Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Great Room Makeover: the Skinny

So, now that you've seen all the fun stuff, here are the boring details for anyone interested...

There were a few projects I did that didn't get individual posts. The door frame, for example, only had trim on the top and one side, so I used two pieces of the molding I took from around the ceiling to create a faux molding for the other side. I used drywall seam tape to cover up the seam and painted it white. It doesn't match exactly, but it's close enough that you don't notice it at a glance.
My husband made the new curtain rod for me from a dowel and two decorative knobs (thanks, honey!), and I used 4-yard cut of sheer fabric for a draped window scarf effect. I wish I'd had another yard or two of that material to make it look perfect, but my original plan of making regular curtains was thwarted by a temperamental sewing machine, so I had to make do with what I had.
I also painted the lamp on the desk. It was originally an old dark brown base with a tan flowered (read: ugly) shade. I painted the base pink (acrylic) and used pink metallic rub-on over it after it was dry, then painted the shade silver and added polkadotted stickers. I covered the shade in clear contact paper to give a little shine and keep the stickers on, then painted the electrical cord silver because it was that hideous aged yellow color cords turn over time.
You may have noticed that the nightstand next to the bed doesn't really match the rest of the room. I had originally planned to redo that to match, but I decided since it was the only piece of my daughter's furniture that was staying in the room, it should be her choice whether to leave it as-is or give it a face lift too. I coverd it with a piece of polkadotted material so it would blend in just a little, and we'll see what she decides.
I think that's about it for projects... Oh, I made a cushion for the desk chair, and my husband made a wooden base for it. (It's one of those old school chairs that came attached to a desk--I still have the desk from my childhood, but I don't use the chair anymore.) Everything got a paint job, and the blinds had a good soak in the tub.

As I mentioned, I gave myself a budget of $100. I have to admit, even with all the things I was able to repurpose and get free or really cheaply, I was pretty impressed that I managed to stick to that. Here's the breakdown of how I spent my money:
Lumber/screws: $57.96 (I didn't break it down project by project, as I bought it all at once)
Nails/hinges: Free (from stash)
Room paint: Free (Glidden had a free-quart-giveaway promotion, so I got a quart of that and a
friend donated his quart. I used one quart full-strength for the dark pink walls and mixed it with
some flat white latex I already had to get the lighter pinks.)
Trim paint: $6 (I got a great deal on Dutch Boy flat base #1 [the white-white stuff] at Walmart--
marked down from $9.94 a quart to $3, hooray! I used almost exactly 2 quarts on the trim and
all the white furniture.)
Acrylics: $3.35 (4 small bottles @ 79¢ plus tax--not the best price around, I had to get it at the grocery store due to lack of time to run to Walmart)
Lamps: $3 (two yard sale finds--$1 and $2)
Couch: $9 ($1 fabric from a yard sale, $1 thumbtacks, $5 for two pillows from Walmart, 2 sheets foam core @ $1, batting from stash)
Side table: $1 (contact paper)
Closet: Free (all supplies from stash or existing room components)
Bed/headboard/divider: Lumber/screws/paint already covered in other totals above, casters and paneling from stash, molding from existing room
Desk: Free (paint and shelf/support wood covered in totals above, cupboard door used for desk from stash)
Desk chair: 25¢ (cushion form; wood for base covered above, fabric from stash)
Curtains: $8 ($6 for fabric, about $2 for dowel and decorative knobs)
PROJECT TOTAL: $88.56

There were a ton of challenges doing this project--especially when I found out at 8PM on Thursday night that my daughter would be home at 7:30 the following morning instead of 6:30 Friday night, as I had planned--but all in all, it was a great experience. Honestly, I can't believe I ws able to do all this myself and actually have it mostly look good. My daughter absolutely LOVED the room, so every whacked thumbnail and late night as totally worth it. :)
If you have any questions about any of the projects, just ask!

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