The Reveal

So for my faithful readers, I apologize for the cliffhanger, but I did not have the energy to finish the big reveal last night. But since you asked so nicely, I will not make you wait any longer ... TA-DAH!

I. AM. IN. LOVE. I am so happy with how the chairs turned out. Initially, my heart was set on a more traditional style like these from Overstock.

But at $142 for TWO chairs, they better be able to pull themselves out, sit me down and push themselves back in. Since that wasn't going to happen, I knew that there would be no way I could convince my husband that this would be a "good" purchase.

I am glad that I took things into my own hands ("punny", right?). I figured that I didn't have much to lose. First of all, I wasn't crazy about the chairs to begin with and was in the process of looking for replacement chairs at garage sales, thrift stores and Craigslist. So if I totally butchered the chairs, I would look for something else. So why not give it a shot?

Well that is exactly what I did! I invested in the Rust-oleum Comfort Grip spray attachment, Rust-oleum Ultra Cover Primer and Paint.

 

Okay, I know I have raved about Rust-oleum's Ultra Cover Primer and Paint here, but the products are really THAT good. No, I am not being compensated (although I would love a few hundred dollars cans of paint for my positive review). But I want to share my experience with these products and I am sure that there are pieces around your home just waiting for a makeover!

These tools have changed my painting experience so much that I will never do a project without them again. The Comfort Grip has a 2 finger trigger than reduces fatigue. Unlike the typical spray painting method, where I end up with a claw for a hand after 10 minutes, this trigger enabled me to get through the primer and paint on all 4 chairs without batting an eye. I would literally run out of paint before I realized that I needed to stop to change the can. It also provided better control of the trigger so that my coverage was even on the entire chair. And to make things even better, I didn't have to sand the chairs in order for the primer to stick to the chairs! You know how much I despise sanding. Is it really even necessary? Probably, but I try to avoid it at all costs.

Do you have anything around your home that you are eyeing-up for a facelift? When will you "pull the trigger" on the project? I am already dreaming of my next project! (mua-ah-ah)

Take a seat

Our dinette has looked like this since we moved the farmhouse table into the house and the mismatched chairs have been driving me crazy ever since. They were an eye-sore taking away from the beauty of the table. They were like Cinderella's evil step sisters. And in the same token, they had to go or had to change.

So I searched for white chairs to match the table. Guess what I found - a lot of chairs that were clearly out of my price range. So I scoured Craigslist. And can you imagine how many people don't just sell chairs? Not many at all. Armed with this information, I was bound to make these chairs work. I busted out my favorite tools - Senor Spray Paint and Senorita Primer and sandpaper. 

 The chairs are pretty glossy, so I started the first chair by sanding down the surfaces with a 150 grit paper. It did the trick, but was too long for me. Quick results, remember?!

Knowing that this project was much larger than the lamp project, I invested in a comfort grip attachment for my spray cans. It was WELL worth the $6 investment. After 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of semi-gloss (it was almost 1 can per chair), I was done. It was just in time for a quick walk with Maddicus. Doesn't she look happy?

Yeah, that was BEFORE we left the garage. Little one freaked out on me once I was a significant distance from home. Sadly, I was out of breath, as I carried her part of the way home. The little stinker!

When we returned, these beauties awaited us. It was like new life was breathed into these chairs. They weren't in my original plan, but I love the crisp clean feel that they bring to our table. Now I am looking for 2 more to match or similar chairs to flank the ends of the table. Will you keep your eyes peeled for me?

I know, you are asking yourself, "OK, where is the AFTER photo"...well, I haven't taken one with the mess that has overcome our kitchen table and tonight I am pooped! As much as I hate cliffhangers, I will have to leave you with this...

TO BE CONTINUED...

Farmhouse table

Our home has gone through quite a transformation in the 3 years that we have lived there. The previous owners took good care of the house, but had a different design style that myself. So taking the advice of Mamasita (my mom), who is a very wise woman, I have tried to take my time with each room rather than make snap design decisions. This is EXTREMELY difficult for me. When I see something in our home that I want to change, I want to fold my arms, wiggle my nose and have it done instantly without any mistakes or mess. Since this isn't realistic, especially with a wee bambina, projects tend to drag out longer than I would like.

For the past 3 weeks, I have been working on refinishing a table for our dinette. Originally, it was a Craigslist purchase for my craft room. It was a steal that I just couldn't pass up. The top was in decent condition, but the legs needed some TLC. Sadly, the chairs could not be salvaged and went to furniture heaven (at the end of our driveway on garbage day). It wasn't a big deal because it was going to be covered in my creations. That is until a few weeks ago when Mamasita recommended that I fix her up and use it upstairs. It was bigger than our current table and could seat 6 people rather than the current 4 seater we were using. (I told you she was wise!) Her advice was confirmed when my fantastically chic friend, Sarah, suggested the same thing! Eureka! It was destiny!

So with Spring Project Fever, I tore apart cleaned up my craft room to free up this diamond in the rough. I was excited and energized by the possibilities! Over the past few years, my style has evolved by reading the numerous blogs and following the amazing home decor projects of other people. I would classify it as "Traditionally modern" which I think is now called "Transitional" by many people. I love dark, rich woods (cherry, mahogany and espresso finishes) but have developed a fondness for crisp white details in furniture and accessories. With that in mind, I decided that I would touch up the farmhouse legs with a bright white and stain the top a deep rich tone.
This was my first attempt at staining and I was determined to add a notch to my toolbelt (and not in the "you need a bigger belt" type of way). After talking to some people and doing some research, I settled on a mahogany stain + polyurethane. Like I mentioned, I like to see results quickly and I did not have the patience to wait for multiple coats of poly to dry.

The project was a journey in itself. It wasn't a home-run, but I would consider it a base hit. (My sports-enthusiast husband would be proud of that baseball reference.) There are definitely steps that I would do differently in the future (and will potentially have to with this piece). Here are my learnings:

- Test, Test, TEST your color. In hindsight, I am not in love with the color that I chose. It used Bombay Mahogany. It turned out to be much more red that I had anticipated and will probably refinish the top in a darker stain in the future. But my excitement got the best of me!
- Stain with light, thin coats in the direction of the grain. If you use too much stain, your piece will look blotchy in areas.
- Stain + Poly is very finicky. It sets up REALLY fast so it is extremely important to work fast but in thin coats. You don't have the luxury of wiping it with a rag like the simple staining process. What you see is what you get.
- Sand with a fine paper in between coats. This helps to deepen the color without getting raised spots from the stain.
- Wait about 8 hours between coats to ensure it has fully dried, but keep in mind that temperature, humidity and the thickness of the coat can impact dry time.
- Tack cloth. Enough said, this tacky cloth (hence the name) is great for picking up dust in between coats. The creator of this product was a genius!

Here is the finished product. While I look for a full set of chairs for this table, I will be refinishing the current chairs in white to tie me over. Hopefully, I can get to those once the warmer weather settles in again.

Does anyone else have Spring project fever? What are you working on trnasforming in your spare time?