life on canvas...: June 2014

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Attempting a DIY furniture remodel

One of the things that we actually sacrificed when we bought our house was storage space in the kitchen. Our apartment had a small pantry and open space above the cabinets which helped a LOT. I've been struggling since we moved in to make the current storage and counter space work and it makes me go a little insane. So, when I was out yard saling a few weeks ago I decided to see what I could do with this piece:

It was an old Broyhill buffet table with a decidedly 1990s flare. Clearly outdated but in good condition and a very solid, heavy piece of furniture (thanks to dad for coming over to help move it in!). I was a little skeptical until late that night I realized that I could probably take off those ugly long wooden handles and add some updated hardware.

And sure enough, they could be unscrewed easily and didn't leave any damage that couldn't be fixed. Yay! The first step was to sand the whole thing down with a fine grit paper and fill the holes left by those wooden handles with wood filler.

Then the whole thing got a coat of primer.

I went back and forth about what to paint it. I considered all white, white with a black top, or doing white with a marble look top (using a Giani Granite kit that I was considering for the countertops). I finally settled on white with a black top although I was a little unsure of the results. I did the edging between the two colors by hand (I never have a good experience with tape) and touched up with a very small art brush. Unfortunately, I didn't get pics of the in-between steps but after three coats of paint, 2 coats of Polycrylic plus an extra for the top, adding the hardware on and Nate putting it together, this is what the final product was:

It's not perfect and there are some things I will definitely do differently next time, but I am very pleased!! Next time, I would drill holes for the new hardware before painting. We ran into trouble with the drill wanting to jump around and being able to wood fill would have been good. I also had to touch up some paint. I missed the part of the directions on the Polycrylic that said to sand between coats so I would do that. I think I'm going to do one more coat painting from the back to the front so that I can go the whole way without having to lift the brush because that leaves marks.

Here's the cost breakdown:

Table: $35

180 Grit Sandpaper: $3

Satin black paint: $3 (I just bought a sample and the polycrylic made up the shine difference)

Glossy white paint: $3 (I had this but that's probably how much I used)

Polycrylic by Minwax: $4 worth of a $18 can tops

Pulls from Target: $10

Screws for pulls: $1.30

Total: $59.30 at most

I have things like paint brushes and a roller (I rolled the last coat of black to hide brush marks which worked well) so I didn't count those in the cost. If you were going to, the best thing to get is a Wooster 2" slanted brush with a rubber short handle. It's the best and about $6. All in all, I'm very happy with the end product and feel like $60 is a bargain for this much more space to work with.

Before:

After:

Snapshots of the last year

I didn't realize how ridiculously long it's been since I posted on here! Here's a bullet point update on our life since last May:

I quit my job and went back to school in May to finish my MBA.
June 20, Izzy turned one and we got to celebrate with a bunch of family and friends!
October 13, I finished my MBA in HR, but we had no time to celebrate because...
October 4, we closed on our first home! A three bedroom townhome that had a distinctly 1970s feel which we are step by step removing :)
October 13, we moved everything in with the help of tons of friends, my dad, and my grandpa.
October 16, Nathan left for two weeks in China...and I began the task of unpacking with a toddler tornado underfoot.
November 26, I can no longer say that I'm sick or just exhausted and finally take a pregnancy test. It turns out I was already five weeks along (denial anyone?)
December 25, we hosted our first Christmas at our house! Connie and Dave and Kayla and Chris were all able to make it so we had a full house!
February 18, we found out it we're having another girl. Can't wait to meet our Eleanor Grace!
May 26, Izzy graduated to a real toddler bed! Cannot believe this kiddo will be two in six days. It's amazing to watch her grow and learn and see her (very strong) personality come out.
Mid-late May, I FINALLY got some energy back and suddenly realized that we are WAY behind on house projects and I'm totally unprepared for a second child...time to kick it in gear! Since then, we've painted the dining room, redone a buffet table I found at a yard sale, finally installed thresholds in two doorways downstairs, and a ton of smaller projects and organizing. Oh and we were given a piano!