In this furniture makeover, she has worked miracles on an old music cabinet that had been my dad’s from his early years. (And he’s no spring chicken!) Many people would have kicked this to the curb, but Meredith saw its hidden potential. This piece is a testimonial to diving in and not being afraid to try! What’s the worst thing that could happen?…What’s the best?

Enjoy the photos and the play-by-play. Hope it inspires you to not give up on old things!

Thanks, Mere (yeah…nobody calls her bratty)! It’s awesome! Hug my nephew for me.

Guest Blogger here!   Allow me to introduce myself.  I’m Cozy’s youngest sister, Bratty.  Yes.  I’ll own it.

Okay – mostly, this blog will be in photos.

You’ve read my sister’s words about our parents and how last year we moved them out of their abode of 32 years, and into a much safer, less cluttered patio home/condo type dwelling.  Sometimes, I look around my 115 year old house, and think maybe….maybe a condo is a good idea!  But, for now, I’m happy to be the custodian of this house.  I hope I can keep it standing and maybe even improve it.  It’s a work in progress. I think maybe it always has been.

After the auction of all the things that remained after the big move for the parents, a few pieces remained.  A few pieces that were too rough!  No one even wanted to buy them for fire wood!

This piece of furniture tugged at my heart a little.

Pretty sad, huh?

Look.  Ew.  Mold.

This is it’s good side.

Not it’s good side.  Surely someone set an iced tea glass here repeatedly.  For many years.

Please turn to the left, ma’am.

Um… excuse me.  Is that a moving company’s sticker?  Really?  That sticker was stuck in 1978.  That’s some pretty serious stick.

One of my passions is music – playing it, listening to it, making it – I love all of it.

Our Momma and Daddy loved music back in their day, too.  Mother was a church soloist with an incredible contralto voice and could whistle like a songbird. Daddy always used to sing bass in the church choir, although having sat next to him in church a time or two, I will more fondly remember his appreciation of music rather than his musicality!  I remember some specific musical days in life, such as the day we got a Radio Shack Stereo that had an 8-track player.  It was HI-TECH!  We were big time.  Then sometime later we got a REAL stereo, with a balanced turntable with a diamond head needle, a system equalizer and big 2’ x 3’ Pioneer box speakers, supplemented a few years  later by a CD player.  Wooooo……

Long before Cozy and I were twinkles in our padre’s eyes,  he had a Victrola and a super sweet collection of 78’s  (if you’re so young you don’t know what a 33-1/3 or a 45 or a 78 is, you’ll need to look that up on Wikipedia.)  I wish I had room in my house and life for all the things that I associate with my parents and their house.  But we had to let go of so much – so many things.  This cabinet held all of Daddy’s 78 LPs; it was chock-full of them.   Although the auction-goers were eager to have the 78s, they were not at all interested in this worn out cabinet they lived in.  Water damaged.  Dried out.  Unloved in the last 40+ years. Probably more like 50+ years.  Largely in storage in a damp, musty basement with boxes of old receipts and Christmas decorations stacked on top of it.

I couldn’t put it in the dumpster.

So, I dragged it home, and commenced to thinking about it, and it’s potential uses.

Here’s what happened next:

I went out and bought a Sunday paper.  (See, color ads and stuff.) Yes.  I had to go buy one. I don’t take a paper.  It’s my little contribution to the Earth.

Next,  I figured, “Hey, you can’t hurt this thing anymore than it’s already hurting!”  What kills mold?

Clorox.  Bleach. I know, that ain’t no way to treat a lady!  But, my goodness.  Did you see all that funk and dirt and mold and I will tell you – there were some empty spider egg sack thingys tucked in one of the corners.  Bleach kills spiders, right?

Honestly, I was kind of surprised how much better it looked just with the cleaning and scrubbing with the Clorox spray!

I couldn’t just stop there.  She needed exfoliation. Serious exfoliation.  That’s where these friends came into play.  VERY handy, prepared sanding sponge blocks by 3M in two different grits:  Medium and Fine.  Then, well…I sanded.

Lots.

