Still hanging around

Hello from Wisconsin!  Yep, we are still living in my parent's basement because of the roof drama with our new home in Minnesota.  The plus side is Ashford likes playing with all my old toys from the 80s.  He loves this little shopping cart and pushes it everywhere!

The great news is that Fannie Mae is definitely paying for our new roof to the tune of $9150.  The other good news is that we are pretty sure they are putting on the color shingles I asked for - Owens Corning Oakridge 30yr shingles in Driftwood.  Here is the stock photo of the color:

The bad news is that they cannot start the roof until Tuesday because they had to order the shingles.  The other bad news is that we had to push our closing date to Friday May 30th since the roof has to be done 48 hours prior to closing for the HUD to be completed. We've been camping out here for a month, and are so ready to have our lives back!  Here is a shot of the Driftwood shingles with an ivory vinyl sample to match the trim on the existing windows and garage door on far left.  The second and third from the bottom of the paint strip are contenders for the siding, and the orange and two green colors are possible door colors.  I love how this roofing has little flecks of gold in it to complement the ivory trim and orange door, if that is what we decide to go with.  

Guys, it is killing me to be 375 miles from my house and not be able to choose important things like the roof color in person!  But who knows, they might just put on 'Chateau Green' shingles, anyway.  We will find out when we get there.  

To take my mind off of not having any control, or any of my things, I've been acquiring other things.  Mostly, furniture that we now aren't sure how we will move to Minnesota. I found these classic Lane 'Acclaim' side and coffee tables at a rummage sale and thrift shop, respectively.  

I was so excited to get them, I've always loved these tables and couldn't wait to refinish them.  The side table in particular was in BAD shape with horribly streaky legs and these two burn marks.  

I knew I couldn't do anything about the black spots, but I wanted to redo all the flaking finish and get the bad swirly stain off the legs.  There was also gross tape goo on the bottom shelf.  People, you're killing me!  Good thing I only paid $25.  

I just adore the dovetail construction of the walnut veneer and oak trim.  

The legs are a horrible hack job.  

I went on Amazon and bought my preferred supplies.....Formby's refinisher, Tung Oil finish, gloves, and 0000 steel wool.  

My advice when using any sort of stripper, is buy about 3 more containers than you think you need.  Trust me!  I blew through this 32 ounce container on one table.  I bought the Formbys because it is supposed to remove the finish without removing the stain.  Unfortunately, with these particular pieces, a lot of the color is in the finish itself...you'll see what I mean shortly.  First things first, getting the damn container open!

I had rubberized gloves on, and still couldn't 'push down and turn' so I had to resort to using a wrench to turn it while pushing the top down.  

Then, there was this dumb thing in there that I also couldn't get out.  Seriously, what the heck?! 

I had to pry that off with a scraper before I could finally get down to business.  I had messed around with getting this container open for about 20 minutes by this point.  Dumb. 

To use, I just saturated my steel wool with refinisher and scrubbed in circles until the finish was gone.  Then I wiped the mess off with paper towel.  

I would also use the big plastic scraper to help it along.  I would not use a metal scraper, the walnut veneer is just too thin to risk it!

You might not feel like it's working, but when you step back you can definitely tell.  

I was very disappointed in my $8 gloves, they didn't last 30 minutes.....

But in the end, the top was free from finish and I was working on the bottom shelf and legs.  I got the tape off with Goof Off.  Love that stuff!

This entire end table has been refinished in the past, because the finish is clearly not original.  Here is a comparison between the legs of the end table and the original finish of the coffee table legs....yikes!  They did a very bad job.  

My goal is to get the color of the end table's oak to match up with the legs of the coffee table, which I am hoping to not mess with.  Not sure if I can do it!  You can also see how different the table looks with the amber color of the original finish removed.

This is as far as I've gotten.  I haven't even touched the coffee table yet, the finish on it is very bad. I got it for $55, which I think is fair.  I bought a bunch of little samples of stain and will let you know how it goes with matching up the colors.      

This is a huge labor of love.  To be honest, I don't think I will do it again.  Maybe it will be worth it in the end!  And hopefully on Friday we will be homeowners again!

Check it off the list (mostly)

I love getting things done.  It's especially awesome because most days I get home from work and sit on the couch blubbering about my achy back, pelvic pain, itchy butt (yes this is a thing now) and how none of my shoes fit.  So, the fact that my little $15 nightstand is transformed makes me really happy.  The starting point: 

I scuffed it up with some 220 grit sandpaper because that is what I found first, and time between bathroom breaks cannot be squandered searching for 150 grit sandpaper.   

A coat of Cover Stain spray and another sanding with 220 later, it was ready to be slathered with a new shiny paint job. 

The first coat of BM Satin Impervo in Decorator's White was lookin mighty fine. 

This paint is a dream.  A sweet dream, like the ones where you aren't pregnant and are knocking back gallon-sized drinks on your honeymoon in Jamaica.  Anybacktoreality.....here it is with the second coat and the fancy new hardware on it.  I love how the knobs look like monster eyeballs!   

