Monday, October 15, 2012

Chalkboard Fridge


One of our weekend projects was to paint the refrigerator with Chalkboard paint. It turned out super cute. I  was not sure how much paint was needed, so I overbought (again). It turns out that one 30 oz can is more than enough for a fridge. For the first coat, I used a brush, but I switched to a roller for the second coat and it looked a lot better. The hardest part of the whole thing was removing the inner plastic doors and the rubber seals so they would not get painted. That involved unscrewing and then replacing about a million screws. At least now I know how a refrigerator is assembled.  

After you paint it, the fridge has to dry for three days before you can use chalk. I asked my in-laws to stop by the cabin when they next visited the boat to do the final step. Sweet people that they are, they agreed.


 Before you can write on the surface, you have to rub chalk all over it evenly to "cure" it and then wipe it down with an eraser and a dry rag. Then you can write or draw to your heart's content. I have not seen the final state yet, but I am very excited to let the kids loose on it for Thanksgiving. A $15 can of paint plus a brush and a roller. Not bad for a new fridge look. 
  

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Before: The kitchen


I unearthed some "before" pictures of the kitchen. As you can see, faux ivy and wooden fruit lined the top of the cabinets. That shtuff was the first to go. On our last night in the cabin, Hubby opened a second owner's closet and found that it was full of extra ivy and another brass lamp. After our weekend long battle with fake plants and brass accents, this discovery made us laugh like crazy people.


So much better now, but still a long way to go. We picked out tile today at Home Depot so the contractors can install the floor before we arrive for Thanksgiving. The next thing to pick up is the butcher block countertops, farmer's sink and faucet (all from IKEA). That will be installed in late November since we have to drive it down. I am learning much patience with this project.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Brass lamp re-do


Brass begone! The cabin had three brass lamps which were tarnished and past their prime. I brought a high-temperature spray paint to cover the brass trim on the fireplace. When I saw these puppies, I spray painted them as well. It was quick and easy. 


I will likely add a gloss finish to these lamps when I come back at Thanksgiving, but I am pleased with the transformation thus far. Now I just need more spray paint to cover the brass headboard....


Monday, October 8, 2012

Chalk paint kitchen cupboards



Our main project for the working weekend was to repaint the kitchen cupboards. They were a basic builder's brown, which was not my favorite. We used Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Grey with a Soft Wax finish. This paint was marvelous. We were able to paint all the cabinets with two coats and the wax finish in only two days. If we had to paint the cabinets the standard way with latex paint (sand, prime, etc.), we would have never finished. But more importantly, I really loved the soft warm finish of the chalk paint. It gives the right modern-cabin vibe to the kitchen. 

We removed one cabinet door and created open shelves in the corner, as you can see in both pictures. I used this paintable wallpaper to create a beadboard look at the back of the new shelf. I am very pleased with the final result! Now I just need cute jars to fill the shelves. 

These aren't fantastic pictures, mainly because I was so focused on painting that I waited until late Sunday night to take them and the light was bad. But we still have a ways to go on the kitchen (new sink, new countertops), so there will definitely be better pictures to come.     

I bought the chalk paint, brushes and wax from an on-line store in Wisconsin called My Table. I did not know how much paint to order, so I just bought a bunch. The owner emailed me to be sure I had the right quantity (I didn't, I had over-bought), which was extremely nice. She helped me figure out how much paint I really needed, adjusted my order and refunded the difference. Good customer service is so refreshing. If you need a web source for chalk paint, this is a good one.





Sunday, October 7, 2012

Working weekend


Last weekend, Hubby and I went down to the Lake House for a "getaway" without the kids. Much to his chagrin, it was a 100% working weekend. We rented a U-Haul and loaded it with the red chairs, a coffee table, linens and a whole mess of other stuff. It was slow going because we had a speed limit of 55 mph with the trailer attached.We arrived at around 8 pm, got some vittles at the local grocery store, and then started unloading. Well, Hubby said I walked in the door and immediately started ripping down all the plastic ivy, wooden lattice, and fake fruit that was decorating the kitchen.

Our two main objectives for the weekend were to 1) paint the kitchen cupboards and 2) paint the refrigerator with chalkboard paint. It was a lot of work, but we succeeded at both. More information on our projects to come....