Rebecca Wrecks the Pantry

One thing I will say about our new home-it is true to the 70"s aesthetic. Too bad that works better for clothing then it does for interior design.  Although the slab golden oak does bring out the pattern in the contact paper wall covering.  Notice the tiny knobs for handles. 

The inside is not an improvement.

The shelves are built double depth right up to edge of the doors. And covered in dirty white contact paper.  There is a single light bulb with a pull chain. The linoleum is original to the home and the less said about it the better!

We basically just threw stuff in there and lived with the disorganization for 9months.  Wow! Most people at least get a baby after that much time.

Welcome to the Level 4 Hot Zone. Please burn your suit and shower after leaving.

We paid a crew to remove the popcorn and the wallpaper in the entire house. This is my 5th house rodeo and the biggest lesson is: Get the basics fixed first.  Start with a fresh palette as much as possible before moving on to the more fun decor stuff.  It is a really messy and dusty process.  But worth in the end.

So back to the pantry.  Unfortunately taking off the popcorn and wallpaper didn't magically change this into a reclaimed barn door with beautiful heavy metal fixtures.  The position of the door and available wall space made using a sliding door impossible.  I also learned about replacing doors from my previous fixer-uppers.  It is rare that a new standardized door will fit perfectly in an older opening with out some carpentry work.  Since my carpentry skills are just above not cutting my hand off, I decided to work with what I got!

I removed the doors and took them to the studio.  Since I am adding trim to the flat doors, I removed the side molding to allow for that extra relief.

  

I cleaned the doors and the trim surround with Paseo which is a strong de-glosser and degreaser. You can use TSP, Krud Kutter or Simple Green.  I use a clean rag and wipe the Paseo over the surface. You will see the "schmutz" coming off on the rag.  Keep turning the cloth and replacing for a clean one as you work. You don't want to reapply the junk you just took off. I wet my cloths before throwing them away. No rag fires please! When working with a degreaser/de-glosser make sure you wear gloves and the room has ventilation.  Safety first always.

The doors and frame are sanded with a medium grit sanding block. My doors are so old that the finish just came off in uneven patches. Use a damp cloth or denatured alcohol to remove the dust.

I painted my doors Royal Taupe Setcoat to give me an even well-sealed base.  See that faint hazing on the dried paint? That is Crème Activator from Faux Effects.  It's a great product even though it looks like snot in the bucket.  It is a barrier product that slows an above layer bonding to the sub straight.  Unlike Vaseline there is no petroleum in this product. The product will evaporate and the upper layer will dry and bond firmly over night. No sanding or mess. Plus you don't have to worry about getting all the petroleum jelly off! Crème Activator is a Gold label product intended for use by professional cabinet finishers. It is totally worth taking a Faux Effects cabinet class to learn how to use it. It is a staple product of  the cabinet classes I teach.

I used a small white fluffy roller to apply the Crème Activator in a thin even layer.  Fold a terry towel and wipe down the crème activator. For those of you trained in CA, this is the step you usually forget. You will think you are taking it off but don't worry. This just keeps you from applying too much! I let it set-up about 30 minutes.

I mixed Faux Effects' Sandstone with water (1 quart to 1 cup water) and whipped it into a paste. I troweled this over the surface covering 95% of my base.

My Sandstone dried to the leather stage in 30 minutes.  I used a wire brush to scrub the surface. The effect is similar to a Cerused Oak.

The wire brush removes lines of the Sandstone because of the Crème Activator.  To create more texture, I use an old chip brush to apply more Sandstone in a stria effect.  If you don't have access to Crème Activator, you can still do a version of this finish.  Just skip the troweled layer and brush on the Sandstone to create a rough wood texture. You may have to repeat this step to get the build and coverage you desire.

I also use the brush to apply the Sandstone to the sides of the doors.

The Sandstone layer needs to dry overnight. 

My motion shot hence the blur!

I mixed FX Thinner with Stain & Seal and brushed it over the surface.  This is a water-based stain and water-based glaze medium.  I spritzed the surface with water and used a damp cloth to move/remove the stain the length of the doors.

When the stain dried, I rolled FE Old World Finishing Paint in Coconut 100% over the surface.  This is a mineral paint that dries to an opaque matte finish.

When the Coconut is dry (a few hours), I sanded with a medium grit sanding block. This is a dusty process. As I sand, I wipe the surface with a damp cloth. This lets me know how much of the underneath layers will show.  The surface will feel amazing because the Old World Finishing Paint really fills in the low areas of the texture.  Old World Finishing Paint is a now available in a range of pre-tinted colors.

I sealed the surface with Aquaguard Satin which is a water-based poly.  I use a black foam roller like the one pictured above. This minimizes bubbling especially if you thin the topcoat with water (about 10% - 20% is enough). Let it dry an hour before recoating.

