Dining Room Table: Reveal

I apologize in advance for those of you who voted for the book shelves to be done first, instead of the dining room table.  Unfortunately, the book shelves require Scott's know-how and the dining room table did not.  I'm still waiting on the trim for the book shelves.  I really should learn how to operate power tools.  LOL

Anyhoo...

The dining room table was my Mom and Dad's.  After their divorce, my Dad got the dining room table and when he died, I got it.  My Dad was all about wood, like most typical men.  Stained wood furnishings were the rule of thumb in his house.  Needless to say, I inherited quite a bit of paintable furniture.  He's probably rolling over in his grave, somewhere in Delaware Bay.  Sorry Daddy, but the wood has got to go.  I know you would still love me anyway. :D

Okay, so on that morbid note, here's the before pic taken shortly after we moved into our house.

I still can't believe that this was the office!

After five years of basically using it from everything from meals to homework to school projects to crafts, it was looking mighty rough.  When I questioned my mom as to why in the world they bought a maple table because its such a soft wood, she said, "Because it was on sale."  Oooookay then.

So, I wiped her down and did some light sanding for prep:

And the same with the chairs:

I had to sand a little heavier on the edges of the tops and sides because they were knicked and dinged to death.

Using my trusty chalk paint recipe, I painted the top with "Cotton Balls" by Benjamin Moore and the bottom, my favorite color ever...  "Covington Blue" from the Benjamin Moore Historical Series.  Its a blue without being a blah blue.  Depending on the light, it can take on almost an aqua-y feel without being aqua.  Its a lovely color.

 I debated on going all white for quite some time, but as I usually do, I went off of what I am drawn to in my home decor magazines.  And its always the tables that the bases are painted blue.  Every.  Time.

And you know me with my "too much white" thing going on.  And of course I had to "make it look old".  ;)

And I can tell you its no fun trying to reveal a piece of furniture and get a good picture of it when the room is still in demo stage.  LOL

 So, just try to ignore the half painted book shelf with its missing trim and the destroyed wood floors that we've finally decided just to paint.  Obviously having someone come in and re-do them just ain't going to work.  The pine is just too soft to withstand our foot traffic and I'm not going to throw another $900.00 out the window for the floors in the office and the dining room again, only to have them look like they do now... Again.  Contractor horror stories, anyone?

I am still amazed at how much going lighter has made a difference in the atmosphere of our home.  Its so much more cheerful and relaxing.  

My goal is to get a bench to go on the wall side of the table, so it can be pushed back against the wall when not in use.  For now, painting the two oak pressback chairs to match works.  Plus, a bench will seat three of my rugrats, making room for everyone at the table.

I can't wait to get the wainscoting done, so I can hang that gorgeous mirror on the wall above the table.  Scott?  Are you reading this???  ;)

Next...

My Dad's rocking chair or the china hutch.  I haven't decided yet.  Check out my facebook page for new uploads of the china hutch.  We picked her up last night.  :D

XO,

Linking up to:

Dumpster Diva

The 36th Avenue

Days of Chalk and Chocolate

Gettin' There...

How long has it been since I started on this bear of a dining room?

Six weeks?

At least?

Well, it seems like everything is conspiring against me getting this darn thing finished.

One, $$$$$.

Two, life stuff.

Three, I lost my oomph because one and two weren't cooperating.

I mean, I have worked on some stuff.

Like, my dining room table:

And all those lovely little frames sitting on the shelves of the partially finished book shelf - and a few on the floor that are larger that you can't see.

And half of the chairs are done:

Kind of.

Four need second coats and two of them need to be started on.

HOWEVER...

That's what happens when three of your three cars all wind up in the repair shop in the SAME week.  Lovely.

But, yesterday I had a wonderful surprise.

After discussing it back and forth for WEEKS with Scott (and driving him crazy with asking his opinion), I changed my mind about doing board and batten in the dining room.  Although I always swoon at rooms done in neutrals, primarily white, I know that I need color.  And I was so afraid that doing board and batten on three-quarters of the walls would be too much white for me - not to mention the fact that living on a dusty gravel road, I would be spending a huge amount of time cleaning, which is definitely NOT my favorite way to spend my time - unless, of course, I'm working a mad off.  You know, cleaning as therapy?  ;)  So, I went back to doing wainscoting, as I originally planned.

Scott and I went to Menard's to check out just how much the wainscoting, base trim, and chair rail will cost.  Keep in mind, we just went in to look.

And guess what???

