Weekend Work

Jeff and I enjoyed a fairly laid-back weekend. We had a church chili supper Saturday evening and didn't get home until very late, so the extra hour we gained was spent in much needed sleep. But then we got busy.

I finally found time this week to put the final coats of Waterlox on the floors, so this weekend we moved a few furniture pieces back in. Until the finish has really cured, we don't dare bring the antique piano or a couple of the heavier items in, but just having the rooms straightened up a bit has helped the rest of the house not feel so disordered.

Dining room floors before

Dining room after refinishing

Before view in living room

After

Our other project was hanging the living room ceiling fan. Jeff prefers ceiling fans and I like attractive fixtures, so we were excited to find a version we both love.

Unattractive (but functional) fan

Stained glass Craftsman style fan

So cheap I didn't even need Mastercard

Thrift store coffee table - $12

General Finishes gel stain - $19

Rags and gloves - $2

Refurbished castoff finds a new home in my living room – Priceless

Before

After

I found this old, abused coffee table at the thrift store on a day Jeff happened to leave me the truck. It had been marked down several times and I had a coupon, so it was dirt cheap. Given its distressed state, I assumed I could always paint it, but the lovely diamond wood grain inlay seemed too pretty to hide. So I tried my favorite brand of gel stain over the original finish after cleaning and lightly sanding the whole piece (just to smooth the grain and spiff it up a bit after its hard life, not really removing all the original finish).

I only did two coats so as not to hide the grain, but I would have liked it just a bit darker. Yesterday I removed and spray painted the original pull with Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze, reattached it, and now it takes its place in the living room among the thrift store leather sofa, Craigslist accessories, mill end fabric remnants, flea market armoire, and cast off free chairs. I think it will fit in just fine!


I've been using this one quart of gel stain all over the house, so I'm sure there will be some future posts of all the updated woodwork; it works wonders with old 70's orange-y oak trim!

Capping it all off

Over the weekend I finally finished and hung the second cornice board in the living room. I’ve had the small one on the bookcase wall done for several months, but I got busy on other projects and never completed the long one in the bay window area. I think I procrastinated, knowing that getting a striped fabric to run straight for over eight feet was going to be difficult! My prod was having guests over who saw the plain industrial metal conduit I used to hang the drapes. It was my bright idea for cheap, strong curtain rods, but I never intended them to be seen. It works great, by the way, as long as you have something to cover them ;-)

The small cornice is one of my foamboard insulation creations, because it had some odd angles to navigate, given the bookcase molding, and foam is more forgiving of that. But the long bay window cornice is a 1” by 10” board, since I needed one continuous piece to support the span. I had to dog-ear the corners of the long cornice to accommodate the crown molding; otherwise it wouldn’t have fit flush to the ceiling. Hanging it was a little tricky, but with Jeff’s help I got it up. I also got an eye full of popcorn ceiling in the process, scraping the cornice and our knuckles. Why anyone ever invented or installed that textured stuff is beyond me.

Anyway, the cornice is up and I really like it. I did complementary cording on the pieced seams and will use the same paprika microfiber fabric for some pillows and maybe a box cushion on the fireplace hearth this winter. Right now the drapes are being “trained”, tied back with twine to encourage the folds where I want them. I used upholstery fabric for them, so they are stiffer and heavier than preferred, but I love the pattern and color and the heavy fabric really makes the room feel quiet and cozy, perfect for curling up with a book!