Did you know you can resuscitate an almost dead paintbrush? I mean one that is almost petrified. Like this one that had been “saved” far too long and had turned inflexible and totally gunked up. This is my favorite kind of paintbrush –not available locally – so when I found this artifact in amongst the paint cans it was worth trying to save. I stumbled across this trick that is so easy. It not only rescues the really bad cases, it is so easy to do you’ll never let your brushes get this terrible shape ever. First I tried soaking the brush in water and brushing through the bristles with a really stiff brush. That only took off the top layer, but the paintbrush was hard and inflexible because of all the gunk still inside the bristles. I spied a bottle of rubbing alcohol I ... [Read More]
DIY tutorial
How to apply decorative nailhead trim
We used decorative nailhead trim on a quick and easy upholstered headboard. Nail head trim can be used in all sorts of upholstered projects. So this a separate post for reference in whatever upholstered project you happen to be creating. That and the headboard post was getting way too long! :-) Nailhead trim comes in a roll of faux nailheads as shown above. Buy as many rolls as needed to equal the length of trim necessary for your project. You will also need a package of single upholstery nails as shown. The roll includes a faux nailhead with a hole in the center about every fifth circle. Use the single upholstery nails to nail through the hole and into the wood underneath. We were constructing a headboard, but the techniques apply to other projects as well. Tools ... [Read More]
Upholstered Headboard – A quick and easy DIY
Bytes put together his DIY upholstered headboard, including the nailhead trim, in just one evening -- recruiting an extra set of hands now and then to speed things up. If you are doing this by yourself, it will probably be a Saturday project -- if only, to let your hands rest from all the stapling. :-) When we were preparing to sell our Ohio house, I suggested to Bytes that he needed a new look in his bedroom. And that it could start with a great upholstered head board. I like my bedroom just fine, he said. I said, you can make what you want. He looked at me as if I had three heads. But I kept “planting seeds” , as my one boss said was necessary in getting ideas to fruition. Other people might call it erosion due to drip, drip on stone. I call it persuasion and motivation – ... [Read More]
How to hang a wall cabinet the easy way
So happy with the transformation of my $5 bathroom cabinet! I think it turned out well and I love, love, love the amount of storage we have now! The white really pops against the new paint color -- Frost, a very light gray with blue tones that goes from lavendar to blue to gray as the light from the Sola Tube in the ceiling changes throughout the day. Our kitchen cabinets delivered about the time we were ready to hang this. Geek that I am, I looked through the directions included for hanging wall cabinets. The directions they gave looked like a great idea! So Wheels and Bytes opted to try it out. And the method worked like a charm! First Wheels determined where the studs were in the area where the cabinet was to hang. The old one that we were replacing was light weight and ... [Read More]
$5 Bathroom Cabinet Transformed
Introducing the bathroom cabinet transformation. This spacious beauty has been setting in the basement for several months awaiting its turn. It finally came! And the best part . . . . It only cost $5. Yes, five dollars! We went to a church "garage sale" and found this setting forlornly by itself with a little orange dot on one corner. $5 the dot proclaimed. I saw the potential immediately -- Wheels took a little persuasion. Nothing in our house is maple, he said. And my reply -- this won't be maple either. When I explained that one this size and this quality with soft close doors would be many times $5, he began to soften. Then I threw in the notion that I would use leftover paint for zero cost and maybe even gain space by emptying a can. That sealed the ... [Read More]
How to change your light fixture in seven easy steps
After we added the decorative paneling to the office, removed the wallpaper and painted the walls, the rest of the room began to whimper for change. We needed a new light fixture and knew it would be a do it yourself installation. We've installed a number of them before and have it down to seven easy steps for installing light fixtures. If everything goes right, of course. The office lighting definitely needed improvement -- in more ways than one. Want proof? Look below . . . . Once again Wheels and I were in the home improvement store -- this time ISO a new light fixture for the office on the list. I walked around the lighting section and was smitten with a visually lightweight, filigreed silver pendant light. I found him, said I have something to show you. He meandered over ... [Read More]
