to use old cabinets to create a space like this. The first thing you have to do is find “inspiration” for the space you actually have and work from there. It is doable…YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

On a blog board I am on someone said she was afraid to do something like this because she was afraid to mess up.

Don’t be afraid to “mess up.” That is how you learn…watch tutorials and read blogs. There are so many great resources at your fingertips these days.

Use them…and JUST DO IT!

Sheetrock repair.

I posted a very helpful tutorial on repairing sheetrock HERE almost 9 years ago.

I decided to post another tutorial because I have two small sheetrock repairs…the result of removing security system control panels. (And a son who pointed out that I spent a fortune remodeling this house and left the worthless control panels)

Yes, I am removing a security system. It is the original hardwired system that was probably installed when the house was built 22 years ago and we have never even attempted to use it.

Why? Well, first we have a HUGE dog, an Anatolian Shepherd, that is quick to alert us to all boggy persons, delivery people, squirrels, unfamiliar cars, etc…day or night. And God help you if you tried to enter this house. She is the sweetest dog in the world…if she knows you or I am here to tell her all is okay. But I have no doubt she would make a meal out of you if she didn’t know you or she thought I was afraid.

No worries…we have a precious lab puppy who would be quick to clean up any mess Cleo makes…or give you puppy kisses if you are distressed. Typical lab. Not the best guard dog.

Second, everything is wireless these days. Our current security system is wireless. So an old hardwired security system is kind of useless.

I have found very little evidence of a hardcore security system. Basically there were two control panels, one in the bedroom, one in the laundry room…

…and two motion sensors in the ceiling. I removed those and covered the small holes with new smoke detectors…you can never have too many of those! (I also just noticed the doo-dads on a few doors…will have to deal with those eventually.)

When I removed the control panels in the bedroom and laundry room I found 2” x 2” holes in the sheetrock.

Curses.

So, here is another tutorial for repairing sheetrock without having to install backer boards or tape. I have used this method to repair 2” x 2” holes, door knob holes and even large sections when I removed walls (HERE)

Here are the supplies you will need to repair sheetrock….

*Scrap piece of sheetrock (you can buy this at Lowes or “repurpose” scraps from a new construction job site)

*Sheetrock mud

*Spray texture (my walls are orange peel texture…buy the texture appropriate for your wall texture)

*Broad knife

*Utility knife with a sharp blade

*Measuring tape

*Pencil

First, use a utility knife and make the hole square/rectangular. My holes were 2 x 2 inch squares so no worries.

After you have cut a decent "square" around any damage, measure the width and the height.

Then mark the scrap sheetrock, adding about 3" to that measurement! My sheetrock piece was 5” x 5”…that will leave about 1 1/2” on each side for “tape.”

Sheetrock has a paper backing on each side so it is very easy to cut...basically all you have to do is "score" the back side (usually the side that is brown) with your utility knife then just "snap" it. Then take your knife and cut through the paper on the other side.

After cutting a piece 3" larger than your opening, you will want to mark the actually opening size on the back side of the sheetrock, leaving 1 1/2" on all four sides. (This is where a little "square" tool or ruler will come in handy!) I always make my mark and cut about 1/4" smaller than my actual measurements just to give myself some wiggle room!

After scoring, "snap" one side at a time and carefully peel the "core" (the chalky inside) of the sheetrock and backing off the paper on the front side. You will do this on all four sides.

(Yes, I know I need a manicure.)

After you are all done, it should look like this.....

I also take my utility knife and make a "miter" cut at each corner...just a little slit from the corner of the board to the corner of the paper.  

Basically, what you have done here is create a patch with built in sheetrock tape...so there is no need to tape the gap around the patch and no need to try to put backing behind the board where you are patching...it is "ALL IN ONE!"  Nifty, huh? 

Before putting joint compound in and around the hole, "dry fit" your cut piece and make sure it will fit in the hole. If it seems to stick, you can shave a little off the edges with a utility knife. If you cut the piece about 1/4" smaller than the hole, it should fit right in.

