#BobVilaNation – Country Design Home

Feb 2, 2015

Paint By Number…Vintage Sideboard Makeover

Today’s Vintage Sideboard Makeover brought to you by DecoArt’s Americana Paints and the numbers 1 through 7 : )

I’m so pleased to announce that I am now a contributing blogger to the Deco Art Blogger Outreach Program!

I use their line of Americana chalky paints and finishes quite frequently and am happy to share my latest furniture makeover featuring their great products with you! This vintage sideboard has been in our family room since we purchased it at a second-hand shop a few years back. Every time I walked in the back door, I was greeted by this drab brown large block of wood.

No matter how I styled the top, the fact was that it was dark and sucked up all the light in the space. I have been on a painting and DIY overdrive since all of the snow started piling up, and I figured it was high time to take this old wood-paneled station wagon and transform it into a bright, shiny red cadillac. Here is the how-to:

1. Cleaned the wood surfaces. The top was not part of the original piece, it was constructed with reclaimed wood, attached and sanded down to a clean blonde wood (but not by me-thanks to whomever did this step for me : ) Which is how has remained until I got inspired. Because the plank wood was quite pretty in its raw state, I knew I did not want to paint it, so decided to wax/stain it instead.

2. So I finished the top with two coats of Americana Crème Wax in Golden Brown, allowing time to dry between the coats, which enhances the color and grain of the wood while providing a beautiful glowing finish.

These waxes are water based, have no odor, are very easy to apply and clean up. You paint on or wipe on with a soft rag,

then wipe off the excess. If it gets too tacky while you are working, you can dampen the rag to soften the wax and smooth the edges. Allow to dry, then buff with a soft cloth.

3. I was on the fence about the wood knobs-whether to replace them or not-when I realized they were screwed and glued into place. Decision made. I taped them and painted around them to keep the wood knobs to match the wood top.

For the doors and drawers, I painted them with two coats of Americana Chalky Paint called Primitive, which is a creamy greige (that’s a gray and beige combined). Using Americana stencils and Chalky Paint called Relic (a deep charcoal gray) per my No-Fail Stenciling Techniques, I added the numbers to the drawers and doors for a touch of whimsy, then sanded the edges and finished with a coat of Americana Clear Creme Wax.

4. I decided to antique the doors’ center panels for a little bit of color and contrast, so I taped them off, then painted with two coats of Americana Serene Blue Chalky Paint.

5. Allowed to dry, then painted with a coat of Americana Crackle Medium. This is a clear finish that you paint on to a sealed or painted surface, then allow to dry. As it dries, it crackles the paint underneath it and antiques it at the same time. If I had the time-lapse option on my camera, I could’ve shared this process. But trust me when I tell you it looks like a science experiment! The thicker you paint it on, the more crackling appears. In this case, I put it on really thick and most of the blue paint actually crackled off.

Whoops. But I was OK with that, as it gave the panels the appearance of old paint that had been worn away by time and use.

6. For the body of the piece, I had decided to paint it an antique red to co-ordinate with the rug that sits directly in front of it. The plan was to paint with two coats, then add the darker wax finish. But, when I started painting the Americana Chalky Paint in Romance Red

over the dark brown finished wood (remember, with these paints you do not need to prep or sand…just paint away!)

I got a little panicky because it was really, really bright!

BUT, then a miracle happened (not unlike that end zone interception with 30 seconds left in the game last night…) it basically antiqued itself! I painted it on, then wiped off the excess with a rag,

essentially staining it red while allowing the brown tone and grain of the wood to show through! The chalky paint acted like a stain, allowing me to leave on as much or little as I preferred to get the perfect shade of antique red. I love it when the unexpected happens…in a good way : ) Had I preferred, I could have painted the entire piece with the two coats of red and then waxed with the darker finish. But this was so much easier! So all it took was one quick coat of paint on the wood, wiping it off, allowing it to dry, then coating with the Americana Clear Crème Wax, which gives the entire piece a bright, glowing finish.

7. After I re-affixed the doors back onto the sideboard, I then re-staged it with some of my favorite things. And although much of those are the same, the entire wall takes on a whole new look with this bright, fun Americana Vintage Sideboard Makeover. This sideboard is a very functional piece of furniture in our home, holding a variety of household items like glasses, batteries, candles and more-essentially one large junk drawer…now when Coach asks me where I can find the IPhone chargers and cases, I can direct him to drawer #5!

