Don't Be Scared of a Little Laminate...

Thanks to Craig and his list, hubby and I got some new "nightstands" for our master bedroom.  I showed you guys the desk and dresser we are using in my last post.

Clearly, these guys had seen better days...but I knew a little elbow grease and paint could have them looking shiny and new again.

Now, I'm definitely no stranger to a furniture makeover {here are some of my past projects}, but this one intimidated me a little bit.  The top of both pieces was a very slick, glossy laminate.  I wasn't sure how the tops would take paint, but after a little research, I bit the bullet and dove into the makeover, head first.

I started by cleaning the pieces with a wet rag.  They. Were. Gross.

Then I used a liquid deglosser all over and removed the old hardware.

After that, I used an electric sander and roughed up the flat surfaces (focusing on the super slick tops) as best as I could.

Following the sanding, I wiped everything down with a lint-free cloth.

Then I pulled out my secret weapon...Zinsser's B-I-N Shellac-Base Primer.  I specifically chose this primer because of it's supposed ability to stick to glossy surfaces.  I am happy to report, it didn't disappoint {thus far}.

I sprayed two light coats of primer onto my pieces, sanding lightly in between.  {Make sure you wipe off the sanding dust in between applications.}

FYI - To get the lovely odor out of furniture that often accompanies anything purchased on Craigslist, try to spray the pieces with vinegar and wipe down...allowing to dry out in the sun.  The longer you can leave in the sun, the better. Nature can work miracles!

On to the painting....{which I did not take pictures of because, well, I was busy painting and forgot...bad blogger!!}...

I used a combination of a low-nap roller, made for specifically for smooth surfaces, and a quality brush to paint the pieces.  I didn't purchase new paint for this project.  I just went into the basement and grabbed my go to white furniture paint...Behr's paint and primer in one, in off-the-shelf, Ultra Pure White, semi-gloss. {This is what we have on all the trim and kitchen cabinets in our home.}

I applied two coats of paint, letting it dry overnight in between coats.

The next step I took is TOTALLY unnecessary, unless the height of your pieces is a touch too high for your liking. ;)  I borrowed my neighbor's jigsaw and chopped a couple inches off the bottom of each leg on the furniture pieces.  I tried to measure as best I could to ensure I was removing the same amount of leg, but not all the legs touched the floor to begin with, so I kind of winged this part.

Thankfully, I did NOT ruin the pieces at this point {phew!!!}, and I only had to go back and touch up two or three legs with the jigsaw.  To smooth the cuts out, I busted out my electric sander and finished things off. Plus, I put little felt pads on the bottom of all my furniture, so that helps to even things out that may be off a tad bit.

After all of those steps, it was time for the most exciting part of the project for me...giving it a paint-dipped treatment!  I've fallen in love with this look and couldn't wait to apply it to something in my home.  I know some of you got a preview of the makeover on Instagram {retroranchreno}, but come back soon for the full view of the treatment and the FAB hardware I found!!

Gearing Up.

Oh heyyyy!!  Remember me???  No?  I figured you might have forgot who I am since I have been non-existent in blogger land for most of the summer.  I wish I had some super cool story to explain my absence...like I was jet-setting around the world and just didn't have time or WiFi to blog, but in reality, I just needed some downtime.  And since I couldn't take a break from my busier-than-ever "9-5", I needed to take a break from all things blogging.

Don't let my lack of posting fool you, I was still brainstorming home ideas, and even setting some plans into motion.  If you follow me on Instagram {retroranchreno}, you know the wheels have been turning lately.

For example, you guys know I loooove me some Craigslist finds.  Heck, more than half of the furniture in our house was probably someone else's at some point in time.  This summer I came across two listings I could not pass up on.

The first was a long dresser (and matching nightstand that is still in our basement because I have no spot for it yet)...

This pretty thing now lives here...

And the former-dresser-turned-console I made over has found a new home...

Nope, not in our hallway, but in our master bedroom.

The armoire I made over that used to be in our bedroom is now in the basement.  Any locals looking for one?!

