A Closet Makeover

I have to show you what our master bedroom closet looks like right now, because it totally makes me smile:

It's a sneaky place to add colour, and I'm loving it.  Originally I was going to leave the bedroom closet completely untouched until we saved up a little cash for new doors and a new closet organizer, but when we took possession of the lakehouse I noticed the mirrored sliding door was cracked - something I'm not sure was cracked during home inspection.

We removed the doors right away because I was paranoid about the crack expanding, shattering and showering me with shards of glass while I slept.  Unrealistic?  Likely.  But enough for me to break out the tools and banish the doors.  But then I was left looking at this:

We figured we might as well go ahead and replace the closet organizer and paint, even if we haven't even begun to look at new doors yet.  But it wasn't as simple as that, because when we removed the shelving system our worst fears were confirmed: the hardwood flooring had been installed around them.  This was already pretty evident, but a small part of me hoped I was just looking at it wrong.  I think I just couldn't wrap my brain around it, because it took more work to do the fitment fussing than it would have to just remove the closet organizer (which was half hanging out of the wall anyway), install the floors properly and hang the shelves back up. 

Luckily, the previous owner left a box of unused hardwood flooring in the garage, so Handy Hubby pried out the offending boards and installed new pieces - see this post for his tutorial on that. 

For all his efforts, the closet colour choice was his: Fiesta Orange, by Glidden. 

I rolled on three coats of CIL paint and primer in one and, because the trim has all been painted out white to match the walls, I thought it would be fun to paint the closet trim orange to match the walls as well, instead of having a skinny white border running above the floor.



I'd like to hang my vintage Hungarian posters in the bedroom, and I think the orange Hubby picked is an exact match to one.  Fun!  Now I'm shopping for a closet organizer.  And then new closet doors.  Oh, and a light fixture for inside the closet because blech:

Szuka is team-orange too, seeing as her favorite toy is the same hue.

September + October are Done! Did We Have Fun?

I skipped September's round-up of posts so I thought it best to highlight September and October's posts together - and right away - before I blink and it's December.  Scary thought!

Of course my favorite post from the last two months was introducing Szuka.  We had a free coupon for a puppy bath and nail trim at a pet store.  They brushed out her wavy hair and she turned out so poofy.  It didn't last, she's back to her scruffy self, but I had to share the adorable photo I snapped.  After steadily taking allergy pills, I'm happy to report I'm no longer bothered by allergies and I've even switched to a cheaper, Costco-brand allergy pill. 

Szuka has yet to meet our neighborhood foxes, who are no longer comfortable just walking in.

I think my second favorite post from the fall was the reveal of the teal velvet chair, still lovingly referred to as "the garbage chair".  I've since sold a lot of our furniture: the tweed upholstered chair in the living room, some teak side tables, the maple armoire (finally!), and we will soon be selling the teak kitchen table, dining room hutch, Hubby's DIY desk and more.  Moving into the lakehouse will be a chance to start fresh, but it has been weird to see some of our furniture go.  This chair will be a nice bridge, and a happy reminder of Ottawa.

Even though it's furniture-less right now, I've been pretty excited about the progress made on the lakehouse.  I've been able to make a couple trips there to work on it, bouncing between Ottawa and Thunder Bay.  After rounding up some inspiration, I took the plunge and painted the fireplace a deep grey.  I'm loving the boldness (see how I painted the doors here and how I painted the faux stone here).

The fireplace is still un-accessorized, but a quick makeover of a fire poker set left with house added at least something useful!

Paint has definitely been my biggest ally.  Painting the walls, trim, patio doors, and even the wood beam white has made the rather small house seems large and airy.  It's starting to take shape!

But not everything is white!  We started work on the turquoise kitchen, trying out a new paint sprayer on the doors.

I even painted over the bathroom tile, using a kit from Rustoleum.

We've only made a few non-paint changes so far, lighting being the biggest.   By swapping out dated light fixtures - even the ceiling fan - the space is starting to looking much more modern.



Even though we're making big changes at the lakehouse, there's still so much to do.  It was fun to take a break and ogle my good friend Erica's completed den.  I'm still enamored with the transformation!

Work-wise, I met my deadline for submitting my PhD!  Although it met with a couple of tough reviews (but two great ones!) I am set to defend at the end of this month . . . 

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Bathroom Before + After

We have not yet moved from our Ottawa townhouse to our lakehouse (long story), so the lakehouse bathroom is empty and in need of accessories, artwork and even basics like soap and towels!  Frankly, I didn't even have a chance to scrub the floors or shower before snapping some photos of its makeover, but after showing you bits and pieces of its transformation last week, I was eager to show you the whole room.  Because it's a temporary fix until we renovate, I haven't actually replaced anything but the ceiling light fixture.  We'll be installing a new towel bar as well, but otherwise the cabinetry, flooring, counter, tile backsplash, vanity light fixture - even the cabinet hardware - have all been given a simple facelift.

The cabinetry was the first to be updated, with Rustoleum's Cabinet Transformations System, which you saw a sneak peek of on Friday.  The existing counter is a pale, mint-ish green with flecks of dark grey and creamy-white, so it pairs wells with the cabinetry (which is Rustoleum's Castle Grey, unglazed).

While I was removing the doors to refinish them, I removed the molding at the top of the cabinet for a cleaner look.  It was barely held on with finishing nails, so it didn't need much encouragement - just a little nudge.  I know other people add molding to finish off cabinetry, but I much prefer a simpler look.  Nothing I can do about the cathedral door fronts, but there's only the two so I'll just ignore them and invite you to do the same.

