ReNew Archives - Page 5 of 16 - Pretty Handy Girl

bedroom, Before and After, dark wood, Furniture, Home Decor, Kids Room, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, priming, ReNew, storage, Tutorial, Upcycling

An Easy Way to Add Color to a Dresser {Lowe’s Creative Idea}

Easy Added Color to a Dresser | Pretty Handy Girl

Adding color to dresser drawers is definitely an easy way to add a pop of color to an otherwise boring piece of furniture. Add some new knobs and your dresser will look like a new piece of furniture! (Tutorial for creating custom knobs coming soon.)

You could say that I finally got that Kick in the Pants I needed to start working on my son’s room. One makeover I had in mind was giving his dresser a pop of color. The top and sides of the dresser were in great shape and it has a tough laminate top. Instead of painting the entire dresser, I decided to paint only the drawers because — knowing my little guy — he would have it scratched up in no time.

Materials:

Pencil
Sanding block
Damp rag
Screwdriver
Primer
Paint brushes
3 Valspar Sample paints {white, red and match Symphony Blue by Benjamin Moore}
Optional: ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape

Instructions:

Start by removing clothing from the drawers. Then firmly pull the drawers all the way out. Some drawers have a clip at the end, just pull straight toward you. Others may require you to lift up on the front to release the drawers from the track. Mark the inside of the drawer so you know which slot to return it to.

How to Faux Finish Weathered Wood Grain

Faux Weathered Gray Wood Grain Tutorial | Pretty Handy Girl

Do you love the Restoration Hardware tables that have that beautiful gray (driftwood-like) weathered wood? Me too. But, I can’t justify spending thousands of dollars on their furniture. Instead, I found a Craig’s List pedestal table that had the right shape and size for our kitchen. It was a cherry veneer finish, but after some paint you’d never know!

And then, I created my own Faux Weathered Gray Wood Grain top. All you need are some Valspar paint samples, some wood grain tools and a dry brush to achieve this look.

Ready to get started?

Faux Finish Weathered Wood Grain Materials:

(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.)

3 empty containers
Wood Grain tool (I also used Martha Stewart craft comb for the sides of the table top)
Valspar 6006-1A Woodrow Wilson Putty
Valspar 6007-2A Arid Plains
Valspar 6005-1A Asiago
Clear mixing glaze
4″ chip paint brush
2.5″ Paint brush
Wet wipes for clean up and mistakes
Paper towel or dry rag
Minwax wipe on Polyurethane (the paint on will be more durable, but takes much longer to dry)
Optional: Minwax Natural Oak Finishing Wipes

Faux Finish Weathered Wood Grain Base Coat and Glazes:

Before you begin creating your wood grain, you should paint your surface with Valspar Woodrow Wilson Putty and allow it to dry.

If you are painting furniture, lightly sand the piece. And be sure to use Valspar Paint + Primer in one. This will allow you to paint directly onto the furniture and skip the primer. Read more

April 4, 2014/71 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, Aged, Before and After, copper, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, ReNew, sander, Spray paint metal, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling

Upcycled Plant Cart Saved from “Above the Rim”

Upcycled Metal Rolling Cart Plant Stand | Pretty Handy Girl

This past summer I spied a metal cart in a dumpster. To be frank, I have never truly actually participated in dumpster diving. The thought of actually climbing inside a dumpster has never been on my acceptable things to do list. But, this metal bar cart was floating on top of the trash pile. It was (to quote a Seinfeld episode) above the rim! And it was begging to be upcycled into a beautiful plant cart.

So, I convinced myself it was okay and wasn’t officially dumpster diving. Feel free to debate this fact in the comment section.

I brought it home and knew I could do a quick makeover with some spray paint. But, first it needed a good cleaning and some prep work. The tops of the shelves were very rusty:

Upcycled Plant Cart Saved from “Above the Rim”

And the undersides were filthy. But, the end product was worth it! Here is how to upcycle your own little metal rusty bar cart into a beautiful plant stand!

Materials:

1 Discarded rusty bar cart (rescued from above the rim)
Socket set
Hammer for coaxing rusty bolts loose
Can of Rustoleum Heirloom White spray paint
Can of Krylon Copper Spray paint
Sander/sanding block
Fine grit sand paper
Wire brush
Rag and/or damp wipes
Painter’s tape
Drop cloth
Scraps of wood to elevate while painting
Optional: Drill

Upcycled Plant Cart Instructions:

Loosen corner bolts with a socket wrench or drill and socket bit. Hammer out any that are too rusty to budge. Read more

March 31, 2014/36 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Before and After, chair re-upholster, fabric, Goodwill, Home Decor, Kids Room, re-upholster, re-upholster seat cushion, ReNew, Seat Cushion, Sewing, Stashbusting, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial, Upcycling, Upholster Chair

How to Recover a Butterfly Chair

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Do you have a butterfly chair that is sun-faded or has hideous fabric on it? I bet you thought it was a lost cause, right? Nope! With a sewing machine, some new fabric and a little spare time you can recover that ugly butterfly chair and have a new one. Okay, so I didn’t recover it with green fabric in honor of St. Patrick, but what could be greener than a good old upcycling project! Believe it or not, this was a much easier project than I had anticipated, so don’t get scared by the curves. You can “sew” do this! 😉

I stumbled upon this chair at Goodwill for $9.99. Normally I wouldn’t spend this much for a sun-faded chair, but because I was working on the school library makeover project — and we needed more comfortable seating — I bought it. After all, we would have had to pay at least double for another comfy chair.

Luckily, I had some soft leftover fleece fabric that I could use to recover the chair. I wish I had measured how much I used, I think it was a little less than 2 yards.

Materials:

2 yards of fabric
Coordinating thread
Pins
Scissors
Old butterfly chair + old cover

Instructions:

1. Remove the old cover from the butterfly chair frame. Lay it on top of your fabric (both right sides up.) Read more

March 17, 2014/6 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Automotive, Before and After, Home & Auto Maintenance, ReNew, repair

DIY Automobile Headlight Restoration

I have found that most of my driving is done when it’s dark outside. I get up pretty early to go into the firehouse and on my drive in I tend to notice things around me, things like how bright my headlights are compared to other vehicles on the road. What surprises me is how many vehicles have cruddy looking headlights. Nowadays most headlights are made from plastic. It’s cheaper and more durable than it’s glass predecessor, but the disadvantage is that it’s prone to oxidation. In simpler terms, over time, ultraviolet light from the sun, breaks down the plastic, causing a hazy or yellow film to appear. It lessens the effectiveness of your headlights and during the day, makes your car look bad. Luckily, 3M Car Care makes a DIY Headlight Restoration Kit to get your headlights looking as good as new!

Materials:
(contains affiliate links)

3M Headlight Renewal Kit with Protectant

The Kit contains:

1- Disc Pad Holder
1- 3M™ Automotive Masking Tape
1- 3M™ Soft Interface Pad
6- 3M™ Sanding Discs (depending on your headlight condition, you may need more than 6)
4- 3M™ Finishing Discs
1- 3M™ Trizact™ Disc
1- 3M™ Headlight Lens Polish
1-Buffing Pad
Headlight Protectant (not shown in this tutorial)

What Else You’ll Need:

Drill
Spray Bottle and Water
Several clean rags
Safety Glasses

Here’s the condition of the headlight that I’ll be using in my restoration.