Category: recycled furniture

Coldspring, DIY Projects, JJ Lane, recycled furniture, Thrifty decorating

Recycled Materials Coffee Table

Karen

Years ago at our deer camp we found three short hairpin legs in a burn pile. We searched but it seemed there were only three there. Of course I brought them home. I kept thinking I would think of something to do with them. Last year my husband was grading the area that had been the burn pile and found the fourth leg! I will always wonder what the original table looked like but it is clear they came from something mid century.

Recently we cleaned the shop and I ran across them along with some other items and this time I knew what to do with them. I have wanted a coffee table for our front porch.

We have such a nice porch and having a place to put my coffee on and probably my feet too if I’m being honest.

The challenge I set for myself was to use as many items as possible out of my shop to make the table and buy as little as possible.

Ten years ago we made an extra countertop and cabinet for a home my son and his wife were living in. We had planned to make a tile top but at the last minute friend gave me some leftover butcher block that we used instead. We had already made the top out of cement board and plywood with wood trim. Of course I saved that too. I have a problem with saving stuff it seems.

I saw that the cement board piece would make a perfect coffee table top.

I also had leftover white subway tile from our guest house bathroom and another project along with tile adhesive and grout. Some are matte finish and some glossy. We used both randomly.

We were home for a day so my husband and I got everything out, spray painted the legs with rust restorer and spray paint.

I started laying out the tile and could tell it wouldn’t be easy to make the tile look symmetrical. I brought out the big guy (I don’t call him Mr. Math for no reason) to figure it out and even he said it would look funny with the tile I had but he also had a solution.

I had another bowl full of small thin marble tile in the shop that was leftover from our kitchen backsplash. When we laid it all out together it fit perfectly. The marble is slightly thicker than the subway tile but because it is all around the outside edges it works fine.

I thought I was being so smart numbering all the tile with a sharpie after I cut them and laid them out but I learned an important lesson. The Sharpie stained the marble and nothing would get it clean. Even straight acetone so I had to pop all of them up and reapply each tile around the outer edge. The sharpie trick works great on glazed tile, just not natural stone. Lesson learned.

Bad decision

Mr. Math cut a base to go under the tile top to attach the legs to with screws then ground off he part of the screw that came ther the plywood.

He used construction adhesive and screws to connect the two parts. I have no idea why I only took a picture of the legs on top of the tile!

It turned out so cute. I added a plant, an atomic ashtray we found under our rental property when we were working on it, and faux lemons that can’t stay because all my dog sees when she looks that direction is something to chew up. I do have a candle I light when I’m out there without dogs though.

I am crazy about how it turned out and am outside now enjoying the hummingbird war at the feeder with my feet up right now.

While the view is so pretty from our front porch this is closer to reality for me any time I try to sneak out alone.

This was a two afternoon project that cleared out some of my junk and cost close to nothing. Woo hoo!

Happy junking friends,

Karen

Coldspring, Fun with friends, recycled furniture, Repurposed Furniture, ship lap

An Unexpected Visit

Karen

A funny thing happened on the way to the antique store this week.

The Social Planner, her sweet husband, Mr. Math, and I took a quick trip to a town I am falling in love with, Crockett, Texas. The town has some of the most beautiful old homes, a walkable downtown, and great food. It also has some really nice shops, resale, and antique stores.

The Social Planner hanging out with me in Crockett.

This was The Social Planner and my second visit in less than a week. I found something that I just had to go back for on our first trip and luckily it was still there when we wrangled the guys into going back and they were troopers. We found several more shops on Goliad Street that we hadn’t visited before and met the nicest people.

The unexpected visit on the trip started when we, four grandparents who looked like exactly what we are, walked out of an antique store to the roar of a chopper pulling out of the garage next door. It was beautiful. It looked like something off television and the rider could have been an actor from easy rider. As we stared at the chopper pulling away a sweet young lady walked out of the garage to tell us hello. She was so welcoming and pleasant we stayed to visit.

Robin and Ronnie own Filthy Gringos. They make custom parts, build custom bikes, laser cut designs in metal, and ship a lot of it to other places. They moved from Houston to this small town because they wanted a simpler life and lower cost of doing business and it didn’t really matter where they are located. I learned they bought the building two years ago that was literally falling down, rebuilt it, and got permission from the city to convert part of the building into living space. We visited long enough that we got to meet their son Oden and see the awesome home they are in the process of creating/finishing. As soon as I saw the space I knew they were my people. Reuse, redesign, reimagine. The building was originally a cotton gin and has 16 inch thick walls, at one time had a huge skylight, and still has the vault for keeping records and money when cotton was bought and sold. They retained as much of the original items as they could.