I measured the top and bottom of my bi-fold doors remembering there is the break where the door folds out.  That means that each panel has 2 narrow doors attached with a hinge.  Each panel needs 4 small molding pieces for a total of 8 pieces. I used paint grade popular strips from Home Depot and applied the Sandstone treatment and sealed. Then I cut the strips and painted the edges as needed.  To affix, I used Liquid Nails.

Since I couldn't get my barn door, I wanted to add a little rustic charm with metal tacks.  Now the tacks at the hardware store are usually smaller and not as decorative.  Sources include D.A.D.S Nails and Decotacks.  It is important to use a good tack. Less expensive one (and by that I mean cheap) will bend or break when you hammer them in.

Since these were a hammered metal using a hammer was not a problem. If you need to protect the tack finish, create a starter hole with a nail. Then place the tack in the hole and knock in with a rubber mallet.

I painted my trim in Benjamin Moore's Swiss Coffee. Because of Bruce's lung condition I won't use oil based paints in the house.  I have tried several water-born enamels with varying degrees of success. My most recent venture with a water-based version of a popular trim paint was not so great even though I've used it for years. It pilled and pulled back even after sanding the wood trim. The next day it rolled off when re-wet with a brush. I need 3-4 coats for coverage over a light wood. And after 2 months, it pulled off with low tack tape.  Of course I could prime the woodwork first. But many people use enamel to avoid priming and top-coating. And using stinky primer defeats my purpose of protecting Bruce.

After talking with my local rep, I used the Advance Water-Born Alkyd in a satin finish.  It took 2 coats over the cleaned and lightly sanded trim but it rolled well with a foam roller or a good paint brush. The finish dried to a true pretty low luster satin.  It costs about $79 a gallon but goes a really like way. In my opinion people are too cheap when it comes to paint.

I added these fun large vintage looking handles. The size easily covered the existing hole from the poor sad tiny knobs.

The kitchen paint color is Benjamin Moore Rockport Grey-more on the paint color and what happened with the walls in a later post.  As you can see, I've removed the baseboards around the entire kitchen in preparation for my biggest project to date-replacing the floor.

Now let's see what happened behind the doors!

A u-shaped  gives more room and accessibility to a small pantry.  The existing shelves were in great condition and the shelf paper came off easily.  It turned out that the deep shelves were two pieces, one in front of the other.  After removing the front shelf, I measured the sides.  Then I cut the wood I removed to make small side shelves for each side. I gained 6 additional storage spaces!

I painted the shelves in the same Royal Taupe Setcoat and top coated with Aquaguard Satin-just like the doors. Remember to paint and topcoat both sides so the shelves don't warp.

Most contact paper is really generic or ugly.  I made my own with wrapping paper. I Aquaguard on the wood and then decoupaged the paper using more top-coat on top. A brayer will roll out the air bubbles.

 I could have built out the wood brackets already in the pantry but honestly, I was ready for this project to be done!  I used 2 metal brackets and a corner brace from the hardware store for support.  Then I used wood screws and drilled down through the top of the shelf to the wood wall bracket. Very secure!

Since moving into a smaller space I've come to appreciate the power of organization. Even an unseen space can be more tidy and functional.

The hanging wire baskets and dog food bin is from IKEA.  The Lazy Susan's and can holders are from the Home Store.  I built this cart from IKEA to hold our baking goods.  Putting everything into glass jars makes for a nice and clean presentation.   I even cut out a shelf so the cart would slide easily into the back of the pantry!

That's it! It's crazy but a cluttered home created a cluttered life for me.

 Now I actually feel more settled in and calm.

The down side?  Since I can find the food again I have to start cooking.

If you would like to learn about Faux Effects Cabinet products join me for a class. I will be teaching May 5-6th at the Sarasota School of Faux & Architectural Finishes in Florida. Please call 941-921-6181 for more information. I also have cabinet classes listed on our Surfaces Website!.

DIY: The Pantry Finish

What better place to use leftovers then in a pantry. 

During our kitchen re-model we used space from our walk-in pantry to accommodate moving the refrigerator (now the fridge is flush with the counter top and looks built-in).  This meant removing shelving and a wall mounted spice rack.  Sure it was another space that was patched and dusty but it also presented an opportunity to clean, re-organize, and use some up some left-over products. That is the fun thing about a small space-You can do bolder finishes for a bigger impact with a little product.