I finished off the top with this Varathane water-based poly recommended by Centsational Girl Kate...it is nice and thick and dries super fast.  I used a brush to apply it after a failed attempt to use too-small underwear as a rag.  Yeah, let's not talk about it.      

I feel so much better having a beautiful, protected top surface for next to the glider. Considering it may get splattered with, ah, 'liquids'...I appreciate the extra protection for my paint job.  I may or may not do a second coat, I haven't decided yet.  

I love how it turned out, although I do have a little problem...

Not my toes, those are fabulous because I just got them done Tuesday.  Holla for pretty sausage toes!  No the problem is, why the heck do they make those bolts for the hardware so long?  I either need to cut them or get new ones.  What the?  Regardless, I love this before and after.   

And to celebrate hitting my 'full term' milestone this week, here's my 37 week belly:

I've been told I haven't 'dropped' yet.  Thanks, that is helpful.  

Thanks Value Village

Sometimes I go to Value Village on a nice lazy Saturday and walk around looking for gems.  Sometimes I get lucky.  I got lucky this weekend when I found this little cutie:

It is always half off everything in the store on the weekends, so I got it for $7.50.  Unfortunately, the top is a plasticy laminate, but the legs and bottom are gorgeous wood - and the lines are fab!

I used my beloved Howard Restor-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax on all the wood, but I'm considering painting the top a glossy white because I really don't like the dark 'fake wood' look...for now, I just removed the price and shined it up until I figure it out. 

I think it looks pretty good in this before and after.  The wood on the bottom part is just beautiful.

I had planned on using it for a coffee table in my woman cave, but it's a bit too small in diameter and too tall....so it's acting as a side table in there for now.  Just don't think about drinking red wine on my couch.

To the people in my hometown, thank you for thinking pieces like this are 'outdated' and leaving them for me!  Smooches.

Tea cart explosion

So, I found this cool brassy cart at Goodwill for $3 about a month ago.  I had to get it because I've always wanted a little cart to put booze and stuff on for parties.  Booze accessories get me every time. 

I decided to spray it with the same shade I used on my hott lamps in the porch.  I like!

I know, a spray painting post is hardly groundbreaking.  And although it does look really nice....

I thought it would be funny to instead tell you how I decided to hoard tea carts.  I saw one this on CL about a week after I bought the metal one, and made it mine.

After a quick once-over with Howard Restor-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax, I was able to get it all stocked for a party we were having THAT DAY.

I know it would look amazing painted, with the bamboo-like styling, but I don't think I could paint it.  I intend to give it more "Howard love" to see what it can look like when I really put some effort into it.  What would you do? 

Shiny happy table

I've already covered the sanding and staining of the new-to-me dining table, but I never really told you the final chapter.  When I had the table all stained and ready, I had to make a decision about what to finish it with. 

I didn't want to use poly, because it's not the best top coat for furniture.  It's better to choose a lacquer or varnish.  Poly is thick and is easily scratched, while lacquers are super thin and enhance the wood grain instead of covering it up.  Plus, Restor-A-Finish is meant for lacquered finishes!  I was initially going to go with this product:

But I read that the brushing lacquer dries so fast it is nearly impossible to get it on without brush marks.  With that knowledge, I decided to go with these instead:

Did you know it's best to use gloss for the first coat of poly or lacquer when you are covering stained wood?  The reason is that semi-gloss and satin finishes contain dulling agents to make them less shiny, and if all the coats contain these dulling agents, your wood grain can look muddy.  I bought two cans of gloss and one of semi, my preferred final finish.   This is after a couple coats of the gloss spray:

I did about 5 coats of gloss, using up the two cans entirely.  Then topped it with 2 coats of semi-gloss.  I was loving how the stripey wood grain is not at all obscured by the fine mist of the lacquer.  The mist is so fine that the table is dry after about 30 seconds! 

While I love this spray, there is one thing they don't mention on the can....from one side to the other, the overspray on the most recently-done side will settle on the completed side, creating a 'haze.'  I kept thinking it was a problem with my spraying, so I'd go over and over it before I finally took a swipe at the haze with my sleeve, and it was perfectly shiny underneath the overspray!  Turns out this stuff is almost foolproof.  

After I was done with the lacquer, we brought the table inside and I primed and painted the base.  I always do my staining and sealing before painting, because wet paint is a lot easier to wipe off cured lacquer or poly than bare wood, right?

Did you happen to notice the swirls on the bottom of the legs before?  I hated them.  I used some stainable wood filler to spackle right over them.  Oh, yes I did!  My retired neighbor thought I was nuts, but I showed him. 

A little sanding and I was ready to prime and paint right over that little detail. 

In other news, do you think the West Elm zig zag rug would be 'pattern overload' in here?  I dragged our runner downstairs to test it out. 

I think it may just be crazy enough to work!  But the jury is still out.....

And here is the cost for the table -
Table - free from future mother-in-law
3 cans spray lacquer (purchased at Farm & Fleet): $16
Stain - already had
Wood filler - already had
Paint - covered in 'chair' post
=
$16 total!