Welcome to their space: I am so sad I didn’t take more pictures. The entrance to the home is a wide barn door that was original to the building but I was so shocked she invited us in I didn’t get a picture. It takes a lot of courage to let a stranger come into your home with no warning and allow them to take pictures of the home.

The main living space.
There is so much cool and unique stuff there,
The kitchen area. That vintage sink is cool.
You can see some of the reused materials here.
There are no walls in the interior space. Rooms are divided with these repurposed bookcases from the high school which was torn down.

The bathroom was my very favorite. They literally turned the vault into the bathroom.

The safe door.
The yellow cabinet is so cool.
Ronnie did come back on the chopper while we were inside the home part of the shop and had a good visit with the guys.

Never pass up the opportunity to meet new folks. We got to see a super cool space and learn new things. if you get the chance, visit Crockett, Texas.

Blessings,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, Coldspring, Providence Acres, recycled furniture

The Far from Perfect Patio Furniture

Karen

Hello friends from Providence Acres where I always seem to have a project going and my sweet husband does the heavy lifting. We are in the process of building a deck on the back of our house. We are adding a total of 240 square feet of semi shaded outdoor space that will connect our carport to our back porch and I cannot wait to get it finished. It has been slow going for us, but we are making steady progress in spite of lots rain, humidity, keeping up with the garden, mowing, and heat. Lots and lots of heat. We set a budget of $2000 to get the porch built and we are going to be close, but a little over. I can’t wait to show it to you but we aren’t quite ready yet. As we worked on the deck I kept thinking about a patio dining table and chairs we had out in our barn. The set was given to us by our buddies across the road. It was rough when we were given it two years ago and storing it in a barn didn’t help it get any better. When we pulled them out of the barn I had my doubts. Serious doubts.

Mr. Math had to rebuild a lot of the table underside. It is a butterfly leaf table which we had never messed with before.
Every chair needed work, some more than others.

The set was probably pretty expensive when purchased and was well used. It had been refinished at least once but probably twice. Anything wooden left exposed to sun, rain and humidity is going to deteriorate without lots of maintenance and this set was no exception. There was rotted wood, loose screws, broken boards, and general wear and tear.

After Mr. Math got it all repaired, and I learned how to use wood Bondo, I used some Behr Low Luster Porch paint the I found on the oops shelf at Home Depot for $9.00. I find the best stuff there and hang on to it until I find the right project for it. I am not sure what the problem was with the paint but it is definitely a Behr porch paint called Sea Cave.

I hand painted the chairs. Every stinking chair. It took me three days. All because I was afraid to use the airless sprayer I bought two months ago. When I came time to paint the table I knew I was never going to get the finish I wanted without using the sprayer. 2 hours of reading and two YouTube videos later, I asked Mr. Math to help me. The sprayer turned this:

  • Rough
  • Wet Paint
  • Smooth Finish

All that work, both underside and top side just over an hour including wait time to turn it over. Why was I a scaredy-cat?

Just thought you might like to see some of the repairs. This set will never be mistaken for brand new, but with the paint job it doesn’t look half bad.

The set turned out better than I expected.

Those butterfly leaves are so cool. The fold in half then go under the table.

I found the cushions at Family Dollar for $5.00 each. They make the chairs more comfortable and add a bit of color.

All together, including the cushions, paint, screws, plates and Bondo this project cost about $40.00. Not bad for adding seating and a table. We are looking forward to having family and friends over to enjoy them.

Behr Paint with Primer, Coldspring, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture, rescuing damaged furniture, vintage style

1940’s Chest of Drawers

Karen

Waaay back on December 30th Mr. Math and I headed off to collect a chest of drawers, vanity, and mirror. Somehow along the way I also picked up a lime green claw foot tub but that is a story for another day.

The furniture belonged to my friend’s grandparents and had been in a garage for 20 years and was showing what humidity can do to furniture over time. The veneer was coming off and the drawers were warped. The mirror is going to really need some attention down the road but it is a beauty. I had no idea when I picked up these pieces that shortly I would temporarily go back to work. As a principal. Then there was a pandemic. Then online learning, zoom meetings, virtual everything. The bedroom furniture got put on the back burner. I have been busy people. I promise. So the furniture moved from one garage to another.