I began by wiping off all the drywall dust and rolling a coat of Taupe Setcoat on the walls and the ceiling. This is a weird pinky purple beige that I don't use a whole lot. I selected it since I had some open and in the end the little bit that showed actually worked with the finish.  Next I used a sea sponge roller to apply Venetian Gem Belissimo in Sage.  Belissimo is a lighter creamier version of Faux Effects' Venetian Gem Plaster.  The Sage is a pretty grey-based pale green.  I covered about 80% of the base color, letting the plaster peek as I rolled it.

I rolled 3 walls before I went back with my trowel and flattened the peaks.  Belissimo is easy to roll in this application.  I love using Venetian Plaster as a base in finishes because it is saturated color, dries within an hour and is well-sealed when dry.

I opted to go with a silver metallic since the light fixture we put in the pantry has a rubbed black over silver. 

First, I troweled a high/low coat of Silver Palette Deco on the ceiling.  My ceiling had a drywall seam line and I am too lazy to mud and sand it properly so I thought I would use left-over plaster to build a finish over it.  Plus the Silver Palette Deco gives a nice glow under the future layers.

On the walls I alternated Silver Palette Deco and Silver Sharkskin using a sea sponge roller to create connecting areas.  You could substitute Silver Super Hide Metallic or Silver FauxMetal for the Silver Sharkskin.  Why use two silvers?  The Palette Deco is shiner and the Silver Sharkskin is more matte.  The Palette Deco will repel glaze and the Sharkskin will absorb the glaze.  Plus I had both.  The finish could be done just using one product and still look nice. 

Finishes like this are meant to go fast even though there are several layers.  The key is to not over-think the base layers. Yes, the finish will look spotty at first. Don't waste time making the base plaster and the silver pretty-these layers are about getting something up that looks random and organic.  Once I got the silvers applied I was able to apply my next layer on the first wall.

This is the layer where you finesse the finish by sea sponge rolling more Sage Belissimo to soften both the silver layer and any of the base paint.  Again, I rolled to leave peaks and came back later to lightly trowel them down.  The set time on the plaster keeps me from just smudging it. 

For the ceiling I troweled a tight layer of Rhino Lusterstone over the Palette Deco. Rhino is a new Lusterstone color that is a blue-green grey.

I did all the above layers in one day over 200 square feet of ceiling and wall space. I used a quart of Setcoat, a quart of Belissimo, 3/4 quart of Silver Palette Deco, 1/2 quart of Rhino, and 1/4 quart of Silver Sharkskin.

When I thinking of a pattern for a kitchen pantry, a checked one is what comes to mind. But we live in a contemporary home and a check is very traditional.  So I selected this slightly Moroccan pattern from Cutting Edge Stencils to give me that checkered tablecloth look while keeping it more modern. This stencil comes with a ceiling topper which makes it so easy to get right at the ceiling line to lap your pattern.

Hint:  Go all the way around the room with the topper first. This will let you know where to "fudge" your pattern in the most inconspicuous place and will allow you to work on several walls at a time while you are waiting for pattern areas to dry.

I mixed some Aquawax with Wheat Metal Glow (1 pint Aquawax : 1/4 cup Wheat) and added some very fine silver glitter from Michael's (1 TBSP).  Aquawax is a great choice for metallic stenciled patterns because you can roll it, it dries quick, and you can see through it to under layers.

While my wall pattern was drying, I troweled a tight layer of Palette Deco Pearl over the ceiling for added reflection. The Pearl Palette Deco over the Rhino gives the impression of old tin.

I always have some American Walnut Stain & Seal and FX Thinner left over from cabinet jobs.  I prefer using this mix as my glaze over products such as wax and venetian plaster that are slicker and want to repel glaze mediums.  The stain will bead up slightly-pad with a dry cloth to soften.  The stain mix will bond hard to the surface without any additional topcoat.  The warm brown of the stain really changes the color of finish and livens it up!

Since I am working on my Martha Stewart Merit Badges (don't laugh-this is a real thing) I decided to organize my new pantry.

I am good on the scissors and the cupcake but that metal thing that shoots steam has me stumped.

Next it was time to organize the pantry. I think Bruce deserves a nice space to store his ingredients since he has decided to take up cooking as a hobby.

I guess we didn't need that steamer after all.

A nice oil painting of an orange to remind of what fresh fruit is and that scurvy is bad.  You can see in the background my OCD in full action with the shelves all matching and bowls in ascending heights.

The black piece was actually the top of a buffet that I bought at a flea market years ago when it was painted purple.  I did a black rub back to silver and it fit perfectly to hold vegetables and fruit (see that painting really worked).  Lazy Susan's (need to ask Wiki how that name came about) and clear containers make it easy to locate pantry items. And just a reminder that this.....

did not happen on 12/21/2012.  I know that when you saw the Slaton pantry with actual food in it you thought for a moment that maybe the world did end.

DIY-"Keep Calm and Carry On" Headboards

My chance to combine three favorite things: A Queen Betty reference, a silhouette and sparkle!

