DIY

Fireplace Makeover With Plank and Mill

July 13, 2018 5 Comments

Fireplace Makeover With Plank and Mill

This fireplace makeover has been sponsored by Plank and Mill and It may contain affiliate links.

You Guys! I’m so dang excited to jump on the blog today. Not only has it been a few weeks since I said hello on here but also, this is our FIRST DIY in our new home. A lot of you know that we moved a week ago and we’ve been getting super cozy in our new place and starting to make it our home. The home owners made so many beautiful changes in this 1980’s home and we are just adding to their work!

I will first be showing you the before shots of the fireplace makeover and get into the gritty details. Let me tell you that this wasn’t the easiest job as the fireplace seemed not to be level, but we made it work and the end result is stunning.

As I’m editing the photos for this blog I just realized that for some reason the entire “DIY” process was deleted on my camera. I’m pretty upset – but let me assure you, I will do my best to explain the process. It was super easy.

Also, before you wonder why there’s a hole in the fireplace, it used to be a real fireplace and it was converted into a gas fireplace.

So, if you are reading this and have a fireplace like us and you do not want to damage the faux stone underneath, hang up thin plywood so you can

A) Get a even and level surface to work with

B) Not damage the rock

This method is fantastic for renters as it wont damage the composite underneath. We used a nail gun to hang the plywood and only put nails on each corner. If you’ve ever seen a nail gun nail, they’re extremely skinny. So the holes are very minimal and not visible to the naked eye.

Once you hang your plywood, you can start applying the Plank + Mill panels. They have three adhesive strips on the back to make the plank stick long term. I like to start on the top left and work my way down. Like flooring, you want to lay each row before starting on the next. It would be beneficial if you had a tape measure and level on hand. Once you get to the end of the row, you will most likely need to cut the blank. You can easily use a hand saw, or thick exacto blade. We used our miter saw for the cuts, but it isn’t needed.

The beauty of this wood is it looks super beat up and reclaimed ( my Jam ) so if you make a mistake, you can easily pull it up and reapply.

This entire fireplace makeover took us about 8 hours from start to finish. From hanging + cutting the plywood, to sticking on the planks, to painting and sealing the fireplace tile. It was well worth the investment of time as I feel it is the focal point in our living room.

So without further rambling, here is our completed fireplace makeover.

I think the biggest thing for me in a space is making it my own and since I love to change my decor up constantly, I love to add layers in my home that are easily interchangeable. Although, I don’t see us changing this wall anytime in the future. It’s so beautiful!

The planks we used were Plank and Mills ‘ White Wash Barnwood 5″ Boards‘. I love them so much and they look like we literally took reclaimed wood and white washed them. But that would be way too much work. So this is such a cost effective and easy option!

DIY Oversized Chalk Board ( With Beauti-Tone Paints )

June 20, 2018 Leave a Comment

You Guys! I’m so excited to come to you with a DIY today. I feel like it’s been a while. But I promise, I’m still doing a ton, it just takes a bit of brain power to blog about them lately.

I recently was contacted by Home Hardware to try out their new Beauti-Tone Paint line and you guys, I’m obsessed. I haven’t tried out the paint line on walls yet – but that will be my next project when we’re in our new home.

For a long time I’ve been wanting to make our kids a chalk board to color on. So this opportunity came at the perfect time! This DIY is extremely simple and anyone can do it. You will need the following items:

1/4″ Smooth Plywood

26′ of 1×6 Your Choice Of Wood ( I used this )

Stain ( I used this )

Beauti-Tone ChalkBoard Paint – Black

Wood Glue

Roller + Pan

Paint Brush

Step 1

If you do not have a table saw or a miter saw, have the wood cut to size at the hardware store. For our chalkboard we had the plywood cut to 3×6, so the short sides were 36″ and the long sides were cut to 63″.

Step 2

Double Check that everything fits snug together – this has been a live and learn step for me. haha

Step 3

Stain the Boards. I like to use a cheap paint brush to do the job and then I let sit for five minutes and wipe off with paper towel or a rag. I then like to seal it with varnish 10-24 hours after it’s had time to dry. You can also use furniture wax or beeswax as well.

