Updating a Tired Desk with Paint and Hardware

In order to really get that wow factor out of my office makeover, we started the planning with my furniture.  Here is my desk and credenza before the big paint job.

Both pieces have been with my office for years, having belonged to one of my colleagues since he first went into law practice on his own.  (Sometimes I hope the desk will magically convey some of his genius to me just when I’m sitting there. So far no such luck.)  I love the design but the original finish had worn off and it needed a pick-me-up.  In addition to sprucing up the finish, Ryan Taylor and I agreed the hardware needed to be updated.  Here is the brass hardware before the rennovation.

Because these handles are inset into the wood, we needed to fill those holes before we painted.

I bought Elmer’s Wood Filler for the job. It’s a paste that is slightly lighter than the actual wood itself.

If I may impart some wisdom from a lesson learned: This stuff shrinks! When you press the filler into the hole overfill the hole just slightly to anticipate the shrinkage.  I had to apply a second coat to make up for the problem and I’m not sure it was a good idea or not.

It was a little awkward for me to use a putty knife for the first time, but just start on one side of the hole and press the filler into the rest of the hole.

If you just have a small hole the filler should dry within about 15 minutes.  But if you have a bigger hole like I did, Elmer’s says you should wait 2-8 hours before sanding.  I waited about 6 and I’m still not sure it was long enough.

After all the surfaces were flush, we began painting.  In this case we used a paint with primer already included.  (Anything for one less step!)  I am still learning so much about painting but I learn a lot from the blogger behind Primitive and Proper.

When everything was dry we added the new hardware, which made a huge difference!  These pulls are from Martha Stewart’s line at Home Depot.

Since this paint job I’ve learned about a plastic-based filler.  Have any of you used that product?  Also, I do not love the results I get on furniture with a regular roller paint brush.  Anyone with similar thoughts/suggestions?

There’s more of this office makeover! Click here for the before and after photos, here to see my bookshelf redesign, here to see how to update an old lamp, and here to see it debut on ABC 4.)

Repurpose Your Shoe Boxes

I was recently forced to replace some shoes.  I say “replace” because I never have extra shoes on hand just because they’re pretty.  I think shoes merely serve a purpose and there’s nothing at all exciting about them.

So replace them I did and it left me with a handful of shoe boxes. I was very aware that these were just shoe boxes, but I still couldn’t shake the need to keep them around.  After all, I’m always looking for ways to organize and compartmentalize.

But they weren’t very pretty.  (Funny that I’m more concerned that my storage bins are pretty than if my shoes are.)  I had two options.  1) Go buy some pretty organizers.  2) Make these boxes pretty. This was no difficult choice.  I used the paint I had leftover from my dresser redo to spruce these babies up.  After two coats of Asparagus paint and some free labels I found here, I had this:

Now I’m storing bedsheets in them.  Each box is labeled with which bed the sheets fit and whether the sheets are flat or fitted.

Have you ever turned trash into treasure?

*Bonus: In Friends, how many categories of towels does Monica have? (I realize towels aren’t the same as sheets but they are both linens that must be separated in the linen closet.)

The $12 Chair Makes Photos Priceless!

Remember last week I debuted that awesome thrift store chair that I painted for my photographer friend?

See it all here.

Well, Becca, aforementioned photographer, took it to the Salt Flats to photograph this happy couple below.  And the results? Pure bliss.  (And I’m not just taking about the bride and groom.)

Image courtesy of Rouge de Lys Photography.

Look at this happy couple!

The setup is even stunning with out the chair’s red hue!

Image courtesy of Rouge de Lys Photography.

I’d like to think I saved this humble little chair from its ignored life in the thrift store.  With just a little makeover, I brought him into a world full of happiness and love in every photo! (Okay, okay.  Becca helped out, too.)

Can’t get enough of Becca’s work?  Me either!  Look at these beauties below or visit her at
http://rdlphoto.blogspot.com.