After you make sure your cut piece will fit properly, mud the edges of the hole and the wall about 2" around the hole.

Set your cut piece into the hole and use your broad knife to smooth out the paper and push the excess mud out from underneath the paper edging with your broad knife so the paper lies flat. Then put more mud on your broad knife and lightly coat the entire piece.  "Feather" the edges where the new mud meets the wall. Coat the new mud a few inches onto the wall.  The less mud you leave on the patch and the wall, the less you have to sand! It is okay if you can still see the paper and board through the first coat...no biggy!

HINT:  Some mud can be pretty thick.  You can mix it with a little water and thin it down a bit...makes it easier to work with...but don't make it too runny! 

I usually let this first application dry overnight.  Remember, there is a bunch of mud along the edges that is basically "glueing" the patch in place.  You want to let that dry well before you start sanding. 

After this first coat of mud dries, sand it as smooth as possible.  Don't panic if you sand into the paper coating the sheetrock...it happens!   It really doesn’t matter what the sandpaper grit is at this point.

I always wrap my paper around a sponge sanding block...it helps you sand flat. Sand it as smooth as possible and make sure you "feather" the edges so that you don't have any heavy mud lines showing. Don't panic if you feel like you have sanded "too much"...you really can't.

FEEL the area with your bare hands...if you can feel the lumps and bumps and lines, you are going to be able to see them...so sand away!! (I can not stress this enough...SAND IT SMOOTH...CLOSE YOUR EYES AND FEEL!!!!)

After sanding it REAL smooth, put another coat of mud over the area.  Again, the smoother you coat it, the less sanding you have to do!   Be sure to feather the edges by mudding 2-3" around the repair area.  This is where a wider broad knife really comes in hand!

After this second coat dries, sand again....sand it as smooth as you can.  Again...if you can FEEL lumps, bumps and lines, you are going to be able to see them...so sand it smooth and make sure you feather the edges. This really is the "trick" to getting a good repair!

I can usually get by with two coats of mud...and that should be plenty.  If you feel you have had to sand down too much and need to add a light third coat, go for it.   Just make sure you let it dry well and sand BEFORE moving on to the next step.

After the patch and the surrounding area is really smooth, it is time to put on the spray texture.  

If needed, I usually wait to tape off the surrounding area until AFTER I sand the patch.  Joint compound will clean off easily with a wet towel but the spray texture is pretty tough stuff. So lay down a drop cloth (or newspaper) under the patch and tape off any trim BEFORE applying the spray texture.  

Most wall textures these days are what we call "orange peel."  But you might also have "knock down."  If the texture on your walls is just kind of bumpy, you probably have "orange peel."  If you have heavy blotches, you have knock down.  

You can buy cans of texture at Lowe's and they come in both orange peel and knock down. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE CAN CAREFULLY! And make sure you shake the can well!

(If you have never used spray texture before, I would suggest experimenting on a scrap piece of board or drywall…play with it a bit until you feel confident your application matches your wall texture. )

 If you have orange peel you will just spray it on the patch and surrounding area (using a circular motion to eliminate "lines" and spray "outside" the patch area)  If you have "knock down" texture, you will have to spray it on the patch and surrounding area, let it sit per the cans instructions and then take your broad knife and "knock down" the new texture after it has dried a bit.   Follow the directions on the can for proper application and dry times for both!   

Lighter is better....this stuff dries rather quickly, so if you think the texture is too light, go back over it AFTER the first coat has dried.  It is always easier to add a little texture than to deal with texture that is too heavy....so go light and reapply if necessary.

If you feel like you have totally botched it, just take a damp paper towel and wipe it off the wall while it is still wet. Then either practice a bit more on your scrap or try again.

If the spray texture appears a little "bumpier" than the wall texture, you can always take a piece of sand paper and LIGHTLY run it over the new texture AFTER IT HAS DRIED and before you paint.

ONCE YOU PAINT IT WILL BE REAL TOUGH TO MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS TO THE TEXTURE SO DO IT BEFORE YOU PAINT!!! Not impossible but more difficult.

