The New Stool

Since I began the roll top desk makeover I have been trying to figure out how to have a chair/stool/or something that would not obstruct the view of the beautiful desk. I found it thanks to the help of my step mom. She found this lovely little piano stool at an estate sale and surprised me with if for Christmas!!!! Yippie!!!!!

So....of course I wanted it to match the desk and using the same technique I did, remade the stool into what I think is the perfect little dainty and beautiful piece it is now!!!

I'm in love!!! Maybe a little biased, but I think it turned out wonderfully!

My New DIY Project.......Aged Roll Top Desk

 My New DIY Project.......Aged Roll Top Desk

So, I was given this desk by a sweet friend that was given it years ago by her former employer. She was updating and decided to get rid of it. She asked me if I wanted it....ARE YOU KIDDING ME....uhmmmm that would be a YES!!! The only catch was, I could never sell it...if I decide to ever get rid of it, I had to give it away. DEAL!

               

Before - Outside

Before - Inside

I have been contemplating the new chalk paint that has been a popular trend here lately and decided this would be the PERFECT piece to try it on.

Let me just say this thing is a MONSTER of a desk and heavy as all get out!!!--just ask my husband and my dad!!! Anyway, I took it apart...COMPLETELY....and decided the best thing to do was start painting the bigger pieces in the carport and take the smaller/lower parts upstairs and paint them in the place it would occupy.

I decided to try a paint recipe I found on Pinterest and get started!! There is an assortment of recipes on there, I just picked the best one that suited what I already had on hand. Of course I had to buy plaster of paris and polycrylic but other than that, I already had plenty of white latex paint....so I was all set!

I removed all the hardware and painted the first coat on all the pieces, let dry thoroughly for a few days (I still have to work ya know) and came back and added another coat of paint so it would be completely covered.

These are pictures after the first coat of paint:

After the 2nd coat:

Another Pinterest idea I found was to paint the insides of the drawers. I decided on Aqua to go with the theme of the room. I used spray paint to do the drawers...it worked out nicely and allowed me to take them outside, spray them, then put the hardware back on and put them back in the desk to paint the fronts. I also painted the slide outs Aqua too.....

Drawers:

 

Ok, Here's where the waiting game began....Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the desk, but the bright white almost made it seem to stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of the room....it was just too stark white...what to do? what to do? 

Well....I've heard all these wonderful things about chalk paint and waxing and clear wax with dark wax. Sounded like a wonderful idea, right? Well....not if you are going to "use" it frequently per the Home Depot experts!!! Hmmm....ok, now what? Back to the computer and ole Pinterest!!! I took about a week researching different ideas, things other people did, advice of people who had done the same thing and what worked best and not so good for them. Finally deciding to use a polycrylic to seal the paint. (I learned that if I didn't seal it, and decided to distress it and tone it down with some type of dark wax or glaze then whatever I used for that could "tint" the paint and I did not want to ruin the hard work I had already put into it). I added one coat of polycrylic and brushed it on with a paint brush, let dry thoroughly for a day then used a sanding block and both fine and course grit

sand paper to distress it. 

Then came the glaze. I used a can of Rust-oleum Decorative Glaze I bought from Home Depot and used on my previous cabinet make over. I painted the glaze on and immediately wiped it back off leaving it in the creases and corners as much as possible going back and adding it after the first coat dried anywhere i thought needed a little extra. I let that dry overnight. Once all that was done I went back and put two more coats of polycrylic over it to seal it and ensure a lasting finish!

I also took all the old hardware and spray painted them silver to give it an updated look!

Whala!!!! New Desk and I must say I am very happy with the results!!! I also updated the picture with another one and added some other decor....Needless to say...she doesn't have to worry about me ever trying to get rid of it....I LOVE IT!!! Thank you for looking!!!

Items I used for this project:

House remodel at its finest!

Kitchen Remake!

So, first off when we bought this house 8 months ago, I LOVED the kitchen. It was clean, had great space and counter tops and fabulous real wood oak cabinets!!!

However, after repainting the living room, the dining room, the hallway and redoing the guest bathroom...I started seeing that my first thought cute little kitchen needed an upgrade too.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Before

First off, I decided to paint the cabinets. I had been seeing all these posts on Pintrest of these beautifully done glazed cabinets so I thought...with the bright ideas I sometimes have...I could do that!!

Believe me when I say that some times the thought soooo outweighs the plan....Ive done some remodeling in my time, mind you, but this far outweighed anything I've ever done all by myself! Whew!!!
So here goes....this is what and how I did it. 

First, they had to be sanded right??? Right! So I pulled all the doors off, took all the hardware off, got my brand new handy dandy palm sander out and away I went on the doors! Its not as easy as it seems however, once you get the hang of it, it goes rather quickly.

I came in and sanded the outsides of the cabinets and all around any parts that would be painted and wiped it down with a damp cloth to get ready to paint. 

I painted them a bright white, latex enamel, 2 coats and allowed to dry over night then started the glazing process. I bought Mocha glaze. 

One thing I did differently than others in the posts I was reading was to leave the glaze a little streaky. I wanted a weathered, distressed look so instead of wiping it all down and off. I went back and wiped it back on in places I wanted to look streaked. 

It took me a month to finish them. I did half the kitchen on one side and completely finished them before starting on the other side. I also came across this wonderful stuff at Home Depot called no-sand.....Seriously!!!! COULD SOMEBODY have told me about this BEFORE I sanded 14 doors?  I have a full time job, 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats and a husband....so it took me a while. The no-sand did a wonderful job and no more sander!!! No more dust, no more allergies!!! (my sinuses reeked havoc with the sanding).

Cabinets Before

Cabinets Before

I am very pleased with the outcome and LOVE the way the cabinets turned out!!! Quite different from the before pictures, I would have to say!

 Cabinets After

Cabinets After

To save money I painted the brass hinges with Krylon spray paint in an oiled copper color and only bought new handles and drawer pulls. I also, midway decided to repaint the kitchen as well. The new bright colored pictures paved my way in the idea of decor, so I wanted the walls to be a light shade that didn't deter the eye from the colorful accents. In other words I wanted you to see the decor and the pictures and the cabinets, not the walls! I handmade the curtains (idea also from Pintrest) and upgraded the tiny fridge that came with the house when we bought it and Ta-Da!!!

Here is a half and half shot. Left side being the BEFORE and right side being the AFTER.

So without further adieu...My Beautiful Kitchen Makeover!!!

Thank you for looking! Have a wonderful and delightful day!