The golden rule!

I have recently made a mistake. A thoughtless and careless mistake. I enthusiastically purchased my first spray gun with the intention of taking less time and having a smoother finish when it came to my furniture.
So off I went spraying any and every timber item in my home! Until my neighbour popped his head over the fence to let me know how unimpressed he was that I was at work using a compressor and spray gun.
The point of todays post is to give you a heads up on some of the things you might need to consider before attempting any DIY projects from your residential premises.

I guess the most obvious advice I can give you from my mistake experience is to treat others the way you would like to be treated. I know how exciting it can be to dive into that project you are simply itching to get in to but, hold your horses! With a little forethought and planning you can avoid some serious hurdles or whatever it is that horses run into!

Next, it is important to contact your local council for any information you can gather about your plans.
Are you looking at refurbishing one piece, once? A few items here and there as a hobby or a number of items regularly as a home-based business. Check with your council or town planners to see if this is okay. In my case, I have every right to operate a small furniture restoration business from my home as long as I don't exceed 100 tonne of products per year! Then I would require a licence.
The problem with some of the projects we diy's like to undertake might not be welcomed by some neighbours and it only takes one to make your plans very difficult indeed!
My neighbour was concerned about the noise and the overspray. Valid concerns? ABSOLUTLEY!
As it turns out, our council has restrictions on the hours of the day that any regulated devices can be used. This includes lawn mowers, sanders, spray guns, generators, power tools etc.

There is also a checklist that may help you in keeping the peace with your neighbours.

- vehicle movement - how many vehicles will be coming and going from your property because of your home-based business?

- human movement - how many people will be coming and going from your property because fo your home-based business?

- nuisances - are there any nuisances that could effect the property, well-being, health or lifestyle of your neighbours? For example, smell, noise levels, overspray..

- employment - do you intend to employ anyone to work at your premises? Do you require a licence to do this?

- overtaxing electricity or water supplies?

Apart from these few items have a chat with your neighbours in advance. If they know you have considered their needs they should be more accomodating to your wishes. Be willing to work with your neighbours. Consider working while they are out of the house.  Discuss it with them and "Do unto others..." A little consideration and communication now could save you a whole of tension and trouble later!

---Mrs---

Short and sweet show and tell

 Today is show and tell time! 

We have been busy practising our prepping and painting skills and are pretty chuffed with the end results!

This chest of old pine drawers was given a new lease of life!

So crisp and clean with a coat of antique white paint.

a little "shabby-ing"...

we added some black drawer handles!

After giving the drawers a light sand we gave it a few coats of paint using a water based acrylic in antique white by Dulux.

Next we moved on to using a spray gun for the first time! So much fun! But be warned there are a few things you need to know before pulling out your compressor (please see our next post)!

In the meantime, here is the before and after.

before

after

---Mr and Mrs---

Shabby chic timber hutch

A while ago I bought this hutch and have finally got around to giving it a coat of paint, or 4!

I admit I enjoy painting but four coats on the one piece of furniture was tedious. It was not that the stain bled through that was the problem but Master 2 who found some stain that had not been put out of his reach. After seeing that mummy had been painting he thought he would give it a go too!

Needless to say it took a little longer finishing this hutch than I planned. But we got there. 

I decided to see what it would look like to paint the whole piece white and not worry about staining the top of the buffet. I used a water based acrylic, semi-gloss in antique white by DULUX. The 4 litre tin cost around $80 and I used around 2/3's of it (including the extra needed for the extra coats due to the attack of the toddler with paintbrush!) . 

 As you can see, I didn't paint inside the drawers or buffet but I did paint both sides of the cupboard doors.
I went to the hardware to find some suitable drawer knobs as I was not a fan of the previous handles. I decided to spray paint some pine knobs black rather than purchasing metal handles. The price difference was staggering! These knobs cost me around $30 all up but could've cost anywhere from $63 and even up to $90 for a similar look. I think these do the job just fine.

The glass didn't come out of the doors or if they did I didn't know how to get them out so I taped around the edge of the glass. It seemed to do the trick!
Finally, I sanded the edges a little rougher and shabbier than I did previously with the 2 door hutch.
I hope you are feeling inspired to get out that old piece of furniture that has been in the garage for years and treat it to a coat of paint!

                                                                           ---Mrs---

Spring has sprung!

Spring is always a lovely time of the year but here in Toowoomba, the Garden City, it is spectacular!So what better way to welcome in September than by potting some flowers! Surely I must have some pots lying about in the garden shed.

The next thing to do was add a splash of colour. I found a decent selection of spray paint at Supercheap Auto, of all places! One can cost $3.95.

After painting my pots, I added some potting mix and some flowers. 

But I didn't stop there! I had purchased an old Ikea chair that I cleaned and decided to give it a coat of paint too! A nice little place to enjoy a morning cuppa.

Hmmm. What else can I spray paint? Let me see...

---Mrs---

Carved mirror

Our old mirror was a gift given to us years ago by some very special people. Unfortunately, during the wet season the timber frame was covered in mould. After cleaning and drying out in the sun the timber stain was all but gone and the beautiful carved frame looked ready for the dump. Time for a coat of paint!

primer

 After priming the frame it was obvious that using a solid colour would disguise the carvings. We spray painted the frame black before painting over it all white allowing the contrast to be seen on the carvings.

 coat of black matte spray paint

Although we loved the overall effect, the black and white contrast was too bold for our home furnishings and colours and so we decided to whip out the brown spray paint. And instead of white we went with an antique white to soften the whole look. Here is the end result!

A little colour please!

Recently we an incident that left a photo frame broken and beyond repair. This altered the plan for the frames above our bed as the store where we purchased them from no longer stocked them. Our plan is to frame some photos of our children that we had taken but in the interim we have filled the space with framed scrapbook paper. The frames were $2.99 from Ikea and the scrapbook paper was from spotlight for $1.55 a sheet.Take a look!

              Our room has neutral walls, carpets and architraves so this was a simple way to inject a little colour into our room. I was sure to look for variety of papers. Large print, small print and complimentary colours.  I think the frames will suit Master 11's room more than our bedroom. But for the time being it  beats 6 hooks in the wall!   

---Mrs---

Bedside table

This weekend we took some time with Miss 9 to refurbish a set of drawers for her to use as a side table in her bedroom.We picked up this little set for $20 off eBay. We removed the knobs and gave it a light sand.

$20 chest of drawers

Miss 9 adding a coat of paint to her sanded drawers

a quick spray paint of the drawer knobs

and with legs!

The total cost, including purchasing the drawers, was $30. We gave it a coat of paint and spray painted the knobs and legs. Voila!