DIY Midwest Home Renovation

Rustoleum Chalk Board Project on My Wainscot Wall

2016-09-30T12:06:00.001-07:00

We completed this wainscot wall a couple of years ago, but I think the wall needs updating. I got an idea to add Rustoleum Chalk Board Black Paint to the top squares. I am thinking we can decorate the squares during the upcoming holidays. I also wanted to accentuate the wrought iron balusters. I have never seen anyone do this before, but I want to give it a try. www.rustoleum.com

Day 1- We applied two coats of the chalk board paint directly to the painted wall. I made sure the wall was free of dust and the surface was smooth. We allowed 4 hours of drying time between coats. We are waiting 3 days to apply chalk.

Day 2- Do nothing.

Day 3- Do nothing.

Day 4- Do nothing.

Day 5- Apply chalk across the chalk paint surface. Wipe off. Ready to decorate.

No primer necessary because the wall is already painted.

Rustoleum Black Chalk Paint on Wainscot Wall

Rustoleum Black Chalk Paint on Wainscott Wall
Ready to Decorate for the Holidays

Rustoleum Painter's Touch Satin Canyon Black Broyhill Pine Coffee and End Table Project

2016-05-08T22:26:00.001-07:00

Rustoleum Painter's Touch Satin Canyon Black and Minwax Cherry Wood Stain

Before
Broyhill Pine Coffee Table

Before
Broyhill Pine End Table

www.rustoleum.com

We purchased a Broyhill pine coffee table and end table on Craigslist. The coffee table was in bad shape. We decided to use the same Miniwax cherry stain that we used on our oak floors for the table top and we chose Rustoleum Painters Touch Canyon Black for the rest of it. We used a 150 grit sand paper. We applied 7 coats of cherry stain and 3 coats of water based polyurethane. I changed the hardware to brushed nickel pulls.

Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White Re-finished Broyhill Fontana Dining Table

2015-12-03T15:55:00.001-08:00

Broyhill Fontana Dining Table Refinished with Rustoleum's Painter's Touch Satin Heirloom White with Dark Walnut Stain table top.

www.rustoleum.com

Original Broyhill Fontana Dining Table
We have already applied stripper to the tabletop and removed the seat covers.

Adding batting to the original foam.

I recently bought a Broyhill Fontana dining table from Craigslist. The table was scratched and the chair pads were re-finished with two different patterns that didn't compliment each other. We had 6 chairs to cover, so we purchased 3 yards of fabric from our local Walmart. It was $7.50 for 3 yards. On Black Friday, we stood in a long line at Jo-Ann's Fabric to have 6 feet of 1" batting cut. The batting cost was $11.00. We kept the original seat foam, but we added extra batting to make it more comfortable.

We chose a solid green fabric to re-cover our chairs. The plaid fabric was great, but the previous owner only used it on two chairs.

We will once again use the Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White on the table legs and chairs. The top of the table will be finished with Dark Walnut Danish Oil. We plan on having glass cut in three sections to cover the finished tabletop.

Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White Broyhill Fontana Library with Dark Walnut Danish Oil shelves.
Soon the table will match the library.

www.rustoleum.com

Refinishing Broyhill Fontana Curio Clock with Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White

2015-11-04T22:45:00.003-08:00

Broyhill Fontana Curio Clock Refinished with Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White

www.rustoleum.com
A few months ago, I told my husband that I was finished buying Broyhill Fontana pieces. I couldn't help myself when I saw a Craigslist ad for a Broyhill Fontana curio clock. The clock and light were not working. We used Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White to finish this piece. We used a Rustoleum Brushed Nickel Spray to paint over the brass hardware. It looks great in our entry area. Next project: Finishing Wall Trim in Entry Foyer

Broyhill Fontana Curio Clock

Brass hardware must be spray painted!

Garage Project: Installing an Attic Ladder and Painting Exterior Entry Doors Behr Black Paint

2015-09-05T14:15:00.001-07:00

Prepping the Garage

When we bought our house 8 years ago, the garage was not finished. There was so much renovating to do that we decided to quickly drywall, insulate and paint the walls. We have had installing an attic ladder on our list for years.