Step 4

Roll first coat of paint on chalkboard and let dry for 1 hour. I put 3 coats of paint on for a really thick finish. It’s up to you how many coats you put on yours. As you can tell below, the first coat still shows the grain of the plywood, so this is why I put three heavy coats on to give it a more matte and finished look.

DIY Oversized ChalkBoard With Beauti-tone Paint Line. Super Easy Tutorial With Step By Step Instructions. #DIY #Chalkboard www.whitepicketfarmhouse.com — First Coat

Step 5

Once the paint has dried, you can attach the wood to the chalkboard. You want to put quite a bit of wood glue on the back of the 1×6’s, but not too much that it will leak out the sides.

Once attached, leave to dry for a full 24 hours. I also like to put clamps on the edges to weigh it down to get a secure suction. But you can also put heavy items on your boards too. Whatever you have on hand really.

Step 6

Attach Hooks on Back + Hang On Wall

Since we’re moving in the next few weeks, I just leaned it against the wall for now.

Also, we wanted you to know that there is a much more advanced way of making this chalkboard, but we wanted to make it as easy as possible and forgo the pocket holes and angle cuts so anyone could make this. Save hundreds and make the most fun piece for your kids playroom!

Step 7

You want to color on the chalkboard with the flat side of the chalk down. Once you’ve colored the entire chalkboard, erase and color away. If you go ahead and draw something before it has been “primed” the first thing you draw will be on the chalkboard forever.

Hope you guys enjoyed this quick and easy DIY Oversized Chalkboard. If you like, don’t forget to pin it! Hope you all have a great week!

Painting With Old Barn Milk Paint – Vintage Mirror

May 29, 2018 1 Comment

Hey Friends! I’m super excited to share with you how easy Painting With Old Barn Milk Paint can be!

Today is going to be a quick one on the blog as I have a little someone staring at me with his big blue eyes.

I received a shipment of Old Barn Milk Paint a few weeks ago and I had to paint this vintage mirror. The key to using this milk paint ( If you want a really authentic chippy look ) is to finding a piece of furniture with a finish on it like varnish. How do you know if a piece has been varnished? It usually is glossy. I find these are the best pieces to work with as the paint cannot adhere to the surface as well. It always gives me the best chippy look. If wanting to see another project I did a few years ago with this exact brand of paint, click here.

Faux Metal In Three Easy Steps

February 19, 2018 2 Comments

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to refinish two filing cabinets and make them look chic and industrial. Thing is, I couldn’t find a matching set and the rare occasion one would come up, it would be way out of my price range. In this “How To” I’ll be talking about how to turn wood into faux metal. You can do this on any surface, but since we couldn’t find any real cabinets, Glen made me these boxes. Don’t tell anyone, but it’s literally a box with lines scored into it to make it look like a filing cabinet.

Styled Hall Bench

January 7, 2018 Leave a Comment

The last few weeks Glen has been off work. Money is tight when he’s working full time, but him being off for three weeks has been quite stressful. In order to help us stay afloat, I’ve made it my goal to try to sell off as many of my projects and refinished projects around the home. I posted my beloved pew last week and we found a buyer. ( Insert all the tears )

See, I waited for years for a real pew, then I finally got one and now only a short 8 months after getting It, I’m having to sell it. I knew that if I had to sell this pew, we had to put something in its place. But it couldn’t be expensive to make but it would still have to be just as amazing as my pew so I wouldn’t be too sad. See how I negotiate with myself?

About a year ago one of my favourite designers DIY’d this entrance hall bench and although I absolutely loved it, it looked expensive. The carved front legs, the amazing Corbels, the sconces.. everything about it screamed dolla-dolla bills. Yet, I took it on myself to create something similar that would be under 50.00 in materials. Keep in mind, we had all the 1×6’s and 1×4’s in our garage already, so the only thing we actually had to purchase was the wainscotting. The 6×4′ piece cost us 39.99, and in the states I’m sure it’s way cheaper. Everything is inflated up here in Canada. If you had to purchase the lumber, I’m sure it would be around 50-70 dollars.

As for the corbels, we DIY’d them and guys, I’m so excited to blog about it. We found a pattern online, traced them out and Glen made them for me. All from using scraps in our garage. Win-Win!