The past two years I have been searching for twin bed frames to repaint for our 3rd guestroom.  I have my regular junk, consignment, and donation spots that I hit up every few weeks in search of pieces with good bones and bad finishes.  So I was thrilled when I found these.....

The wood finish is faded and the color dated but the shape of the foot board and headboard are very interesting and all the pieces are structurally sound. Sold...$30 a set. A great deal.  First, I cleaned the surface with Paso to loosen the topcoat and remove oils. Then I lightly sanded with the grain using 220 grit sandpaper followed by a swipe with a clean damp cloth.  Before applying my decorative finish I sprayed the pieces with water-thinned Aquaseal (Clear Setcoat) as my basecoat. This will allow some of the natural wood tone to show through in the finish and will help my next layers adhere better to the surface. The Aquaseal may also be brushed and rolled with a black foam roller.

This finish is a variation of our Weathered Willow sample from Cabinetry I and uses Fauxstone Pull-Off which is a Faux Effects Gold Label product. If you've taken a cabinetry class at a FE school you are familiar with this product.  If you haven't... get to a school soon to learn about all the cool cabinetry stuff available. But in the meantime you can try this finish using Silver Label products which will still give you a great look-just without the low texture.

Since I had nice inserts in both the headboard and foot board, I wanted to highlight these areas by sponging in some Wundasize.  This tacked up in an hour before I applied a shiny silver foil.

It will look spotty but that is OK because this layer doesn't show much so it shouldn't take much of your time.  Next I mixed my Fauxstone Pull-off using 1 TBSP Turquoise Stain & Seal + 1/4 Tsp Earth Brown Faux Creme Color to 1 quart of Fauxstone Pull-off.  If you don't know how to use Faux Stone Pull-Off you may mix 1 pint FX Thinner + 1 cup Pickling White Stain & Seal + 1/2 TBSP Turquoise Stain & Seal + 1/4 Tsp Earth Brown Faux Creme Color. You want a pale Robin's Egg Blue Color.

Here I am brushing my pale blue over the surface and popping it with a paper towel to create a low texture.  Think a paint that has worn and chipped in places.  Fauxstone pops and pulls nicely. The tinted stain will work better if you sponge it on to create your low texture.

I want about 20% of the wood to show through and 30% of my foil to show. This layer dries within an hour and may be sanded with 220 paper to smooth the textured tips. I decided to apply some more Wundasize and foil in my panels to create more depth before applying my blending layer of Fauxstone Plaster.

My second layer of the pale blue Fauxstone Pull-Off is brushed more solidly over the first textured layer.  I use a cloth to wipe larger reveal areas in spots.

I use soft brushes and work the material back and forth-this reduces brush strokes.  You may also use a damp cloth to gently wipe the Fauxstone or blue stain as you go. 

I repeated this step over the foil inserts so only 10%-5% of the foil shines 100% thru the finish while in other areas the foil is lightly reflected under the blue color.

I like my furniture to have depth and feel like hand-rubbed antiques. This means adding different glaze layers. Here I mixed 1 cup Fx Thinner + 1/3 Cup Pickling White Stain & Seal + 1/3 Cup Silver Stain & Seal + 1 Tsp Earth Brown Faux Creme Color for a pretty faux lime wash which I brushed 100% over the surface and softened with cheesecloth. This layer also adds a lovely polished effect.



Before I added my antiquing stain, I wanted to take advantage of the nice insert on the headboard.  I had just ordered the Queen Crown from Royal Design Studio and knew this would be the perfect place to use it.

I mixed Softex with Cero Silver Glass Glitter and Clear Glass Glitter since who wants a crown that doesn't sparkle?  I selected Softex because I wanted the stencil to look flocked and the glitter to be more subtle.

The Softex is troweled with a Japan Blade over the taped down stencil. Gently remove the stencil when the pattern is covered 100%.

When the pattern dried, I applied an Antiquing glaze made from 1 cup FX Thinner + 1/3 cup American Walnut Stain & Seal and a 1/2 Tsp Van Dyke Stain & Seal.  I brushed this over the entire surface 100% and wiped back with cheesecloth.

When I applied this mix over the crown, I spritzed the surface with water and blotted with a dry cloth since I didn't want the Softex to get too dark.  I used lightly thinned American Walnut to flick for fly specks and to shade edges and architecture. 

I like my stain layers to dry over night and the next day I top coated with 2 coats of Aquaguard Satin.

Sweet bed frames perfect for visiting Faux Finishing royalty (or Murray McLuvin who loves that room).  Now I just have to tackle the walls and the ceiling.

                                                

Maybe Betty would spare me some of her help?  And where can I get my dogs those crowns?