Kitchen Update..It Gets Uglier Before It Gets Better

Okay, so we started kitchen demo last week. Yes, it took us almost 3 weeks to come to agreements on what we were going to do first, and get everything organized in our heads.

So here is what we started with:

And quickly looked like this:

Today:

So this what we have left of our kitchen!!! 

We left our sink in until later this week, when our new faucet arrives for our new sink.

All the mess is a little overwhelming, but we are surviving-

Today, the flooring is coming out. When we removed some of the cabinetry, we found out that the original hardwood was underneath!!! Wahoo! (yes, more hardwood refinishing is in our very near future!)

I'll be back tomorrow on how we are removing the two layers of sub flooring....and 3 different linoleums.

Have a wonderful day! I get to go to work, while my hubby dearest is demolishing away.

Easy *DIY* Chandelier Makeover

About two hours before our Christmas Eve party, I was doing my last minute decorating/cleaning/preparing...

The hubby and I were discussing how we wish we would just take the time to order new chandelier candle covers for our dining room chandelier... (which we scored on Ebay like 2+ years ago for $30).

The white plastic ones just looked so cheapy...

I've secretly coveted Joan's chandeliers with the little candle covers for a long time.

So, me being the 'dig in the drawer, scrounge around, use what I found, last minute' type of person I am (sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't). I found an unused spool of jute type string.

I had a 'ah-ha!' moment!

You will need:

1) spool of jute cording/string from the craft store
2) hot glue gun
3) scissors (to cut your string)
4) your candle covers
5) 45 minutes of time

So here my chandelier went from this:

These are my supplies...minus my hot glue gun and scissors

This is how I started my jute

Continuing to wrap it down the cover

And after 9 of them? Ta-da!

Love it! 

*small disclaimer... we've been using the light for a week and a half and the hot glue hasn't been effected by the lights on. (these are 40 watt regular chandelier bulbs)

I'm sure you could take this idea and run with it! 

Imagine the possibilities?!

Sharing this thought at:

Redoux Interiors

Feathered Nest Fridays

Home Sweet Home #100

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs, 

Jessica

Floored...

First off, hope you all had a wonderful holiday, spending time with your loved ones, etc! 

This is what my house looks like right now: I need to get the new toys upstairs- plenty time for that tomorrow!!

We made it!!!!

Refinishing hardwood floors?? Why! It's a piece of cake!!

For fun, here is the living/dining room on move-in day:

Here is the antsy-hubby less than ten minutes after we got our keys:

After carpet was ripped up we were left with this:

Scared yet?? Nah, I wasn't.

We got our paint on:

Things were looking a little better.

That gorgeous wood panelling wall? Eight coats later is this:

Then the floor was sanded:

Then the floor was stained with Minwax Jacobean.... and sealed with a water-based poly/low odor/fast drying sealer... 4 times!!!

We followed this tutorial.... {LOVED HER FLOORS!}

Totally got her simple instructions. 

Here is the floor, sans sealer-

{notice the front door?? Different color! Will cover that in a later post}

AND- after 4 coats of the sealer (before the quarter round was up & before the baseboard touchups)-

We are in-love!!!

Here is the written version of what we hubby did-after research!:

1) Prepped the floor (pulled staples, more staples and more staples)

2) Filled all holes with stainable wood filler (there was ALOT)

3) Taped off doorways with plastic 

4) Sanded around the edges with a palm sander-the big floor sander can't go to the edges

5) went to home depot and rented their floor sander- and bought several sheets of sanding paper- over buy and save what you don't end up using- they will take unused product back! We only wanted to have the sander for 24 hours (so we didn't have to pay for additional days)

6) Sanded and sanded the floor- along the grain with the big sander

7) Cleaned and returned the sander

8) Cleaned, vacuumed, swept the dust (!) out of the room

9) Applied Minwax pre-stain conditioner.

 10)Stained the floor.... as I read from the blog I used as my guide, don't apply then wipe off. It became very blotchy. We globbed it on very thick with a 3" paint brush- then let it dry (it was still pretty tacky after 2.5 days)

11) Sealant-We were in a huge time crunch- I knew I was working tons the following week, then it was Christmas- so I remember reading my inspiration, and she said she applied the sealer and the stain dried almost instantly. With the stain we used, it did! We were shocked. I was able to apply each coat directly  right after each other. Starting in one corner of the room, and finishing each layer on the other side. Letting myself rest for a couple minutes per coat. All with a 3" paint brush!! (I felt like I had done 2,500 squats the next few days!)

