It's a Desk!

Comcast somehow half-cancelled our service appointment yesterday and didn't show up, or contact us. Extremely frustrating, but after some considerable finagling we rescheduled for tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm going stir-crazy and I have a desk I haven't shared with you yet. I escaped to a local coffee/fro-yo shop (mostly for the wifi), and here you go:

It's all set up in my office/craft room with my just-for-work computer on it. I finished it off with a spray polyurethane sealant (I don't remember the name and the can is in the garage at home), but I loved it. This bottle's sprayer was different, it sprayed in a straight line so getting an even coat was a breeze. If I ever use a spray primer again, I'll look for a similar spray pattern. 

Pink Surprise

It's pink! Pink accent paint! And it looks really bright and scary in the can!

I actually love the color as is. However, when I put the gray paint on I wasn't 100% decided on where the pink would go, so I decided to paint the whole thing gray and then layer pink selectively on top. That way, everything ends up the same pink, instead of a muted pink-over-gray right next to a bright just-pink-and-primer.

I applied some blue painter's tape to keep my edges clean, and got started.

I believe this was taken in between coats.

Come back tomorrow for the finished project!

2nd coat-check!

For the second coat, I switched to a foam brush. Roughly 10,000 times easier (roughly), no brush strokes, and it went down in about 45 minutes instead of 2.5 hours.

The above pic, taken after coat 1, shows off the brush strokes better.

This is after coat 2--much better!

On deck for tomorrow: Accent color!

1st coat-check!

I started with a typical art-class paint brush and cut it around the hardware. 

This is the the only picture I took while painting, or rather, while pretending to paint. I'm not sufficiently talented to actually paint within the lines with my right hand while simultaneously taking an in-focus picture with my left hand. If you look closely, you'll notice the brush is hovering just above the surface. That's the way I roll? 

And boom, the first coat is done!

I used a nylon brush paintbrush, and struggled against brush marks the entire time. It was a losing battle, though it's hard to tell from the pictures. 

I tried to do long brush strokes, but I couldn't get the right amount of paint on the brush. It would either be way too little and it would only cover about 6 inches; or it would be to much and it would go all over the place, but only in the immediate vicinity of that first touch and no where else. I did the best I could, and changed strategy for the second coat. More on that tomorrow!

Too humid to paint

The internet said it was too humid to paint today, so I didn't. It was hard to pinpoint how humid is too humid, but some consensus emerged at 70-80%. 

It's been warm with scattered showers today, by the time I got home from work the humidity was 79% and climbing.

Other than some light sanding, the desk was untouched today. I do have this glamorous shot from yesterday, though.

Primed and Ready!

Today's mission was priming, two coats, please. Except I stupidly only bought one can of primer. Because you can totally get two-three coats out of one can, right? WRONG!

This is how far one can got me. Roughly halfway through the actual desk, not a drop on the door. Emergency trip to the hardware store! Because really, what DIY project would be complete without one?

Picked up three more cans, finished the first coat and let it dry for an hour:

 Then I put on the second coat and called it a night:

Remember how I didn't sand the inside panels of the drawer? After the second coat, you can't tell. At least not yet. We'll see how it looks once it's completely dry, I might skip sanding next time.

Next steps: light sanding to even out any heavier spots, and the first coat of actual paint. Not sure how long it will take the paint to dry, so I'm only planning to do one coat tomorrow. We'll see.

Refinishing the desk: Part 3

Polished off the sanding tonight (that's almost a pun, right?), filled in a couple nicks and called it a night.

You'll notice I skipped the inside side panels of the drawer.

I started them, as you can tell from the picture. I started them and quickly decided it wasn't worth it. They'll only be visible when the drawer is open, and oh my god all those corners!  If I were to do it, it would take another 4 hours; I honestly do not have it in me.

I filled in a tiny hole on the top and a nick on the side using Elmer's Carpenter's Wood Filler. I didn't have a putty knife so I improvised with a plastic fork and my finger. It worked just as well and I'm no worse for wear. Let each spot dry 15 minutes, touched it up with some fine-grit sandpaper and considered throwing on a coat of primer.

I ultimately decided to save the primer for tomorrow. I had the time and the energy to throw on a coat of primer and close up shop for the night; however upon reading the directions, I realized I would need to leave the garage door open while it dries. Which is fine, just not at 10:00 PM. So, that's my plan for tomorrow. Layer of primer when I get home from work, pack for an hour, repeat. The directions say to use 2-3 coats,

After 8 hours of sanding...

...the sanding isn't quite done.

The body of the desk is almost done. The inside of the right leg isn't there yet, the finish there is more stubborn than it has been on any other piece. And, obviously, I haven't touched the drawer yet.

Please excuse the moving-mess in the background. 15 days!

Surprise Furniture Project!

I visited my mom yesterday, and brought home my desk ahead of our move. I've been told the work-at-home equipment from work is very temperamental, and the tech team only comes twice–to set it up when you start, and to tear it down when you leave. So I want my workspace set up before the come; this way the desk will be there right away when we move in.

We also discussed refinishing furniture, vis-a-vis a dresser she's giving us. We sanded the top a little bit just to see, and the varnish started coming off easily. That dresser will be coming up in a truck the weekend after we move in, and I'm planning to tackle that right away. Get it sanded and stained before taking it up the stairs, right?

Mom also sent me home with some borrowed and donated tools: steel wool, and hand-sander, and an electric belt sander. And an itch to refinish!

So I started with the desk? Wasn't really planning on it at first, but I have a plan that I'm excited about. I sanded a little corner last night before I remembered to take a picture:

And I've spent most of the day–6 hours so far–sanding. I've been re-watching Downtown Abby while I'm at it, which helps pass the time. Taking a break for the moment, and I'm hoping to finish up later tonight.

We're moving!

I am thrilled to announce that we are moving! My husband, Ben, got a teaching job in small community about an hour from where we currently live in Western Wisconsin. In service started in late-August, and he has been commuting ever since, but not for much longer!

In October, we will be moving into a townhouse in small, artsy community closer to Ben's work. I will work from home in my current position, in online customer service. The blog will continue as normal, with an exciting new component: home decorating!

This will be our first real place together--we've been living in a furnished apartment over my in-laws garage. Now we get to pull wedding presents out of storage, and go furniture shopping!

We're still in the planning phase, but here are some things we like:

From top left: Kivik love seat and chaise, IKEA, $879; Vine Snap Wall Decor, Target, $19.99; Teal Honeycomb Lamp, Pier 1 Imports, $55; Besta system, IKEA; Hemnes Day Bed, IKEA, $299; Poång in Bomstermåla Multicolor, IKEA, $99; Vejmon coffee table, $149, IKEA; Threshold Windham Accent Cabinet, Target, $120; Swirl Sculpture, Pier 1 Imports, $19.95.