Patio Potting Bench

     Thank goodness for cooler weather! I have been so excited to start on the outside of the house, but it has been way too hot. I just couldn't wait anymore for cooler temperatures when I did this project and I have been inside in the air conditioner every since!  We got exterior paint last weekend and are planning to start that project first week of November...... Yay! 

     This is maybe one of my favorite projects! Because I planned and built it by myself! Okay, besides the plumbing- my honey did that. And he helped me sand the countertop boards some just because it took forever and he is such a gentleman....(sigh).  I looked at a drawing from pinterest to get a general idea of how it should look. Then I got out my tape measure, pencil and graph paper and drew out the dimensions. I measured the height and length of the window behind it and decided how tall I wanted the counter and put those measurements in place in the drawing. Then, I just went to work. I used 2x4's for everything except the horizontal surfaces. 

     

The counter top is some recycled tongue and groove wood that we pulled out of my dad's house. It is very old and most of the boards are bowed. I had a hard time getting them screwed down in some places. I found some chalky spray paint in some really cool colors and I got a little carried away with it I guess... I couldn't decide which one I liked the most lol.  Cutting the hole for the sink was the hardest part.  I traced the bottom of the tub where I wanted it and used a jig saw to cut out the circle. Actually I started the hole with a drill and a large drill bit just so I could get the jig saw blade in. Getting the hole right for the tub was the hardest part. David and I both cut on it and wrestled with it and cut some more. Eventually it came together. 

     Cut a hole in the tub (also a bit of a pain in the a#&), hole for the hose and some screw in hooks and it was ready for the master plumber! The water is supplied from a water hose that originates just around the corner. I tried out a few different ones and eventually decided on a metal fitting with a 45 degree curve to point the sprayer down into the sink.  There is a sink on the other side of the wall behind the bench so we just tied the drain into that one, worked out great. 

Sneak Peak!!!

Sadly, I don't have any finished rooms to show you yet....:(  But, we are really close to being done with the master bathroom. I am so excited about it I cant wait until it's done to show it off! I finished taping and floating the drywall last night and will be able to texure the ceiling and walls today and paint tomorrow! Yay! Then grout the shower, then paint the floor... Its so close I can almost touch it. Shipp and David will be starting on the kitchen backsplash and the butcherblock countertops this week! Hopefully I will be able to spend Sunday hanging pictures in the hall and the girls' room. (no work on Saturday, we will be at the CHRIS STAPLETON CONCERT!!!!!) Then I can paint the girls' bathroom floor, I am dying to use the stencil I got for it! Lots of  'after' pictures to come!

 

 

 

 

Oh! The vanity! It needs polyurythane then it will be ready to put the sink back in and instal. I had a terrible time painting this one. The cherry wood kept bleeding through the white paint. I thought we were going to have a pink vanity there for a little while. I had to put on a thick coat of poly (after 3 coats of white chalk paint did not show any improvements) then paint it again and glaze after that. But it turned out great!

 

 

 

 AND, I found some dinning room chairs! They are really pretty and only $60 for all four! I am thinking cream chalk paint and dark wax on the wood and chalk paint and clear wax on the upholstry, maybe in different colors..... I am hoping to find two more captain dinning chairs for the ends.

Paint, Paint, PAINT!!!!

This week has been fairly uneventful. My entire crew is sick! David has pneumonia and Shipp has gastroenteritis. So, I have had all week to catch up on painting..... I have been painting like crazy! I finished the kitchen cabinets and I really like the color.  I used Valspar cabinet enamel semi gloss in canvas tan.  They are going to look amazing with the doors trimmed out and glazed! I hate painting cabinets. It is so tedious! So the kitchen is ready for counter tops, back splash,  cabinet trim and feather finish on the floor. 

My wheels are turning with ideas for this kitchen! I primed the inside of the long run of cabinets (bottom right) thinking I would paint the insides. Then I decided that was going to be entirely too much work and maybe the insides didn't look so bad after all. They will eventually have to be painted, but I can live with it for a while. I may decide to paint them some variation of teal green or gray.... Possibly glass in the doors or maybe take the doors off on top cabinets and display some awesome glassware. I think I counted 50 cabinet knobs. Yeah, 50. That's probably going to happen in stages! 

Furniture refinish

This is a laminate covered coffee table I forgot I had. The wicker bottom shelf fell apart so I replaced it with thin veneer and faux tin tile. I used chalk paint and dark wax for frame and stained the top - which was almost a disaster.... don't stain fake wood! It did eventually dry and turned out fine.