I took the photo above on a Sunday afternoon- which I finished sealing the night before at about 12:30am.

The very next day (Monday) My mom and I spent a few hours painting the newly installed quarter round trim and baseboard. We tried taping off around the floor (NOT A GOOD IDEA!!) My hard work came off in small sections where we had pressed the tape a little too hard. So needless to say, I broke out the sealer again, and had to go over my work.

After the taping/sealing/painting misshap, we decided to let the floor cure until this last weekend (about 5 days) before we put any furniture on it.

I decided to move the piano (!!!) a smidge and sure enough a little piece of sealer came up... So needless to say it must've needed a few more days than five to cure.  

If I ever do this type of floor work again, I would use the same products again in a heartbeat. Just wouldn't give myself a week and a half to have the room ready so we can throw a party!!!

Cost breakdown-

We figured after the rental of the equipment, initially purchasing supplies (the pre-stain conditioner, stain, wood filler, sealant...we exchanged extra stain and the conditioner for one more bottle of sealer), sand paper... we have about $250 invested in the floor.

Time?? About 30!

Our space square footage- 378 

Undecorated/Finished product-

This photo was taken this past Saturday afternoon {please excuse my slippers in the middle of the floor!}. On Sunday my mom came over and we hung stuff up on the walls and made the room a little more 'festive' for Christmas Eve! I will share those photos later- I need to take better photos than with my iPhone!

What's left in here? 

-window treatments of some kind...still thinking about it

-new hardware for the front door

-a hanging light/lamp...have a funky idea for above one of the side tables

Other than some minor tweaking, I am pretty happy with how the room turned out, and can't wait to get started on another space (after we decide what to tackle next!)

Getting There...

Almost done!! As I type, hubby is vacuuming, so I can get down and start putting the 'pre-stain conditioner' on them floorboards!!

Progress:

its getting there!

Bedroom Reveal!!!!!!

Ahhh! This past weekend, we were busy painting, and refurbishing.

So, I guess this would be my bedroom 'reveal'.

To see the before {scary!!} photos, click here.

Can you see the difference???

Here is my desk shot I shared last time. I moved this chair into the living room, and brought this chair in. I like both chairs about the same, but the black one provides just enough contrast for me between the white mirror and white desk corner {plus it's bonus the old stripes match the top of my nightstand!!}

                                         

Here is my dresser... I am in love with armoires!! Perfect for so many things. 

It is one of the few items in this house that hasn't been attacked by my paint brush!!

The color really complements some of the touches in the room, and reminds me of scrubbed pine...{maybe it is??}

Here is what we... I mean hubby did to the bed.

First I painted over the very dry, horrible varnish with my trusty white paint.

Hubby then cut off the little wood knobs on the posts of the foot board.

To beef up the headboard, he took two spindles and attached them to either side of the headboard...

{where did the glass knobs come in??} I forgot we had bought two glass door knobs for our first house....years ago. Well...after some jimmying up...they are now our finales on our bed! I will give my hubby the credit on that one.... It so happens that the other furniture in the room all are adorned with glass knobs! {this is what 'makes' the bed for me!} perfect amount of glitz!!



                             

I am so excited to say we spent literally no money fixing this room up.....

Bed {{20....about a year and a half ago, thrift store find}}

Striped nightstand {{0....my mom gave to me}}

Sign above bed {{0...the wood was from the neighbors}}

Little desk {{0...hubby built onto an old nightstand we've had for years}}

Lamps {{0....already had}}

Armoir-we use for my dresser {{already had, hubby uses built-ins with the house for all his stuff}}

All decor accessories {{already had, just painted items, and re arranged}}

I already had all the painting supplies from past projects. 

My husband is so thankful that I am back to work {as of yesterday!} I no longer have energy to change everything around once a week {ha!}

Thank you to all of you sweet people who have been praying for Maci! She started kindergarten today! I will be updating her blog later this evening. She was so excited to go to school, and she {we} adore her teacher!

I am sharing this post with Kim's party over at Savvy Southern Style. 

{She has a gorgeous home and I hope to be like her when I grow up!!}

Also am sharing at: