Happy Friday!
So, I’ve got some pretty cool news to share with you guys today. I recently got an email from a representative from Urban Compass asking me to participate in a project they’ve started called “Starter Stories”. They are basically sharing different people’s stories about their first home as well as all the details that make each story truly unique. Continue reading
You read that right. I’ve made it to my 100th post! Again, thank you so much to my dedicated readers. I’m beyond thrilled to have made it to this point with my blog. The encouragement of family and friends loving the blog has pushed me to this point, and I am forever grateful.
You know that you are getting old when upgrading your cabinet doors to your pantry and laundry room excite you a little too much. Continue reading
Good evening friends!
I hope you guys had a fantastic weekend. I plan to do a weekend recap tomorrow since our latest DIY post is ready for it’s reveal…finally! I’ll let Brett take it away from here, so I wish you all a nice and productive week ahead.
Dumpster Dive Sofa Spruce-Up
Hey guys, Brett here. I recently went on a fishing trip with my friend Ryan. On our ride back home, he and I spotted this old sofa in a garbage pile on side of the road. It was quite difficult to envision how I would recreate this piece while standing on side of the road, but I knew I could do something to bring this old forgotten wood sofa back to life.
First, I decided to strip the piece down to its frame and start fresh. I used a gel paint stripper to remove varnish and then used a belt sander to take the old stain finish out.
I then used two types of baseboard panels to dress up the frame of the sofa. I simply secured them into place with my brad nailer and sanded the seem flush. In this picture I was testing the placement of the wooden feet.
I drilled holes in the base and fitted four unfinished wood feet that I purchased from the hardware store. To create the seat and backing of the sofa, I used tongue and groove pine panels. I applied some construction adhesive in grooves and clamped all the panels, allowing it to dry overnight. The following day, I used wood screws to secure the panelling to the frame of the sofa, and used wood putty to fill the holes made by the brad nailer and screws.
Because of the size of the sofa, I applied Dark Walnut stain by MinWax with my garden sprayer.
I allowed the stain to set in for a few minutes, and then wiped away the excess stain with a large towel. I let the piece dry overnight.
After the stain was dried, I applied three coats of Helman’s exterior spar varnish. Because the piece of furniture was going on our patio, I knew it would need an exterior sealer to withstand the elements.
And finally, we added some outdoor pillows for additional comfort and color.
This dumpster dive project did require a number of materials, but cost were still kept to a minimal. For lumber, feet, and finishes (not including pillows) the cost totaled $78.00.
At first, I had a hard time re-imagining this piece, so I simply walked down the lumber aisle at the hardware store and brainstormed as I browsed. I had fun with this project, and I learned it is sometimes better to have no plan at all. I decided to “go with the flow” on this project, and it paid off! Celina and I were very happy with the end result and have already enjoyed a few evenings on our new outdoor sofa.
Good Evening, friends!
Hope your week is going well. This week started off a bit rocky for myself. I fell ill Monday morning and spent the entire day resting on the sofa. If you know me well, you should know that I was not faking since I cannot stand wasting my life away on the sofa. It took all of me to stay put, but I still managed to fold some clothes and cook dinner that night. I was so happy that the sickness didn’t stick around for long since I had taken yesterday and today off of work in order to use up some of my vacation days.
Since the rain continued through the week, we were not able to finish the cement once again. We did apply the accent color, and only have the sealer left to apply in order to complete the project. Brett also started to work on the sofa frame he found on the side of the road while I cleaned house yesterday. Later that evening, we headed out to meet a few of Brett’s co-workers to celebrate Toby’s birthday.
We indulged in a few appetizers and drinks to join in on the celebration at a local restaurant, Social, Southern Table and Bar. I loved the food and atmosphere of this restaurant. We were intrigued by the below Pork Belly Sliders, and Brett and I agreed that we’d return soon to try out some other menu items that caught our eye last night.
I was finally able to make it to the gym today, and ended up taking a group exercise class with Angie. The class was super intense, and I left the gym happy and sweaty. Unfortunately, due to the cold, dreary weather, Brett and I spent the rest of the day inside being couch potatoes. I’m not sure what is wrong with us…maybe it’s something in the water? It’s so unlike us to be so completely lazy. Maybe we’re just worn out and tired? I guess we deserve a little rest every once in a while.
One thing we were able to do over the past two days was put together a post in order to reveal our media center. I know…FINALLY! So now, Brett will take you through his step-by-step tutorial of how he created this beautiful masterpiece that currently resides in our living area.
Media Make-Over
Hey guys, it’s Brett. I was making my weekly trip to the Pinhook Flea Market and found this beauty! The piece was outdated but had solid, quality bones. The entire piece is made of teak, and the exterior was finished in veneer. The veneer was aged and beginning to splinter. I wanted to save the veneer and restore it to its former state, but the veneer pealed away with the lightest of sanding. I decided to reduce the piece to the bare teak and take a different route. I hate the idea of painting over beautiful wood, but this project was begging for a painted finish.
As with all projects, I removed the doors and all hardware. I wanted to give the flat doors some depth and decided to apply a square trim to all doors. In order to keep a uniformed appearance throughout all doors, I constructed a squared bumper using clamps and scrap wood. This allowed me to make cuts that were exact to all the pieces of trim.
Once all pieces were the same length, I used the same “bumper system” to ensure the exact lengths were maintained while making my angled cuts.
I then positioned the trim on the doors using a large T-square.
Once the trim was in position, I fastened it using my brad nailer.
We also decided that the top needed an edge in order to match our traditional theme throughout the living room. I purchased a plank of spruce from the local hardware store and cut it to size. Then I fastened the top to the piece with wood screws. I also removed the splintering veneer and gave the entire exterior a light sanding.
Celina helped me apply two coats of Bullseye 1-2-3 primer to the entire exterior.
Once primed, it was time to apply the paint. I used my Wagner HPLV sprayer to apply the latex paint. Which gave it a smooth, factory sprayed appearance.
I followed the same procedure to apply three, light coats of polyurethane. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the sprayer applied the polyurethane. If using a sprayer to apply polyurethane, ensure that you decrease the amount of product output on the spray gun. Over-application of polyurethane can cause runs and yellowing.
The project was nearly complete. I had a little visitor that I assigned a few duties. My godchild and niece, Ava, assisted me in reassembling the piece.
Lastly, I installed a huge upgrade to the piece. I drilled a small hole and secured an IR receiver kit to the piece to give it the ability to hide all of our remote electronics. I highly recommend this product to those who would like to hide their boxes and wiring. I purchased mine from Amazon.
I recruited my future father-in-law to help me mount the new TV and run the wiring through the walls. We also installed boxing and faceplates to maintain a finished look throughout the house. Even though no one will see it with the TV and furniture in place, we like doing things “right.” Take the extra time on projects like this…it will look “high-end” and increase the value of your home!
I saw this piece sitting in the warehouse at Pinhook Flea market, and I could not pull my eyes away from it…I was drawn to it. These are the projects that I love and that keep me coming back for more.
The grand total for this project was nearly $500. This may seem like a lot, but I’d like to see someone find a piece of this quality, with this technology, and amount of appeal for this price. We are happy with the end product and the extra money we saved by doing-it-ourselves. We will keep this piece in our home for years to come.
It’s Celina again. I cannot tell you guys how much I’m in love with this piece. It adds so much class to our living area, and it is pretty close to exactly what I had envisioned for this space. I’m also so happy that we were finally able to share it with you guys.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Please feel free to share with us your thoughts…good or bad?
My Cajun Trinity 