Fireplace Makeover Part 3: DELICIOUSLY DONE

Uh yeah, I'm just going to kick things off with the reveal. TA DA!

In case you missed it: Part 1 and Part 2. 

There were just a few more details to square away before I could wipe my hands of this project.

Fireplace Makeover Part 2: Yummy Mantel

Catch up on Part 1!

Here's where I left off last time. I had just finished the tile and was ready for the FUN PART (I like woodworking, can you tell?)! This post is long, so buckle up.

For the materials, we decided to go with a combination of MDF for the face and poplar wood for the trim. Both materials are paint-grade, which will give us a super smooth surface once we paint everything.

We just barely got away with using one 4'x8' sheet of MDF, which we had ripped into long boards at the hardware store, then when we got home we ripped them up even more. For this, I got to use my new toy, the Kreg Rip Cut!

Board has already been ripped. I'm just showing you how it works.

This thing is seriously fantastic. I've always run into problems with ripping large boards on my own, and table saws scare me (um, hello unprotected blade sticking up in the air that I'm supposed to slide my fingers near, no thank you). This Rip Cut guide attaches to most circular saws and has a built-in ruler, so no measuring is required EVAR! It took some calibrating, which the instructions are very clear about, but once we got it set up, it worked like a dream. Basically there is a right angle guide (you can see it on the right-hand side below) that slides along the edge of the board, while the blade cuts at the specified width. Awesome straight cuts most of the time (obviously if your guiding edge is not straight, you'll have issues) and added confidence when using your circular saw!

Living Room Progress

I took the living room photos shortly before our housewarming party, which was two months ago, and I've already changed so many things! Design ADD anyone? Ah well, that just means another update post is in your future!

Let's start off with some good 'ol BEFORE and AFTERs.

Progress, about one month after moving in (white balance fail)...

Oooooo....

Yes, I blocked off the fire place. Sue me :)

Progress...

Ahhhhh....

We painted within weeks of moving in because that yellow had to goooooo. A beautiful soft gray from Sherwin Williams that I adore because it changes colors depending on the lighting and makes everything look sexy. 

We painted foam core boards cut to fit the backs of the built-in shelves, which is great because I can change the color or ctrl-z any time (I'm currently thinking of painting them more of a chartreuse). I also used foam core painted the same white as the bookshelves to block off the fireplace. 

You might be wondering why we chose to put our couch in front of the fireplace, but we have our reasons! We originally had our couch on the other wall (see proof below). 

However, we couldn't figure out where to put the TV. In front of the fireplace looked ridiculous (as you can see above). Having it on top of the mantel gave us serious neck issues. I said to Boyfriend "hey, just for kicks, let's try it with the couch in front of the fireplace". Pfffff you crazy, but we'll try it! Turns out it was pretty great! We never use the fireplace anyway, and the new arrangement gave us a better flow from the front door without the couch blocking it. We also have a great view of the hills from the couch, which Boyfriend was all over. (p.s., see how we ended up with our current couch here)

Moral of the story is to never be afraid of experimenting with your furniture arrangement! Here's what that wall looks like now:

We have plans to build a credenza that spans the length of this wall to unify everything. We also need to find things to hang on the wall because it is looking pretty bare.

Enjoy some more detail shots:

Love that couch. Yes, that's the coffee table I refinished on my previous apartment's balcony.

Fun, unique lamp from a gal on Craigslist (she bought it from an antique store).

Add caption

A most awesome tissue dispenser from CB2. I need to get like, 5 more of these, that's how much I love them.

Almost done reading it! <3 Steve.

D'awww...

There ya go! I'm sure I'll have more updates directly before our next party (nothing inspires or lights a fire like having guests over!).

The Perfect Sofa

Remember that sofa teaser I posted not too long ago? 

