D.I.Y. Challenge: D.O.N.E.

OMG, I have never procrastinated on a DIY as long as I have on this one. I found and purchased a pair of vintage faux bamboo bedside tables on December 31st, and then they sat, and they sat, and they sat... Until one month ago, Kisha over at Chronicled Blog came up with a group challenge, which I thought for sure would be the motivation I needed to get going on this DIY. Well, I still managed to procrastinate until the very last day. Sigh. Why do I do this to myself? There's nothing like a crazy amount of pressure to light a fire under my butt.

As of 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon, the bedside tables still looked like this:

Here's all I needed to get the project done: Fine/Medium grit sanding block, Zinsser primer, sponge roller and brush, 2 cans of Rustoleum Ultra Cover spray paint in Dark Grey Gloss :


I paid special attention to the laminate top, giving it an extra coat of primer, since spray paint will not stick to laminated surfaces:


The legs also needed special care and attention, since it looks as though they had been hit by the vacuum a few hundred times over the years:


Here are the tables freshly primed. Thank goodness my office includes warehouse space where I can do all of my dirty work!!

Are you ready for the After? Do I hear a drum roll?

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The entire project only took about 5 hours from start to finish (including drying time), and the huge bonus is that I saved about $400 by doing this myself. Thanks to Kisha for the setting the challenge. I am so glad that I finally got this done!!! I only wish that I could have styled these up real pretty, but that will have to wait until I move to the new place this fall. These tables will be in the new guest bedroom :-)

Check out today's blog posts from the other bloggers who participated in the DIY Challenge: From Inspiration to Creation:

Renee at RB Squared
DaVida Chanel at DaVida Chanel
Kristin at Le Fabuleux Destin
Kandyce at Chota Peelea Auto
and
Kisha at Chronicled Blog

Silk Purse from a Sow's Ear

This is the story of how a slightly rusty

table from The Village...

...was sanded and primed...

...then painted gold and put to use...

...The End

DIY Week & Weekend

Despite the fact that I frequently get frustrated by DIY projects, I'm working on several little things right now - this past week has seen a lot of sanding, painting and staining. First off, I'm painting a couple of thrifted mirrors for a store window display (check the store's Facebook page for sneak peeks). Stage one is priming and then they will each get a coat of trendy neon paint:


Also in the spray paint category, I'm working on a little metal table with pretty fretwork. It's primed, but I'm having a hard time finding Rustoleum brass paint...so far I've been to two Home Depots, Rona & Walmart with no luck :-(


Lastly, I'm sanding and staining the legs of my slipper chairs. I'm not a fan of the current orange finish, so I'm going to stain the wood a lovely dark walnut. I've sanded down the first four, and I'm hoping to finish this up tomorrow afternoon. Here's a shot of the work in progress:

What are you up to this weekend? Any DIY projects?

Quick Change

How many of you sharp eyed readers noticed a little something different in the photos I posted yesterday? Did anyone catch the shift I've made from cool silver metals to warm brass metals in the bedroom? Take a look at these before and afters, and you will see where I've made some quick changes.

BEFORE

AFTER

Okay, the lamp is an obvious switch-up, but I've also "changed" the hardware on the nightstands. The drawer pulls on my bedside tables are an unusual style - they're set across a recess in the drawer fronts. Since it would be difficult to replace these, I opted instead to give them a spray paint makeover.

The Quick Change Trio:
Primer, Paint, Lacquer

Two coats of primer:

Two coats of Brass metallic paint:

Two coats of Lacquer:

The hardest part of this DIY was waiting patiently for the paint to dry before sanding between coats. The easiest part was not having to seek out and purchase brand new hardware. I'm really warming up to the shift from silver to brass as an accent metal. What do you think of the transformation?