Where Are They Now - Hit and Miss Projects

When I check out other blogs and they showcase fabulous projects, I sometimes wonder if it was a quick fix or something that will last.  I thought it would be fun to revisit a few of my past projects to let you know how they have held up.

Transforming a Closet With Contact Paper

Back in March, 2012, I transformed my husband's white melamine closet using faux wood grain contact paper.

The closet took many hours to complete and I made sure each piece of contact paper was placed perfectly without any air bubbles.

The whole makeover cost around $100 which included other accessories and baskets for the closet.  More than two years later the closet looks as good as the day I installed the contact paper.  I definitely had feared that it wouldn't hold up...but it has.  I would still give this project an A+.

Painted Door and Stairs

I painted our garage entrance stairs and door back in September 2013...less than a year ago.  I loved how it transformed our garage entry way.  It looked so much better than the entry before.

Unfortunately, the door and stairs haven't held up as well as I would have hoped.  First mistake was using a flat paint.  I should have used semi gloss, but I was using paint I already had on hand.

Our garage entry is the entry we use day in and day out and clearly the stairs must not be that deep that the risers get kicked and thereby have these scuff marks.  The "K" fell off within the first few weeks and I have already touched up the doors and stairs with more paint a few weeks ago, which has also not held up so much.  I'd give this project a B-.  I still love that I did it, just wish it was holding up better.

Have a great day.

-Judy

Painted Door and Stairs

I never use my front door.  I rarely use my side door.  However, day after day I park my car in the garage and use the door in the garage that leads directly into my mud room.  

Last weekend I decided it was time to beautify the entrance I use day after day.  I was inspired to do this after featuring a project Being Home did with her garage entryway.  

Here's what the door looked like before.  It was just a basic white.

The stairs were painted grey years ago and as you can see were in need of a little TLC.  

I had a brand new quart of paint, in a custom color, that I had never used.  I had bought it when I painted the upholstery of the Pottery Barn Teen chairs I got on Craigslist.  I had used so little paint for that project that I never even needed to open this can.

I left the door on the hinges and taped off the handle and the sides.  I painted two coats on the door using a regular paint brush.  I guess you could use a roller, but it was easier with a brush to get into all of the nooks and crannies of the detail on the door.  I was careful to get rid of any brush strokes.

After painting the door I also painted two coats on the stairs and railing.

This time I decided to add two pieces of carpet to each stair.   We found these carpet tiles at Lowes.  They were in blue and green and coordinated well with the stairs.  They are stapled in place.

Using my Silhouette machine I created these numbers out of vinyl.

On the door I used my Silhouette again to cut out the Welcome Home and "K" out of vinyl.

What a huge improvement...

and what a nicer way to come into the house through the garage!

Can't wait to hear what you think.

-Judy

Garage Makeover

My brother and his wife recently bought their first house.  The house is 17 years old and the garage was never finished.  The walls had years of holes from various hooks, pegs, screws, hammer slams and car doors hitting it.  As you can see from the photo...the walls were a mess!!

The garage is a one car garage and measures 20' x 9'.  It took drywall compound and sheetrock squares to patch up the small and large holes in walls and ceiling.  Then the walls and ceiling were sanded and retouched again.  It took three coats of Kilz premium primer with stain block to cover over everything.  The marker was especially a problem bleeding through the first two coats.  

Here is the garage with it's new makeover.  The paint color is Valspar Autumn Fog in a satin finish.  

 It's gray with a hint of blue.   The blue adds brightness to the normally dull gray color.

1 x 2s and 1x3s were screwed into the studs and used as cleats for the shelves and brackets.  The shelves are made from a 4 x 8 piece of plywood ripped in half.  This  created over 20' of shelf space.

For extra storage, and to keep things off of the floor, bicycle hooks were used for the trikes, tool hooks for brooms and mops and utility hooks for the ladder and step stool.

The power of paint never ceases to amaze me!!  My brother still plans to refinish the floor or buy tiles.  He is still researching feedback on epoxy floor paint, as well as build a standing or folding workbench.  He will also be adding more organizational things to the walls.  I'll be sure to share this with you when he is finished. 

If you're thinking of tackling a project like this, here are a few tips:

1.  All products were purchased at Lowes and Home Depot.  

2.  There is no reason to purchase an expensive shelf system - furring strips screwed into studs and plywood shelving is a fraction of the cost and takes paint really well.  

3.  Having a stud finder makes the job easier.  Other tools used for this project were a level, power drill, 2 paint rollers (thrown out after using, not worth cleaning), 4" paint brush for cut-ins, step stool for reaching corners (easier than moving ladder), paint tray and liners, paint extenion pole, hat, gloves and glasses.  Trust me, wear a hat when sanding and painting, you'll thank me later.

4.  My brother did this project by himself over the course of a few weekends (keep in mind he has twins that are 3 years old which makes it a bit tougher to carve out huge chunks of time), but you could probably get this done in a weekend with help.  Perhaps spackle on Friday, sand and prime on Saturday, and paint later on Saturday or Sunday(primer dries in one hour) and hang shelves and move stuff when paint dries.

Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!

-Judy