Thanks to Deco-Art for supplying the Americana Chalky Paints and finishes but allowing me to use my own DIY imagination. Hope you all had a Super Sunday, everyone-I know we Pats fans sure did! Time for some more snow shoveling… but at least we’ll know where to find our winter scarves…behind door #6!! Xoxo Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, Inspiration, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Americana, Americana Creme Wax, Americana number stencils, Chalky Paints by Americana, crackle glaze on furntiure, DecoArts, painting furniture with chalky paint, using chalk paint as stain, waxing furniture for a finish

Jan 20, 2015

Crown Molding Installation…Kitchen Makeover Redux

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

Hey, so it’s been awhile since we visited the thrifty transformation of my mom’s kitchen. My last episode of the kitchen makeover saga was the installation of the travertine subway tile backsplash...and that was back in the fall! I’ve been slowly making my way through multiple projects, including transforming a charming bookcase for all of mom’s cookbooks, painting the adjacent dining room, adding a shelf…but mainly I just kept putting off the crown molding installation along the top of the cabinets…because I simply didn’t know how to do it. This is the before picture, with painted and glazed cabinets ready for their crown. They just look so square…

I had attempted crown molding cutting in the past, with miserable results. I just couldn’t figure out all the angles…until I found Sawdust Girl on Pinterest!

Crown Molding Illustration via Sawdust Girl

Crown Molding Illustration Courtesy of Sawdust Girl

This tutorial with the photos and graphics is simply the best with the most complete and least confusing instructions for the proper installation of crown molding. My post today is not actually the how-to, I am leaving that to Sawdust Girl to show you the way…to a crowning achievement! I am simply sharing a few do’s and don’ts for your reading pleasure. I downloaded these pics onto my phone for easy reference as I went along. I referred to them continuously while I was trying to figure out which way to mitre and bevel.

Outside right

Outside left cut:

Crown Molding Outside Right via Sawdust Girl

As I was trying to figure out how exactly I was going to find 36.1 and 33.9 for my bevels and miters (kind of sound like I know what I’m talking about, right?), I looked more closely at my Ryobi Miter Saw and lo and behold, the numbers were right there on the saw! With a locking position for each one-woo hoo!

With a sigh of relief I started my measuring and cutting according to Sawdust Girl’s instructions. It made me feel a little better when I was reading her instructions and she said that she gets confused every time she does these cuts! So, its not just me…

The first cut may be the deepest, but the last cut is the scariest. This is the final cut to the exact measurement of the length of the piece. Fortunately my little Ryobi Miter Saw has a laser beam that helped keep my on the straight and narrow : ) Too bad that laser couldn’t make the cuts as well…

This is the money shot, the one you cannot screw up or you have to start over. Which I did, more than once, despite Sawdust Girl’s best efforts to guide me.

NOTE: A big DON’T. In the middle of the installation, DO NOT offer to cut some wire flower stems in your little miter saw for your mom’s spring flower arrangement she is working on in another room…because you’re procrastinating and not cutting molding. They will melt and get all twisty and stuck in your saw blade.

Which require an hour of your time to take the saw apart and remove the twisty wire.

Once the cuts were made, it was time for the installation. Now, with short pieces, its pretty easy to hold it with one hand and hammer it in with the other as long as you hammer the nail into the trim 1/2 way to get it started. (Well, actually its not that easy, and I am totally getting a nail gun, despite Coach’s fear that I will somehow maim myself with an errant shot.) But with the long pieces, its near impossible to attach one end if the other end it hanging down. Sometimes you just need your mom…to use her fabulous zebra broom stick to hold up the other end while hammer yours into place.

There…installed crown molding!

I finished one section, then had to leave for the day. When I returned the next day to finish up, I was delighted to discover that the molding I had installed was still hanging proudly on the cabinet! Yay! I finished the install, using a hefty amount of spackle to fill up those nail holes and even out the corners…which were not quite as perfect as I would have liked. But, hey, that’s why they invented spackle, right? So here is the finished molding, my crowning achievement in the Thrifty Kitchen Makeover, all painted and glazed to match the cabinets. Is it perfect? Heck. no! But it looks great and mom is loving it…and that is all that really matters.

A special thanks to Sandra Powel AKA Sawdust Girl , my new DIY BFF, who gave me the courage to make those cuts and finally finish the crown molding installation! Just a few more tweaks and we’ll be ready for the final reveal. Hope you achieve something special today as well! Susan

Filed Under: The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, crown molding cuts, crown molding measuring Sawdust girl instructions for crown molding, installing crown molding, installing crown molding on kitchen cabinets, miter and bevel cuts for crown molding, Ryobi Miter Saw, Sawdust Girl Crown Molding Instructions

Dec 4, 2014

Candy Cane Mason Jars-DIY!

By countrydesignhome · 2 Comments

For the past couple of weeks, I have been spending lots of time working on Christmasy crafts in preparation for this weekend’s Holiday Open House at the Barn at Todd Farm. (Full details on Friday, but it is going to be fun, I promise : ). This Candy Cane Mason Jar

is one that I created last year and it was a big hit. Very simple and quick to make, it only requires a jar, masking tape, red and white paint and whatever holiday embellishments you may have hanging around. Here are the DIY instructions:

1. Clean and dry the mason jar to make sure there is no dirt or dust on the inside or outside.

2. Paint the jars an under color. In this case, these were home made red chalk paint, but you can start with white, since the stripes are the same size.

