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!

Simple wall art

This weekend I put together a rather large wall hanging for a rather large blank space in our house. Such a simple but effective idea using a few pieces of timber offcuts, fabric and a staple gun. First of all, I cut the lengths to the desired size and screwed it together so it was braced.   

timber frame from off-cuts

stapling the fabric 

 

Mrs found this fabric on a discount table for $8 a metre (usually $29.95 per metre) and purchased 1.3 metres of it allowing enough fabric to cover the frame.

one very large
blank wall

Voila!

You can change the look of a room with a splash of pattern or color! 

Here is a cot panel we made into a piece of art for our daughters room. Mrs added some glitter fabric paint to make it extra special. 

 cot panel

A great way to add some art work without needing too much time or money to any space in your home.

---Mr---

Seasonal hazards!

So I got to thinking, what happens when the weather is on the chilly side and winds are cold? When will it be suitable to prime? paint? stain? varnish? How long between coats? Indoors or outdoors if the sun is out?

  

"Weather conditions can have a great impact on how well paint holds up. The worst conditions are extreme heat or cold. Paint needs to chemically bond to the surface it is covering. This bonding can only happen if the solvent (water or mineral spirits) in the paint evaporates at a slow or medium pace. Water-based paints used on a bright, hot or windy day can result in the water evaporating too quickly from the paint. Plan your painting for cooler temperatures and try to paint areas after direct sunlight has left them for the day." Matt Weber - Extreme how-to

Today I simply tried applying a primer to my timber frame that has seen better days! 

This mirror has seen better days

glass removed and primer on

As I began applying the primer I was sure to fill in all the detail.

primer applied to all the detailed carving

As I lightly brushed over the next corner I loved the look of not having all the gaps filled in and so I have decided to first do a dark coat before going over the top in a lighter color.

The detail of the timber is highlighted with this effect

I will take a little time to glean ideas from my favorite home magazines and look forward to seeing the end result. Stay tuned!

---Mrs---

What will it cost?

We made our way to Bunnings on Monday evening around 5:30pm. It was a quiet time and gave us the opportunity to speak with someone in paint about some of our options. First we looked at primers.
The median price range was

• $20.73 for 470ml

• $33 for 1Litre

• $87.93 for 3.75L

Obviously the savings are reasonable. So we will be buying the larger tin.
 Next we had a look at paint. We have decided to use water based paint for its ease of cleaning. Did you know the Australian government may be getting rid of oil based paints within 15 years?

• H20 enamel 4Litres was $66.72 for 4L. 

•  Aquanamel  was $74.25 for 4litres but paints on with ease. 

Stain and varnish: together or separate?
We have used a combined stain and varnish in the past but might try taking a little more time to use the stain first followed by the varnish. Why? Apparantly staining alone sinks into the timber and shows more of the grain. It also gives a more even finish. Using a combined stain and varnish can look more like a paint rather than a smooth varnished stained surface. I, Mr, am skeptical about this advice. But as we haven't perfected the stain and varnish to date we may give it a go.

Varnish prices were

• $11 for 250mL

• $26 for 1Litre and 

• $60 for 4Litres

For those items where we cannot remove glass panelswe looked at masking tape. Some would easily allow the stain or paint to bleed through. Scotch has a blue tape for around $10 for 55m.

Paint brushes were last on the list and we found the price difference significant. The brushes we will be using will be synthetic as they have softer bristles and will be easier to use. No hairs will come out on the surface and if well looked after will last. The bigger the brush the more paint it can hold. We also noticed the better quality brushes had layers of bristles (like a layered haircut for the ladies). For the varnish the softer the bristles the better.

For our three door hutch we will need

- 1 x 3.75L primer $87.93
- 1 x 4L paint $74.25
- 1 x 1L varnish $26
- 1 x stain around $30
- 1 x scotch tape blue 55m $10

Approximate total required =   $228.18

Still need to add sandpaper and handles for the cupboard doors but it's a start!

---Mr & Mrs---

Preparing for prepping!

Time to get our three door hutch underway. Before researching products and prices I thought it might be helpful for those of you wishing to refurbish your own furniture, to have a guide as to what you will need when painting an already stained item.

Before - dark stained hutch

To get started

Tomorrow we will venture to our local hardware store and ask a few questions. Apart from getting an idea of price we also want to learn a little more about the basic three products we need to paint our dark stained timber hutch. 

Sandpaper

·         What grade sandpaper do I use before priming?

·         Do I need to sand after priming but before painting? And, if so, do I use the same  grade sandpaper?

·         I am going to re-stain the bench part of the hutch. Do I need to strip it right back with my belt sander? What grade sandpaper do I need?

Primer

·         What kind of primer will I require? eg oil-based, water-based, acrylic…

Paint

·         What kind of paint will I require? eg oil-based, water- based, acrylic…

·         What products will I require for cleaning? eg methylated spirits 

Paintbrushes

·         What size paintbrushes will I need?

·         Will I need a different type for priming, painting, staining?

We will see the difference in product quality and  price and let you know what we find out!

---Mr & Mrs---

Reasons to refurbish

If you are drooling over the latest home furniture and décor stores but are left disheartened by the price tags, never fear, there are some great reasons why learning to refurbish your furniture may be the option for you!

1)  10/1/11 After the January floods  that devastated so much of Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley, South East Queensland and right across the nation, you quickly come to realise what a wealthy country we live in. With so much wealth, we need not be wasteful to enjoy beauty, order and, even, style. Refurbishing furniture is a great way to keep our landscapes free of landfills. 

I was given this wardrobe through freecycle. see http://www.freecycle.org/

2)      One of a kind! By the time you choose your paint colour and add a few embellishments you will have a unique piece of furniture. The possibilites are endless! So don't throw away that ghastly chest of drawers Grandma Ethel gave you. If it's timber, there is hope!

3)      For the fun of it! It is satisfying to put the work in and be able to enjoy admiring your efforts for years to come. I find taking up the paintbrush or belt sander rather therapeutic. Who doesn't love a good 'Before' and 'After'?!

4)      $$$ saved! Second hand doesn’t have to be bland! Have fun bargain hunting at your local op shops, tender centres, garage sales or eBay see http://www.ebay.com.au/
 

---Mrs---