I really wanted a unique sconce light for this project too, but I’ve come to the realization that the light can wait for now. But wow, I’m loving the completed piece. It literally took my husband about 3 hours to build and then me another 3 hours to paint. I put 3 coats on to give it extra good coverage. We also put a sealant on the bench part as I know that with my kids crawling up and down off the bench, it will get marked up in no time!

Funny thing is, we had some leftover “Pure White” paint in our garage. I was so happy, because that meant that I didn’t have to buy paint. I started painting my hall bench and then after about an hour, I stood back and realized it was all grey! The paint can was completely marked wrong. So we have a light grey hall bench, so someday the walls behind this bench will have to be painted white as I’m not loving the green country walls behind it.

Hope you guys enjoyed this DIY. The pictures do not do this hall bench justice, it is absolutely stunning! Our entrance way is so dark and so I had to edit the photos slightly so they weren’t dark. But you get the gist.

As always, sharing is caring and I would love for you to share!

DIY Wood Corbels

January 6, 2018 2 Comments

Ever since Joanna Gaines become a someone and launched “Fixer Upper” I’ve been go-go ga-ga over anything architectural, especially the coveted corbels. I’ve wanted a pair for years, but my budget never allowed it. I got a knock off pair of corbels here 18 months ago, for those of you who cannot for the life of you DIY. But I still had a yearning for a real wood pair. I know they won’t be antique. But I’ve had to let go of that want a long time ago. If you’ve checked out the price of antique corbels it will make your head spin.

So, I’m here today to tell you that you CAN make DIY Corbels in the comfort of your own home with a bit of patience. At the bottom of this blog I will link the pattern we used for these corbels. You can try to free hand it – but I highly discourage you against it. Tracing off a pattern will make your life way easier and this process way faster.

These Corbels come in 3 layers. The two outer layers which is made out of 1″ wood, and the middle which is made out of 2″ wood. We used whatever scraps we had left in our garage, so these corbels were completely free, but if you have to buy wood, it will cost you under 10 dollars. Knotty Pine is dirt cheap and you only need two boards. Below is a shop list for those that have none of the items at home.

Shop List For DIY Corbels

-1 1x6x6′ Board ( Pine is cheapest )

-1 2x6x5′ Board

-Jigsaw or Bandsaw. We used our Roybi Jigsaw

-Wood Glue or Nail Gun to connect pieces

-Your choice of finish ( Paint, Stain etc )

-Sand Paper ( We used our orbital sander )

This is very straight forward, you want to trace your wood out on the stencils you printed. Once you’ve done that, It’s time to cut the wood. You’re basically tracing out the wood with your jigsaw which requires a steady hand. So if you think you aren’t steady, find someone who is.

Once all three pieces are cut out, you can attach them. Some like to use wood glue, but we used wood glue and our nail gun. The nail gun leaves extremely tiny holes that you can either leave as it looks more beat up, or you can fill with wood filler.

Since I have no patience, I started painting right away. A normal human would wait for the wood glue to dry, I don’t. ALTHOUGH, if you only use wood glue, it’s vital you let them dry prior to working on them.

Ashley over at Handmade Heaven has an awesome stencil for these DIY Wood Corbels we made. You can find her stencil, here.

Farmhouse Cane Chairs

January 3, 2018 Leave a Comment

YOU GUYS.

If you have been watching my Instagram feed over the last few days, you will know that my parents scored a set of Vintage Cane Chairs from Virginia 69′ ( Orginal Owners ) a few days ago. Let me start by telling you, I LOVE CANE CHAIRS. Like, love. If you’re new to my blog, over a year ago I blogged about these cane chairs and how easy they were to paint. We still have one of them in our daughters room. They have so much character and they’re so versatile – they fit in so many different styles.

When I first grabbed the chairs, they were more mid century. I thought about keeping them as is, but the legs were a bit beat up and I really wanted to try to give the wood a wash and make them look beat up. You know me, anything beat up is my jam.

So yesterday I got to work. I sanded down the chewed up legs, but left the dints and dings in the arms because I knew that the more “character” this chair had, the more the wash would look more authentic.

