Monday, August 26, 2013

Powder Room Progress

On Thursday night, Denny looked at me and said, "Dear sweet wife, I know how much you love a project, and I truly do too, but please let's not make this project last weeks upon weeks."

Just kidding. 

It was more like, "Woman, I am tired of not having any lights in that tiny room and only having one coat of paint on the walls (GAHHH PURPLE), so please do something about that pronto. Kthnx."

Really, it was nothing like that either, but definitely more of the latter than the former.

Because making over the powder room RIGHTTHISMINUTE was my idea, I was the one to take charge on it. So I started painting and then did nothing for a week and half because, duh, the beach.

It's the story of my life this summer.

Anyway, I spent the better part of Saturday installing a new light fixture and painting the second coat of Olympic's Morning Fog in the powder room. And because I liked the color so much, I painted the mudroom too.


The best part is that in the mudroom, the green tones in the paint come out way more. It's like I painted two different colors, except it came from the same gallon. And I win.

Anyway, back to the powder room.

You can check out my powder room inspiration board here if you want to see the powder room in all it's purple glory.

I was really jonesing for some wood-look tiles on the floor, but the budget and time dictates that it was not meant to be just yet. I was desperate to get a dark wood tone in the powder room to balance out the cool paint color and super shiny chrome fixtures that will be installed, so I jumped on the "shelves over the toilet" train that I've been seeing throughout the blogosphere. I wanted a dark and reclaimed look.

Hi Sugarplum!'s tutorial seemed to be the best for my skill level and situation, so off I went to Home Depot and grabbed my supplies after measuring the wall:
  • 2 - 1x10 pine boards, cut to 29 1/4"
  • Square dowel (I grabbed the whole piece because I was rushing, and due to a happy accident I had juuuuust enough. We cut them down to match the width of the boards once I got home.)
  • Minwax Oil-Based Dark Walnut Wood Finish Interior Stain (I bought the smallest bottle, which I think was 8 oz., and only used half for two shelves...a little will go a long way.)
  • Screws (had these at home)
  • Foam brush (had this at home)
I threw out my receipt, but I'm guessing this project costed me $15.00 max.


I started by beating the ever-loving crap out of my boards. We used a hammer, some screws, a mallet, and I'm pretty sure my garden shears came into play at some point. Things took an interesting turn when we brought some rocks into the situation. Denny (bless his little husband heart) said, while I was distressing the first board, "Why don't you put the rocks under the board and them hammer the board?" So I (bless my little heart), took the second board and said, "Okay!"

And that, my friends, is how you wind up with a split board.



Which Peyton kindly took care of for me. By the way, everything in our house is now 14 inches according to the mini Bob Vila.

But by a happy accident, when I took apart the split board, I thought to myself, "Self, this will work. You wanted a reclaimed wood look, so this is your chance. And now you have TWO pieces to work with."

So I sanded down both parts of board #2 to get rid of any splinters, and got to staining:


Brush it (blurrily) onto your boards, wipe it off, let it dry.


We only used one coat of stain on the boards and the dowel pieces.

After dinner, it was time to hang these bad boys.

We measured where we'd want each shelf situated on the wall and mounted our braces for the first shelf with two screws in each piece.

I promise you all three walls are the same color.
And then placed the first board.


The first board was the one that got away unscathed from the "rock incident", but the second one is definitely a little more rustic looking:

Helloooooooooo.

You can see the top shelf's front lip is definitely a bit wavy, thanks to breaking apart the wood right along the split the rocks created. A happy accident indeed.

The second half of the happy accident that was board #2 turned into this:


Tutorial coming up in the next post, because this is longggg enough. (Heyo! Tutorial can be found here.)

Hope everyone had a happy weekend!

PS: On a toddler-related note, Peyton has escaped her crib twice in the last week. I'm thinking it's time to transition the crib into a toddler bed, but does anyone have any advice on keeping a toddler IN a bed? Both scenarios--Peyton being able to hop out of bed and run around on her own vs. her getting hurt trying to Houdini her way out of the crib--are giving me anxiety.

Linking up with:
So Much Better With AgeRain on a Tin RoofDimples and PigtalesCommona-My HouseMaison de PaxDIY Show OffCoastal CharmCozy Little HouseA Stroll Thru LifeMy Uncommon Slice of SuburbiaHome Stories A to ZThe Style SistersThe Farmhouse PorchSavvy Southern StyleElla ClaireSNAP!Ashley's Dandelion WishesDIY by DesignThe Everyday HomeThe Shady PorchThe Winthrop ChroniclesThe Well Crafted HomeSugar and DotsThe Blissful BeeThe Happy HousieThe Brambleberry Cottage52 MantelsThe Shabby Creek CottageHouse of HepworthsEmbracing ChangeFrench Country CottageJennifer RizzoBeneath My Heart


30 comments:

  1. I love the rustic touch the wood adds, and, your little helper is just plain adorable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Rosemary! She is quite the helper around the house now :)

      Delete
  2. I absolutely love the stain on the shelf. That color is so rustic and warm. Shelves are so great for small spaces! They add the biggest impact.