DO NOT PAINT UNTIL THE SPRAY TEXTURE HAS DRIED COMPLETELY!!!!!

Now this is where that can of leftover paint you stored away will come in handy! Seriously, I can not stress enough how important it is to keep "spare" paint....store it somewhere in the house, clearly marked! You may have to match the paint color the best you can and then paint the entire wall. And this is not an issue at all if you are repairing walls before you repaint.

You will probably need 2-3 coats of paint to cover the patch since you are painting over "raw" sheetrock and texture.  I used a little 4" sponge roller and brush.

If you sand well and applied the texture properly, you shouldn't even be able to tell where the patch is!   

This does take a little practice.  After owning apartments and raising teens, I've had a LOT of practice.  But if you take your time, use the proper tools and really pay attention to details you should be able to do this little DIY project yourself!

I hope this gives you the confidence to finally tackle that sheetrock repair that has been bugging the heck out of you.

Home office makeover reveal...

Last week I shared the need to give my home office a little “character and design appeal.” (You can go to the link to see the “before.”)

This week I will share a few changes I made…not huge changes but enough to give it a little be more appeal.

It wasn’t until I was working on my “Bogey Home Tour” page that I realized I had done absolutely nothing to this room. Not a huge deal but, as I mentioned, you can see this room from the main living area and it is right off the entry…so it really needed a little something.

The first step was to purge and organize. The closet is great for storing my small seasonal decor (Valentine’s, Easter, the 4th, etc.) and office supplies but it could stand a little purge and organization.

It had a mismash of boxes and baskets and binders so this is one of the few things I splurged on…matching boxes for receipts and such and new binders. Then it was just a matter of organizing everything else…mostly the small seasonal stuff. I even organized all the decorative candles I switch out for every season on my dining table….

After purging I painted the walls and trim. Three of the walls and all the trim were painted white…just plain ole’ white. The wall I decided to do an accent feature on was painted pink. Yep, pink.

This mess of a wall and credenza had become a dumping ground. I removed all the “unnecessaries,” changed up the pictures on the wall and organized the laptops in THIS little gem.

Eventually I will get another piece to put here but for now, this works.

I also have some leftover walnut and may make some floating shelves or a picture ledge for this wall…maybe…we’ll see.

I still like this shelving/cabinet….

…it just desperately needed to be purged and organized. I debated putting the printer inside the cabinet, but we really do use it a lot. All the paper, business checks and cartridges are stored in the bottom. I may eventually add a little more greenery (aka fake plants) but for now this will suffice.

I really wanted to put a glass top desk in front of the window, but as you can see, this is Cleo’s lookout chair…she spends most of her day in this chair guarding the house. Okay, she spends most of the day SLEEPING…but still…

The only real change in this little window space (besides paint) was the removal of the blinds. The window had blinds when we moved in that have never been closed…so I just took them down. I rehung the curtains…they never get closed but they “dress” the window.

I may eventually change out the big ugly brown leather chair for something a little more sleek and modern, but for now Cleo seems perfectly comfortable and content.

I will also eventually change out the rug but for now it matches the chair. This is one of those times when I would love to do a whole room makeover…new chair, new rug, new credenza…but I am doing what needs to be done with as little expense as possible…baby steps!

As I have said time and again, sometimes our design “wants” are dictated by pets and kids…and of course finances. You may WANT a white couch but that’s probably not a good idea if you have a toddler running around with a sippy cup of juice or a large black dog that likes to run around in the mud. (BTW, if you think you will finally be able to get that beautiful white couch after the toddler becomes a kid or the kid becomes an adult, forget it. )

Now, the desk and accent wall….

The top of the desk needed a good purge. There really was nothing on there that couldn’t be put in a drawer or filed away…out of sight. I did buy one acrylic organizer for the top just to put bills and such in. The rest got cleared off and stored away. (Remember, I open my mail by the trash can…trash goes in the trash, mail for the kids goes in the mail holder by the front door and anything that needs my attention goes on my desk. No piles of mail laying around screaming for my attention…I take a few minutes EVERY day to deal with the mail as it comes in. )

I recovered the seat of the office chair with some pink velvet I had on hand.