The beautiful thing of these cool sanding sponges is that as their grain becomes filled with dust and dirt, you just dunk it in your nearby bucket of water, and magically the sponges are ready to go again!  With the added bonus that the water keeps down on the massive dust cloud caused by my machine like speed and precision sanding.    You need to sand EVERY surface.  Roughing up the surface will help your finishing – whether paint or stain – adhere because paint or stain or what have you has a hard time sticking to other paint or stain or other old exterior finishes.  Think shellac, wax, polish, tung oil, mold, spider egg sack thingys.

Be sure to sand and scrub every little nook and every little cranny.

Sand and sand and sand until you cannot bear to sand any more at all.  No palm sander for this girl, just working on my forearms and biceps.  That’s right.

See?  You can see how dusty it is again?   That’s all my hard work.  After this step, you need to wipe down your piece of furniture again.  I didn’t use the bleach product this time – - just paper towels and water.

Now the fun stuff begins.

I had the idea that this piece might work in my son’s room.  He’s 17.  Bedside table shelves now, cool living room piece in his first apartment someday?  My son’s room is kind of sparse and clean-lined.  More so than any other room in my house.  So, I thought an Asian-American  scheme might look just right, and would grow with him.  Red and black it is.

But not ordinary red and black.

The highest gloss red paint I could find.  Shiny.  Look….a bunny!

Here’s the first coat.

Two coats? Right?

Okay.  If you insist.  Three.

It is so shiny now, it’s almost glowing!

But, it’s still looking not quite right to me.   So, I went with five coats.

That’s right. F I V E coats of super-high-gloss-candy-apple-red oil-based-paint.

Have I mentioned that I thought I’d bust this project out in one evening?

That kind of thought process is genetic, by the way.

The exterior was much easier. Maybe because the future owner of said cabinet hounded me by saying “Um, Mom…when are you going to finish my beside table?” Needless to say, I was shamed!  So I had him paint all the black surfaces.   2 coats of flat-black furniture paint, applied to all the primary surfaces.  He did a great job!  I faced the shelves so that the black wouldn’t leak onto the red.

Can I just say, this is one of my favorite pieces of furniture in this house now!

The back side looks awesome.  I love a good backside.  Except for those plastic chairs I painted red last summer.  Apparently, I didn’t care enough to thoroughly paint the back side of them!  Let’s keep looking at the cabinet!

There! In the background you can see the fellow who painted the outside of the cabinet.  He has his dog on his lap.  So sweet!

So there you have it.  One saved memory, repurposed, renovated, restored in a new way.  Total cost for this one day two week project:  (**NOTE:  Super-high-gloss-candy-apple-red oil-based-paint takes at LEAST a full day to dry between coats.  Sometimes you need two days if you’re weather is humid and sticky.)  About $15.00 for the paint and disposable brushes and pans, another $5 for the sanding sponges, and $1 for the Sunday newspaper.  I threw in the paper towels and bleach spray since I had them already.

I’m really glad to have saved this quirky little record cabinet. I’ll always think of  my Daddy when I look at it, and hopefully, my son will, too.

Thanks for reading ~

Bratty

Check out some amazing projects! Click on these links…but only if you have time to look around:

I have posted some of these pictures before, so forgive any repetition. Hopefully, from here on out, I’ll be a little better organized (with photos) and focused (not lazy).

The flooring was hired out; everything else will be done “in house,” unless I tell you otherwise.

First, some before:

Former DR Chandelier--Pay no attention to the Christmas decor. It was my attempt to cover as much shiny brass as possible.

New Chandelier. I am much happier. Notice the floor-to-ceiling green walls in the background. Loved the color--just not in this room.

Walls had to be primed. At this point, I still wanted a green--just a lighter, brighter green...And I was considering a board and batten wall treatment like we had done in our bedroom.

I mentioned the idea of board and batten to my husband, who loves doing projects…Well, he loves them when they are finished! I decided to go ahead and decide on a green (no easy task), painting from about five feet off the floor and up. I figured we would get to the woodwork this summer…

Ah…The perfect green (for me!) It is called “Jekyll Crane Cottage Green” by Valspar. And I love it. It took three samples before I got the right one, and honestly, this green is much nicer in person. Notice the lovely fabric? I bought it first. I picked it because of all of the color, the soft floral print, and the linen feel. But, then…Plans change. Later, you will see what I mean.

