Here’s how not to DIY
We’ve arrived at spring and that means warmer air, growing grass, chirping birds and plenty of inspiration to do some spring cleaning and get to work on projects around the house.
While our mild winter was enjoyable, I can’t say I’ve been happy about the early onset of pollen and allergies or the rapid rate at which our grass has been growing. It all looks so green and lush, but that means it’s soon time to mow and I never want to start doing that before April!
I’ve often written about some of the home improvement projects I’ve undertaken over the years – some successful and some not so much. HGTV has served as an inspiration and educational tool in my decorating and renovating exploits, but watching the experts on that channel probably also led me to be overly ambitious. I could do a show about how NOT to DIY.
Most of my attempts have turned out well, including changing out a light fixture all by myself (and not electrocuting myself in the process), painting our basement paneling and ceiling and whitewashing an exposed brick wall in our family room. I give myself a “C” grade for removing wallpaper and wallpaper borders, and that is something I never want to do again.
My latest endeavor involves refinishing our bedroom suite and updating the dressers and nightstands to white with newer hardware. Have you seen the price for a new dresser? Outlandish! And they’re not even real wood! Our set is mostly Ethan Allen solid wood, and it’s gorgeous, but the finish has seen better days and is “early American” in style.
I managed to sand down (by hand), prime, paint and change the handles on one dresser and nightstand last fall, but when winter came, I lost momentum. Now, I got smart and borrowed a palm sander from a friend and I’ve managed to get the rest of the pieces sanded and all of the hardware removed. Of course, the new handles don’t fit the current screw holes on the bottom two drawers of one dresser (why are they different?). No problem: I’ll drill a new hole and putty up the old ones.
Easier said than done when my drill bits are dull and two of them snapped in half in the process.
One piece even got stuck in the wood, but I managed to pry it out with pliers. After a lot of mumbling, sighing and a few mutterings, I got the new holes drilled, the old ones plugged and I’m ready to prime and paint.
I can’t wait to finish them. Not only will they look beautiful and updated, but I love their quality and didn’t want to just buy new ones. This also will mean that one of my big projects for this spring/summer will be done.
The only thing left is to clean out the attic. Not looking forward to that one!
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.