Now, the pièce de résistance. The accent wall. HERE I talked about “finding my inspiration” for this room. After weeks of cruising the internet, I finally decided that this was the look I love.

And I do love it!

Next week I will share a full tutorial on this wall. Tutorials are usually not my forte’ but hopefully I can make sense out of how I created this “visual interest.”

As with all DIY projects, I firmly believe it all comes down to confidence. No, I had never created a wall like this…but I had no doubt I could give it the old college try. Succeed or fail, I would learn something. I think I succeeded although I will admit there are a few things I might do differently if I did it again (which I probably won’t!) But that is the great thing about sharing what I do…you can learn from my challenges (never say mistakes!)

Until then….

Finding inspiration for my home office...

When I updated my Bogey House Tour page I realized I have done nothing in the office. It is truly a very bland and boring room….

We painted the walls and added the hardwood before we moved in and we have changed out the paddle fan and added curtains but other than that…nothing.

Not a HUGE problem since I only do book work once a month and the only soul who uses this room on a regular basis is Cleo…this is her lookout!

But it really is an issue for a room that is right off the entry and can be seen from the main living room….

This room has ZERO design appeal or character.

So I have decided that this room will be my next big project.

The only question is WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO!

So I do what I always do when it is time to plan a makeover. Find my inspiration, make a plan and execute the plan.

First, Pinterest. I know I want some kind of accent wall so I searched “accent wall” and “office wall.”

I found a few things I liked so I dropped them in my “office makeover file.”

I debated whether to do just board and batten or an “accent wall” on the main focal wall…behind the desk.

Hum…I have board and batten in the entry…I like it but not sure if I would like it in this space.

Keep in mind, the one AWESOME thing about this room…the 10’ ceilings…make picking a wall accent very challenging in my opinion. Certain wall treatments just don’t look good in a large room with high ceilings.

My DIL sent me a few that were interesting….this is one….

I love the wood accent as opposed to the all-one-color-treatments like I did in my entry and guest bath….

Now this brings me to the color choice I KNOW I want…I think. I want pink. Not pepto-bismol pink but kind of a pale/blush/coral/whitish color.

Kind of this colorish….

(I can’t for the life of me find the link to this picture…my sincerest apologies!!!!)

One of my blog-friends, Cristina at Remodelando la Casa used it in a bedroom makeover…”Parisian Pink”….I have loved the thought of using pink in a room since.

Somewhere in the room. Maybe paint the board and batten/accent wall white and paint the walls the “pink” color or visa versa. Not sure yet because it will really depend on the wall treatment I choose.

Another choice….

SOURCE

I would paint the entire accent wall the “pinkish” color I choose and then paint the other walls white…just plain ole’ white.

But to date this is my favorite look….

SOURCE

Now, stick with “my vision” here. This is actually a three-dimensional wallpaper. My plan…paint the wall the “pinkish” color then make the vertical stripes out of strips of walnut.

OR paint the wall a darker charcoal greyish color and make the stripes pine with the whitish stain I used on my dining room bench.

If I do decide on this treatment, I know I want a “high contrast”….either light walls and darker stripes or dark walls with lighter stripes. And I really think I would want the stripes to be in wood.

Hum…what to do, what to do.

I am still looking for my inspiration…something that makes me say “YES, THAT’S IT”…not sure when the light bulb will go off but I have learned to live with changes in my mind for a time before I jump head long into a project.

Until that happens the desk, shelving and closet all need to be decluttered, purged and reorganized.

I still like this shelving and it serves a purpose…printer on top, paper and cartridges in the cabinet. But it seriously needs to be decluttered and the pictures on the wall need to be “rethunked.” The long vertical one is of our ski trip 20 years ago…the one with tulips is something that has been hanging around for 20 years…the cute little guy is Brian (that one will go somewhere…just too cute!)

