DIY Archives - Page 38 of 52 - Pretty Handy Girl

Build It, DIY, Furniture, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques

How to Replace Decorative Trim on Furniture

I found a cute nightstand at an antique mall a while back. As usual it sat in the garage for some ~~a few years~~ time and then I decided it was time to re-finish the piece.

The nightstand had been painted multiple times and needed some paint stripping.

Rather than use any chemicals I opted for a heat gun and it worked great …

…until I got to the delicate trim on the front of the nightstand drawers. Every time I would try to get the paint off it would gouge the trim. I knew that I had two options: try and repair the damage or replace the trim with new trim that wasn’t caked with 40 years of paint. I had a few trial runs with various trims and various cutting methods but rather than dwell on wasted time I’ll just tell you all about what worked best for me!

Materials: Read more

October 9, 2013/12 Comments/by Jacque Knowlton

Build It, Contributor, DIY, Furniture, Seat Cushion, storage

How to Build a Rolling Storage Seat

Everyone can always use more hidden storage! What’s better than getting organized with more storage? How about combining it with additional seating! Jaime here from That’s My Letter sharing with you this easy tutorial for how to build a rolling storage seat.

Of course I couldn’t stop myself at just one seat, I had to make three – they’re just that fast and easy! The finished size is a generous stool at 19″w x 18″ d x 20″h.

Lift up that cushioned top and you’ve got tons of storage space:

To make the rolling storage stool you’ll need the following supplies: Read more

September 18, 2013/12 Comments/by Jaime Costiglio

DIY, DIY tools, Do It Yourself, Electrical, renovation

DIY Cable Installation

It would seem that every time I’ve considered moving my TV to a new spot in the house, that there’s never a cable outlet where I need one. I recently remedied this issue and wanted to share with you how to tackle your own DIY Cable Installation!

This tutorial is specific to installing “through the wall” cable lines in houses with a crawl space. Since many cable customers have HD receivers, I think it’s important to install a home run aka an uninterrupted run of cable. Doing so will result in a higher signal and better quality picture. With that being said, let’s take a look at what you’ll need.

Materials List

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Low Voltage Electrical Box
Keyhole Saw
RG6 Cable
3/8″ x 54″ Auger Drill Bit
3/8″ x 12″ Drill Bit
Drill
Cable Clips
Hammer
Coax Cable Receptacle Wall Plate
Coax Cable Stripper
Compression Tool w/ F-Connectors
Pencil
String
Fish Pole or Straightened Coat Hanger

Instructions for Installing Your Own Cable Outlet:

When you’ve decided where to install the new cable outlet, measure up 15″ and mark an area 1-1/2″ x 3-3/4″ .

Using a keyhole saw, cut through the drywall to create the opening for the installation of a low voltage electrical box.

Before you complete the next step, make sure that the area you plan on drilling into, doesn’t contain any hazards (i.e. electrical cable, duct work, gas lines, etc.) With open access into the wall, place the tip of the auger bit into the cutout and drill into the bottom of the stud wall to gain access into the crawlspace below. Read more

September 11, 2013/8 Comments/by Matt Knowlton

arts and craft, Birthday Gift, Crafts, DIY, fabric, Gift Ideas, gifts, kitchen, painting, save money, Sewing

DIY Kids Cloth Napkins Tutorial

Hello Pretty Handy Girl readers, contributor Jaime back again to share an earth-friendly, fun and very useful tutorial as we begin to think about back to school! Today we are talking about creating DIY Kids Cloth Napkins.

Let’s make personalized cloth napkins for kids, I promise they will be the talk of the lunch table at school this year!

I was sending my kids to school nearly every day with a large paper towel to place on the lunch table, gosh knows I don’t want my kids eating directly off the school lunch table! Then it occurred to me that using all those paper towels was extremely wasteful.

The solution: make them personalized cloth napkins which can be washed and reused AND makes for most stylish lunch spot at the table! Read more

August 21, 2013/8 Comments/by Jaime Costiglio

adfree, Build It, desk, DIY, hole repair, kitchen, Kitchen Renovation, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, ReNew, sander, staining vanity cabinet, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling, wood putty

How to Cut and Finish an Old Tabletop to Create a Wood Desk Top

Have you seen my command center in the kitchen? It’s a beauty to look at, don’t you think? Especially that gorgeous wood desk top.

Well, I have a secret! It’s actually an old kitchen table top that was given to me for FREE! Yup, zero dollars, no moolah, nothing! And this is what the table top looks like:

I actually flipped it upside down to refinish it. But, I’m jumping ahead of myself. Here are the details: Read more

August 16, 2013/14 Comments/by Brittany Bailey