Here's a recap: I found this Crate & Barrel Petrie sofa on Craigslist for a mere $300 (including delivery!). The sofa had been used for staging and was only two years old. There was some general dirt from being moved so often, but the couch had never actually been used. So why did we get it on the cheap? Observe:

She's a photo-bomber

No, there wasn't a schnoodle attached to it (personally, I think that would add value). But yes, there was a GIANT HOLE in the front. Oh dear.

I researched several repair options before committing to buy the sofa, ranging from a simple stitching to a full reupholster job of the damaged area. I even found that Crate & Barrel sells this fabric by the yard in case I went that route. In the end we decided that the deal was too good to pass up AND delivery was available AND it was basically the perfect couch (A few weeks prior when I was browsing couches online, Boyfriend asked what my "ideal" couch would be so we wouldn't settle on something less. I said white, tufted, classic clean lines, and comfortable...basically the Petrie to a tee). 

The couch arrived and I had it professionally cleaned to get all the dirt, dust and scuffing that had accumulated over numerous moves. We protected the fabric with 303 Fabric Guard which apparently kicks Scotchgard's ass. However, this did involve heaving the whole sofa out to the yard where it could air out while it dried...that was painful. 

Between all this, I found some time to take a stab at repairing the rip. I figured I had very little to lose and if it failed, I would turn to my other options. 

I don't have a lot of photos of the repair, but I will describe the steps. The first step was to use Fray Check around the edges.

Once that dried, I pinched the frayed edge under and used upholstery thread to stitch it up (you cannot use regular thread, even if you double, triple or quadruple it; that shit is just not strong enough). I don't know what kind of stitch I used, but it was more similar to how a shoelace is threaded. It turned out to be very strong and not too ugly so... good enough for me!

Not bad when you start backing away. 

We usually keep a throw on the cushions which covers it up, and we've practically forgotten all about it. Here is our lovely Petrie in all her clean and repaired glory.

We love it and we can't believe the discount we got on it! I also can't believe I finally found throw pillows that I actually like just in time for the housewarming party. Can you believe that they're both from Costco?!? The place where good furniture taste goes to die? Me neither.

Updates on the living room progress soon!

Hello, Petrie Sofa

We stole a sofa.

Not really, but for 82% off we might as well have. We found this Crate and Barrel Petrie sofa (retails for $1700) on Craigslist for $300 that had been used for staging purposes for two years. The caveat was that there was a rather large 3-inch rip in the front of the frame, but other than that and some general dust/dirt, the sofa was in great condition!

Once we have it all cleaned up and situated, I'll post some more photos. For now though, the sofa has passed the TSA test (Teako Surface Assessment).

Sheepskin Throw

I used to think sheepskin carpets were tacky, but lately I've been seeing them everywhere, mostly as drapes on furniture, and I have to say my mind has changed. If small enough, they add a lot of nice texture and luxury to a piece without making it look gaudy.

I picked one up at IKEA the other day for the tub chair we nabbed on Craigslist, which has been looking a little naked to me lately.

I find it both adorable and slightly disturbing that it matches Teako's fur so closely. Oh well, she almost never sits on it (this photo was SO posed), which is odd, because it seems like something she would like to make a nest out of. She's never really liked that chair though, so basically the whole point of it's existence (other than an extra chair when guests visit) is to sit there and look pretty. 

My Craigslist Tub Chair

I'm so excited, look at what my sweet boyfriend got me!

Not that he had much of a choice...I practically kidnapped him from work to make the 45 minute drive south to pick it up. Luckily this didn't end up like the many Craigslist horror stories you hear about. The couple who sold it to us lived in a posh neighborhood and were perfectly sweet. They got a kick out of watching us try to maneuver the chair into the car (after getting this coffee table into the back seat, I should be able to fit this thing no problem right?). It ended up riding shot gun and getting to control the radio with one of its legs!

Best of all, the chair only cost us $60, and they threw in a matching ottoman for free!

I swear, the wood and fabrics match the chair...it's the lighting.

Pretty good deal for a microfiber set in excellent condition with beautiful lines! I've been on the hunt for a good club/tub chair for a while now so I'm really stoked that we managed to get our hands on this one. Here's a picture of it in the grander scheme of things.

