Dear Debbie: We enjoy DIY projects and are looking for some fresh ideas for storage or shelves in our kids’ bedrooms. Do you have any ideas with instructions?
Bob and Leeanne
Dear Bob and Leeanne: Storage and shelving have become such hot items that you will find lots of great ideas to inspire you in home stores. Available at Homesense.ca are crates and hanging wire mesh containers, umbrella stands with a textured finish and shelves with hooks that you can easily imitate and personalize with some wood and a bit of paint or plaster.
You might choose a combination of store-bought and homemade items to make up your children’s rooms.
I built a unique shelf for our family room to display a collection of colourful pottery. I was experimenting with plaster and a few colourful coats gave a salvaged piece of barnwood a whole new look. You can buy Venetian plaster in colours or have the paint store tint it for you. Here I chose light and dark blue.
Use a wire brush and a small amount of soapy water to rub away dirt and sand very rough areas. Let the board dry completely, then apply water-based varnish to both sides and the edges to seal the board.
Once dry, apply the light blue plaster with a brush, making sure to get into all the indentations and grooves.
With a metal spatula, apply the dark blue plaster, pulling a thin coat along the top of the board. Allow the lighter colour to show through. As it dries, burnish some areas with the spatula to make it shine and leave other areas flat. This burnishing technique will only work with Venetian plaster, as it has marble dust in it.
Dear Debbie: We recently purchased a cottage with a propane fireplace flanked by built-in cabinets and shelves that rise to the high ceiling. The wood is a light shade, while the floor has a dark stain. How would you update the overall look of the cabinets and would you change the small mantel?
Susan
Dear Susan: Your fireplace and surround are lovely, but the light tone of the wood does not complement the dark floor, so that is where I would make the change. You can either stain the cabinetry a darker colour or paint it. Look for a product such as MinwaxPolyShades to re-stain, which can be applied over previously stained wood that has been protected by a polyurethane coating. Clean off any dirt, sand the surface lightly to scuff up the existing finish. Test a hidden area to ensure you have the colour of stain that you want. Because you are working on a previously stained surface, the colours will interact. The mantel should be larger; an old piece of wood would enhance the overall appearance and add character.
Debbie Travis’s House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please email your questions to [email protected]. Follow Debbie on Twitter at twitter.com/debbie_travis, and visit her website, debbietravis.com.
