Fireplace Redo

 A while back I posted the question of to whether to paint or not to paint our fireplace. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided to go for it. My husband was a little ambivalent reminding me that "...if you do it its not reversible..." but left the final decision up to me (Love that Man).  So I decided to go for it and love the results.

 

We first pulled off the mantel as it needed to be stripped and stained.  

Needless to say the mantel was a mess. 

The paint literally peeled off by hand. 

The positive was that I got to try out a new product; spray stripper.

 I loved the spray stripper and recommend it for narrow areas. It comes out like a foam so dripping is less of a concern. I will definitely use it again.

 I used my favorite stain; Dark Walnut by Varathane (3 coats) followed by  Minwax Polycrylic.  

 

 

As for the fireplace, I used a masonry stucco & brick paint by Behr (Home Depot).

 I bought the white base paint thinking it would work fine but it turned out to be way too white. To warm it up a bit I mixed a tiny amount of the paint left over from the walls and this worked well. It took about 3 good coats to cover the brick completely. 

  

 

 

Thanks for visiting,

Changes: What's Old is New

I have to admit I have been slow to blog the past week but I swear I have been busy. So far I have made a valance for my bathroom, refinished a dining room table and painted an old sideboard. In the midst of this scurry of projects I decided to move around some furniture for better use. Below is a pic of an old dresser, (and other pieces in various stages of completion). 

 

This dresser  used to belong to my daughter and since we moved into our home (three years ago) and she took over my solid wood set, (a future painting project), I moved it into the spare bedroom to store personal stuff like brushes and combs, hot rollers, hair accessories and more. 

 

 

I love the craftsman look of the dresser, especially the hardware, and wanted it to be in a more exposed spot in my home and what better place than the living room. It is a perfect piece to set the TV on and it has lots of drawers for storage. Of course I pulled one of the drawer out to house the cable box (I drilled a hole in the back to fit the cords). The only problem was the top...it was a mess.

I knew it would be hard to stain the top so that it matched the rest of the piece so I decided to go with a darker color. 

After stripping to the bare wood, I used a coat of dark walnut (#1), followed by a coat of Kona (#2), followed by a second coat of dark walnut (#3)...all by Varathane. I am not sure why that recipe achieves the rich brown I love but it does.  I then topped it off with three coats of Polyacrylic. 

 

  

On a side note...the three frames  were wedding gifts that I have been saving for just the right spot. I think they have found a home. Now I just need to figure out what pictures to put in them. I'm thinking black and whites...what do you think?

I love the way it turned out and am so excited to complete the rest of the room. Stay tuned and thanks for visiting.

$25 Dining Room Table - Seats Six

I found this table back in early winter at the local thrift store. It was priced at $35. I walked away. Then I came back....three more times. I wasn't returning to the store for the table but each time I came back I walked to the furniture section to see if it was still there. There was something about the line of the legs that I really liked but the oval shape seemed dated. I caved and offered $25 ("come on...it's been here all week") and obviously I got it. It sat in my basement for months. My original intent was to finish and sell. Then one day out of the blue I decided to bring it upstairs into my dining room to see how it looked. I actually got sick of the old table that was there and put it out on the curb for special pick-up and needed a place to eat.

As I have said before, I have to live with a piece of furniture before I really know what I want to do with it. Sort of an artistic analysis. So I broke it down...

Cons: the wood did not match the chairs and it was oval (outdated?) and damaged.

Pros: It was wood, it fit the space, it came with a leaf, I still loved the line of the legs and it served the purpose (we had a place to eat)

I search various furniture blogs, pinterest, and popular high-end online stores. I was inspired....

I decided to paint the legs and base an off-white and the top a rich brown to match the chairs. 

I mixed a couple of chalk paints to make the creamy off-white color and gave it three coats. I topped it with a soft clear wax mixed with a dark wax to tone it down. (ASCP used)

I sanded the top and started with Varathane in Kona (1 coat) followed by about three coats of Dark Walnut.

I sealed the top with three coats of Polyacrylic. I wanted a very durable surface for everyday use and love polyacrylic for its durability. 

 

 And here is the finished product...with a leaf!

Thanks for Visiting,

UPDATE - MAY 22, 2013
FEATURED ON SAVING 4 SIX, THINK TANK THURSDAY 

UPDATE - MAY 24, 2013

FEATURED ON OPC'S THE BETTER HALF, THE HUMBLE BRAG LINKY PARTY!!

UPDATE - JUNE 4, 2013

FEATURED ON ROMANCE ON A DIME's TAKE IT ON TUESDAY BLOG HOP #80!!! 

 

Pink & White Desk

Remember the Striped Chair? 

Well here is the completed matching desk. 

 

This project has taken a long time to complete. Partly because I have just not had enough time in each day and also because it was so important to get the desk top wood just right. I wanted to modernize the desk while keeping it's aged charm. Also, it's for Lucy so it had to be perfect.

This desk was definitely used...A LOT, and the wood was worn in all the right places.

 

I chose white for the base to enhance the richness of the wood even more. 

The pink accents gives it that playful-girly side, just like Lucy.

Ok, back to the desk...

Isn't she pretty?

(Lucy & the Desk)

Thanks for visiting,