So, I painted.

I tape because I can not paint a straight edge. And no, I don't drink.

Then, I left town for the weekend to visit my parents. When I came home, my husband who is really wonderful had done this:

Board and batten

OK. He had not painted it. The man does not paint. It’s possibly his greatest fault. It is forgivable, though…Notice the cap rail? It definitely gives a more finished, slightly formal look.

More pictures:

Baseboard detail

The only shocking thing was that the carpet disappeared! Shocking, but totally fine. The carpet was in bad shape, and we had talked about replacing all of the first floor with wood. I just didn’t know we were actually going to do it. But we did. More on that later.

Next installment: How to Make Your Dog a Little Wacky: Install Hardwood Flooring

See ya’!

Grey cabinet BEFORE the facelift

And here is the AFTER:

Finished project--cabinet painted Heirloom White

The only “antique” parts of this cabinet are the hardware (which I didn’t touch) and the doors (which the cabinet builder had already painted, thus relieving me of any guilt I might feel about painting old paint). My daughter wisely picked Rustoleum’s Heirloom White paint. It is beautiful and oh-so-smooth to the touch (quite unlike the flat grey housepaint which had been on the cabinet.)

Antique spring latch

Antique hinge

One if-I-had-to-do-it-again: I should have primed the cabinet. It took three coats of a good quality paint to cover the dark gray and a lot of time. (I slacked on the inside. Only one coat to make the shelves smooth and a little brighter.) I think a good primer would have made a third coat unnecessary. Also, there are a lot of nooks and crannies and hard-to-reach spots in this type of furniture. It is NOT a quick job. But well worth the time, I think!

ALL of her clothes fit–even the hooded sweatshirts! How many almost-15-year-old girls can actually put away all of their laundry?

The best part? She loves it!

Cabinet--Loaded

The girl LOVES her socks!

Final choice--Rust-oleum

A few years ago I visited a sweet, new friend and mentioned how I loved her round kitchen table. It had an iron base with a wonderful pine top. I could see the indentations made by over-zealous pencils doing homework in the soft wood, but the size and color were wonderful!

A few months later, my friend mentioned they were moving, and she was selling the perfect kitchen table. I could just picture it in my smallish kitchen where it would add soft curves to a square space. Family dinners would be cozier; games would be easier to play. Yes, this round table was my Shangri-La. Of course, I bought the table and brought it home to “fix” the top. A little light sanding, I thought, then stain and seal. A small project, right?

Lesson #1: There are no “small projects”. It is easy to put a little too much elbow grease into something–especially when you discover the top is a thin veneer over MDF (medium density fiberboard). Did you know that just a few minutes of “light sanding” can go right through a couple of millimeters of veneer! Who knew?

It was not my best day.

That began the saga of the painted table. First, it was white, then red (should have kept that one) with a dry-brushed antiquing, then green (but only for a day because it was a horrible green), then yellow, pumpkin, black, and now on its way to a new color.

Just the most recent "Before"

Wow. After listing all of those, I realize I probably should have stripped the top before adding another color (Lesson #2). The table is probably an inch taller than it started, due to paint build-up. This color actually looked good, but because the orange was so strong, it never “felt” right in my red kitchen.

Lesson #3:  I think the best way to paint furniture and get a smooth finish is to spray it. Rust-oleum makes great spray paint; however, I painted this table inside (it weighs a ton, and I’m embarrassed to ask my husband to tote it out to the garage AGAIN) so spray was out of the question. Rust-oleum also makes a pretty good brush-on paint that gives furniture a hard, looks-like-it-came-that-way finish called Painters Touch. (I do not work for Rust-oleum…I just really like their products!)