3. Measure around the neck of the jar.

This one was 9 inches around the narrow part of the neck, which is where I was going to begin taping.

4. Mark off @ one inch intervals all the way around, depending on the width of the tape, which was one inch.

If you have different size tape, you need to figure out the math to make the stripes equidistant.

5. Following those marks, start your tape at the rim and bring it down the jar to the base at an angle, depending on how much of a “swirl” you want to create.

Make sure that you press the tape down firmly along the edges so you don’t get “bleeding” underneath. “Bleeding” is when the paint sneaks underneath the tape and creates little bits of color where you don’t want it to be.

6. This is where you can change your stripes to be as fat or skinny as you would like. Just make sure you start at the top markings so the stripes are the same approximate width. They don’t have to be perfect, just close enough : )

7. Paint inside the taped stripes with the white paint, not too thickly, because you want it to be slightly transparent to allow the candlelight to shine through. On this jar I’m using Chroma Color by Cari Cucksey in a Crisp Linen White.

This is not chalk paint, but a very smooth finish latex that can be painted on any surface, then left with a shine or sanded down for a matte finish. One coat is all you need.

8. Allow the paint to dry completely.

9. Peel off the tape, and you are left with a striped candy cane mason jar…but, you’re not done yet! See all those little jaggedey edges? Those are the “bleeding” dots I was talking about. Very bad. They must go.

10. Take a piece of sandpaper and lightly sand the jar, exposing the raised lettering of the glass and smoothing out any rough areas and dots of paint that my have bled under the tape. The more you sand, the more rustic the jar appears and the more light shines through. Totally personal preference.

11. Decorate the neck of the jar. In this case, a bit of jute rope and some jingle bells completes the look.

12. When you light the votive inside the jar, it glows and shows off the mason jar raised glass lettering. The more you sand the more the light shines through. And there you have it, a pretty perfect Candy Cane Mason Jar to decorate your mantel or tabletop and light up your Christmas decor.

OK, back to my workshop to finish up for the weekend-I know how Santa’s elves must feel right about now : ) Have a sweet Thursday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Candy Cane Mason Jar, Candy Cane Mason Jar by Country Design Home, Candy Cane Painted Mason Jar, Cari Cucksey Chroma Color Crisp Linen White, DIY Mason Jar Candy Canes, painted mason jar candy canes

Nov 13, 2014

Through the Looking Glass Mirror-A DIY Project!

By countrydesignhome · 3 Comments

A few weeks ago, a customer came into the shop at the barn and purchased 6 of our old white, multi-paned windows for a wall installation. Once it was completed, she texted me this pic-which is awesomely creative and sooo Pinterest-worthy!

She took the windows and hung them on her dining room wall, framed by some old shutters, to create an interesting backdrop for her candles-she loves dining by candlelight- and the glass window panes reflect the light for some very romantic dining!! Loving that painted vintage buffet, BTW. Since Coach and I had recently sold our old gigantic dining room hutch, I now have a large blank wall in my dining room that is screaming for some attention. This seemed like the perfect solution, and since we have a bunch of old white windows hanging around,

White multi-paned windows for DIY

I thought it would be fun to experiment. But, I decided that I wanted at least one window to be a mirror, not clear panes of glass. Here’s where the fun started! Rather than going out and purchasing six mirrors to replace the window panes, I decided I would make my own with this can of Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Paint

I cleaned the reverse side of the window (pretty thoroughly, I thought) to make sure there was no dust or streaks.

Then I scraped the paint around the edges to clean it up.

For this technique, you spray the reverse side of whatever object you want to transform into mirror so that the finished product has a glassy look. Taking it outside, (this stuff is a wee bit smelly, folks) I used the can of Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Paint and proceeded to spray the reverse side of the window. Following the instructions, I shook the can for 2 minutes, then held the can 8-10 inches away from the surface and lightly sprayed the first coat.

Then I waited a minute, shook the can for 10 seconds, then repeated, adding 5 layers of mirror paint in total. While each layer was drying, you could see the vapors evaporating into thin air, which was like a cool science experiment.

As each layer was added, I could see that the window was becoming more opaque and less transparent. By the final coat, I could no longer see the trunk that the window frame was resting on.

Then I waited for the magic to happen. After the drying period, I flipped it over and discovered that my window was now a mirror-yay! But not a crystal clear mirror, more like an old, dusty mirror, which is perfectly fine for the look I am trying to achieve with this wall installation.