The wainscoting was HALF OFF.  Yippee :)

So, we came home with 9 packs and the base trim.

Now granted, its not oak because they were sold out, but its like I told Scott, "I'm going to paint it.  If I was going to stain it that would be one thing, but I'm not." (When inside I was thinking:  "Just get the wainscoting now because if I don't get it at this price I'm NEVER going to get it."  LOL)  Although, he did get the oak base trim, since our other base trim that we bought is oak too.

It probably took us an hour and a half to put it in the cart, as we debated doing paneling sheets cut to size, using pre-primed MDF, or going with pine or oak.  Scott was quick to point out that the MDF is what we have in the downstairs bathroom and it has not held up well to moisture, at all.  And with the wear and tear of five kiddos (especially the BOYS - Wrestling in the house, anyone?) , he felt that wood was a better option.

Finally, he put it in the cart and all I wanted to do was get out of there before he decided he wanted to think on it for a little while.  LOL  I know my husband well and he really likes to THINK about stuff A LOT.  So much, in fact, that sometimes he never gets around to buying it OR has done so much thinking and talking about doing something that by the time it comes time to do it, he's lost his motivation to do it.  But, I suppose in that way we balance each other out because I'm a look before I leap kind of person.  He really helps keep me in line and I help make sure he does stuff and doesn't over-think it, so it works for us.  :)

And he got a new Dewalt drill, since ours took a poop on us when we were doing the book shelves AND a new air compressor, which he needs to run the nail gun because THAT took a poop on us, so we both were happy when we left the store.

And to think we just went to LOOK.  Yep.  That's how it works.  I've just got to GET him there.  LOL  ;)

So, needless to say I'm super excited and ready to kick some booty today.  But, like with all things that require Scott to help me, I'm going to have to wait until he has spare time to do it.  But, if I get everything done where all I'm doing is waiting on him, I'll have good reason to give him the evil fish eye.  HA HA HA

So today, I'm going to finish up the chairs and transform my wash stand with a bit o' paint.

Yes, I know I said that I wasn't going to touch it with paint, but I've decided that to fit the vision I have for the dining room, its gotta have some paint love.  I really want to go out on a limb and paint it a color, but I think I'm going to play it safe with white and then give it some funky knobs courtesy of HL.  Know what I mean?

And given that the kiddos only have two days of school this week thanks to Easter Break, I know if I'm going to do anything I better get 'er done today and tomorrow because nothing much ever gets accomplished with Rugrats one, two, three, four, and five at home - except cleaning up the trail of mess and chaos they leave in their wake.

And maybe, if I'm lucky...

Scott can do a little each night and that will make me EXTREMELY happy.  And as everyone knows, if Momma's happy, EVERYONE is happy.  Right?  Right.  ;)

Wainscoting Woes

It seems like with every project in this house that we attempt, there's always some kind of woe involved.

"Woe is me!"

LOL!

Yesterday, I got so super excited when Scott walked in the door at 4:30 p.m. (which is waaaaay early in the day for him to be home) with a caulk gun in his hand and asked, "Are you ready to get to work?"

"YES!"

He didn't have to ask twice, I was off the couch in a jiffy...  House Hunters was ridiculous anyway.  Who in their right mind would pay $500,000 for a 10 week time share???  (Obviously someone with A LOT more money than me!)

So, we got to work...

Love the smell of fresh cut wood!

After getting the first piece of floor trim cut and in place, Scott wanted to check out how the wainscoting would work.

Yeah.  It didn't.

He didn't like the flat side.

And I didn't like the work involved with the bead board side.

Conundrum.

And why is it that we're still married after nearly 14 years?

C-O-M-P-R-O-M-I-S-E.

Well, that and with 5 children, the business, and the house, divorce is simply too much of a headache.  Its just easier to meet in the middle somewhere.  ;) (That's Laura humor right there.  HA!)

So, I dragged him over to the computer and sat him down in the chair and showed him this...

Sawdust and Embryos

and this...

Thrifty Decor Chick

and this.

Hooked on Houses

And that wall color is the almost exact color of our dining room, so that was a GREAT one to show him.

So, that's what we've decided on doing:  Board and Batten

Great compromise.

And I think, will look much better especially with the wood work beside the stairs.

Notice anything different?
Yep.  I primered part of the stairwell.  :)

And for all you white lovers out there, 

that's going to be a WHOLE lotta white!