After I tackled the cabinetry, but before the doors were re-installed, the salmon pink walls and oak trim disappeared with a coat of Zinsser primer and three coats of Glidden Easy Flow paint, courtesy of Canadian Tire and our paint-the-lakehouse partnership.  In the townhouse I shied away from white walls in the only bathroom that still has a beige toilet because I worried it would make the beige "pop," but the creamier colour I originally chose only made the toilet look beiger.  This time I said beige toilet (and sink and shower) be damned, I want white walls.  I especially love white walls in a bathroom because it looks so clean and so much brighter.  I'll love the white even more once we get some bright art up on the walls.  We also removed the oddly placed towel bars and grab handles, plus the blinds and valence, so the walls are much less busy now.  I'll figure out a window treatment soon, but we live in the country so it's not super pressing.

Next I refinished the tile, which was arduous but turned out alright.



I decided not to buy new hardware for the cabinetry because I wanted this makeover to be cheap and even if I spent a few bucks per knob, that adds up to about $30.  Instead I used the leftover Rustoleum high heat spray paint that was rattling around in the can after I painted the fireplace doors and vents.  I just made sure to give the knobs a really good sand with a fine grit sandpaper (which resulted in a cool finish I was tempted to leave as-is), and gave the knobs a few thin coats of spray paint.  I love the matte black finish, especially against the grey cupboards.

Emboldened, I painted the vanity light too.  I hate this style of light but I don't know what kind of lighting I want for the renovation, and I didn't want to buy something I may not re-use.  I originally discarded the chrome plate it came with, but when Hubby scrubbed the paint a little during install, back on it went.  Hubby reasons that it ties together the matte black knobs and all of the chrome.  Okay, I'll buy it.

The overhead light is the one thing I did change, for the same inexpensive Ikea fixture that is now in the hallway, bedrooms and will eventually be in the kitchen, laundry room and half bathroom.  The cohesion makes me dopey-eyed happy.

Last up, we nailed in some white quarter round where the vinyl floor was curling up.  Not a pin-worthy change, but a tiny fix like this, that cost pennies and solved (okay, hid) a wear-and-tear problem, just made the bathroom look newer.

I still can't wait to renovate, but for now the space looks brighter, fresher and more modern.  

It really needs some art.  Soon, I think, soon.



I'm planning something with really saturated colour, like a painting I just recently made for a friend's living room.

A huge thanks to Canadian Tire for providing the Zinsser primer and Glidden Easy Flow paint, and to Rustoleum for providing the Tile Transformations and Cabinet Transformations kits. 

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How to Refinish Bathroom Cabinets Easily: Review of Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations

Although refinishing the bathroom tile proved tricky, modernizing the oak cabinetry was a cinch.  Again I turned to the folks at Rustoleum, eager to try their Cabinet Transformations System.  The colour choices were a smidge limiting (I chose Castle, unglazed) but I was eager for an all-in-one, guaranteed-to-last product.

The kit was straightforward and easy to use (with no sanding or priming!).  After removing the doors fronts I cleaned the cabinet doors and bases thoroughly with the included Deglosser.  This took a few hours because the Deglosser also needs to be wiped clean with a damp cloth and I tried to make sure I did a thorough job.

After the cabinets dried (1 hour), I applied three coats of the included paint (called a "Bond Coat") with a 2" angled brush.  I applied the coats really thinly, starting with the backs of the cabinet doors, making sure I wasn't dripping on to the other side.  Each coat took 2-3 hours to dry so this project took a few days to complete, even though actually applying the Bond Coat was straight forward.

For the cabinet frames, I found that using a small artist's brush (really love that thing for home DIYs) helped me skip the taping step and just get straight to painting.  I just wiped any mistakes off with a damp cloth right away, but after practicing on these cabinets I now have quite the steady hand!

The instructions say two coats should do it but after two there were a couple of spots that needed a touch up.  I had plenty of paint left so I just went ahead with a third coat.  Because my doors are so ornate, it took some extra patience wiggling the paint in there but it was worth the time.  I think a door with a smoother profile might not need the third coat.

After that, I skipped the optional Decorative Glaze (which is created to give the cabinets an antiqued look) and applied the included Protective Top Coat, formulated to work with the Bond Coat to provide maximum scratch and stain resistance.  After it dried, while the doors were still on the floor waiting to be installed, my Mom noticed a few spots less shiny than others so, again, with tons pf product to spare, I applied a second coat but then there were new areas that were less shiny.  We re-installed the doors anyway and once they were in place I couldn't see any difference in sheen.  Sweet relief.

Definitely an improvement! 

Coverage on Solid Wood vs. Melamine

This system covered wood beautifully, but was a touch less cooperative with the melamine cabinet frames.  For lack of a better word, it was "slippery" on melamine, sometimes refusing to adhere neatly so the first coat was really sheer and had poor coverage.  Happily, it adhered to itself well and by the third coat it looked perfect.  To double check, I painted the cabinet doors that are behind our firewood cubby (you can load the wood from the storage room behind the fireplace to avoid tracking gunk through the house).  They are melamine and the white really popped after the fireplace was painted dark grey.  I applied some leftover Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations Bond Coat and although, again, the first coat was more sheer than when I applied it to wood, it adhered perfectly.  And the doors only needed two coats, because they are so smooth and plain.  Photos soon!

I partnered with Rustoleum to update the bathroom cabinets but was not prompted or asked to provide a positive review of the Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation System.  If you try this system, there's even a video DVD included (see a video tutorial online here) and extensive instructions with a helpful FAQ section.  I would 100% purchase this product myself because of the ease of application and the uniqueness of this paint product  - this is more like a mix between a stain and a paint, and it really seems to sink in to the grain to create a super smooth, professional-looking finish.  

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