But, why, you ask!? You followed the instructions perfectly! BUT, I didn’t clean the glass properly! Behind the glass, you can see the streak marks that I left behind with my paper towels. Lesson learned. If you want a crystal clean mirror, you MUST start with a crystal clean glass surface! (When I first purchased this can of Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Paint, I started experimenting and sprayed this little candy dish, which came out beautifully mirrored. But I left it outside to dry and then it rained, so this is what happened.

Whoops. In both cases, total user error. But, I still love my mirrored window, and it is the first piece of my new dining room wall installation, coming soon! Have a great Thursday everyone and make it a reflection of the real you : ) Susan

PS: If you are in need of some awesome multi-paned white windows-we’ve got extra!

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, #Krylon Looking Glass Mirror Paint, #Krylon Mirror Paint, DIY Looking Glass Mirror Paint, DIY Mirror Paint, how to use mirror paint to create mirrors, The Barn Workshop DIY Mirror

Sep 1, 2014

Rusty Bedsprings Marquee Lights

By countrydesignhome · 21 Comments

Hi, all ! Happy Labor Day!

So, ever since Coach acquired that first set of rusty bedsprings, I had an idea for creating a marquee light for the barn shop. Inspired by the rusty bedspring coil lights in Salvage Secrets Design & Decor by Joanne Palmisano, I figured I could just take the bedsprings and attach some lights in the shape of an arrow to the back of the bedframe using pieces of wire.

It worked, somewhat, and the arrow became a beacon in our shop in the barn. (This is another one of my creations that, like the vintage sink, that is NOT FOR SALE…says me.) But it bothered me because the cords showed,

the lights were all crookedey and I wouldn’t be able to change the light shape without removing them and starting all over. Plus, because the background was the antique brown wood of the barn walls, you really couldn’t see the form unless you squinted. Or took a photo.

Or looked at it in reverse in the mirror across the barn. So, I decided to take it down and remake it into a true marquee sign. Here is the how-I-did-it:

1. Removed all the little pieces of wire and the lights from the bedsprings. THAT was fun. 2. Went to Home Depot and purchased a 4 x 8 sheet of lightweight plywood.

They have a nifty wall-mounted cutter thing and a very nice guy who will do the cutting for you, which is pretty awesome. LOVE Home Depot!

The plywood was cut down to the size of the rusty bedsprings with a 2 inch edge all around to allow for framing.

3. I built a frame out of 2 x 4’s and secured it to the back of the plywood to give me something to screw the brackets into that would hold the springs in place.

4. Measured and marked the holes I would have to make for the light sockets to be installed.

Of course, rusty old bedsprings are not necessarily even, so once I measured and marked the holes, then put the springs back onto the board, I noticed that several did not actually line up with the markings. So I tweaked them just a bit, and then a bit more, and then I drilled the holes.

After drilling, I used this handy sheet metal grinder bit to make the holes smooth and just big enough to fit the sockets so that they were snug.

5. Painted the board with Rustoleum High Heat spray paint.

Now, these little patio globe lights (from Target, LOVE these!) do not get up to a temperature of 1200 degrees Farenheit, but it’s good to know I’ll be safe just in case.

6. Painted a base coat of dark gray. Why gray, you ask? White would be too bright so the lights wouldn’t show up when lit. Black would be too dark so the bedsprings wouldn’t show up. Gray seemed like the perfect neutral alternative. This can of dark gray was a yard sale find, but a very nice quality paint from Mythic Paint. Went on smoothly, minimal drippage, good coverage and is completely non-toxic. Unfortunately, there aren’t any local stores near me that sell it : (

7. I wanted the plywood to not look like plywood, but more like some antique barn board or metal. So I dry brushed some darker gray streaks over it.

8. Once the paint was dry, I placed the bedsprings back on the board to make sure everything lined up nicely, which it did.

To attach the springs to the board, I used some steel plumbing clamps that I spray painted.

First with some metallic oil-rubbed bronze, but then with a rusty metal primer, both by Rustoleum.

I know the primer was supposed to go on first, but I really wanted the bracket and screws to look rusted to match the springs. Done.

9. Attached the springs to the board, then flipped the board over and placed the light sockets into each hole. Note that the wires are now nicely hidden behind the board where they are not all tangly and messy.

10. Tested out the board by screwing in the lights into the shape I wanted just to ensure they were in proper working order before transporting it back to the barn. In this case, just Hi!. Sent a text to my friends and family : )

There is one problem with using rusty bedsprings as your form: there are exactly 66 coils, so there are 66 lights in total: 6 down and 11 across in straight horizontal and vertical rows. Which means that I can’t really make any curved letters. Block letters it is.

11. Re-installed the “light bright” board onto the rear wall of the barn using some big-ass brackets to make sure it didn’t come tumbling off the wall and onto someone’s head! This thing is HEAVY!! Here is the new, improved Rusty Bedspring Marquee Sign that is now the beacon of light on our shop.