Unfortunately, doing that means I have to wait.  You know, for Scott to do some jobs and start getting some money rolling in.  Its been a loooooong winter around here.  The temps have been so mild that we haven't sold a quarter as much firewood, as we normally do.  And with only three pushable snows, we haven't had any income from snow removals either.  The only thing that has kept us going this summer is selling hay.  It has NOT been a fun winter!  And then there's those pesky bills that have to be paid...  Business loans and a house payment and telephone and cell phone and electricity and cable...  Did I mention its been a looooong winter?  So wait, I must.  He says two weeks at the most, since he already has work lined up.  I can work with that.

Sooooooo...

In the meantime, I'm going to work on the furniture that's going in the dining room.  Its time to break some paint out.  And with the lovely 70 degree temperatures forecasted for the next week, I can really get the ball rolling.

Goal:  Have all the furniture completed, so that by the time we get the board and batten up and painted, I can just move everything straight in.  And then, it will be D-O-N-E.  Finally.

Oh the joys of doing nothing on credit, 

but only when we can afford it.

And then I can start on the living room.

YAY!

Here's hoping y'all all have a fantastic day...  And if you live in Iowa, open up those windows peeps!  Its going to be gorgeous day, dah-ling.

Progress: Wainscoting

This morning when I woke up, I wasn't feeling very motivated concerning the dining room.  I spent all day yesterday playing catch up on laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and trying to get all the other rooms "manageable".  This is what happens when you have five children and do nothing but paint.  Today I just wanted to veg out.  I dozed on and off on the couch until about noon while having an HGTV marathon.  How I was able to do that for four hours and not get motivated is beyond me.  Usually, that really gets my butt in gear.  Finally, I decided to tackle the pile on wainscoting that's been laying in the dining room floor for 3 weeks or better.

It was a process to say the least - and my arms feel it.

Each piece had 2-4 nails.  Large nails.  That have been there for over a hundred years.

I had to beat them each out with a hammer.

Then pull them out the top side.

Sometimes they were so bent that I had to do this:

What?  You don't wear dress socks when you're doing home improvement?  ;)  And, yes...  I knocked myself in the chin a few times doing this, but they came out!

I've never really given you a good close up of the peeling paint I'm going to be dealing with...

and the lovely nail holes that those ginormous nails left behind.

Here's where your advice comes in.  Again.  I like asking everyone what they think even though I usually have the direction I'm going in my head.  Hearing someone else's opinion sometimes reaffirms what I'm thinking and sometimes even changes my mind.

I have three directions I can go with this stuff.

1)  The obvious:  Strip all the paint and repaint them to match the trim.  The right way.  Will look new and more professional.

2)  Flake off all the chipping paint and go for the really, really distressed look.  Authentic.  Adds texture and character.  A lot less work.  But will it be too much of the chippy look I love?

All of the darker beige paint like is on the center one and part of the right one will be gone, leaving the glossy white, bits of green and wood peeking out. (Obviously I haven't painted the trim yet.  I'm going to do it all at once and depending on what I decide.)  I haven't touched it, except to take the nails out.  They need to be washed and all the flaking paint chipped off.  Fun times!  :P

3)  Flip the boards over, go with the wider, flatter plank, and then paint them the same white as the trim will be.  It achieves the same fresh, new look with less than half the work.  It also gives it more of a farmhouse look.  They'll have be sanded, but that's a heck of a lot better than stripping.

Keep in mind that there will be a wide base trim at the bottom and then it will be topped with a chair rail.

So, what do you think?  1, 2, or 3?

I'm pretty pleased with the progress I made today.  All the wainscoting is neatly stacked in the corner...

And now I have a somewhat organized space to work in.

Not too bad for an afternoon's work.  And the best part of all?  Finding the treasures of history that someone over a hundred years ago left behind...

The name of the very first owner and builder of the house, plus the location to which the boards were being shipped.  Way cool.  I think I'll be setting two of these aside and doing something with them in the dining room.  I love finding stuff like this in this house!

Next up:

Deciding what color to paint the risers of the stairs.  I'm really leaning toward a lighter green than what is on the walls, but I'm questioning whether or not I should go with a more classic white.  I'm afraid I'm getting caught up in the bright colors of spring fever and might regret it through the other months.  Any thoughts on that?

Soooooooooo...

Please let me hear your thoughts on the wainscoting and the riser color.  I always love to hear what you're thinking!!!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Let's Add The Stairs

So, you know how yesterday I said I was going to paint the trim?

Yeah.

Not.

This is how little projects become big projects.

It really is laughable.

How this entire project started.

You know...

With this bookcase...

and it morphed into the entire dining room...