Listen to me. I have had lots of experience painting furniture. Actually, only this round kitchen table…So, for real EXPERT advice, go to Home Sanctuary (Rachel Anne is a pro). I also found Cindy who really walks a DIYer through the process of painting furniture. Check her site and tutorial out at My Romantic Home –information from someone who probably doesn’t paint things eight times before she’s happy.

One other thing, some will argue that “decent” wood should never be painted. I think that’s fine if it is in someone else’s home. “Decent” is a relative term, and if the table, chair, or bookcase is yours, and you don’t like it, I say try a coat of paint. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Paint build-up isn’t fatal. Just don’t do what I do. Know when to stop.

Here are some shots for my project–all mistakes until the end.

Pumkin colored table with one coat of black paint. I should have stopped here!

black painted top

Second coat of yellow over the black. Yikes.

First coat of Colonial Red over the yellow (yikes) base. Forgot to sand. Think it will stick?

Red, followed by dry brushing some black and white. The white didn't work for me. But that's nothing a little more red can't cover!

So, here’s the final product–without the finish coat of wax. (This looks a WHOLE lot like the way the table looked when I first painted it…Go figure.)

Ta Da! I think I'll stop here.

One last note, light sanding with a fine grit paper between coats makes the finish coat smoother and more likely to stay put. I’m still searching for the paste wax recommended by Cindy at My Romantic Home, but other than that, I’m moving on…So many projects, so little time (and money, of course!)

Materials Needed:

• PAPERTIGER (absolutely MUST have tool…good product demo at site)
• spray bottle with warm water
• old towels
• big sponge
• scraper (3-4 in. putty knife)

optional:

• DIF (chemical stripper; also a Zinsser product)
• Cheap liquid fabric softener (see caveat)

First, test a small area. Find a seam or a loose corner and pull. If it pulls off easily, in one big strip, stop immediately and go buy a lottery ticket. The chances are, however, that the outside layer (the “pretty” part) will barely come off the wall. If it comes off in a big piece, don’t get excited. Look closely and you will probably see another layer of white or yellowish paper and glue still lurking there, reluctant to give up its claim. If this causes any anxiety, run now to the telephone and call a paper hanger or a painter. Ask what they charge to strip paper (probably hourly), take a deep breath, and decide. If you don’t mind parting with the money, get them on your calendar and start planning your new space. If it’s not in the budget, continue reading.

I think it is easier to peel off as much of the “fancy” paper (outer layer) as possible before involving any water. Clean up is easier; plus, having the outer layer gone makes it easier for the water to penetrate. If the outer layer is stubborn, don’t despair (ha). Just go on to the PAPERTIGER step.

Pretend for a moment that the person who hung the papaer primed and sealed the wallboard first. Spray a little warm water on the backing and let it soak for a few seconds. Scrape with your putty knife, carefully refraining from plunging the corner into the drywall. If you do this, you will have to spackle and smooth before you paint. If your knife leaves a clean, smooth surface, proceed to the PAPERTIGER step.

If the paper does not budge, allow yourself a moment. Maybe some soothing tea would be appropriate. Come to terms with the idea that you will probably need to call a professional to skim-coat the wall when you are finished. (Don’t make the call yet. There are still miracles!) You will need to either use DIF or fabric softener to loosen the bond.

Using the PAPERTIGER, roll it around in circles, all around the walls, using gently pressure. You want to perforate the wallpaper, not the drywall.

After you have made your wallpaper all holey, saturate it with warm water and begin scraping. If you are unlucky, you will have to use DIF or the fabric softener for this step. If using DIF, wear rubber gloves and read the label carefully!

***Here’s my caveat on the cheap liquid fabric softener:  It might break down more than the glue, requiring skim-coating when finished. I have no proof that it does this. I have used it on many walls. Some were fine; some were not. It might depend more upon the initial wall preparation. The benefits of softener are:  It is cheap, and the room smells really good while you are working.

Eventually, the paper will all be gone! Using the sponge, wipe the wall with warm water to clean away any residual glue or chemical. Let dry completely before painting or [shriek] re-papering. (I have a room that has been “drying” for two years now…That’s a story for another day.)

Enjoy your nice, clean walls, and please think long and hard before you do anything else.