Which is really fun and draws a lot of attention. And, I heard more than a few browsers say “that must be a new sign, it was an arrow before.” Which is great, because that means they are returning to the Barn at Todd Farm to shop some more! Yay!

12. We do a lot of standing around at the shop (oftentimes the booth is so full of shoppers, we can’t fit in it-which is a very good thing!) Sometimes we’re just taking a break from all of the furniture moving, like this old girl.

Other times we’re just goofing off-good thing we’re the bosses…).

So we had some time to try to come up with other words for the light board, now that we can easily change it out. Subliminal messages like BUY could work, but I am thinking HUH? or MEH might draw a smile. Do you have any suggestions?? (no profanities, please : 0 Remember, we only have 11 letters across, 6 letters down and no curves!! Have a great holiday Monday, everyone! Hope you are enjoying the fruits of your labor : ) Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Color Class, Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Home Depot wood cutting, Joanne Palmisano, making a light board from Rusty bedsprings, reclaimed rusty bedspring coils, Rustoleum High Heat Spray Paint, Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, Rustoleum Rusty Metal Spray paint, rusty bedspring coils, Rusty Bedsprings Light, Rusty Bedsprings Marquee Lights, Salvage Secrets Design Decor, Target Clear Globe Patio Lights

Jul 15, 2014

Coastal Kitchen Cupboard DIY Makeover

By countrydesignhome · 14 Comments

Blogger’s note: NO REAL WOOD WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS CUPBOARD**

This past weekend, I completed a few more projects while awaiting the granite guy’s countertop installation at mom’s house. I have been working on this piece in my kitchen for quite awhile, and am happy to finally have it done! This is the before:

a red cupboard (made of MDF) we purchased a few years back at Jordan’s Furniture Colossal Clearance Center in Avon, Mass (if you haven’t been there, it is so definitely worth the trip! Lots of great furniture at significantly discounted prices!) This piece fits nicely in the narrow passageway between our kitchen and dining room and holds a ton of stuff like paper towels, napkins and several pieces of kitchen equipment that just won’t fit anywhere else. The problem is, since it’s in the highest traffic point of our home, it had been scratched and worn-the finish was like a plastic veneer and scratched off quite easily (and I was tired of the dark red anyway…). Time for a fix, so this is the after: a pretty, light coastal cabinet with a top created from reclaimed window shutters!

Here is the how-I-did-it: Sanded everything down to rough up the shiny veneer plasticy surface, and sanded the edges to round them off a bit.

Nothing says “mass-produced” more than sharp, clean edges on furniture. Primed with my go-to primer: Glidden Gripper (you can find this at Home Depot in the paint dept)

The Americana Chalky paint I planned on using says it doesn’t need a primer, but the before color was so dark, and the new color was so light, I figured I had better just to be safe.

Before I painted the entire piece, I accented the frames around the door panel inserts with the Americana Chalky Paint Called Vintage. It is a soft blue/green color that ties in beautifully with the shutter slats on the top.

Then I applied some wallpaper wainscoting (LOVE this stuff too!) to the inside of the panels to give a more country feel to the piece. (For the DIY how-to on using the wallpaper, click here.

I then painted the entire cupboard, including the inside panels, with two coats of Americana Chalky paint in the color Everlasting-so soft and pretty white.

The more I used this paint, the more I love it. No brush strokes, so easy to apply and clean up. I then sanded the edges to give it a bit of character and contrast.

The final coat was the Americana Ultra Matte Varnish from DecoArt. No shine, protects the white paint from fingerprints.

For the star of this show, the top, I used some old shutter slats that Coach and I had picked up off the side of the road on a drive to Cape Cod. That was one of my very first blog posts, and also one of the first times we trash picked on the side of the road. What a score! The colors are all the original ones-so coastal pretty!!

I have been using parts of them for several projects, including some little hanging chalkboards which I decided to reclaim for this project. As I was arranging the slats on the top, my original plan was to flip the chalkboard ones over and use the reverse side. But then I thought, why not just leave them so I could write cute little sayings on the surface? Fun!

Once I had placed all of the slats, there were a few that hung over the edges, which I quickly remedied with a few jigsaw cuts.

Then sanded the edge smooth with my Black & Decker Mouse sander, which I also picked up at my local Home Depot. Honestly, I spend more time at Home Depot and Home Goods than I do at home!!

While I was sanding, I made sure that I sanded the top edge just a bit so that the cut pieces had the same worn edge as the rest. (this is the area that fits into the frame of the shutters when they are whole).

Once they were cut and sanded, I glued them into place with this strong sticky stuff-didn’t even require any nailing!!

The original knobs were a nice heavy iron, but I wanted something lighter so there wasn’t as much of a contrast. These mercury glass knobs I found at (where else) HomeGoods, but I couldn’t find handles for the doors that I really liked.

