Sep 3, 2012

{Your Charming Questions}…answered

A lot of people have been sending me questions about how and what we do around here, so I thought I would take this time to answer some of your questions…

And {A Charming Nest} blog is closing in on a MILLION hits!  I can’t believe it!  Amazing!  And to all you charming peeps that keep stopping by…thank you! 

Mudroom Questions:

Did you sand the consoles before you painted them?
Nope.  We didn’t sand any of the Hemnes furniture before we painted the consoles.  We didn’t even prime.  Since it was already white, we essentially were just adding another coat of latex paint.  We did prime the wood pieces added on top of the bench to make the lockers.  All of that was either unprimed pine boards, or pre-primed MDF.  We love Sherwin Williams Adhesion primer (if we need a primer) and all Sherwin Williams paint…we used Pro-Classic in the color Extra White in satin finish.  We also like SH’s Cashmere line.

How did you paint the piece? Brush, Roller, Sprayer?

Brush and Roller.  I like Purdy brushes…they leave very little marks.  Make sure you add Floetrol by Flood to latex paint.  It is found at any hardware store.  Just ask anyone, and they will know what to get you.  It’s great to get that factory finish without a sprayer.  Personally, sprayers scare me.  They clog, get splattery, and just cause a mess.  I like to use a good old brush and roller.

This is fantastic! How is the white paint holding up? We're looking into doing our mudroom/lockers and I'm concerned about the white paint not holding up to the abuse.

The paint has held up great!  Actually, there are no dings or anything on the paint finish.  I’m somewhat of a perfectionist about this, and I love it still!

I would like to put a dark stained top on my Hemnes bench too. Did you remove the original top? How did you attach the pine top?

Nope. We pre-stained pine board and then just nailed them in place right on top of the existing tops.  We then wrapped the edges with 1x2  pre-stained pine boards and mitered the corners.  I used 1 part English Chestnut and 1 part Special Walnut to stain and a satin finish poly.  

Do you still have the plans and or dimensions for the locker/storage unit you have on your site?  My wife wants to make something like this and this is the best DIY unit I have ever seen and would be perfect for the space we want to put it in.

Check on these posts {Mudroom Bench} and {Mudroom Storage Reveal}.

Great looking mudroom storage "tree". Was wondering what kind of wood you used for the project?

We used a variety of paint grade un-primed pine boards in a variety of sizes.  We also used MDF for a few pieces as well.

Late to the party but did you use an orbital sander or was it hand?

We used a orbital sander by Black and Decker and a belt sander for bigger jobs.  I recommend a hand sander.  They are handy!

Have you figured out what to do with the space between the drawers and the bench area? We are doing this soon in our back entryway but I'd like to make the most of this space---any ideas?

Nope!  I haven’t even found baskets that I LOVE and that fit!  That was poor planning on our part.  I thought I would used some IKEA baskets (Branas small)…but I just don’t love them and don’t want to spend the money to buy them.  So, I’m still hunting.  As far as the small space above the drawer, Justin may be building me something to fit in those spaces.  You’ll be the first to know!

Paint Color Questions:

Please share the paint color used in your bedroom? It's perfect!

In the old room in our old house, it was light blue/green/gray called Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore.  Right now, our bedroom is Nomadic Desert by Sherwin Williams…that’s going to change!

I realize that you probably get tired of answering paint color questions, but is it really Nomadic Desert that is in all three rooms in the very last picture? (Where you can see three separate rooms- table/dining area, entryway, and sitting room?) It looks like three (or four) separate colors, and if so, what are the other colors?! If it really is just Nomadic Desert, it amazes me how much light can change things! on {DIY Door Casings}…the easy way.

Yep!  Sherwin Williams Nomadic Desert was what was available by our builder and that’s what we got…in our WHOLE HOUSE!  It was also in our old home, so we knew we liked it.  We plan on painting the dining room and front room a different color in the future.  Yes, LIGHT makes a HUGE difference!   

Transoms Questions:

Where did you get your transoms? We want to add to our 1920's California Bungalow but want a good price. Your transoms look great!

We made ourselves!  {It takes time…} using our tutorial for the casings from this post {Door Casings}…the easy way.

General Questions:

I have a question though. I don't have access to a saw. Do you think I could have Lowes/Home Depot cut all the lattice and molding if I had it all measured out for them? Would that work not having the dresser there?

I bet if you got them on a “not so busy” day they might do all those cuts for you.  You may have to bat your eyelashes…but I recommend a saw.  I have short eyelashes.

What do you use to fill your nail holes, caulk? Window glaze? drywall spackel? Wax stick? It all looks so seamless, and I have a really hard time filling my nail holes so they are completely invisible.

We used Elmer’s Glue Putty.  It’s thick and dries fast.  We goop and glob it on over the hole.  That way when we sand it sands smooth and you don’t get an indent.

Happy Labor Day!

Be Well,
 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Erin! I have a question. What kind of nail gun do you use for your smaller jobs, such as furniture? I'm looking to start doing more home projects and I'm not sure which to use? Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We have one nail gun that we use everything. It is a craftsman evolve 18 gauge brad nailer.

      Delete

Thank you for your comment.