So just for giggles (and because I'm definitely a glutton for punishment), I decided I might as well prime the stairs while I was at it.  You know, because when I do the reveal they'll be in the pictures.

The stairs were supposed to be the NEXT project.

So much for that!  :P

I think Scott has finally gotten used to my whims, because when he got home last night, it didn't even phase him to see me in pajama bottoms covered in primer crouching on the stairs priming the risers.  He doesn't even bother to mutter an "Oh my God." anymore.  And I'm pretty sure that he doesn't even notice the paint and primer in my hair, stuck in my nail beds...  And he definitely didn't notice, didn't care, or at least didn't say anything about the big smear of primer on my chin that I walked around the house with all evening.  BAH HA HA HA HA!  Poor guy.  He went from a high maintenance wife to one that is still in her pajamas covered in whatever particular medium she happens to be working with that day, when he gets home.  I wonder which one he likes better?  LOL!

But, I must draw the line somewhere...  I'm not touching the stairwell until the dining room is done.  I promise.  Really.  I mean, just because I've been eyeballing it for the last two days doesn't mean I'm going to do anything about it...  I think.  ;)

Today, I PROMISE I will commence painting all the trim.  And THEN I will start on that massive pile of wainscoting.  I think I've figured out a way to get around all the stripping.  I'll let you know how that turns out.

Until tomorrow, y'all...

TTFN,

Walls, Paint, Doors, Decisions...

Yesterday I got A LOT accomplished.

Not only is my blog sporting a new fresh look, but the walls are finally painted.

YAY ME!

It was kind of iffy there for a little while with the wall part, but I managed to pull it off.

On Friday when I broke out the paint and started rolling it on the walls, I realized it was drying A LOT darker than what I had wanted.  I mean, it looked like I had smeared ALGAE on the walls.  BLECH!  So, I decided to do what I did with the paint in the office:  Add white.  However, I didn't have any on hand, having depleted my stash during the office makeover.  DARN.  And I didn't have time to go get any.

So, after volunteering all weekend at a two day state wrestling tourney, painting got put off until yesterday.

I added the white, and then added some more... and some more... and some more.  Finally, I got it to a color I could live with - after adding about a quart of white paint.

But you know me, with painting disasters...

I started worrying I wouldn't have enough.  And the more I painted, the more it became clear that I'd REALLY be pushing it.  And the bad thing with adding all that white...  If I needed more, I don't know if I could mix it to the same exact shade again.  ARGH!  I do get myself into some fixes, don't I?

By the time I finished up, I was literally scrapping the inside of the gallon.  I can't believe that room used up an ENTIRE gallon of paint!  I figured with the stairs, windows, doors, and pocket doors taking up so much room, I'd be fine.  Go figure!  :P

Well, all's well that's ends well...  Even if there are a few spots I'd like to have a little better coverage on.

And what's funnier yet???

I realized AFTER painting the entire room, that I had mixed the paint to pretty much the EXACT same shade as the kitchen.  What are the odds of THAT?  But, its great because now I have a great excuse to paint the kitchen!  HA!

So, today I'm going to finish painting all the trim.

Tomorrow...  The dreaded wainscoting.  But, its coming along and its amazing how much a fresh coat of paint has freshened things up!

But here's where I need some advice.  I decided to paint the pocket doors (just ignore the half-primered one).  What color should I do? Black OR White?  Before I got the paint on and started looking at it with the top of the bookcase, I was leaning toward painting the spindles on the stairs black and doing the pocket doors black.  Now, I'm thinking it will clash.

Weigh in and let me know what you think...

Here's a wider angle, so you can see the top of the bookcase with half of the pocket doors....

Keep in mind that there will be white wainscoting, as well.

Seriously...  I'm stuck on where I want to go with it.  What's your opinion?

White doors and spindles?  

Black doors and spindles?  

White doors and black spindles?   

Make my own decision?  

I need to learn to make my own decisions?  

I'm making it harder than it has to be?  

Its not rocket science?   

 Get a life?

LOL!!!!  

Let me know what you think.

Until then...

Guess, its time to get my paint on.

TTFN y'all!

Dining Room Update

I'm a bad blogger...  I really am.

Even worse, I'm a procrastinator.

What's it been?  Three weeks now?  

I knocked the office out in 12 days.  

The dining room?  

Not even close.  

Ugh.

Maybe its because I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed with the wainscoting, the holes in the walls, and figuring out that the hideous border at the top of the walls has to be painted over because when you try to remove it, it pulls pieces of plaster out with it.  ARGH!