I honestly thought that the chest of drawers would be too much work to save but that original folk art factory stenciling kept staring at me. I knew I would have to give saving at least some of it a try. I got busy stripping the veneer off. I had to get a steamer after parts of it but it came off and got sanded. I bought water based polyurethane hoping I could seal the drawers after cleaning them. The first coat was a disaster. The old varnish under the poly started bubbling up. I stopped after one coat thinking that this was all getting primed and painted. I went to bed thinking about that darn chest of drawers. The next morning I decided to try going over the bubbly varnish with steel wool and to my surprise it wasn’t horrible. It took four coats to get them looking decent. They still aren’t perfect but I am glad they were preserved. The top was totally stripped and sanded by my husband including all those wiggly grooves around the top drawer. I stained it all dark walnut

I am keeping this set for my guest room. The base of the chest of drawers was painted a warm white called cinnamon bun. I liked the original hardware patina so I kept the as is but will be spraying them with a sealer soon. I convinced my husband to stop moving it inside to take some pictures, but I still have some touch ups. I love how it turned out and look forward to having it in my home.

Coldspring, Ranch House Overhaul, recycled furniture

Updating a 1990’s Butcher Block Table

Karen

I don’t know about you guys but I am ready for a few things to change. I am ready for a little warmer weather, to be able to have friends and family over, and for this whole stay at home thing to end.

I hasn’t all been bad around here though. We live on 15 beautiful acres of land that allows us lots of space. Another benefit is knocking out small projects that were going to get done “one day” like cleaning out storage buildings, organizing the linen closet, fixing some minor cracks in the Sheetrock, and paint touch ups. We also have a few projects coming up. Before the world slowed to a crawl we had a new washer and dryer delivered and installed (FYI- in the country you have to switch a gas dryer from natural gas to propane and that is a pain.) With the laundry upgrades, the laundry room is about to get spiffed up. I am getting excited about that one!

We also did a project that turned out beautifully and will make our main eating area much more functional. Every since we moved into the house we have had a table that was once in our formal dining room as our breakfast room table. I really do love the table and we have had it at least 35 years. It just hasn’t worked well for us in the space that we have.

This is the most recent picture of the table I had before it got moved out.

The design of our ranch house is a little unusual. The front door of the house, that is really not convenient for guests, opens directly into the space that our coffee bar and table are in. When we moved in the former owners had closed the front door off completely and had a china cabinet sitting in that space. We have installed that beautiful mahogany door and added a really large porch so the space gets lots of traffic now. The space isn’t very large and when we have a crowd over it is tight in that space.

We kept using the table there even though it wasn’t a great fit because, well, we liked the table and we already had it. The 47 inch diameter table had a leaf that extended the length when we needed more seating which was great. The final straw that forced the change (and I am glad it did) was when moving back into the house after getting the flooring replaced the leaf was damaged. It was time to go. I started looking on Facebook marketplace and found this solid wood table for $50.00. The information on the underside said it had a1998 shipping date.

It was solid wood but had some wear on the top.

My son gave us some dark walnut stain from a project they were working on and oil based poly for the tabletop. I found a mistint can of paint at our Home Depot a while back that I knew would be perfect. It is almost a dark pewter gray. My husband did an amazing job sanding and sanding the the top, staining it and then applying three coats of semigloss polyurethane to the tabletop.

The color is closest to this picture. For some reason the other photos look greenish.

This table is going to work so much better for us. When we have a party we will be able to move the table against the wall as additional serving space. The 32 inch width gives almost another foot of walking space through the area. It feels good to make progress on the house during this time of such uncertainty and sad news. We have decided to use this time to turn lemons into lemonade on our little corner of the world and get projects we can do without bringing others onto our property.

I hope this week finds you and your family safe and healthy. We love hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Coldspring, Painted Furniture, Real Life, recycled furniture

Mersman Drum Table Troubles

Karen

We have a cat named Chloe. She is a 17 year old, grumpy cat who works hard to make sure we all know that she is queen of the house. She only eats soft food ( extra gravy variety only) and cat treats. Chloe hisses at everyone, and she would probably smoke and drink whiskey if she could figure out how to make that happen. Her feeding time is somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. We either have to get up, give her a clean bowl, fresh water, and food or she will stand in the hallway and yowl until we do.

The picture above is the best shot I could get of her. She was making another attempt to get up on the table after I had run her off twice.

I was given a 1950’s mahogany Mersman drum table with a damaged top and today I am going to tell you the tale of the table. The photo below is not mine but is similarly to how the table looked when I got it. The only exception is that my table had a large stain on the tabletop.

By now you may be wondering what a table and our old grumpy cat have in common. Well, I named this table Chloe. Does that give you an idea how much trouble this table was?

