bathroom

Bread Crate Cubby Display Shelves

Hey y’all. I’ve been busy painting my hair gray. Well, I’m not trying to, but painting the bonus room with its angled ceilings has resulted in a lot of gray highlights. Even Buddy got in the action:

So, while I’m busy googling how to remove paint from dog hair, I hope you’ll enjoy this tutorial I created for building a display shelf using a shipping pallet and a vintage bread crate. My cost was zero because I had all the materials and tools. But, even if you have to buy some of the materials, it should be a relatively inexpensive project. And the best part about this project is that I didn’t use any nails or screws to create it! [Read more...]

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Filed Under: antiques, bathroom, Before and After, Build It, decor, Do It Yourself, jigsaw, ReNew, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling

Installing a Branch Towel Bar

31 Aug posted by Brittany Bailey

The other day I showed you how to prep and sand a branch to make a towel bar. If you haven’t viewed that tutorial, you may wish to do so now.

Okay, so let’s get started. This shouldn’t take too long, but you’ll want to grab a few supplies before you begin.

Materials:

Prepped tree branch
Tape measure
Pencil
Level
2 Handrail brackets
Drill with drill bits
Philips head screwdriver
Safety Glasses
Miter saw or hand saw
Water-based Polyurethane
Brush
180 grit or finer sandpaper
Damp Rag

Tutorial:

Start by marking the desired height of your towel bar. I hung mine at 38″ high.

Use the drill and the philips head bit to insert one screw into the bottom of your handrail bracket. Drive the other two screws into the bracket.

Repeat the steps above to install your second bracket.

Rest your branch on top of the brackets. Mark the desired length of your towel bar onto the branch.

Cut the branch with a miter saw or hand saw.

Sand down any rough edges at your cuts. Lay the branch on top of the brackets.

Center the branch and check to make sure it is relatively level. If it isn’t, you might need to move one of your brackets.

Hold the “U” shaped hook under the handrail bracket and make a mark where the holes are on the branch.

Choose a drill bit slightly smaller than your screw.

Drill pilot holes into your branch for the first bracket only.

Rest the branch onto the bracket and drive the screws loosely through the “U” shaped hook and into the bottom of the branch.

Line up the other end of the branch onto the handrail bracket and trace the holes through the “U” shaped hook.

Remove the screws holding the first hook and drill pilot holes where you marked for the 2nd “U” shaped hook.

Lay the branch back on top of the handrail brackets. Attach the screws through both “U”shaped hooks and into the branch’s pilot holes.

Wipe off the branch with a damp rag. Brush a water-based polyurethane over the entire branch and allow it to dry (about 30 minutes.)

Gently sand any burrs or imperfections off the branch and wipe the branch with the damp rag.

Add another coat of polyurethane.

Repeat sanding and adding a coat of polyurethane until your branch has 5 coats of poly. Do not sand the last coat.

Let the branch dry completely for a day and then add towels to your unique branch towel bar!

I purposely left some extra overhanging branch on the ends for extra towels.

I don’t know about you, but I love it! I think the branch is unique and adds some warmth to the bathroom. How about you? Do you like it? Or is a branch in your bathroom just wack-a-doodle!

Linking to: Funky Junk Interiors Branch Party.

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Filed Under: bathroom, towel bar, Upcycling

From Fishy to Beachy, the Boys’ Bathroom Reveal

17 Aug posted by Brittany Bailey

When I last showed you my boy’s bathroom, it looked like this:

Nemo and Dory would have enjoyed life living in the kids’ bathroom. But, alas, I was serenaded by a beautiful new mirror (actually a new MirrorMate frame.) And so I set to work helping this bathroom grow up.

Here is that beautiful temptress, Ms. Gramercy Martini. Isn’t she lovely.

With curves and details like that, I had to build board and batten moulding that would match her beauty.

And, what bathroom couldn’t use a sweet spot to display some beautiful flowers? I really like this built in shelf, it was really easy to construct it.