Ahhhhh it makes me all warm inside. I'm thinking of getting a sheepskin throw for it to tie it in with the lighter colors around the room. It's practically got a spotlight on it in the above picture, but it really is the color of that ottoman.

In other news, my new lens finally came in! It's a Canon EF-S 18-200mm IS lens and it is AWESOME! I've been wanting to get a versatile lens with a nice focal range so I wouldn't be constantly switching lenses when I'm in a hurry or lazy. The image stabilization is pretty unbelievable as it allows me to take photos at 1/30 or even 1/16 and still have a very good chance of getting a crisp image. Few things are more heartbreaking than uploading photos at the end of the day only to find out that your stupid shaky body messed them up.

Every Friday the photography mail alias at Pixar does a photo share...my goal this week is to use my lens to take something worthy of sharing.

Coffee Table Gets a Facelift

I found this FANTASTIC coffee table on good 'ol Craigslist for $40! The price was right, the shape was perfect, all I had to do was haul the 50-pound, unwieldy thing from SF to Berkeley...by myself. And oy, this was before Boyfriend moved in.

The relocation of this thing proved to be a very painful, very strenuous process. It still makes me cringe just thinking about it. In summary: small Asian woman, her blind roommate and I attempt to carry the thing to my car while her toddler son stands by and cries. Very large black neighbor asks me to hold his pit bull while he shoulders the entire thing by himself and carries it effortlessly to my (might-be-too-small, I suddenly realize) car. Fit the table into the car only after rolling the windows down to allow the legs to stick out (poor car receives scratches and dents). Once home, I attempt to get the thing out of my car and wheel it up to my place, solo, incurring many scratches, bruises, and possibly some type of psychological trauma that has yet to surface (I'm guessing it will be a fear of dolly carts and bungee cables).

BUT without further ado, here it is:

Sadly it came in less-than-perfect condition. The wood was a weird color and completely lackluster and there were lots of scratches in the table, much like a child had scribbled on it with a pen....

But it was only $40, and that's a great price for good bones!

 
A serious makeover was in order. The table would have to be taken apart and the finish stripped away. I used a gel-like varnish remover and covered it in seran-wrap to keep it from drying out (this all took place on my very cold balcony...also, I do NOT recommend doing this on a balcony).

Notice that I forgot the very important step of taking the table apart. :(  I ended up getting some remover on the metal legs, which had been finished with some sort of matte coating to make it look like brushed metal. Underneath was a shiny metal that looked pretty sweet, but that meant another piece to add to the two wood pieces already on the list.

Once I scraped away the varnish and remover, I cleaned up any remaining goop and went to work on the rest of the stain with an electric sander (thank you Nick!). This was probably the most taxing part of the project in terms of messiness, physical effort and um, the neighbors' peace and quiet. Seriously for about three Sundays in a row I was outside for several hours sanding away (Sunday, because the apt. office is closed and no one can complain about me :D).

Half-sanded

And remember, I did all that sanding for TWO pieces. Working with an electric sander does strange things to the nerves in your hand. After a while, they start to have that tingly feeling like when your hand is coming out of numbness, but it lasts for a really long time. Probably not natural.

Once the wood pieces were finally stripped down to their beautiful bare selves, it was time to apply a new finish. It was also time to raid Teako's old sock stash.

I'm a big, big fan of bringing out the natural color of a good piece of wood rather than using a stain, so for this guy I used a clear, glossy Polyurethane.

This is what it looked like after the first coat. You can already see the natural luster of the wood coming out beautifully.

I did five coats for the top piece and three coats for the bottom. I also stripped away the rest of the matte finish on the metal frame. Once I finally put it all together (about 2 months after starting the whole project), it was lovely.

I'm totally in love with this table, and even more-so because I feel like all the sweat and tears I put into it really made it mine. And to all you obsessive coaster people...I get it now.