I've walked away from it...  

A LOT.

Silver lining?

This is the worst room in the house, so once I get this out of the way, its smooth sailing.  But I have to actually do it first.

DARN IT!

Here are a few pics that I took yesterday.  I've since finished the primer on the trim and walls, I just have to do a second coat on the wood work.

Welcome to my chaos...

The bookcase is coming along...

The rest?

Eh.  Not so much...

This is the northeast corner and the front door...  On top of this window is where I figured out that the border pulls off the plaster.  Fortunately, I know paint WILL cover it up and you won't even be able to tell.  I painted over the border in office for the same reason and you can't even tell its there.  The white stuff all over the floor is the paint and plaster that I had to pick off yesterday.  FUN!  Not.  I can't tell you how unbelievably frustrated I was.  I walked away from it for a solid week after a huge chunk of plaster fell out.  LOL!

The replacement for the hideous 1950s front door is bought.  I'll save the description for the reveal.  I can tell you this, it is SWEET!

The gaping holes in the plaster occurred when we removed the cheap, pieced together trim that didn't match the rest of the house.  And look!  There's the hideous border in all its glory.  Hello, 1980s!  :P

My first thought when the plaster came off with the trim: 

Shoot.  Me.  Now.

(I'm definitely not one of those bloggers that tackles big, obnoxious jobs and makes it seem like its oh, so easy.  I wanted to puke when the plaster came off.  LOL!!!!)

This is why I decided to use the wainscoting.  It will add visual interest, is technically original to the house (just not this room), and will cover up pretty much all of the issues with the plaster.  It was either that or bust out all the plaster and hang sheet rock.  Nope.  Wasn't going there.  ;)

Speaking of the wainscoting...

It lays where I left it.  Some still has nails to remove.  Needless to say, the kids are banned from this side of the dining room.  I can just see someone puncturing a foot on a nail.  I'm still trying to figure out an easier way to scrape the paint.  Yes, I know.  There isn't one.  I can dream, can't I?

Ahhhh...  The wall beneath the stairs:

Like my mermaid?  A leftover from me trying to pull off beach decor in Iowa...  
And memories from a great night out with my mom on a trip back home.

Initially I thought about leaving the door for a little contrast, but whoever made the door...  Well, its not square and you can REALLY tell.  This is a small full bath under the stairs.  Gotta give 'em props for the layout and smart use of space.  Hanging the door?  Yeah.  Not so much.  So, it got a coat of primer too.

Trying to squeeze my ample booty in between here to prime is like...  Well, you can figure out a simile.  ;)  I have to paint the left side with my right hand, which is fine since I'm right handed, but I have to paint the right side with my left hand, which stinks.  Hopefully, no one will squeeze in there to inspect my painting job!  LOL!  I still have to figure out a way to get on my hands and knees to do the trim at the bottom.  Something tells me I'm going to wind up laying flat out on my stomach.  Fun times!  A perk?  A ginormous vent that dries the primer lickety-split!  :)

Advice time...  What do you think about painting the spindles on the stairs black?  Just for some contrast?  Sort of to make it look like wrought iron.  Plus, those things ALWAYS get filthy from lots of little hands and they are a pain in the HINEY to clean.  I'm considering it, but I figured I would wait until I got the whole room done, before I make a decision.  Since I'm going to paint the risers, I'm afraid there might be just a little too much white.  What do you think????

And the pocket doors...

I'm thinking about painting them too.  Maybe.  Not sure.  Little fingers smeared some primer on them (I love my 4 year old!), but I think I might be able to get it off.  What do you think about painting these a color?  I don't know.  Might be too much.  Although I have seen interior doors painted colors and it actually looks pretty good - although Scott might just have a heart attack.  He wasn't really happy that I was painting the trim in the dining room, but like I told him - it was either that or have to stain the replacement floor trim.  I'd rather paint.  :D

So, that's where I'm at.  Sad, ain't it?  Honestly, I'm just so overwhelmed with it, that I've had a hard time getting going.  Now that it's primed, I'm feeling much better.  Well, that and I'm getting sick of the living room looking like an episode of hoarders.  LOL!!!  Today, my goal is to paint the walls and finish painting the book case.  Then, I can start on the wainscoting with a vengeance and nag Scott to buy the rest of the trim we need for the floors and the book case.  So much for doing it with what I have on hand, huh?  Does it ever work out like you plan it?  ;)

I can say one thing for it...  The living room is going to seem like a SNAP after I finish this!  :)