The desk…

The desk will be on the “focal wall” so it needs to be completely clutter free. I thought it would be pretty to put a glass desk in front of the window and move the “reading chair” to this wall…but Cleo likes to lay in the chair and look out the window. Sometime our design decisions have to revolve around kids and pets.

The mirror propped against the wall?

I think I have kicked it around for a good 8-10 years and have never hung it on a wall. I love it but have never found the right place for it. It will be the first thing loaded in the car for donation!

This whatever it is…

The credenza is from our living room in the Lankford House. Between Brian and me, we have 4 computers and a slew of charging cords. The lamp was a Christmas gift from my dad to my mom THEIR FIRST CHRISTMAS…it is literally older than me. The Sonos speaker was in the living room and was moved in here before Christmas. The old mail holder. The wall decor….it’s all just a mess and needs some serious attention!

I have every computer I have owned for the last 20 years and for some stupid reason I think I need to keep the hard drive…you know, just in case I need to find an email I wrote 15 years ago. So I need to dismantle all the computers and pull the hard drives. I also have all the paper work for every car I have owned in the last 20+ years. Why? I don’t know…and I don’t know why I think I need to keep it, but I do. I just need to find a way to organize it all so that it isn’t taking up as much real estate as it is at this moment.

All that is stored in the large closet along with my business supplies, coats and some seasonal decor.

I swear…I am not a hoarder. Ask anyone in my family…they all swear I throw IMPORTANT stuff away all the time. Maybe so, but there have been many times in my life when having documentation for something I bought, or a contact I made, or insurance claim I filed, or bills that I paid, YEARS later, was important.

As a small business owner I also have to keep records for years….especially tax records. Fortunately we have tons of storage space upstairs and I am good about organizing and labeling boxes.

As long as I have the room to keep records on the car I bought in 1999 or the hard drive from the computer I used in 2006, I will keep them. But maybe they can be stored in a box upstairs and not taking up valuable space in a closet downstairs….hum…maybe.

The entire room needs to be purged and reorganized. Since we just moved into this house a little over a year ago, it really isn’t THAT bad.

I always purge and “organize” before I go out and buy storage boxes or organizing systems. And truthfully, I want to get rid of stuff so I am really not interested in adding more stuff…my goal is to try to use what we have!

So my goal this week is to get rid of and reorganize stuff and keep looking for inspiration. Once the clutter is gone and I know exactly what I want, I can make a plan.

Until next week…

Painted bathroom cabinets...

As I mentioned in the first two reveals of my master bathroom (HERE and HERE), it is one of those ever evolving rooms.

This is where we last left off…

…the addition of the operable windows. I can not express how much I love these.

The cabinets….not so much. They are actually kind of an off-white-yellowed-ick kind of color. And the hardware was pretty blah and cheapo. Cheapo is great if it has just a tiny bit of character, but these didn’t.

I debated changing out the drawers and doors to mission style doors but honestly I don’t want to spend the money on them right now. Someday I may do some major magic on these cabinets but for right now I just want to give the room a more “polished” look.

Paint…hum. An inexpensive way to give a space a little facelift.

So the debate raged…white or color…and if color, what color.

You would think as much as I do this kind of thing paint color would be no big deal for me.

WRONG!

This is just a few of the paint samples I brought home.

This is the trick to finding the right paint color. Go to the store and pick up every sample you THINK you might like…then take them home and look at them in your light. You would be surprised at how much a paint color can change in different lighting. If you still find yourself drawn to 2-3 colors, buy sample pots…they are well worth the investment. Also, if you are torn between a light color and just a tad darker, go light. First, the bigger the area, the darker a paint will look. Second, if you still think you want darker you can always go back and have them mix it the darker shade. Once you have the darker shade mixed, you really can’t do much more than buy another gallon.

I finally landed on one I think I kinda sorta like. I ordered simple brushed nickel hexagon hardware…inexpensive but with a tiny bit of character.

The two vanities took all of about 1/10th of a gallon of paint. I should have bought a quart but custom colors tend to be a smidge off in the quarts.