After
All the doors are painted and the attic ladder is installed.

To start off our garage project, we painted our exterior door with Behr black paint, cut a stencil and painted "home" on the door. The black door is working out really well and it looks a lot cleaner. The garage walls were initially painted with Benjamin Moore Linen White paint, but it always has looked too yellow and the paint color was too light. Today, we had Home Depot add color to our existing four gallons of Behr's match of the Benjamin Moore Linen White paint. The color came out a beautiful gray and hopefully, it will not show so many scuff marks, etc...

Behr Black Paint

Refinishing Broyhill Fontana Entertainment Center with Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White Latex Paint

2014-11-29T12:47:00.001-08:00

I purchased a Broyhill Fontana Entertainment Center off Craigslist. The original stain color does not match anything in my house. I plan on painting it with the Rustoleum Painter's Touch Satin Heirloom White and changing the hardware to brushed nickel. We used an orbital sander with 60 grit sanding paper and finished it off with a 150 grit sanding paper. We chose Watco Dark Walnut Danish Oil Stain for the top. We replaced the wood back panel with a new wood panel from Lowes. For this project, we used 7 cans of primer spray because Home Depot, www.homedepot.com, had our color in stock. I was unaware that Menards, www.menards.com/main/search.html?search=rustoleum+painters+touch&querytype=onlineitems, sells the primer in a quart size can locally. We also purchased our knobs and pulls at Menards, www.menards.com/main/bath/bath-cabinetry/knobs-pulls/k443-cup-pull-power-amp-beauty-collection/p-1626841-c-19281.htm.

We used a belt sander on the top surface and an orbital sander on the rest.

We started out with 60 grit and finished sanding it with 150 grit.

Rustoleum Painter's Touch White Primer Spray

Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White Paint with Brushed Nickel Knobs and Pulls.

We have to wait 72 hours before we seal the stain!

We are putting our gaming system and a 37" Vizio TV in the cabinet.

Refinished Broyhill Fontana entertainment center with Rustoleum Painter's Touch Heirloom White and a Dark Walnut stain.

Looks so much better!

We used 7 cans of primer spray and we applied 4 coats of paint. I strongly suggest going to Menards because they have everything you need in stock.

Behr Premium Red Cedar Weather Proofing Solid Stain Project

2014-05-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Pressure Washed and Ready to Stain

TWP Rustic Stain

Behr Premium Red Cedar Weather Proofing Solid Stain

For years, we have used TWP stains. This year, we wanted to try a solid stain and change up the color. We decided to switch to Behr Premium Red Cedar solid stain from Home Depot, www.homedepot.com

Designing Wainscot Wall Trim and Decorative Shelf for Plain Walls

2013-10-22T08:55:00.003-07:00

Pine 1 X 4 trim was painted Behr Powdered Snow

Painted Behr Powdered Snow

Before the wall was painted Behr Basketry

Before


After

We have put so much work into our house already, but there are a few things I really need to upgrade. My husband is now focusing on our plain stair wall. I really can't do any decorating around the door chime, thermostat and electrical outlet. My husband suggested we should just move the thermostat, but then we would still have a boring wall. I bought $100.00 of pine to frame the wall and add a shelf from Home Depot. Fairly inexpensive, but it did take two days to paint the pine 1" X 4" boards, paint the wall, cut the boards to the right length and round the shelf edge. We will probably add small brushed nickel hooks, but I don't want this wall to get cluttered. We are just thrilled to add some brightness to our wall and I look forward to decorating the shelf for the holidays!

Items needed:

Pine 1" X 4" trim (We spaced our boards 15" apart to fit our wall properly)

Trim Paint (We used Behr Powdered Snow)

Table Saw, Router, Nails

Length of project:

Approximately 1 1/2 days

Rustoleum Restore Solid Stain Project: Changing Quikrete Quarry Red to Rustoleum Restore Winchester Solid Stain

2013-07-21T14:00:00.001-07:00

After Restore Rustoleum Winchester Solid Stain

Before Quikrete Quarry Red

Rustoleum Restore Solid Stain Project

For several years, I have had Quikrete Quarry Red stain on my walkway and landscaping bricks. Every year, I have to reapply the stain. This year, I really wanted to change colors since I painted my front door red. The quarry red color almost looked pink next to my red door!