So, I grabbed a pair of stainless ones I kept from my old kitchen and painted them with the chalk paint. What, you say?! Painted knobs? But, of course! This week’s Tuesday DIY Tip: you can paint any hardware quickly and easily, especially with this chalk paint! You just paint it on, making sure you get in all the tiny holes and crevices, then wipe it off,

allow to dry and done. Wipe away as much or as little depending on the look you are going for.

The finished cupboard now stands in the space under my incredible driftwood mirror I purchased at (where else) HomeGoods a few months back, along with some other coastal-inspired decor.

Which will all go so nicely in my coastal dream home (if I ever get a coast dream home…) In the meantime, have a dreamy Tuesday, everyone!! Susan

**PS: That disclaimer at the top of this article is for all the wood enthusiasts who think that no wood furniture should ever be painted…

Filed Under: Color Class, My Little Red House, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Americana Chalky Paint, Americana Chalky Paint Vintage, Americana Ultra-Matte Varnish, coastal inspired kitchen cupboard, DecoArt Americana Chalky Paint, DIY coastal insprired cupboard, Glidden Gripper, Home Depot, HomeGoods, shutter slats for kitchen cupboard top, transforming a cabinet with chalky paint

Jul 11, 2014

Vintage Reclaimed Rules!

By countrydesignhome · 15 Comments

While all of the kitchen reno and vintage shopping has been going on, I’ve been working on quite a few projects at home in the few stolen moments I have available. This week’s project: Vintage Reclaimed Ruler Side Table-my new favorite piece!! Gotta give Coach credit where credit is due. Once I mention that I have something in mind to try to create, he goes all out to find me the proper materials at his yard and estate sales. Little old side table? $3.

Vintage rulers? Not free, but he’s been collecting them for awhile and stands at about 50 & counting!

What I love about these rulers are that they originated from old and defunct local businesses, many of them with original phone numbers-no area codes! Brings a little nostalgia to the piece. How sweet is “Make It Your Rule To Graduate From School??”

So, with Lisa from RitaJosVintage’s assistance, we created this cute little reclaimed side table using nothing more than some paint and varnish, wood glue, a brad nailer, painter’s tape and of course, rulers-some for actually measuring and the remainder for decoration (some Coach wouldn’t even allow us to cut because they were too vintage!) Here is the how-we-did-it: Cleaned the table and of course, noted the large crack in the top.

That was repaired with some wood glue and a couple of nails. It wasn’t going to be visible so no need for fanciness, just security. I painted the table with two coats of this awesome new chalky paint from DecoArt called Americana Chalky Finish that I bought at Michaels (with a coupon, of course : )

This deep graphite gray color is called Relic, which fits in nicely with the piece, don’t you agree? After the paint dried, I sanded it with a damp sponge sander.

I have discovered with this paint that since it is quite chalky, dry sanding results in a very fine dusting of the adjacent surfaces, but the wet sander smoothes the surface and removes the edges cleanly.

I attempted to remove the drawer pull to clean and polish it, but it was fastened in a way that it just kept twirling around but would not budge. So, I did the next best thing: painted it, then sanded it. Gives it an antique, finished look.

For the top, we decided on a design based on an old “Log Cabin Quilt” pattern, one of my favorites. We measured the first length, then cut it and taped it into place. Then repeatedly cut and taped until the entire top was covered.

You know, I gotta say, its a lot easier when someone else is doing the cutting and I am photographing them-thanks Lisa! (So, what’s wrong with this picture?? Lisa is not wearing goggles or glasses-my bad! That is a big no-no when using power tools. After all, if you damage your eyes while using power tools, then you won’t be able to see to use power tools any more. Don’t do this at home!!)

Once the top was completed, we lifted each piece as we went along, added the wood glue and then resecured the piece,

then waited until the glue was dry (which was pretty quick because it was about 95 degrees that day!). After that, the tape was removed

and the edges were sanded to smooth out any imperfections or uneven edges.

Then we secured all of the pieces using a brad nailer. This is the mini version of a nail gun, shoots both staples and tiny little finish nails that you can barely see.

At this point we stopped for the day, as the sun was setting, as evidenced by the blue hue of daylight. Not safe to work in the darkness!

The next day, I added two coats of this Americana Decor Ultra-Matte Varnish from DecoArt

to finish the entire piece, including the top (which I had initially glazed to enhance the colors of the different woods of the yardsticks, but then decided I wanted it to have a matte finish as well). This stuff is simple to use, brush it on, allow to dry, no buffing needed. It leaves a slightly textured, very matte finish that works perfectly on pieces where you want to accent the color but not add any shine. After all, this is a relic, right?

It stands now in my dining room with some simple staging.

