CHANGING A BORING BATHROOM

The downstairs bathroom was...well...gross.  Ugly yellowed-paint.  Old yellowed sink and standard honey-colored wood cabinet (which I didn't change) and an old bulbous light bar.  Okay, all I did was paint, but STILL it's MUCH BETTER than before, don't you think?

The first challenge was the tight fit for a ladder in just a little 1/2 bath.  Geeez, I couldn't even fully extend the legs to a locked position!

My kids helped me pick the paint colors: Wild Hawk and Lyndurst Duchess Blue with trim in white.

My daughter likes white ceilings, but that looks a little stark to me, so I started with 1 gallon of white ceiling paint and I mixed in 1 cup of the Wild Hawk (one of the wall colors).  It's supposed to "warm up" the white and reflect the wall color in a more pleasing hue.  It's a nice effect, I'll admit--very Martha Stewart.

This project has taken me waaaaay too long.  You'd think a little 1/2 bath would be quick and easy, but with an accent wall and all the white trim...the lines are very time consuming.

I painted the ceiling first and let it dry.  Then, I used a 2 1/2" slanted brush to make the lines between the ceiling and the walls.  It takes a very steady hand, but it's the part of painting that I actuallly like.  You can always use painter's tape, but I like to do it the old-fashioned way by hand.  I just have to make sure I don't have too much coffee in the morning.

The trick for lines is not to paint right into the crease between the ceiling and wall or wall and wall.  You want to make your line about 1/8th inch below the ceiling .  The line is actually on the wall, not on the ceiling or in the crease.  Your eye won't see that your ceiling paint comes down onto the wall, but it will see that you have a straight line.  It's appealing.  Use your painters tape on the wall about an 1/8th inch below the ceiling.  Press the tape firmly in into the textured walls.  Then, paint over the tape, and while it is still wet, pull it off.  If you wait until the paint is dry, the tape will tear into strips and it'll be harder to remove.

For the accent wall, try to paint the line as close to the corner as possible, but favor the line toward the "neutral wall" instead of the accent wall.  The important factor is that the line is straight. If it is a little over the border onto the neutral wall, that's fine, as long as the line is straight and consistent.  This is particularly true if your walls or ceiling have/has warped a bit with age.  Ignore the sloping surface and paint the line straight to the eye.
If you have a steady hand and don't want to use painters tape, then connect with your inner artist, and paint free-hand.  Focus your eyes on the line and the paint that is pooling around the brush. You can do it!  It's the way REAL painters paint.  Remember Magnum P.I.? Tom Selleck? The Doberman Pinchers are chasing him and he needs to get into the Porshe to save himself and as he fumbles with the keys and says, "Pick the lock, don't look at the dogs."  Remember?

Never mind.  If you paint by hand, then focus on the leading edge of paint and don't look at the dogs chasing you!  Ther's no shame in using tape, my friend, but for the proud, "pick the lock, don't look at the dog."

Before: Boring yellowy-white

In Process: Wild Hawk (which looks like the color of poop, to me, but the kids like it) and Lyndurst Duchess Blue.  The finished line is between the blue and ceiling.  The other wall isn't finished yet.

DRESSER COMPLETED

At long last, the completed refurbished dresser.  The mottled stain is gone and I think it came out pretty good for a first-timer like me.  What I learned was that sanding evenly, especially on softwoods like pine, is very important.  I also learned to use a wood sealer if it looks like the raw wood has uneven patches. My son wanted a dark stain and he selected a color that looked much darker on the paper sample.  The stain specialist helped pick out a color from a company that was different from the paper swatch I brought with me, and in the end, the stain was not as dark as I had hoped.  I would error on the side of dark when it comes to stain color the next time and use a swatch from the same manufacturer so you'll have a better chance of getting the color you want.  In the end, I applied 5 coats of stain, which took FOR--EVER in Marcia-time. The best part is that my son's clothes are off the floor and IN THE DRAWERS! Let's see how long that lasts :)

PAINTING THE DRESSER HARDWARE

This was the easiest step.  I used a steelwool on the old dresser hardware just to rough it up and then applied a coat of Rust-oleum mat black.  I jerry-rigged a way to keep the handles off the base of the hardware with popcicle sticks and a scrap 1x4 piece of wood.  Spray painting is so easy and fun!  I can't wait to put it all together tonight when it is all dry!  This project is taking FOREVER, but by tonight, my son won't have any excuse for throwing his clothes on the floor -- not to say he won't continue doing that, but at least he'll have no excuse :)

Sanding is Important in Staining Pine or Softwood

I googled questions about mottled stain and found that this is a common problem, especially with softwoods and pine.  I suspect this dresser is softwood and may be pine.  I decided to re-sand the drawers being careful not to press with inconsistent pressure.

RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO BEAR DOWN WITH PRESSURE.

It's not easy if you're impatient like me, but in the end, it's taking me twice the work and twice the time.  I kept even pressure and swept back and forth from one full side to the next instead of a choppy back and forth.  Sweep the entire length of wood then come back evenly.  I sealed, steelwool, stained and I think it looks much better. Credit goes to my son, Blaine, who told me not to apply pressure when I was sanding before I even started.  Yes, I shoulda listened to you.  :)

Dressing up a Dresser

My family has an old dresser that my son wants to use, but he likes a very deep dark chocolate stain rather than the golden early American it currently has.  I sanded it down to the bare wood with an oscillating sander starting with 100 grit and ending with 220 grit. I selected a chocolate stain from Miniwax, but after the first coat, realized the stain was mottled, leaving a terribly unprofessional finish.  What to do? I took one of the bare-wood drawers and one of the one-coat stained drawers to Lowes and they suggested that I seal the wood before I stain.  Credit goes to my mother, Barbara, for suggesting the same thing first. Thanks mom!

I purchased the Miniwax sealer and applied a coat to the bare wood, as directed.  I waited about 15 minutes and used a steelwool to go over the sealer, as directed, and then applied my first coat of stain with a rag.  Problem.  It still came out mottled.  I waited 6 hours, as directed, used steel wool to sand, and applied a second coat as directed.

It still looks mottled.  Stay tuned for next step.