    Thank you for sharing!

    Kylie
    absolutelyarkansas.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kylie! I was bummed about not being able to install warm wood-look tile, but I'm so glad I got to bring in those wood tones with the shelves. They make such a difference.

      Delete
  3. you have successfully aged those boards, split and all. great job so far!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I always try hard to work with what I have and see the best of an unplanned mishap. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. I love it! I just did something similar in my master bathroom using shelving board and molding but I only did one shelf. Now I'm thinking I may want to add another yours look so good!

    Here is a link to mine if you are interested.

    http://www.lifeonthebaybush.blogspot.com/2013/08/easy-bathroom-shelf.html

    ~ Amanda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Amanda! I was set on only doing one shelf once board #2 split, but was glad I could rescue it to make the second shelf. I will definitely be checking out your project :)

      Delete
  5. Love it, looking good. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

    ReplyDelete
  6. When my 2nd son was big enough to shimmy his way out of his crib, but too little for a toddler bed (ummm if I can't keep him in a crib, how in the HECK am I supposed to keep him in a bed?!) we used sleep sacks. It kept him from being able to get his leg over the railing. Worked like a charm and kept him in his crib for at least another 6 mo. when he figured out how to unzip it, we used a diaper pin to keep it shut. He actually loved it. I bought one with dogs on it and we called it his special sleeping jacket. hee!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a great idea! I have been so stumped over this transition from crib to toddler bed. Like you said: what makes one think they'll stay in a bed when they are scaling crib walls? It's mind-boggling. Thanks for stopping by and for the suggestion!

      Delete
  7. I love the shelves! Your husband seems like mine. "Just get the thing done already!"

    With the toddler, it's amazing how sometimes they will surprise you and stay in the bed. But, really, is it that big of a deal if she wanders a little. Make sure there's nothing bad she can get into. I have no problem with them wandering before falling asleep and sometimes they conk out in the funniest places. (Makes for great pictures). I hope the transition goes well! Just have your expectations so low that you can only be surprised when it goes better than you thought!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kathryn! I'm just preparing for the worst because as it is now I have a little one who has a meltdown at the mere mention of "bed time" or "night night." Who knows, though? She could pleasantly surprise me! Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  8. I love this - the distressing is perfect!! And that water closet sign is a total stunner - the uneven shape is so pretty. I would love for you to link up this or any of your other great projects at our new mega-party Work it Wednesday if you haven't already. Each link will be shown on 4 blogs! Work it Wednesday

    - Krista @ the happy housie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Krista! Thank you so much for stopping by to leave some kind words and for hosting a great link-up!

      Delete
  9. Love these shelves! I also love that you embraced the split board. I probably would've thrown a tantrum & gone to get a new board.
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sarah! Trust me, I wanted to throw a fit, but another trip to Home Depot was not in the works for me that day and I wanted it done :) I threw the board aside at first, but I'm glad I went back to it after a few minutes. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  10. This looks great! Come Link Up with us tomorrow at Craft Frenzy Friday at www.craftdictator.com!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looks great! There are no mistakes in DIY projects, just a happy accidents. ;) Thanks for sharing! Stop by my Friday's Five Features tomorrow and link up this post (and others)! http://diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Becca! Thanks for stopping by! I will definitely be checking out your party tomorrow!

      Delete
  12. It looks great! I love the wall color with the stain of the shelves. I'm planning to do the same in my boys' bathroom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lindsey! I love the look and the function of these shelves. I feel like they are so perfect for a bathroom!

      Delete
  13. Ah! It's turning out to be so freaking awesome!

    We want to put a powder room in the large pantry off the kitchen. But we haven't, because, duh, the beach. right? haha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Corinna! That darn beach always gets in the way ;)

      Delete
  14. I love what you have done. I makes me want to stay home from work tomorrow and create. Oh wait, everything makes me want to do that. Come post your creative self at: http://obsessiveandcreative.blogspot.com/2013/08/craft-frenzy-friday-2.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rhonda! I definitely get to feeling that way myself sometimes!

      Delete
  15. Yay! So thrilled that you shared this cool project at our first mega Work it Wednesday. As I said before I love these shelves! Hope to see you back next week:)

    - Krista @ the happy housie

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from anyone who reads this little section of the internet universe. Feel free to leave a comment and let's chat!