All in all I’m not UNHAPPY with it, but not sure I am over the moon thrilled. For the time and money you can’t beat slapping a coat of paint on a wall or a piece of furniture or cabinets to change the entire look.

Now, I want to share my latest “find.” I am, as I have said before, “old school.” Primer and oil-based on furniture, trim and cabinets and latex on walls.

I have experimented with a relatively new (to me) product and I have decided I kind of like it.

It is a “hybrid” paint….will go over latex OR oil-based without the need to strip or prime. I do knock off the shine and any rough spots just a tad with 220 grit sandpaper and wipe it all down with tack cloth, but other than that it takes very little prep. And the super cool thing is it doesn’t matter if the old paint is oil-based or latex…usually that matters A LOT. This hybrid paint needs no additive, brushes on super easy, “levels” beautifully (which is great if you are brushing or rolling on wood), cleans up with soap and water and so far seems super durable.

The only problem I have with it is it seems to be a tad thinner than most paints and you need to watch carefully for drips and runs…but because it levels so nicely they are easy to manage!

Both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore carry it and I have used both…with great results.

So if you are not sure what type of paint your trim/cabinet/furniture is and you don’t want to go to all the trouble of priming, try this product. So far, so good.

So that’s that for this bathroom…for now. I really don’t have any more MAJOR changes I want to make in there. But knowing me, I’ll find something. This week my project has been my utility room. A necessary change that I will share next time….

Master bathroom windows...FINALLY!!!

At last!

This isn’t the first master bath reveal and it won’t be the last.

This room is one of those “processes” that will take time, money and a lot of of “humming.”

By that I mean I’m still not sure what i want to do with the cabinets. But I knew from day one I wanted operable windows in this room. Why I didn’t do it when I did the major remodel before we moved in is beyond me.

I had the perfect spot….

On either side of my vanity mirror. This wall is adjacent to the back yard and over looks the flower garden I put in under the humungus oak trees.

I learned in my last home that an operable window in the master bath is a MUST!

It is the mustiest, stuffiest room in the house and there are just times when you need to throw open a window and let the fresh air in!

Adding a window will entail cutting sheetrock, removing brick, framing and in my case moving both plumbing and electrical.

Like every major project, the best way to start is to just start…and in this case that meant cutting two big ole’ holes in the wall.

That was when I discovered the plumbing in the left opening. Okay, no biggy. I can manage that. I didn’t discover the electrical issues in the right window until I removed the insulation a few days before my windows arrived. CURSES!!!!

Again, no biggy for me. Just a few junction boxes, new wiring , relocate a light fixture…. blah, blah, blah. Fortunately I have a few basic skills (and a SIL electrician on speed dial) so I was able to do what needed to be done. But If I were without those skills and planning a “little remodel” like this, I would certainly budget for professionals. If you don’t need them, kudos…but be financially prepared.

They let in a ton of natural light!!!! (This is with NO lights)

I can not even express how much I love these windows.

I thought adding a window in my laundry room was the best decision I made in this house. Hum…may be a tie! The extra light and ventilation in both is a must!

Even through the screens, I love the view of the back flower garden!

Now on to the next head scratching project. The bathroom cabinets. It may be difficult to tell in the photos but they are kind of a blah off-white.

I have contemplated refacing the fronts and replacing the doors and finishing it all in a light stain. I like the “concept” but when I searched Pinterest I kind of don’t care much for the look.

This is just a few examples of a bazillion I have put in my “inspiration” file….

I like, but I don’t love.

I kind of like the look of a color…

Again, liking but not sure I am loving. (And again I can not give proper credit because I stole them from Pinterest and dropped them in my inspiration file…my sincerest apologies!!!)

As much as I dislike the thought of the “sterile” look of all white in this bathroom, I think in reality I would really like it.

So right now I am leaning towards painting the cabinets a brighter white and definitely replacing the hardware.

That is the nice thing about paint… if I eventually find a color that really trips my trigger, it’s just another gallon of paint, a couple of hours of time and a back ache.

Until next week…