Also, let me apologize for my before & process photos, they were taken by my iPhone and apparently I’m not good at painting & taking pictures at the same time

Before we get into it, for this project you will need:

-Paper Towel

-Paint Brush

-Antiquing Wax

-Clear Wax

-Sanding Pad ( the lighter the better 180+)

-Drop Cloth or Rag to Paint on top of

-Screw Driver or Drill to take off seat

-Staple gun & Staples

-Paint of choice. I used a cream Behr Paint.

We had all of these things in storage already, so these chairs cost me zero dollars. Yep, you read right, ZERO BUCKS. Isn’t it kind of fun when things cost zilch?

I started by sanding down the legs where they had some scratch/chew marks. But like I said above, I didn’t sand down other parts of the chair as I wanted the paint to adhere to the flaws to give it more of a farmhouse feel. The sand paper is mainly for distressing it between paint/wax.

Here I am painting the chair. I watered my paint down my 75% so it wouldn’t make my chair look painted.

I did the chair in four parts. Each side, back and front & here’s why. Once you paint part of your chair, you want to take a piece of paper towel or rag and lightly wipe it down to give it a washed look, also this helps blend in the streaks. This takes literally seconds.

I worked on all 4 parts of the chair, then once that was done ( it was dry by that time ) I took my dry brush, and dabbed a bit of paint on it ( wiped most of it off ) and then dry brushed areas that needed slightly more paint.

Let Dry & then distress with your sanding pad.

Once you’ve completed the painting and sanding, you can apply your dark and clear wax. I applied the dark wax first, then gave that about 30 minutes to dry and applied the clear wax over top. I used paper towel to apply it ( I know, so so so unprofessional ) but hey, I had no cheese cloth and this project was supposed to be free.

Take your seat that you screwed off in the beginning and rip the fabric off. You will need plyers to rip the staples out, and then we just ripped the rest of the fabric by hand.

The seat looked like this once bare.

Since I’m super on the ball, I forgot to take pictures of me reupholstering, but it’s easy peasy. Cut your fabric to size ( I used left over drop cloth to match our curtains ), and then staple on. You’ll want to make sure it’s on really tight as it might stretch over time.

Once on, attach your seat again – and you’re done! For clarification, I left the back of the seat the burnt orange and put one layer of pain on it to tone it down. It adds a ton of character, but down the road I might buy a cream fabric paint and paint over it.

So are you ready for it?

My updated Farmhouse Cane Chairs

So, what do you guys think of these DIY’D Farmhouse Cane Chairs? I’m absolutely in love with them, but I know all of you don’t love the chippy beat up look.

If you do love them, I would be honoured if you shared on one of your social networks. When I was looking for a tutorial for Farmhouse Cane Chairs I couldn’t really find a ton. So that’s why I decided to make one.

I know a few of you have your own chairs to DIY, so let me know the results when you’re all done!

The Free Dresser That We Transformed

December 14, 2017 Leave a Comment

This paint was gifted to me by Rustoleum. But the opinions are solely my own.

I’ve been dying to share this little DIY project with you guys. In the name of the game, we’ve been trying to update our home for free. Yep, you heard it, FREE. We found this free dresser from a friend and took it home. We didn’t realize until we got home that the base was so badly chewed by a dog. It was basically unsalvageable. Trust me, we tried.

So, we decided to blindly rip the base off, not knowing if it would fully ruin the piece. I was quite nervous because at that point, I had full painted it. But guess what? It worked and we replaced it with a basic 1X6 for a more modern look.

Here’s how the dresser looked pre-paint. It actually had really nice bones, minus the base that we sanded for over an hour and it just wouldn’t “blend”.

For this job Rust-Oleum gifted me this Milk Paint to use on my project & I’m going to give you a full rundown on what I thought of this specific paint.

I’ve used quite a few different brands of milk paint, so I feel I have a good gauge on what I’m talking about

Firstly, what is “Milk Paint?” Milk paint is a nontoxic water-based paint. It can be made from milk and lime, generally with pigments added for color. … Milk Paint is commonly sold in the powder form, which is a combination of casein and lime.

To be quite honest with you, I’m not sure if Rust-Oleum has another agent in their paint, but it didn’t crackle away like all the other brands I’ve used have done. Which made me a bit sad, because I love that look. One of the positives about this paint is it has extremely good coverage. It will cover any surface. This dresser had a gloss on it prior to painting it, and it covered it with ease. I even used it on the handles, and I only had to do two coats.