The second listing I jumped on was a white mid-century bedroom set.  It included a desk, two matching dressers and a nightstand.  You only see the desk and one dresser below, because that is all I'm using for now.

I know most of you are wondering where the heck these will go...welp, meet our new "nightstands" for the master...

We like the larger pieces to balance out our large king-size bed...but holy moly, did they need a makeover.  From far away, they looked great.  Up close was a whole different story....yikes!!

I can't wait to share the transformation of this furniture with you guys!!  I had to deal with some new situations I never faced before.  The white pieces had a super slick, glossy laminate top on them, and the long dresser had plastic trim on the drawers.  I used a new primer and some homemade chalk paint to tackle these issues.  Plus, I have some fancy-shmancy hardware to show off that really makes these pieces complete.

Woohoo for being back in the blogging game!  Boy, did I miss you guys! :)

House Snooping.

Anyone else love to snoop around and take a peak into other's homes?!?  Come on, you know you do! ;) And if that's the case, head on over to Worthing Court to see an updated tour of our home! :)

Thanks so much for having me, Suzy!!  Happy Friday everyone!

Striped Table Makeover.

If you've been around my blog for a while, you probably know that I loooove a good furniture makeover.  Even some of my co-workers have learned this about me...and when I was approached by Modern Masters to try out some of their awesome metallic paints, one of my co-workers took total advantage.  She mentioned she had a small black side table that was in need of some "pizazz", so I had her bring it in.  I couldn't wait to get to work!

Although once I saw the table, I realized the "pizazz" step would have to wait.  I needed to give the table some serious TLC to get a proper black base.  First things first...the table needed major sanding.  The clear coat originally put on the table was peeling up like dried scotch tape.  Not cute.

After sanding, it was clear the table used to be a yellow-ish color before it went black.

I made sure to wipe things down so no dust or dirt was left on the table.

And then I went to town with a can of spray paint and primer-in-one.  MUCH better.

Then it was time to add a little something-something.  I busted out my painters tape, my Modern Masters metallic paint {in Blackened Bronze}, and a foam roller.  And before you ask...no, I didn't measure things.  I just taped the lines off using a piece of painters tape as a spacer as I went along to keep things even.

Then I painted a few coats of Blackened Bronze onto the table...

...and peeled the tape off while the paint was still wet.  Once it was dry, I applied two layers of a clear coat and let things dry for 24 hours.  Boom...co-worker's table makeover = complete!

1/3 Of The Way There!

Hey, heyyy blog buddies! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July, and hopefully a four day weekend off from work. ;) 

I have been dying to share a project with you guys, and it's actually not even complete. We are maybe 1/3 of the way there, but it's just so pretty I couldn't help it. Like many of the other outdoor projects we've taken on, my parents helped BIG TIME with this one. Let's just say, they know how to clear out an overgrown jungle like it's nobody's business. We first learned of their capabilities when we bought the house...eeek!

This time we aimed those awesome taming skills at our unkempt jungle surrounding our corner lot.  I forgot to take "before" pictures of all the whole jungle, so I here are a few of the untouched areas.  Just imagine this surrounding our whole property.

We knew our property line was somewhere in the the middle of that whole mess...we just didn't know how much of it was ours.  We could never find the middle marker, but we finally came across it on my parent's last visit.  And it turns out, most of this hilly disaster was ours.  Yay...we had more land than we thought, but holy moly, did we have our work cut out for us. :-/

Thankfully, my parents have more energy than any twenty-something I know, and they tackled that hill and all the poison ivy it could offer up!  After a few days, we could see dirt...and a couple cute rock walls, and some ivy ground cover.

And would they stop there?!  Of course not!  We decided this would be a good idea...

Holy mulch pile!!  The next morning, we spent the first half of the day spreading this over the newly cleared areas.  The difference fresh mulch makes is amazing...plus, we are hoping it'll keep some of those weeds from popping back up at full speed.

We still have a heck of a ways to go, but the difference in our yard from where we started is incredible!  And the amazing memories we have of transforming our home with our family can't be beat. :)

Anyone else take on a unruly landscape lately?!