Initially, we chose Rustoleum's Cape Cod color and it was absolutely too light. I immediately went back up to Home Depot and we chose Rustoleum Restore Winchester Solid Stain. Since I already had one coat of Cape Cod, we just applied one coat of the Winchester.

Installing Hallway Windows on Old Construction

2013-05-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

Outside View- Before

View from Outside-After

Low E Grid Window with Half Round

Before

Our hallway was dark before we added a new low-e window. The builder didn't even put lighting in the hallway. When we cut off the drywall, there was already a header in the wall. Apparently, the builder changed his mind on putting a door where we wanted to add a window. We still need to finish the drywall and put the siding back on the back of our house. This level of our home is really starting to brighten up with all the windows we have added this month.

Aspect Stainless Metal Subway Adhesive Backsplash Tiles

2013-04-27T21:51:00.002-07:00

Aspect Stainless Metal Subway Adhesive Backsplash Tiles- After

Kraftmaid Toffee Maple Cabinets with Aspect Stainless Metal Subway Tile

Aspect Stainless Metal Subway Adhesive Backsplash Tiles

Before- We just had Behr Olive Paint on the Wall

www.menards.com

Installing New Windows Around A Fireplace

2013-04-26T14:06:00.003-07:00

Outside View After

After Fireplace View

Outside View Before


Before it was dark and boring...

I have wanted to add windows around our fireplace for years. I decided last week it was time to brighten up the room. There is one store in the St. Louis area that has a large selection of windows at a very reasonable price, but it is quite a drive from our house. We drove to Norm's Bargain Barn in Fenton, MO (www.normsbargainbarn.com). We purchased three windows, 36" X 74" low e windows, for an excellent price and my husband finally agreed it was time to install the windows. We also purchased a 3 track light for over the fireplace from Lowes. I can't wait until the drywall is finished around the windows.

Landscaping: Backyard Hill Gray Windsor Retaining Wall Blocks

2012-10-15T11:32:00.001-07:00

Completed Windsor Wall Project

We cleared the trees, added dirt, added two rows of Windsor Wall Blocks and added plants.

A huge branch fell and broke our fence

Before the Tree Fell

The hill in our backyard has always been awkward. When we moved here, the previous owners had built a fence to cut off the hill and threw trash behind it. Immediately, we took down the fence and cleaned up the trash. Over the past 5 years, we have slowly cleared the hill area, hoping to landscape it someday. We are using gray windsor retaining wall blocks and adding 12 yards of dirt.

Deck Handrails with Wrought Iron Ballusters Project with TWP Rustic Stain

2012-07-02T11:57:00.003-07:00

Side View of Completed Handrail Around Pergola

Completed Project TWP Rustic Stain with Wrought Iron Ballusters

Before

We need to add handrails! Pergola Area Before Rails

Since we had such a warm winter, we were able to start the handrails for our pergola area. We used pressure treated lumber and wrought iron ballusters from Lowes. It took a weekend to build the posts and complete the handrails. Next project, deciding if we are going to keep the TWP Rustic stain on our deck.

Behr's Premium Plus Ultra Paint Red Velvet UL 100-6 Door Project

2012-06-08T15:43:00.002-07:00

Behr Red Velvet UL 100-6 Shed Door After

Shed Doors Before

Backyard Entry Door After Behr's Red Velvet Paint

Backyard Exterior Door Before

Front Entry door After Behr's Red Velvet Paint

Front Entry Door Before

I decided my house needed some exterior color. We used Behr Premium Plus Ultra Red Velvet on my front door, shed doors and backyard entrance garage door. We had to prime the doors first. It took one coat of the prime coat, which we had to let dry for 6-8 hours. Then we applied two coats of the Behr Red Velvet which required 24 hours drying time between coats.

