How to Add a Drawer to a Nightstand & Create Faux Mirror Using Mylar

This is the story of a pair of nightstands kindly given to us by my sister's in-laws when we were furniture-less. They are very sturdy. Why get rid of something so functional?

A few years ago, I painted them both white.

There were still two problems: 1) The open space often looked cluttered with stuff I needed to store and, 2) I didn't like the groove handle on the front of the drawer.

It wasn't until a few weeks ago that it hit me--I could add a second drawer to hide the stuff stacked in the open space and give the nightstand a cleaner look.

I removed the drawer and started to examine the structure inside. Instead of removing the existing frame and building a new one, I decided to just add pieces on using my nail gun since I didn't want to rip apart what was already in place so tightly.

I used an extra piece of 1x2 as a guide to help place the piece for the drawer glide.

Next, I needed to build a drawer. I measured the open space and it was 9". Then I considered the 1/4" plywood I would put on the bottom, the 1/4" I'd need for drawer slide clearance, and a 1/4" space on top between the drawers. I decided to make the drawer 8.25" tall. I used the top drawer as a guide for how wide and deep it needed to be.

Then I removed the drawer face from the top drawer. I figured I would use the same material for both drawers and could finally get rid of the grooved handle.

I wound up using MDF scraps for the face, ripped it down to size and reattached it to the drawer using pocket holes.

I attached the drawer glides to the new drawer and put it in place with the top drawer so I could measure how big to make the face front for the new drawer.

I also made sure to drill the knob holes

Yay it opens!

Then came the awesome idea I got after seeing some Glamorized Nightstands from Bachelors Way where she used mirrored contact paper! Gasp! I love mirror furniture, but I hate working with real mirrors. I think my family would be too rough for the contact paper too since it looks like it might scratch easily, so I decided to use Heavy Duty Reflective Mylar (affiliate link) This is the stuff they use in greenhouses to absorb heat. It's a big roll, so it can be used for many other projects too.

I rolled it out and traced the drawer fronts on them. I cut it out minus 1/8" all the way around.

I used a staple gun to secure the corners in place, but it laid really flat and probably would have been fine without it.

Then I nailed on some molding trim that I cut to frame the drawer front and had already pre-painted. Just a note about cutting thin molding like this, it's a pain to cut on the miter saw because it's so powerful that if your cut is too close to the edge it will split and break it into jagged pieces. I cut these pieces with a miter box and hand saw. I found it much easier to be precise with the length this way too.

I carefully taped the open seams so I could caulk it. Then I touched it up with some paint around the edges.

I was a little worried about puncturing the mylar to put the knobs in, but I was very careful and it didn't rip beyond the holes.

I LOVE IT!!! Now I just need to do this to the other nightstand.

Linking up to: 

Valentine's House Tour

After having an abundance of Christmas decor around my house for the past two months, it feels good to have just a few hints of Valentine's.

* The angel/Cupid wings on the wall are made out of cardboard. I cut out the wings and then cut out feathers to hot glue and layer on top. I finished them by dry brushing white paint on top
* The mercury glass bottles were Christmas ornaments from Target that remind me of love potion
* The faux pink tulips are from Tai Pan Trading
* The arrows were a Pinterest project using craft paper and wooden skewers
* The heart topiary was a DIY project using a cheap topiary from Wal-Mart, a leafy garland from Hobby Lobby, floral tape, floral wire, and a thrift store pot

 

* The Vintage Valentine was a free clip art from Vintage Holiday Crafts
* The free Bee Mine printable was from Entirely Eventful
* The Mr. Darcy plate was another fun Pinterest project using my silhouette machine to cut the vinyl.



* The glitter heart ornament is from Hobby Lobby
* I made the white frame out of MDF scraps left over from reframing my doors and windows. The frame was inspired by Shanty 2 Chic's ornament frame

Happy Valentine's decorating! 

Linking to: Domestically Speaking Inspire Me Monday 44

Tiling Backsplash in a Bay Window with Rounded Corners

I really wasn't sure how tiling back splash would work in this space with the bay window. How would I deal with the rounded corners? Should I keep the tile the same height all the way around the windows? 

I started working from the right to left and kept it low behind the sink with the idea that I might bring it up higher.

