Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Diary of a Laundry/Powder Room–The Beginning



I’ve been in my current house for over 4 years now.  Mr. Charming and I have managed to rework much of the house but 3 bathrooms have remained untouched.
My laundry machines reside in my main floor powder room.  Convenient ?  Yes  Attractive ?  No.
I admit there are times when I am ashamed to say ‘this is my before picture’, and this is one of them.   Granted, the  bi-fold doors that concealed the laundry area have been taken down for this picture… but it is an unsightly bathroom nonetheless. Thankfully, I have a second floor family room and guests can use the ‘less unattractive’ bathroom up there.
Ok, so here it is <big breath>  in all it’s previous glory.
Laundrypowder room before 001a



Can you believe I’ve lived with this for 4 years? Yup.. neither can I.
Laundrypowder room before 005a
Ok, now that the embarrassing part is over.  I knew most of this bathroom needed to be demolished, including the floor. 
This makeover will take several steps and will be posted as we go along.
About 3 years ago I bought an old buffet on Craigslist.  At that time I started to strip the layers and layers of paint caked on it so I could stain it, and after 4 attempts at trying to get paint off the top, I pushed it aside and there it sat in the garage till now… 3 years later.
DSCN3646a
Three-odd years later it makes another appearance and I give it another shot.
DSCN3648a
I manage to clean the top surface but you can see how much paint is still caked in the tiny grooves. 
I concede.  Moving on to Plan B.
DSCN3649a
For now, I remove the back piece and cover the raw wood, while I paint the cabinet off-white.
DSCN3660a
There were layers of paint all over this cabinet but I left some raised  here and there to really give off a cracked, aged look.  After painting and glazing the original heavy metal knobs and hardware go PERFECTLY with the cabinet.  I didn’t do anything to these other than clean them.  They’re gorgeous.
Laundrypowder room before 017a
And here is a sneak peek at how the top looks stained.  This is one application of stain.  I ended up giving it two to darken it further. The top back piece is in the works.
With a few more modifications, this beautiful cabinet will be used as the vanity in the new Laundry/Powder Room.
Laundrypowder room before 020a
More to come  ….

22 comments:

  1. Oh Lisa! That is going to be absolutely FABULOUS!! ohmygoodness!! Can't wait to see MORE!!

    Lou Cinda

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  2. Oh I Love It...I Just posted a piece of furniture i re-did..Actually three pieces and still working on the rest...i think yours turned out Fabulous!!!

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  3. So far so beautiful... can't wait to see it all!

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  4. we are closing on a house in 2 weeks. . my laundry room is the same set up as yours, I've been stumped on how to make it work. You blog is so timely, can't wait to see what you're going to do.

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  5. OMGGGG......I can't believe it I am so excited!!!!! I have been hearing about this bathroom for a long time, I can't wait to see the finished product.....;-)

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    1. LOL... Poor Angela has been hearing me lament about my laundry room nightmare for YEARS. Merry Early Christmas Ang ! lol

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  6. Looking good........you are such a tease :)

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  7. Great cliffhanger. That vanity will be amazing though.

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  8. Oh goodness, I cannot wait to see how this turns out!

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  9. ohhh lovely! mmmmmmm xo

    www.NorthernCottage.net

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  10. Oh wow!!! What a project!!
    I just love projects:):)

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  11. I love that piece of furniture and you are doing such a beautiful job on refurbishing it! How exciting for you to finally be able to remodel your bath/laundry room and I look forward to seeing the progress.

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  12. Serious love here! I can't wait to see it when everything is finished!

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  13. Lisa I can't wait to see more.....

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  14. Lisa,
    You are such a tease!! What little you have shown is gorgeous. Can't wait to see the progress and finished room.
    By the way, I love the awning look over your kitchen window. It is so unexpected and fun.
    You have wonderful taste,thanks for sharing your wonderful blog and home.
    -Lisa

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  15. Lisa ~ your bathroom "before" is honestly not that bad. My 2 bathrooms are much worse! Neither of my bathrooms have been redone and we've lived here 21 years. :-o

    The vanity you are working on looks gorgeous. Can't wait to see the complete re-do!

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  16. Lord Have Mercy Lisa! This is going to be a show stopper!!! I have the vision in my head and am LOVING it! I cannot wait to see more! This buffet/vanity is Stunning!!!!

    Lou Cinda

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  17. Excellent woodworking! So much to learn from your blog. Is it okay if I share this on my blog?

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