The wall color is Blue Slate by Benjamin Moore. And I used the new bath & spa Aura paint which has a matte finish! I have yet to clean it yet, but I’ll let you know how it does.

These two starfish friends are happy to perch on the 3″ deep moulding ledge. Yes, I expect them to make a suicidal dive one day, but my boys haven’t bothered them yet.

Finding just the “right” shower curtain was a little challenging. I would have loved to put in a floral or feminine curtain, but I have to respect that there are two little men that will be using this bathroom 95% of the time.

I am sooo glad I ditched the hollywood strip light for these beauties:

Just a close up view of the battens where they meet the floor. Now wouldn’t that have looked weird if I had left the baseboard tiles there?

Here is a better view of the vanity, new light fixture and the MirrorMate frame.

I have one more project for the empty wall. I took down the old chrome towel bar, but I have a fantastic idea for a new one. You’ll just have to wait and see what I came up with. In the meantime, the hooks on the door work well for hanging towels up.

So, go ahead let me know what you think! Do you miss the Nemo room? Or are you loving the grown up beach retreat? And am I crazy for making this bathroom look this good for my 5 & 7 year old boys? By the way, Pretty Handsome Son #1 tried to convince me that the bathroom would look better with black and pink stripes! I am seriously going to have to paint his closet like that because he has been asking for the same color scheme for 2 years now!

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Filed Under: bathroom, board and batten, Home Tour

Caulking and Painting the Board and Batten

15 Aug posted by Brittany Bailey

If you are just joining me and missed the tutorial for building board and batten moulding, you can view that tutorial HERE. Today I want to show you how to hide the holes, seams and how to paint the board and batten moulding. Plus, how I paint the wall so it looks more like wood and not like drywall.

Start by taping off the moulding. I used ScotchBlue painter’s tape with edge lock technology because 3M just sent me these rolls to try out.

If you are re-painting the crown moulding and the door, tape them off as well.

Usually I fill the nail holes with wood putty. Then I fill seams with caulk. To view a tutorial on filling holes with wood putty, click HERE.

I actually just read about a neat tip on Diane’s blog (who also just added board and batten moulding in her bathroom.) She uses ice cubes and cold water for working with caulk. I’ve never tried this, but am happy to report that it really helps smooth the caulk and keeps it from sticking to your fingers.

Which caused me to amend the Pretty Handy Girl’s tried-and-true caulking method:

Squeeze out your bead of caulk, using a caulk gun.
Dip finger in the ice cold water.
Run your finger along the bead to smooth it.

Seal every seam in your moulding and then let it dry.

Once all the putty and caulk has dried, get the primer out. Paint primer on all the wood moulding using a paint brush. In the center (drywall areas), you can roll on the primer.

But, before the primer dries use the brush to spread it in long vertical strokes.

After the primer has dried, go ahead and add one coat of paint. Follow the same direction of strokes with the brush as you did when priming.

I made a video to show you the technique I used to give the wall a wood grain texture. Please forgive the painting clothes and unwashed hair! I haven’t hired a hair, makeup and costume stylist yet.

I have yet to be able to get away with only one coat of paint. If you look close you can still see some of the blue wall color showing through.

After the paint has dried, it is time to remove the tape. Anywhere that you caulked between the wood and the tape, you need to score the caulk to give it a clean edge when you remove the tape.

Remove the tape and looky at that clean edge! I’ve used ScotchBlue painter’s tape before, but I can honestly tell you that the new Edge lock technology is a big improvement. As long as you press the edges down firmly there is hardly any places where paint seeped underneath. The only places seepage occurred was where there was a dimple or imperfection in the wall.

One thing I didn’t caulk was the light switch plate which I had to cut to fit next to the batten. I will probably go back and add a little caulk between the switch plate and the moulding.

I hope you learned something today. Coming up next, the bathroom reveal!

