Project File: Dining Room Buffet Facelift

The HORRENDOUS before....

and the much better after...

I had planned on the potential of painting the whole thing the same dark glossy teal of our front door- but after applying it to the top- I decided to go with the white: reason being- The teal looked dreadful against the gray walls- so much so that I couldn't handle it- especially since I was in a major state of decorator mania- doing 5,000 projects knowing that I'd be starting classes Monday and would have very little time for anything beyond research, psychology, and multi cultural counseling for the next 6 weeks. Specifically repainting the whole dinning room!

After having all of the classes in the past 2 days- I am correct in my assumption. I will not be doing anything but school work (and regular work) for the next 6 weeks- this will most likely be my last post until then:(

So- for the buffet- I removed all the doors- sanded the doors and base joints, filled all holes, re-sanded, then applied 3 coats of semi-gloss white paint (it's my trim paint that I use for the whole house I have a 5 gallon bucket in my basement)

Then I drilled new holes and installed all of the new hardware....I was going for the campaign chest look- I think that larger hardware would have been better- possibly the width of the trim? but this works fine for now!)

BIG improvement in my humble opinion! OH- and best part of tackling big projects- it forces you to clean out other areas- i.e. INSIDE of the buffet...now clean as a whistle!!

And you may have noticed I moved furniture around again- I put the (to-be-reupholstered) gold Brimfield couch in the living room instead.

We also got a temporary sofa from my parents and moved our older/more grubby current living room couch into the basement play room- and turned it into a more family friendly area:

Which then forced me to reevaluate my sewing table/fabric stash- and hence clean/organize that area: (because, of course I had to make new pillows for the couches:)

and I finally got around to covering an old cork board I inherited- I just wrapped it in a fabric scrap- staple gunned it on the back- and pushed in a border of brass upholstery tacks I picked up at the hardware store- SUCH a simple project! literally 30 mins max!!

and in the midst of this compulsive frenzy of projects/decorating- My oldest Angelbaby graduated from pre-school. INSANE! and so much harder for me then I thought it would be (which probably contributed to the compulsive frenzy:)

LOVE

Project File: Dining Room Table

My dining room table has been in our garage for at least 3 weeks. During that time it has underwent various processes in an attempt to create a certain "look" that I happened to see in a recent design magazine.

I first sanded the table down- this table was bought at an unfinished furniture by my newlywed parents 30 years ago.  They finished it with a dark stain and poly.
The sanding took a lot of elbow grease to remove the color- but I did it! (I used a hand sander,  goggles and a respirator for this!)

Above is a not-so-hot-before-shot:)

Then I began the re-coloring process.  I was attempting to bleach the table- which gives the wood a worn, grayish tone.

I first tried regular laundry bleach- it didn't do much.
then I moved on to oxcalic acid- or furniture bleach (used to lighten stains on furniture)- also- not much of  a difference.

The final bleaching option is a 2-part bleaching solution that I could have ordered from a flooring supply company- but honestly I didn't want to pay the $40 haz-mat shipping fee- especially if it wasn't guaranteed to work.  So then I started looking into the "limeing" process- a certain type of wax applied to furniture to give it a whitish look- this I also couldn't find...

so here's what I ended up going with:

I simply brushed it on in smallish sections, then wiped it off with a rag while it was still wet

this is a stain product that "pickles" the furniture.  You can see the difference in the color in the shot above. It actually was super simple and quick and I love the result!

What's left to do? I need apply a water proof finish- this is the product I decided on. 

Daddy Van's natural furniture polish,

 I got mine through Amazon- I'll let ya'll know how it works!!

I chose it because I wanted a natural product, natural finish, and not super-shiny.  It should arrive tomorrow!

Then it's the rest of the room I have to decide on.
specifically:
#1: a new rug (or antique rug.... possibly I will find you at Brimfield in a couple weeks????)
Here are some current contenders:

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Clearly I'm leaning toward yellow- but other than that I am not quite sure

#2: fabric choice and re-upholstery of my beautiful couch (a good fall/winter project I think)
top choices right now:

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#3: wall color
#4: what to do with the hideous, half-assed built-in buffet???
#5: dining chairs (possible Brimfield too?)
#6: window treatments

Stay tuned!!!