In my quest to get my stash of unloved furniture moved along I started work on the drum table. Everything except the top of the table was in great shape. I have no idea what in the world was spilled on the table but it soaked in and the top couldn’t be saved. Even after sanding, painting ( primer then paint) and polyurethaning the top the darn stain bled through. I had to get out the serious primer to knock it down. It took two coats of primer. That was when I knew this table would be trouble.

It took three coats of paint to get the top smooth. I spray painted the feet and drawer pulls old gold so I decided to try stenciling roses on the top. Finally I added a coat of poly to seal it…again.

She turned out pretty didn’t she?

I have been pretty spoiled selling my furniture up here. Nothing has been posted more than a day or two. The piece took a while to sell. There were two no shows, then I got sick the morning that a real live owner was coming to get it. I had to let the buyer know I would have to deliver it for them once I felt better. My son volunteered to take it to the new owner but it wouldn’t fit in the back of his car.

The final, and I do mean final straw was the delivery. The table tipped over on the way. I stopped the car and checked the paint. Thankfully there wasn’t any damage to the paint job so I continued on. When I delivered the piece to a sweet older couple, this was laying in the back of the suv.

That darn table.

Drum table 1, me 0.

I literally gave the table to the couple for free and walked away.

Bye Chloe.

Ever have one of those projects?

I hope you week has been amazing.

Blessings,

Karen

crafting, Real Life, recycled furniture, repurposed frame, the office, the suburban home

Quick Home Office Makeover

Karen

The one room that has been totally neglected since we moved in to our suburban home is my office.  It has been our dumping ground, a storage space, and an all around under used space in our home. 

   
   
I know what you are thinking, and you are right.  What a mess!

When I changed jobs recently the need for a home office became critical.  I am currently sharing a really small office at work and I need a quiet place to get some of my tasks done.  

As the closing on our property has been slow Mr. Math and I  came up with a plan to deal with one of the things that have piled up in the office,  paint.   I just can’t pass up samples of paint in the oops bin.  I also love spray paint and sometimes forget I have a color so I buy more.   We decided to use a 6 1/2 inch space behind the door to Store all of the spray paints and samples that I have.  I think that having them all in one place may stop me from buying more than I need…I hope anyway.

Mr. Math installed white brackets from Home Depot that were under $2.00 each and bought the plastic coated shelving.  He did have to notch around the door trim.

I am getting a ton of storage out of unused space here.

   
   
While the shelving unit went up, I sorted though my closet and made it more organized.  I donated a few loose items, and cleared the trash.    Believe me folks, this is organized in my world. 

  
A new rolling cart from Aldi will be where I keep the things currently. Getting worked on.  Check out the Wednesday ads for Aldi, folks.  They have some cool things that randomly pop up.   My vinyl cutter also now has a home that makes sense. 

  
The best part about the makeover were the curtains.  $29.99 for a pair of 96 inch long lined curtains from Homegoods.  I had to buy two sets but for $60.00 total they pack a punch.  

   
   
Everything else in the room came from around the house.

I added in some of my favorite sayings and an old drop leaf pine table tat can will be pulled out for projects and I rearranged.  All in this quick makeover was just over $100.00.  

  
   
I have more “S’s” but this weekend I couldn’t seem to put my finger on them.  They will be added to the wall as they turn up. 

 
A friend made this awesome sign doing a particularly tough time this last year and I love that I can see it when I walk in from the laundry room.

  
I hope you had a productive weekend.

Blessings,

Karen

Apartment living, Building a Home, Chair, crafting, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture, resale finds, The bedroom

Saginaw Furniture Company Expand-O-Matic

Karen

I am always amazed at what I find at garage sales.  At the time I was at my latest garage sale, our house was being inspected so I wasn’t sure if the house would pass.  I had already told myself we were killing time, not buying.  I did pretty well… except for two milk glass mugs and a wooden bowl until I spied something I had never seen before.  It looked like a desk, and I could tell it was old, but what  clinched it for me was the fact that it expanded to become a six foot long table.  What in the world?  The leaves were missing but I had to have it for my long hoped for my craft/ Murphy bed room I am planning at our new spot.  When the bed is set up the table can collapse to be a bench.  

   
  

   

  

  

The price on the desk thing was $25.00, and I couldn’t resist. 

When I got home I started checking online to see what I had.  It took some searching but I finally found it.  Saginaw Furniture Company Expand-O-Matic.  It was probably from the late 40’s or early 50’s. They changed the name to Expandway later but I love the older name.

They were made for New York apartments and were sold up until the 60’s.  The top drawer is lined  and divided to hold silverware.  Apparently the morning mini home market has made these cool again and these puppies are selling for $600.00 complete.