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Filed Under: bathroom, caulking, DIY, moulding, painting, Tutorial, Video

MirrorMate Installation and Giveaway

10 Aug posted by Brittany Bailey

Do you have an ugly builder’s mirror? I’m betting about 85% of you do. The other 10% were lucky to buy a home that has a beautifully framed mirror. And the remaining 5% either made or bought a new mirror with a frame! When I was first introduced to MirrorMate on Kate’s blog, I could barely contain my excitement. There was finally a fix for the ugly builder’s mirror in my kids’ bathroom {happy dancing}! I could finally say adieu to the stained, rusted and chipped behemoth in the bath and yet I wasn’t adding anything to the landfill in the process!

Bethany, who works for MirrorMate, helped me pick out the perfect frame for our bathroom. And shipped it as soon as the frame was available. Unfortunately, the frame arrived right before I left to surprise my sister in Ca. Then I came home and got deathly ill. So, the poor frame sat in our garage for a month. As soon as I started feeling better I jumped right into the bathroom makeover project. I have to tell you, the makeover was inspired by the beautiful MirrorMate frame. I just couldn’t put that beautiful frame into the fishy bathroom. It just would look like the grown up in a child’s playground.

Putting the frame together and framing the mirror was a piece of cake. Here is how we did it:

1. Unpack the MirrorMate and accompaning supplies.

2. Spread the frame and pieces out. Use wax paper (or old cereal bags) under the corners to protect your work surface from the glue.

3. Glue each corner.

4. Insert the small connector pegs into the slots at the corners. You might need a hammer to lightly tap them in.

5. Wipe off any excess glue with a damp rag (or baby wipe).

6. For added strength and to hold the frame while it dried, I chose to “clamp” my frame by typing rope around it. This was not a necessary step, but I think it helps insure a tight joint, so I did it.

Please tell me that I’m not the only one who started singing. “Spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can, spins a web…”

While the frame is drying, assemble the cardboard guides for the MirrorMate installation.

Add the double stick tape to the back as shown in the directions:

After allowing the frame to dry for an hour, get your DIY partner to help you move the frame. You must be careful not to lift or carry the frame by the corners or it could come apart. I left the rope on it until we moved it into the bathroom (just to be safe.)

Clean your glass with rubbing alcohol (especially where the frame will adhere to the mirror.)

Put up with your handsome assistant insisting on reading the directions (even though you already did and are anxious to move along.)

Have your assistant hold up the frame and then have fun telling him to move it to the left. No, wait a little to the right. Well, maybe back to the left. {Hee, hee.}

Level the frame.

Insert the corner guides directly into the top two corners. Be sure the guide is touching the frame’s inner edges.

Remove the frame and then peel off the tape backing.

Then lift the frame back up with the help of your assistant. Align the frame onto the corner guides and press firmly onto the glass. You only have one shot at this, so go slow.

Remove the corner guides and the glue strips from the mirror.

Now stand back and admire your newly framed mirror! GORGEOUS, don’t you think? And the installation was a snap (or should I say a stick. LOL!)

No one will ever know that you are hiding a dirty stained, chipped and rusty secret underneath!

One final look at the finished product and a sneak peek at the finished bathroom. I’ll be sharing with you the board and batten tutorial soon.

One final note: I have to warn you, DO NOT put painters tape on your mirror or you will be crying the blues like I was.

I immediately contacted Bethany to see if she could send me some touch up paint. I can’t even tell you how helpful she was and when she reported that it was actually hot press leaf on the frame and not paint, I figured I’d be doing some creative treatment on the side. But, instead, she insisted on sending a new frame immediately (which arrived 2 days later!) MirrorMate has the best customer service and she told me “We want our customers to be happy with their purchase, even if that means sending a new frame.” Wow, now that is a company I want to do business with!

Disclaimer:

I was sent a complimentary MirrorMate frame for a product review. I can honestly say that this post reflects my opinions and I was not swayed to write a positive post. Nor was I paid to write this post. For more information you can read my disclosure statement.

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Filed Under: bathroom, DIY, mirrored glass, MirrorMate