Ya’ll already know this handsome man!  We welcomed him here.

All three images courtesy of Rouge de Lys Photography.

I can’t say I’ll be painting any more photography props but, hey, who knows?  Any ideas?

This $12 chair will go down in history!

Becca is a friend of mine and a FANtastic photographer.  I love seeing the photos she’s taken – whether it be of happy couples, brides, weddings, babies or families.

With summer finally upon us, Becca’s shoots are moving outdoors.  And for good reason! Hello . . . have you seen the weather lately? But this means she has to create her own set and a few props will help out tremendously.

When she mentioned that she was looking for charming chair to use as a prop, I vowed to keep an eye out.  Naturally, she was looking for one that was full of spunk but that wouldn’t break the bank. I stumbled upon this beauty at the thrift store.  The price tag? A whopping $5.

Isn’t Jack a fantastic model? I just couldn’t resist.

The work was easy.  I tightened some bolts when I was sanding it down.  Then I put on two coats of Behr primer+paint in one.  I finished it up with a clear coat of polyurethane.

Isn’t it pretty?  Totally fitting for its big debut on the big screen.  Ok, ok, small screen.  Ok, photo paper. Whatever.

Well this chair is definitely spotlight-worthy – but it’s nothing compared to the pictures it has debuted in!  Check back  for Part II to see Becca’s work and how she’s incorporated this cheap prop!

The total cost of this project?

Chair . . . $5

Paint . . . $6 (about half a can that was $12ish)

Total . . . $12

The Dresser Diaries: Part II of II

Welcome back to The Dresser Diaries, the story of my first attempt to paint a piece of furniture.  Did you forget where we left off? Click here to see Part I.

I laughed. I cried.  After my first try at painting some furniture, I enthusiastically gave The Dresser . . . two thumbs way down.

You might recall that after finishing two coats of  paint, I applied the clear coat right before sundown.  I woke up to find The Dresser covered in a milky coating that could not be further from “clear.” For several weeks I pouted about my DIY failures. But after some self-diagnosing on that trusty-ole internet, I convinced myself that the cold weather was the culprit. So each morning I dug inside makeshift hampers to find clothes while I waited for the spring to come back to Utah.

Starting Fresh

When the sun came back (and before it went away again) I pumped myself up to start fresh.  No respectable DIYer would just walk away from a poorly-painted dresser.  There were no Rocky-like jumping jacks on our front steps, but I did crank up my iPod to my housework playlist.  (Stay tuned for that hot list to drop later on the blog.) Singing out loud to music no one else could hear, I begrudgingly re-sanded the entire thing.

Ready to start carefully painting again, I needed to shake up my routine and make sure I was getting the best possible outcome.  So this time I brushed the drawers instead of using the roller. I was very impressed but didn’t want to take the time to brush the entire dresser. So on the frame of the dresser itself, I used the large roller.  (I’d previously used the small roller.)

The large roller used so much more paint than the little roller but the finish turned out a lot better.  I was actually starting to admire the way it looked!

Is that clear?  Crystal.

I poured the clear coat into the paint pan, scowling at it.  But I wanted to keep the dresser protected from nicks and scratches so there was no way out of this step. I used the paint roller to apply the polyurethane on the first dresser drawer.  And it just didn’t feel right. I could tell right away that the paint was going to be milky again.  I could just tell. Panicking, I tried the paintbrush on the remaining four drawers.

After all was said and done, the four drawers that were brushed looked perfect!  The drawer that I rolled dried milky.

*light bulb* I was wrong – the weather didn’t cause the milky coat – the roller did.  Professing my never-ending love to my paint brush, I victoriously screwed in new handles that I purchased at Home Depot for under $20 total and voila!

Okay, okay.  Maybe “voila!” isn’t quite appropriate. But four out of five ain’t bad!

The asparagus color is a great match to my muse fabric, below.  That awesome fabric is part of my desk decor and coordinates perfectly with a DIY lampshade that I’ll reveal soon.