Unfortunately, in the real world, that rarely happens. (Do I sound bitter?)

I have stripped a few walls and have learned a few things to share:

1. Expect the worst. This is hard for those of us who have our cups half-full all of the time, but it is essential if you want to circumvent a complete and utter emotional breakdown. (See #7.)
2. Allow plenty of time. Do not plan to strip your kitchen paper and have a dinner party that evening. This is a very bad plan, destined for failure.
3. Be prepared to clean everything after you finish. The gooey paste will end up everywhere, turning a tile floor into a deadly weapon. You might want to invest in a shampoo guaranteed to cut through cement-like adhesive because you most definitely will be wearing whatever held your paper to the wall.
4. Always kill the electricity when you approach switches or outlets. Remover is wet and there is this wacky law of gravity that causes it to run south. Fast.  Don’t end up a Darwin Award winner.
5. Decide in advance where you will meet your hubby for supper. This will save guilt later. Even if you finish (and that’s a big if), you will be exhausted.
6. Have some sort of plan for what will go back on your empty walls. New paper (after prepping the wall, of course), paint, fabric…Bare walls are anathema to people like you and me. You will hate every minute of seeing nothing there. You know it’s true.
7. Have the name and number of a good painter tattooed on your leg. Sometimes, when walls are not prepared properly (Do you see a theme here?), paper removal techniques can totally ruin wallboard. In this case, you will need to have the drywall skim-coated by someone who knows how. I know my limitations. This CAN be done by a DIYer, but you might want to practice first. Maybe on the face of the person who hung the wallpaper without first sealing the drywall?

The bottom line is that the best part of stripping wallpaper comes when you are finished. When you don’t ever again have to look at what some other person thought was beautiful. You eventually get to look at your own beautiful. And it will be!

Coming next:  A simple how-to on stripping wallpaper.

Finding home accessories can be a daunting, expensive task. Rather than shopping at traditional stores, consider options closer to home.  Start snooping and see what you can find. Garages offer wonderful treasures–if you just use a little imagination and elbow grease. If you don’t have a messy garage, ask a relative (parents are a good source) if they have any old “junk” they don’t want anymore. Basements, attics, and storage sheds are all potential gold mines when it comes to home decor. For low cost items, try flea markets (outdoor are best!), garage sales, or estate sales.

Regardless of where you go, use your imagination. Try to envision things in a unique way. For example, in the small opening between my kitchen and family room (above), I hung an old window that I purchased at a flea market. I believe I paid $35 for it and cleaned it, leaving the paint as is. I love the addition it made to both rooms.

To hang it, I carefully drilled two holes in the top, screwed in heavy duty eye-hooks, and hung with inexpensive chain. (Even small windows are heavy, so be sure all hardware and screws are secure and can handle the weight.) Eye-hooks and chain can be found at any hardware store for pennies (almost).

My husband and I purchased this weather vane, then promptly moved. And moved. And moved. The poor deer never was placed on the rooftop. There either wasn’t time, or it just didn’t fit. But we still loved it and decided to use it as a piece of wall art.

I found the old green shelf in my father’s shop. It held dust and a small can of paint. I asked, he gave, and I cleaned. The grime came off with Spic ‘N Span. I hung 2 triangular hangers on the back, about a third of the way down, and hung it on two picture hangers on the wall.

I found this green chair at my mother’s garage sale for $5. (It was pretty ugly and slightly lop-sided.) She gave me a great discount (100%–Thanks, Mother!) and her blessing. I believe her words were, “Are you sure you want that thing?” After cleaning it and removing the back and seat, I spray painted it with Rustoleum yellow, then top-coated it with green. I sanded the parts where I thought natural wear might occur, to expose some yellow. I used some leftover fabric and a staple gun to cover the seat and back. The hardest part was nailing in the upholstery tacks! (They weren’t necessary, but I like the way they look.) For the cost of spray paint, leftover fabric, and a little time, we had a new chair. I think it’s charming, in a quirky sort of way.

Explore your garage. Look at things with a unique perspective. With a little effort and not much money, you might be surprised at what you find!