But, I liked it how it was, just to the window. If I took it up further, I'd be dealing with cutting the small tiles even smaller to fit around molding and curves in the wall, which would make it challenging to keep them from cracking. And, the walls and windows were not very even or similarly level.

Also, the corners where the tile met up had a gap since the rounded corner was turning into a sharp one. This meant there would be a lot of adhesive filler, but it seemed easier to maintain if it stayed shorter than if it went all the way up to the cabinet. 

Since this meant the end of the tile would be visible, any pieces that were cut, I took off the mesh and flipped them around so the finished part was visible instead of the cut part.

There also was a bit of a gap in this area between the counter top and the wall, which it why the caulking line is so thick here.

I like it and I guess that's all that matters! See the rest of my Kitchen Reveal here!

Resize Your Existing Cabinet and Doors to Fit an Apron Front Sink

As part of our kitchen makeover, we had to take out our old sink and adjust the cabinet to fit our undermount apronfront sink before they could template the granite counter tops. I knew this would be a process (involving not having a sink for several weeks). The cabinet had to be cut and reinforced so the new sink would be level with the cabinets, and then the new counter tops would rest on top.

Fireclay sinks are all slightly different, so there was no standard template. First things, first. My husband undid the plumbing and removed the sink. Then small humans kept appearing in the opening. 

We went ahead and cut through the laminate counter top on each side so we could drill through both sides of the cabinet and access the dishwasher hoses. Then I removed the doors and drawer fronts.

Next came some measuring. I measured the sink and fortunately it was 33"--the exact measurement to the vertical pieces of the side. Then I measured how tall it was and marked on the cabinet accordingly.

  Cut down with my multi-tool

Then I added some pocket holes so I could attach the top piece.  (The sides of the top piece already had pocket holes in them).

Next, my husband added all kinds of reinforcements (probably more than necessary). He put some 1/2" plywood on each side so the sides of the sink would be tight against the cabinet. Then, along the bottom where the sink would rest, he put another strip of plywood. He also put supports along the back to help hold the cabinet together. Since we have space on the sides because of the bay window shape, he even put 2x4s on the outside of the cabinets that go all the way to the floor.

He built the back out so the sink would flat against it. He later had to cut a hole in the middle so there wold be room for the faucet and plumbing.

Here is the sink nice and snug in the cabinet. Our sink was 140 lbs and between the two of us, it was quite manageable to lift the sink in and out when we needed. (Not a one person job).

We were able to hook up the dishwasher hoses while we were without a working sink. Eventually we cut a hole lower in the left side of the cabinet to pull them through.

Here it is in it's under mount glory!

 
Next I cut down the cabinet doors. I measured how tall I needed them to be for the new openings. I cut the bottom just on top of the routed part.

Then I cut out how much it needed to be shortened.

Then glue and clamp together. Since the wood was heavy I added a pocket hole in the middle and on the side opposite where the hinges would go for a little extra strength.

You can see on the back how the holes for the hinges are pretty close to the cut. I chiseled a little and they popped back in easily.

Then I did some sanding, wood filling, and more sanding to smooth them out a bit. I primed and painted.
 

The sander got a little crazy on the right door, but honesty, no one really looks down that low when they're in the kitchen.

 

The whole thing was basically free since we used wood scraps from our garage. 

Linking to: Domestically Speaking

Kitchen Reveal

 It feels weird calling this a "reveal" since these I've been changing this kitchen slowly since day one. A reminder of how far we've come:

But I made three major changes this winter that I think qualifies the "reveal" status.

1) Granite counter tops!

My dream came true. After painting my counter tops to look like granite to tie us over for a few years, we replaced them with the real deal. For a while I thought I'd get quartz counter tops since everyone raves about how they are maintenance free and don't crack, but I ended choosing this slab of Vanilla Ice 2 that ties our floors and white cabinets together. I am so glad I did! I love the natural variation and the way the stones glitter in the sun. We went through Old World Stone in Orem. I highly recommend them. They have a much better selection at a cheaper cost than all the other places we looked. The time from deposit to install was also pretty fast.

2) Farm House Sink 

I love this beauty. It's the 33" Reinhard Double Bowl Fireclay Farmhouse Sink.  We got it from the Signature Hardware website. I had to call customer service a few times and was really impressed with them. The sink was back ordered, but came before the estimate date. We ended up cutting down our cabinet and reinforcing it instead of spending a fortune having someone make a custom cabinet for it. I also did a hack job on the cupboard doors so we wouldn't have to buy new ones. No one really looks down that low when they visit my kitchen anyway, so it's not a big deal.