A sweet salvaged side table that works as both a decorative piece and a handy tool (how many times do you go looking for a ruler to measure something and can’t find one?! Now it will be at your fingertips-as long as you only need to measure 12 inches or less : ) I hope your Friday rules, everyone-TGIF!! Susan

Filed Under: Auctions, Fleas & Fabulous Finds, Inspiration, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series, Views From My Back Porch · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Americana Chalky Paint Relic, Chalky Paint from Home Depot, DecorArt Americana Chalky FInish, Matte varnish for painted furniture, Ultra Matte Varnish from Americana, using rulers as vintage decorations, vintage rulers, vintage yardsticks

Jul 1, 2014

Thrifty Kitchen Transformation-DIY Series-Wax On!

By countrydesignhome · 10 Comments

The final step of the kitchen cabinet transformation was the finish coat on the doors, drawers and boxes. To this point, we have painted 2 coats of primer, 2 coats of paint + I coat of tinted glaze to give the cabinets a slightly aged look.

But they still required one last coat of protection-this is a kitchen, and kitchens get messy right? Don’t want some splashing spaghetti sauce messing up my hard work! First, I tried a satin polyurethane, but it was too shiny. I also have a can of absolute matte finish, but I knew that would be too flat. So I decided on a wax finish that would provide protection while adding just a touch of shine. In the past I have used paste waxes that you wipe or stipple brush on, then buff off. They do give a nice finish, but I don’t like the odor and the elbow grease necessary to get the job done. Having recently discovered a new Crème Wax from Americana, I knew this was the perfect solution!

You literally brush this odorless opaque, white creamy liquid on with a foam brush,

allow to dry (about 1/2 hour), then buff it. The more you buff, the brighter the shine. I purchased this product at Michaels Crafts (with a coupon, of course : ), but it is available online at HomeDepot.com as well. Now, this is Tuesday’s DIY Tip: I use my little mouse sander to buff my finishes (if auto detailers can do it, why can’t I??)

Simply remove the velcroed sandpaper, stick on a soft cloth or rag in its place and buff away!

Use a soft flannel or fleece, not terrycloth, as the loops in the cloth will make it a rougher finish. Unless, of course, that is the look you are trying to achieve. The buffed finish is perfect-smooth and with a low satiny shine-the look we had imagined when we first decided to make over mom’s kitchen. The wax finish is essentially colorless, so it doesn’t tint the finish, but it did enhance the glazing color I had already applied. So, this part of the transformation is complete and we’ve gone from this:

to this:

If you are just joining us now, you can check out my Pinterest page with all of the links starting at the beginning here. But we still have a long way to go! Up next, the hardware. Have and buffed and shiny Tuesday everyone! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, The 3 R's Recycle, Re-Furbish, Re-Love, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Americana Chalky Paints, Americana Creme Wax, DecoArt Wax Creme, finishing kitchen cabients with wax, Home Depot, Michaels, waxing and glazing kitchen cabinets, waxing kitchen cabinets

Jun 26, 2014

Thrifty Kitchen Transformation-DIY Series-Painting & Glazing

By countrydesignhome · Leave a Comment

As you recall, part one of this series was the cleaning and priming of the cabinets: doors, drawers and boxes. Since the wood was so dark. each required 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint. The paint we chose was a Benjamin Moore Eggshell in a custom color called Design Studio White-very soft and creamy white, but not ecru.

Since the appliances are bright white, the cabinet color needed to be just the right shade of white. Since we wanted the cabinets to appear somewhat aged and glazed, a pure white would have been too stark. However, choosing a beige or a white that was too creamy would have highlighted the difference between the cabinets and the appliances. Here are the painted doors all lined up and ready for glazing! I chose the eggshell finish because I knew I would be finishing the doors with some sore of glazing or waxing, and the matte finish is more porous which may have resulted in too much glaze being absorbed into the paint

The same decision went into the glazing process. Initially my mom wanted to just keep the cabinets white, but I convinced her that glazing them would highlight the door detail that was completely hidden when they were dark oak with the white panel.

Glazing them with a faintly tinted glaze highlights the edges and moldings and creates a nice antique look without darkening the cabinets too much.In this case, I used Martha Stewart Antique Effect Glaze.

I found these in a mark-down bin at Michaels awhile ago and they were so cheap I grabbed a bunch of them! I figured this was the perfect glaze for the cabinets, because it allows you to tint the color and then use as little or as much as you like to create the perfect glaze. I poured all of the little bottles, plus my colors into one large mason jar, ensuring I had enough for the entire kitchen.

For the tint color, we decided on a very light combination of the wall paint, which is a Benjamin Moore Whitestone and some Rustoelum Java Brown Cabinet Glaze I had left over from another project. 1 teaspoon of each went into the quart jar of glaze. You know that old adage, “measure twice, cut once’? Well, that applies to mixing colors as well! I had to know the exact formula, in the event that something catastrophic happened to my jar of mixed glaze so that I could replicate it if need be. (Sooo, remember the time when I was testing out my new paint in the hall and I got distracted and dropped the whole can? No? You can read about that here: The Hall of Shame-Color-Splash!)