Don’t lose heart! Here are some tips to help in this process:

If you’ve been looking through magazines and books and have a clipping file, you probably can see which colors you are drawn to. You do not need to spend a penny to look. Your public library probably has volumes of books and stacks of decorating magazines to use for inspiration. Just remember these books and magazines are library property. (It is very frustrating to check out magazines and discover that someone has gone on a clipping spree!) Just make a photo copy and keep it in your file. After a while, you will most likely see a pattern in the styles of rooms you like as well as colors that you love.

After choosing a color, head to your local paint store (or any Lowe’s, Home Depot, Sears, Walmart, etc.) and take a look at the paint cards. The color selection everywhere is huge and can be overwhelming. Focus on the color you had in mind–say blue–and begin looking at the 2,000 different shades of blue that are available. Pick several samples and take the cards home. The colors always look different in natural or home light than they do under fluorescent lights in a warehouse. Tape them on your wall, maybe against your woodwork, so that you can look at them at different times of day (in different lights.) Start eliminating chips until you are left with only two or three. (You might be able to pick THE one. If so, great!) If you can narrow your choices to two or three, you might want to consider buying the smallest amount of paint possible to test a patch on your wall. Many stores sell small quantities now–pint or half-pints. Just ask and see. If not, it may benefit you to go ahead and spring for the quart. It might seem a little pricey, but if you try it and don’t like it, you’ve saved yourself two gallons or more of paint and a good half of a day!

 When you have one or two or three samples painted on your wall, live with it for a few days. Just like you did with the paint chips, observe your test patches in differents lights. Finally, just decide. Here’s the thing:  It’s only paint (and a little time.) You can always paint over it if it doesn’t turn out like you wanted. Just please, do paint over it if that should happen. It is really not fun to have to be in a room that is the color of pea soup when you wanted a soft sage. I ought to know. I have made my share of color mistakes. But I’ve also felt the contentment that comes when I know the color is just perfect.

Now, it’s your turn. Take a chance on some color. Soft colors, warm neutrals, or bold statements–just give it a try. You might love your own taste and have that wonderful feeling that comes when you walk into your own room and know that you did this–and you love it!

My eyes fell on our round dining set. Ahhh…My starting point. We have spent many hours and many dinners sitting at our non-descript, Home Depot-basic-green-iron table and chairs. We’ve been through four umbrellas that met their ends by weather, sun, or rot. (I never remember to take them into the garage…I really liked that yellow one…) The table had a few sections of rust and peeling paint. The same for a couple of the chairs.

 This is a fairly easy project and makes a big difference in the appearance of the rear of our home. The only difficulty was that the project took more paint than I had planned, thereby costing more money. It was still worth it, though, and with the new $40 umbrella that I purchased at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (with a 20%off coupon!), it could be new.

1. Clean and dry iron furniture.

2. Cover area under the furniture (and anything around it–like walls, if you are not outside) with dropcloths. You might think of skipping this step, but don’t. Rustoleum spraypaint was meant to last, and it will. Even on your garage floor, windows, or deck. Take the time and prepare the area.

3. Use a small, stiff brush to remove pealing paint and rust, if you choose. (I found paint that said it would go right over rust. Time will tell…)

4. Read the directions on the can. Then, paint. The kind of paint I used was Rust-oleum Hammered finish spray paint. It was about $6 a can, and I needed four cans. The directions tell about recoating time. (It’s less than an hour or more than 48 hours, so plan ahead.) Use a steady back-and-forth motion, and be sure to spray from every side. My furniture has lots of lattice-like metal, and I did not want to see any of the old color peeking at me from the one angle I did not paint.

5. Let dry (I let things ‘cure’ for about two days in the garage) and enjoy!

***A couple of tips: Spray painting is easy, but messy. Wear a disposable latex glove on the hand you use. You also might want to use a mask. I know they’re geeky, but you will breathe in some of the paint mist. I can’t imagine that would be good for your lungs or nose! Also, if you estimate accurately and don’t have to make a run to Lowe’s, the whole project can be completed in about an hour and a half.