Planting Vegetables in Garden Boxes

2012-05-12T13:02:00.002-07:00

Building Garden Boxes

Filled with Dirt

Cute Helper

Completed Garden Boxes

I finally started planting my vegetables this morning. We used Seminis vegetable seeds and they grew very well in my greenhouses. Only 2 more garden boxes to go. We still need to add rock. I hope we get done by the end of this weekend.

We finally completed all five boxes. We used topsoil mixed with compost. We used temporary fencing to protect our garden.

Day 4: Building Garden Boxes

2012-05-08T09:45:00.003-07:00

Unexpected delay over the weekend. We found lightning had struck a huge limb and it was dangling over our fence. Needless to say, the tree limb fell on our fence and busted a couple of sections. We spent an entire day replacing the fence sections and digging new posts.

Replaced section of fence.

Garden boxes flipped over. Only 2 more to build.

On Monday, my husband built 3 garden boxes with pressure treated wood. We still have 2 more boxes to build. We are ordering top soil and rock in the next couple of days.

Next project: Building Raised Garden Boxes

2012-05-01T11:10:00.001-07:00

Our backyard has been a mess since we installed a pool last year and we need to do something with the leftover dirt. So many decisions to be made on what materials to use. This area gets full sunshine mid to late afternoon. This weekend, we are beginning our garden project by cutting down trees and bushes.

Matching Minwax Stain to Bruce Gunstock Oak

2012-04-23T08:37:00.001-07:00

Before

Minwax Cherry 235 Stain

Overwhelmed? We found Minwax Wood Finish Stain Cherry 235 matched our Bruce Gunstock Oak very well. We bought 36" oak steps from Home Depot. We stained them with 3 coats of stain and 3 coats of polyurethane. With all the staining and sanding, it took us 4 weeks to complete this project part-time.

Minwax Wood Finish Stain Cherry 235 matched our Bruce Waltham Gunstock Oak!

Newell Oak Box Posts

2012-03-08T11:03:00.001-08:00

Newell Oak Box Posts

We have finally cut our Newell Oak Box Posts. It took us several days to make sure the steps were even. I hope we can get to staining our steps this week.
www.lowes.com

Bruce Waltham Gunstock Solid Wood Floor Project

2012-02-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Completed Second Floor Hallway with Bruce Waltham Gunstock Solid Wood 3 1/4" Planks. We added all new oak handrails, wrought iron ballusters and Newell posts. We had to stain the unfinished oak with Minwax Cherry stain to match the Bruce Gunstock 3 1/4" Waltham Planks.

Before

Our 10 year old son, Jack!

Before- We tore out the builder grade carpeting and handrails.

We have volunteered our 10 year old son, Jack, to help us complete our latest project. We are replacing a builder grade carpet in our hallway with Bruce Waltham Gunstock oak. We will probably add wainscott to our hallway, complete the steps in oak and replace the rails.

Updating Sherwin Williams Blonde to Behr Premium Paint Dusty Olive

2012-01-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

Sherwin Williams Blonde

Sherwin Williams Blonde next to Behr Premium Basketry

Behr Dusty Olive next to Behr Basketry.

Behr Dusty Olive

As you can see, the Sherwin Williams Blonde looked really yellow next to our New Behr Basketry. We chose to match the paint to the rest of the room. We are using Behr Premium Paint, Dusty Olive, in a flat finish.

New Foyer Behr Premium Plus Paint Project

2011-12-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

Behr Toasted Chestnut in an eggshell finish

Behr Premium Paint Basketry

We really like using Behr Premium Plus Paint. In 2009, we used Behr Toasted Chestnut in an eggshell finish. We have enjoyed the rich color, but we are looking for a more neutral color to replace it. On Christmas Day, we started painting our foyer area with Behr Premium Plus Ultra Basketry in a flat finish. I like the flat finish more than the eggshell. I probably need to add a daylight photo because you really can't see the Basketry color well.