Cute Step Stool Makeover

Hello All! So this week I did another quick, easy, and cheap project! This stool came out of my grandfather's workroom and I'm sure was used for many woodworking and other projects over the years. It is nice and sturdy but wasn't the prettiest looking. I thought that it would be an easy rehab so that I may be able to reach the upper cabinets in my kitchen. Being 5'4", I have to climb on to the counter if I want to reach my top shelf or add a wine bottle the the collection above the cabinets. Seriously, the man who mounted the cabinets must have been a giant! 

Here are the before pictures. As you can see there were some vinyl black mats that I peeled off (I then  had to scrub off the old adhesive).

The next step was to give the stool a new coat of paint with Rustoleum Metallic in Rubbed Bronze, making sure to hit all angles including the bottom of the steps since they will show when the stool is folded up.  

Make sure to hit all surfaces that will show. For me that included hitting the nut caps. The actual stove bolts do not show so I didn't worry about painting them. 

The next step was to take the vinyl mats and trace them on to some 1/4" plywood. I then used a jigsaw to cut them out and a belt sander to buff out the edges, particularly the corners. I them placed the wood pieces on the stool and marked the holes in the step. I then used a drill to make holes large enough for the bolts. (That makes three new tools learned in 1 hour - thanks dad!). Make sure to mark  which step it is and the orientation so the holes will match up. 

 I then put the bolts through the holes and secured them with some tough as nails glue. Next, it was time to cut out the fabric and batting to cover the steps. I used to same fabric and batting as when I did my Refinished Card Table and Chairs because I had some left over material and I love the print. With the bolts already in, I stapled the batting and fabric around the wood making sure to keep it nice and tight. I used the same tools/stapler as in the Card Table Makeover and followed the same method.

After the wood was covered I lined the bolts up with the holes and slipped them through. I secured them with the painted nut caps and Voila!

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I'm Moving!

Hello All!

In an effort to make my blog more searchable I have moved from paintandstethoscopes.blogspot.com to http://thedesigningdoc.blogspot.com. Please continue to follow my posts for new DIYs and email subscribe to get updates on new posts!

Thanks,

Katie

Beachy Glam Chest Makeover

Hi all! My apologies for the long breaks between posts. Life has been getting in the way I suppose. I am finishing up my rotation in Internal Medicine this week and I have really enjoyed my experience. I've seen small town rural, big metropolitan and academic cardiology. After this week I will be doing 5 weeks of pediatrics - exciting! Hopefully after peds and OB/GYN in June I will be able to make up my mind and pick a specialty. It's a bit overwhelming and nerve wracking to say the least!

Anyways...  so one of my mother's high school friends was cleaning house and offered me this chest for FREE! Yea - that's by far my favorite price! I thought why not? No loss if it doesn't turn out to be the chest of my dreams at that price. So here is the before:

As you can see there are some dings and dents and such but nothing a little sandpaper and some elbow grease couldn't even out. For the larger defects I used wood putty to fill. I have used wood putty for several projects and have never really been eager to use it because it can be a real pain. The kind that I used to fix my mirror when I did my Bedroom Set Makeover was so hard/thick and difficult to work with. This type was much better. I also used it to fill in the holes from the previous handles. I used both my fingers and a putty knife to fill. The putty knife (or any straight edge) makes for a more even, level finish. Once upon a time this chest had knob pulls which had been filled. I was able to pop the filler right out and saved myself the hassle of drilling. 

After sanding and filling it was time to pick a paint! I knew that I wanted a light beachy color in the blue to green family. Since my mother has done interior design (mostly commercial) for 20ish years I had a ridiculous number of paint chips to pick from. I was between a few and then narrowed it down to this color. I knew it was fate when I turned it over and saw the name! My family has been vacationing on Seabrook Island, SC since before I was born. 

I took the paint chip over to the Home Depot and they mixed it up for me. Did you know that you can get these small containers custom tinted super cheap? The make them so that you can test out a color on your walls before committing to a gallon+ and they are available in satin and gloss finishes. So I got two to make sure I didn't need to make another trip. The paint set me back... less than $7.50 for two containers! (I ended up using 1.7 containers)

I started by cutting in the detailed parts where it would be hard to roll and the edge of the top. I then rolled on 2 coats everywhere and 4 coats to the fronts of the draws and top of the chest where I thought I wanted a more durable finish (and to help hide the wood filler on the drawers).  I did my painting while watching the PBS production of "The Emperor of All Maladies" which I would highly recommend. It's all about the history of cancer from ancient Egypt through the modern day. I read the book but it's a really long read so the film is a good cheat if you are short on time. It is pretty good at staying true to the book.

After I finished painting I rubbed the edges of the drawers and the inside edges of the chest body with wax to make them slide in and out easier and to help prevent paint chipping off from the friction. I can tell a major difference before and after I did this. It's much smoother now to push/pull the drawers.

The final step was to add hardware. I found these fun pulls on Ebay for less than $10 for a set of 10 from China with free shipping. What girl doesn't like a little (or a lot of) sparkle? I eagerly tracked my package across the globe (isn't package tracking addicting?) and a week later they had arrived and were immediately placed on my chest. 

As a final touch, I lined the drawers with a blue and white stripe. Did you know you can just use leftover wallpaper as liner instead of true drawer liner? I used leftover wallpaper from my bathroom. 

So here it is the finished project! I did this over the course of a week in little spurts as study breaks though you could easily do it all in one weekend. In all this makeover cost me a whopping $17! 

When I traveled the thumb of Michigan this past fall I collected some cool rocks (though I should have gotten more!) and thew them in some hurricane vases. Maybe I'll pop some flowers in later. I do LOVE hydrangeas! More on the bottles in a future post!

Thanks for reading! Hopefully I've inspired you to see that old not so attractive piece of furniture in your house in a new light! It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do!