Monthly Archives: November 2010

DIY Show Off Shout Out – Repurposed Shutter

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A great DIY idea for an old shutter from

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I love this!  What a great way to display favorite photos.

I‘m thinking the old shuttered bi-fold closet door in the basement just might serve a new purpose.  Thanks for sharing your creativity, Blair!
Coming soon – in order to fix the feed, the DIY Show Off will soon have a new look. Unsuccessful attempts have pushed me to switch to my own domain. Thanks for your patience and sticking with it while I work out the bugs. 🙂

Coat Closet Before and After and DIY Project Parade

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We’re further along in the closet. Hurray! Here is it now…

Here was the chaos before without purpose or organization.  Pretty bad, huh?

Just baseboard trim and lighting to go.  Full details at the DIY Club coming tomorrow.

Mr. DIY also installed a new exterior door and storm door this weekend.

We’re working in the dining room too and sanded and installed half of the trim/molding for another doorway we’re working on. More coming soon on that project. AND I de-cluttered my blog.  🙂

Don’t forget! Wed. is the DIY Holiday Highlights. I’m not even started but I’m so excited about Christmas.  So, the annual DIY Show Off holiday party starts Wed.  With a freshly painted living room and new dining room look this year – I need your inspiration and festive ideas! There’s a holiday giveaway to kick off the season too!

Did you DIY this weekend?

The DIY Show Off

read more, link up or see TONs of DIY projects

Let’s see what you’ve been up to!

The DIY Show Off

If you’d like to link YOUR DIY project post to The DIY Show Off Project Parade:

1.You must use the button above and link to this post to share the linky love.

2.Include your name or blog name and project title. Add your permalink (not your blog url, but your DIY project post url). Feel free to link a Past Post, just invite your readers in a current post with a quick note.

3.Or email your link to thediyshowoff@gmail.com and I will add it for you.

4.If you notice your link has disappeared -please add the link back to The DIY Show Off to your post today, a button or a quick note to your readers about the party and try again! I love when everyone participates and readers check out everyone’s links, but I think the return favor of linking back is the nice thing to do so everyone plays fair and enjoys all of the projects and links. Also – this blog party is for DIY projects only. Links not related to DIY will be deleted.

Have you used any products from these sponsors in your DIY project:
Gorilla Glue, Krylon, Cutting Edge Stencils, Mythic paint, Purdy paintbrushes, Deco Art Orchid Ceramics, PK Glitz, Design Divas, Moo, Rockler, Dremel…

Then head over to the DIY Club and link up to the DIY Monthly Project Party too!

DIY Club

I’m linking up to

”DIY

Coming soon – in order to fix the feed, the DIY Show Off will soon have a new look. Unsuccessful attempts have pushed me to switch to my own domain. Thanks for your patience and sticking with it while I work out the bugs. 🙂

How To Refinish a Desk – Not Just a Housewife

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Stacy from Not Just a Housewife loves building and refinishing furniture.  She taught herself how to fix hand-me-downs and personalize them to suit her style.  Here is how she refinished an old desk collecting dust in her mom’s barn for years.
The first picture is the before before.
And here it is all cleaned up. The before picture…
It needed a lot of TLC. It had a minor crack on the top, thumb tack holes along the front, chunks missing and a broken leg. First, she addressed the repairs using Elmers stainable, paintable and sandable wood glue. She put glue along the crack, let it sink in and wiped it off with a damp paper towel.
A large clamp caused some of the glue to squeeze out so she wiped it again then glued and clamped the broken leg too using small C clamp.
She re-enforced the drawers and other spots with a brad nail gun.
Let the glue dry for a day before taking off the clamps. Then sand it using a hand sander and by hand if needed, removing the old finish. It would be best to practice on something else first to get the hang of it. (For an example, see Stacy’s bathroom HERE).

Stacy used putty to fill in any small cracks or nail holes. Putty, let dry, and then sand. She used Elmers
 stainable, paintable, sandable wood putty.
In a situation like this, I use oil based stains. For wood was old and dried out, Stacy recommends using oil based stains. The oil in the stain helps the wood. Plus it dries slower than waterbased stains and gives you more time to work at getting an even finish. Waterbased stains sink in fast, especially with dry or porous (soft) wood. You can also use a wood conditioner before applying the stain. It is sold in cans just like the stain and is milky white. She always use foam brushes too. There aren’t any brush marks and it makes for easy clean up. Just toss them in the garbage!

Let the stain dry for a day and a half. It needs to be completely dry and not sticky at all.

Then you can add the polyurethane. Use in a well ventilated area. It brings the wood to life and protects it. Stacy uses Minwax’s Fast Drying Clear Satin finish.

Stacy just scrubbed existing hardware.

Ready to see it now?  Take a look…

Beautiful !  Wow.  I love the finish. I love barn treasures! 😉
 
Gorgeous job, Stacy! Thank you so much for sharing!  Great tutorial! 
 
For more beautiful DIY projects, stop by Stacy’s blog!
Coming soon – in order to fix the feed, the DIY Show Off will soon have a new look. Unsuccessful attempts have pushed me to switch to my own domain. Thanks for your patience and sticking with it while I work out the bugs. 🙂