As far as this refinished dresser goes, it started out rough, but Siskel and Ebert would have given its ending rave reviews.

Tasha’s Top 3 Tips for Amateur Painters

• If you can avoid it, don’t paint outside.  I’m not promoting huffing paint, but if you have an open indoor space you should consider it. You can sacrifice sunshine for a finish that is free of bugs and leaves.  I can attest that the slightest breeze wreaks havoc on wet paint.  Most paints are safe for indoor use and you’ll achieve far better results.

• Use a large roller brush for large spaces. I know, right? You’d think I could have figured that one out without this entire debacle.  But I learned that the large brushes use more paint but roll on a more consistent coat.  But remember: Don’t use a roller made of foam. (Thanks YHL!)

• Use a paintbrush for small spaces and for clear coats. If you bought that clear coat because you wanted it to be, ahem, clear, you must ditch that roller.  I have no scientific explanation for the “roller+clear coat = milky” theory – other than the grooves in the roller catch and release inconsistent amounts of clear paint.

I hope I can help you prevent any nasty mistakes and encourage you to give it painting a try.  I had so much fun that I’m already painting another piece of furniture now! Stay tuned for the fun purpose of this next project . . .

Anyone else prefer a paintbrush to a roller?  Do you have pictures of your painting successes? I’d love some inspiration!

The Dresser Diaries: Part I of 2

The first memory I have of The Dresser is when I was 12 – nearly 16 years ago.  It was circa 1990, obviously, and made of a purple-pinkish plywood.  I’ve continued stuffing keeping my clothes in The Dresser ever since.

Here is one of the handles.  It doesn’t look purple-pinkish, but you’ll have to trust me since I didn’t take a “before” picture.

Even now that I live with Doug, I still use The Dresser. I never really noticed that it was pinkish-purple. I admire the couple behind Young House Love, who refinished a veneer dresser on their web site here.  YHL led me to other blogs and before I knew it, it seemed like everyone who was anyone was painting their own furniture.

What’s the big deal? I could do that. (Insert foreshadowing evil cackle here.) Here’s how I went about it:

1) Sand it.

According to the DIY experts, the first step is to sand.  Always one to follow the instructions, I’ll sand! I sanded away using Doug’s hand sander.  Sanding, check.

2) Pick a paint color.

I used an outdoor fabric for my muse.  It is sturdy and strong, which is perfect for my desk re-do, too.  (Details on that later.)

I took my fabric to Home Depot and picked a color, Behr primer+paint product in “Asparagus”.

3) Paint it.

I used a roller brush to coat the dresser evenly in asparagus paint.  I purposely avoided a foam roller, which the DIY experts explicitly forbid. Don’t be alarmed if your first coat leaves some texture!  Coat numero dos looked pretty good – textured but not so much it was a deal breaker.

4) Clear coat it.

At this point, I’ve been without dresser for several weeks (bad DIYer!) and I was soooo eager to have a dresser again.  Even though it was late at night in mid-March, I applied the first clear coat because I was just so excited!

5) Examine it.

In the morning, I was disappointed to find that the clear coat did not dry clear. It was milky. A horrible white creamy color. Can you see it?

That trusty old internet advised that many polyurethane coatings will go milky  if the coating is left to dry in an environment that is too cold. Oh dear.   It was pretty chilly that night in March . . .

6) Do some soul searching.

I spent an evening pitying myself for having no where to put my clothes.  I swooned over the IKEA dressers online and hunted the local classifieds pages.  It’d be so much easier to buy! Having my clothes in random bins scattered throughout the house was slowly eating away at my soul.

I needed a plan and I needed a renewed interest in DIY.  Did I have it in me?  Did I channel my inner DIYer and finish the dresser? Stay tuned for Part II of the Dresser Diaries.

Has anyone else used a primer+paint in one? Rave reviews? Big criticisms?

Update: Ready for Part II? See how the dresser turns out here.