So the formula for this jar of glaze is: 1 quart of glaze + 1 teaspoon of Rustoleum Java Brown

+ 1 teaspoon Benjamin Moore Whitestone

Since all three are water-based, they mixed together easily with just a paint stirrer. Yum-looks like mocha swirl!!

Applying the glaze is simple. You simply paint the glaze onto the entire piece, using a foam brush. If you are planning on doing both sides of the cabinet doors, you have to allow each side to dry and cure (approx. 24 hours, depending on the humidity) so they don’t stick to the work surface once you flip them over.

let it sit for a moment, then begin wiping it away with a damp rag. Gloves, people!

The more you leave, the darker the piece. Conversely, the more you remove, the lighter the piece. Once I went over it with the rag, I allowed it to sit for a couple of minutes, allowing the glaze to settle into the corners. Then I wiped away any excess I didn’t want. The final look: a soft white with just a hint of darker glaze in the corners and moldings.

Next up: the finishing wax! We are getting there! Have a great (hopefully not too wet) Thursday, everyone!! Susan

Filed Under: Color Class, The Barn Workshop-DIY Series · Tagged: #BobVilaNation, Benjamin Moore Paint, can I mix glaze and paint, how to mix glaze and paint, how to mix glaze for kitchen cabinets, Martha Stewart Antique Glaze Effects, Rustoleum Kitchen Cabinet Glaze

Jun 3, 2014

Creative Kitchen Makeover-DIY Series-The Prep

By countrydesignhome · 6 Comments

Recently, I was asked to sample and review a new paint primer called Kilz HIDE-ALL,

which happens to be perfect timing for the kitchen makeover I have just begun! My mom, who lives in a townhome (that was once owned by my sister…long story) has been asking for a kitchen makeover for quite some time now. Although the budget does not allow for a full gut-job and remodel, we are using paints, glazes and some elbow grease to create that “French Country” look that she adores. The kitchen is circa 1980’s construction-grade with very dark oak cabinet doors and drawers and veneered plywood boxes. In the center of each door is a white vinyl panel that was glued into place, and the backsplash is alternating 4″ square ceramic tiles in black and white stripes that mirrors the white door panels.

The appliances are fairly new and white, so they are staying, and the floor is a sheet linoleum in a vintage black and white tile pattern, so that is most likely staying put as well. So, everyone knows that the key to a successful painting job is the prep work, which I personally despise, but it must be done! In this case, those white vinyl panels and the adhesive used to attach them had to be removed. I tried many, many de-glossing, de-gooing and de-sticking type products before I could get the edges ready for priming and painting.

A messy job, but absolutely essential to ensure a good outcome!

Once that was accomplished, it was time to try the new Kilz HIDE-ALL product.

This is from their website: “KILZ® HIDE-ALL™, a new primer sealer exclusively available at Lowe’s stores across the country. For home interior painting projects of all types—including covering dark colored walls, masking minor surface stains, smoothing out porous surfaces and more—the undercoat offers consumers excellent hide at an affordable price. KILZ HIDE-ALL helps prepare surfaces for painting by evening out porosity and creating a consistent canvas for adding the desired topcoat. With a multi-surface formula, KILZ HIDE-ALL can be used on drywall, cured plaster, woodwork, masonry, concrete block, brick and previously painted areas. The high-hiding, fast drying, latex primer sealer helps minimize issues caused by dark colors and minor surface stains to effectively transform bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms and more.”

Did the primer live up to the hype? You betcha!! For only $26 and some change for a 2-gallon bucket, what I got was little to no prep work and no sanding-yay! Just a quick cleaning to remove any accumulated surface grease, dirt and dust-and that pesky glue.

The odorless primer is a creamy white color with a slightly grayish hue. It has the consistency of a watered-down school glue. Very smooth, very little dripping, brushes on easily and cleanly without leaving brush stroke marks and creates a light, bright prepped surface. And a little goes a very long way! Since these cabinet doors have had a lot of wear, the surface finish in some areas was worn away, while other areas were still shiny. The primer covered all of that evenly so that you cannot see the difference. The directions indicate that the primed surface can be re-painted after one hour with oil or latex paint, but I didn’t attempt that, as I am doing this makeover in stages, which I will be sharing as I complete each one. Brushes easily cleaned up with soap and water. Here is a before cabinet door

(note the taped #? Prior to removing the doors and drawers to paint them, remember to number them and make a map so you know where they go once you are finished):

Here is the primed cabinet door:

A perfectly smooth, matte surface awaiting the paint and glaze. But that will be in the next installment! I hope you are having a prime Tuesday, everyone! Susan

Disclaimer: Although the product in this blog post was provided by the makers of Kilz HIDE-ALL, the opinions expressed are strictly my own and have not been edited or altered in any way. Susan