I'm also super excited about my new high arc pull-down faucet. It's a Delta Faucet 9197-AR-DST Cassidy in Arctic Stainless. One thing I like about purchasing stuff like this on Amazon is you can buy it from a different seller for a deep discount if the box was previously opened. I was stalking this faucet for a while and when I saw a buyer list it for $100 cheaper than the sale price, I jumped on it.

3) Glass Tile Backsplash
 


I was pretty nervous about tiling. Maybe because I wanted to avoid using a wet saw (which I ended up buying). Also I wasn't sure how to approach the bay window shape and the rounded corners. Still, it turns out tiling is pretty fun. Expect to see some tiling in my upstairs bathrooms before too long.

I used GBI Tile & Stone Inc. Gemstone White Glass Mosaic Subway Wall Tile, which I got at Lowes. It was on sale around Thanksgiving for $4 cheaper a sheet! I got 25 sheets and ended up returning 4. When I know I'm doing a large project at Lowes, I buy a gift card voucher from Raise.com and end up saving 8-11%. It's a marketplace to buy and sell gift cards. I've only ever bought Lowes gift cards from them because they are available almost instantly to print out. It says they are only good in store, but I forgot and entered the code on the website when I bought something on black Friday and it worked. Once I did buy a Home Depot gift card from Raise and noticed it has fine print saying all sales are final with gift card purchases, so I think I'll just stick with using Raise for my Lowes cards since I've never had a problem with Lowes letting me return something.  

Daniel convinced me to take the tile all the way down to the floor (four tiles deep behind the oven). Good call, husband.

We've been more motivated to keep the kitchen clean since we've made these changes. 

It's also motivated me to better organize the food on top of the fridge with IKEA containers.

I also got a mail sorter from Pick Your Plum.
 

Other changes that have been made over the last 2.5 years:
* Painted the oak cabinets
* Added hardware found on ebay to doors and drawers
* Switched out the light over the sink with a Canarm IPL256A01BPT New Yorker Mini Pendant, Brushed Pewter
* Added tongue and groove beadboard and baseboard molding to the back and sides of the bottom cabinets
* Replaced refrigerator, oven range, and microwave with Smudge-proof Stainless Steel appliances
* Framed the windows in the Craftsman Style
* Made Roman shades out of mini blinds and fabric from Hobby Lobby 
* Reframed the doors in the Craftsman Style 
* Repainted the interior doors
* Repurposed an entertainment center into a custom hutch and trash/recycle center

Things I'd still like to do, but probably not immediately:
* Replace the fluorescent light with can lights.
* Make a barn door to put between the kitchen and laundry room to create a better traffic flow.

Linking to: Remodelaholic January Link Party 

Painted Countertop (Giani Granite) Review - 2.5 Years Later

One of the first things I did when we moved in our house was paint our kitchen counters. I really wanted granite counter tops, but with all the expenses that come with moving in a new house, we decided to wait a few years before we made another large purchase. In the meantime, I used a Giani Granite Paint Kit For Counter tops in Bombay Black (affiliate link) to glam things up, cover a few chips, and add contrast to the cabinets (which were soon to be painted white).

This is the only "before" picture I can find with the original counter tops. 

The painted counter tops looked great...

but, let me be honest, we're pretty hard on our counter tops. Also, I am seriously the only one in our house who actually wipes down counter tops. Anything liquid or sticky that got spilled on it would have to wait until I noticed it and then wiped it down.

Some problems I encountered:
 * If there was anything wet or sticky on the counter top (and there often was) and anything paper or cardboard was put on top, it adhered to the counter like glue. I would sometimes peel off paint when ripping and scrubbing the paper off.  
* Messes need to be cleaned up immediately or they are challenging to get off.
* The paint wore off around the corners and around the sink. I did attempt to patch it in a few places, but it wasn't a perfect solution.
* Even though the top protective layer hardened nicely, after a year or so, I could never get it to feel clean. No matter how much I washed and wiped, it still sort of felt sticky.

My final recommendation:
I think it makes a good short term solution to upgrade your counter tops, but after a few years it will probably need to be replaced with something nicer, unless you are very meticulous and don't live with a lot of messy non-wiping counter people :)