  
Mine is going to get stainable leaves.  The top and leaves will be dark walnut..  The base is going to be painted teal.  I already have the perfect chair for it when it is a desk.

  
Here are some shots from Etsy.  All I could find were sold. 

   
I wish I had those leaves but we should be able to do something that looks nice.

  

  

Mine only expands 6 feet.

 

I also am changing jobs so the suitcase wall will be moving into the craft room along with the sewing cabinet.  As soon as the leaves are done and the Murphy bed built, the room will be done.  This may be the easiest room to put together at the house.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Blessings,

Karen

Country Style, master bedroom, recycled furniture, The bedroom

Drop Cloth Upholstery

Karen

Recently one of my favorite stores to walk through, Harbor Freight,  had cloth drop cloths on sale with a coupon for $2.99 each.  (Right now they are on sale for $6.99 which is still a deal.)  If you don’t have a Harbor Freight near you, I am sorry.  Just kidding.  They have a great online store and any order is $6.99 to ship.  

  

Hubby picked up two for me when he was out and silly me, I planned on using them for drop cloths.  When I looked at them, I knew that I would be using them for tons of stuff.  The drop cloths are 4 foot wide by 12 foot long and the fabric is heavy weight, hemmed, unbleached cotton.  I now have 5 of them stacked up and ready for use.  I am seriously thinking they are going to be curtain panels in our new home.

My very first project with my drop cloth fabric was to recover the bench at the foot of the bed.

We made this bench from four table legs I grabbed (with permission) out of the trash at a garage sale.  It has been in the room since we moved in.

I got out the drop cloth, the ironing board, and removed the bench top from the bench.

 

 

I set up the ironing board and ironed the drop cloth.  What does it say about me that I know where the saw horses are, but had to search for the ironing board?

 

 

Here is a hint.  Get a spray bottle out and Damien the fabric along with the steam feature on the iron.  Set the iron on high and put on some tunes.  It will take a while.

Once the fabric was ready I set up the saw horses, cut the fabric to fit, got out my staple gun and covered the bench top.

 

 Tah Dah.  I could have stopped there but I wanted to tie in the coral color I am adding to the navy bedroom.  I wanted the look to sort of mimic a feed sack look so I taped off three stripes.

 

 

Here are the stripes finished.  My Hubby, Mr. Math wasn’t home so he didn’t cringe when I just “eyeballed” the stripes.  I wanted them to look rustic.

  

 Please note the shoes under the bench.  Don’t judge me.  I live in this house with a very patient husband who really only resufuses to do two things; put shoes in the closet and clean toilets.  I choose my battles.  The best solution we have agreed on is that they have to go under the bench.

I did get the shoes out so you could see the bench but it totally confused another member of our family.  

 

 She was determined to see what was under the bench.    

  

Here it is finished.  

I hope you guys have a great day.

I love hearing from you.

Blessings, 

Karen 

   

Behr Paint with Primer, Country Style, Dining Table, moving, new home, Painted Furniture, recycled furniture

When Furniture Finds Its Way Home

Karen

A sweet couple that used to live across the street from us moved to Hawkins, Texas- population 1278.  When they moved they sold me their farmhouse table.   They just did not think that they had room for the long table in their new dining room.   I really only bought it for the legs because the top was not solid wood.  The table hung out in the Garagemahal for months, and I do mean months.  It was heavy and had to be moved any time that I was working on a project so I started to think I just needed to get rid of it.  I decided just to paint it all out and sell it.  I mentioned on Facebook to my friends that I was going to be selling the table and guess who responded that she wanted it?  The original owner!  As soon as I started on the table, a friend gave me two chairs and a bench that I knew would be joining the table.  They we’re a mess, but wood.

I also had four other chairs hanging out in the Garagemahal that I bought for a song at Canton.

Do you like mixing and matching chairs around a table as much as I do?  I love painting mixed chairs the same color.    All in my friend ended up with a table that seats 8 for her dining room.  The fabric on the chairs is young and fresh, just like my friends.

  

I love the Behr sea salt bottom and the revival mahogany together on the table but next year when our life is a little slower I would like to change out the top for a stained solid wood top.

  

My buddy waited a long time to get her table and chairs (like since November)  but this past Saturday I got the chance to go and visit their little bit of heaven.

IMG_1031 IMG_1030 IMG_1035 IMG_1034 IMG_1033

I love the dark mustard walls with the upholstery.

They call their home the Crooked T Ranch, I think it is charming.  I am smitten with her sunroom/craft room and her bathroom has an original fireplace and chandelier in it.

IMG_1041 IMG_1042 IMG_1043 IMG_1045