The directions on the container are super straight forward and you can use the actual container to paint out of & mix in. Super easy peasy and it made literally no mess whatsoever.

Here’s how our dresser turned out after the second coat was completed. I did give it a a little sand and distressed it. I found this paint distresses really easily and it didn’t leave scratch marks for a more authentic distressed look.

Overall I would give this paint a B. The only reason I give it a B is because I was expecting it to crackle like most other milk paints I’ve used. If it was labelled a chalk paint, I would give it an A+

Hope you guys are having the most amazing week ever & don’t forget to share this on Pinterest

How To Paint Laminate & MDF Furniture

October 30, 2017 1 Comment

Hello and happy almost Halloween.

In our home we do not celebrate Halloween. But we do allow the kids to go around the block and grab some candy + normally we have a few family members over and play games or watch a movie. Easy, simple and then the next day we are normally planning our Christmas decorations.

Over the last week I was lucky to be given this dresser from my aunt. It had really pretty bones, but it wasn’t real wood. I’ve painted a few laminate and MDF pieces in the past and so I thought I would write a blog and give you a few pointers when painting over this type of surface. I must admit, it isn’t as easy as painting over wood and there are a few extra steps. But if you can take an extra 3o minutes to do them, you will be left with a piece that will scream at you – in a good way 😉

The below image is screaming to be pinned as I couldn’t find a ton of info on Pinterest about painting over these two types of surfaces.

Shop List

Paint Brush
Roller
Paint any kind, but I used a all-in-one Primer/Paint from Home Depot. Behr “Snow Fall”
Spray Paint for Knobs / or new knobs
Wax or Varnish for protection ( this is an optional step, but a step I always do )
Sand Paper
Rag to whip down dresser before painting

Alright, so this is going to be a super easy step-by-step tutorial, but sometimes if you aren’t used to refinishing furniture, it’s good to take another read.

Here’s what the dresser looked like in the first place. I took out all the drawers and did a light sand over it. This step cannot be skipped. If you skip it, the paint will have a hard time adhering to the surface & could bubble. It takes off some of the gloss and will make the actual painting process MUCH easier & faster.

The sanding process probably took me all of 15 minutes. I sanded down all the surfaces that would touch paint. Then once I was done, I wiped the entire dresser down with an old rag, so there wouldn’t be particles of dust in the finish.

Next, you want to grab your roller. I picked a large roller because it’s what we had on hand and I wanted this whole project to cost us nothing. If you have a smaller dresser, a smaller roller would be best.

I rolled all surfaces that were flat ( which was most of the dresser )

As you can see, the coverage isn’t amazing with the first coat. I did a total of three coats. But the second and third coat go MUCH faster than the first. Also, if you’re not a patient person like myself, remember how much you’re saving in this process.

Second, grab your brush and paint over all the hard to reach places that your roller can’t get to. Once I’ve done this, I like to roll over flat areas again so that there is MINIMAL brush strokes in my project.

Here’s what the dresser looked like once the first coat was completely on. Do not be alarmed, once you have the last coat on, it will start looking brand new and stunning.

….and the third coat drying.

It’s literally that easy. The secret is to sand your piece down prior to painting and a good roller will help too!

Now, a question of what to use for protection. I love love love my clear wax from Old Barn Milk Paint. But if I’m lazy ( and I am often ) I will use this polyurethane from Home Depot. You must only purchase this can as it is literally the only brand/type of varnish that I’ve ever used that has not slightly yellowed the surface of the white paint.

You can either roll it on ( which I prefer ) or you can paint it on. If you use a paint brush, know that if the sunlight hits your piece, you *might* see brush strokes in the surface.

Drying Times –

I left an hour between each coat of paint and Behr is an extremely fast drying paint. The varnish needs about 12 hours to “cure” before you put anything on your dresser, but it will be dry to touch in an hour.

and that’s it folks! Easy Peasy and this project cost us NOTHING. Someday we will be changing out the knobs, but we were out of spray paint and didn’t want to cough up the money for new knobs right now, so I had these cute librarian knobs in storage so I put them on.

DIY