Progress is being made. The old sliding doors on the bathroom and pantry that were falling apart were removed and the two salvaged doors...
...were in place on the second day.
They're all trimmed out and ready to prime and paint. Not sure about the orange X. I think it means, no victims found, take the door.
I think it's a great improvement and I don't think Sam put any more than about 10 hours into the project.
Katy Elliot left me a comment the other day that she had a spool bed in her guest room (seen above). Great mix of patterns, right?
If you don't know Katy Elliot, you should check out her blog. She's been blogging since 2005 (can you imagine?) and has worked for House & Garden and Domino magazines. In 2008, she and her husband Greg bought a 1750-ish house in Marblehead, Massachusetts and they're renovating it pretty much on their own. I can't believe the projects they tackle on their own.
In the post on her guest bedroom, she had a link to another post on Jenny Lind beds where I saw this image above. I love this room but is that a princess phone hanging on the wall? Regardless, I'd be really happy if I could make my bed look like this.
Here's a reminder of what mine looked like when I bought it.
I here is the transformation in progress. I'm using Minwax Brazilian Rosewood gel stain. If you've never used it, it's an oil-based stain that can be used on wood, fiberglass or metal. It's semi-transparent so you can let the underlying surface so through if you want. I thought the underlying color of the paint would be a great base color for the stain to make it look more like real wood.
The original paint color is very close to Benjamin Moore Roxbury Caramel, HC-42.
You can see on the top rail and corner post, I've allowed some of the original paint color to show through so it has more depth.
The spools look pretty good but the flat surfaces need a second coat. It does seem to take a few days to dry really well so plan accordingly if you're going to give it a try.
I'm really pleased with how it's turning out.
And I'm thinking a light color rug will really help highlight the details of the bed.
So far, so good! Looking forward to seeing more...
ReplyDelete**Tami
I absolutely love the bed. Gel stains are a favorite of mine and they are great for beginners because they are so forgiving.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, spindle post bed boy...beautiful.
ReplyDeleteJeez, I wish Sam would come to MY house!
ReplyDelete:) - Cindi
You bed is fabulous and looking forward to seeing more of your projects.
ReplyDeleteHelenx
Your bed looks gorgeous. Did you think up that finish job all on your own?
ReplyDeleteUhhh...Gorgeous! The detail is incredible! What a beautiful bed. You definitely got a bargain! I love when that happens.
ReplyDeleteOops. I forgot to mention your doors. They look great already. What a difference!
ReplyDeleteHoly moly, that stain is gorgeous and you didn't have to strip anything? What a great transformation! Guess black wouldn't have been such a great choice after all. Great way to end my evening.
ReplyDeleteShelley
I love how the dark color brings out the details. And yes, a light colored rug will look fantastic! Love the salvaged doors too.
ReplyDeleteClaudia
Wow it looks great. I thought you would have had to have stripped the paint off and then stained it. But I think you were very smart in doing it this way. Because I think it would have looked just about the same if you had stripped it and then stained it. And this would be a whole lot less work. Love the way it looks. Kitchen doors look fabulous too. That orange X is a little scary.
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding? It looks so perfect, like real wood. I am so impressed at what you take on for projects....
ReplyDeleteDid you have to prepare the old surface in any way, or just slap on the new stain?
The new doors look great (except that scary X) - I thought you were going to attack the bathroom, but I see now it is just the doors that irked you. Always a treat to see what you are doing in that splendid house.
How many hrs do you sleep at night?
xo Terri
Love the new (old) doors...even with the orange X they look better than the sliding doors...I really have a thing about sliding doors...who ever came up with those, anyway?
ReplyDeleteLove the spool bed and the other images too...Seriously, what's with the phone below the window? I would not have noticed that, but since you pointed it out. However, the color and finish you are working on looks beautiful!
I can't believe what you have achieved with the bed, it looks wonderful, sounds like you found the perfect product to use too. I'm off the check out the blog you suggested :) x
ReplyDeletep.s. as to your question, not quite sure which yellow flower you meant but the yellow flower photographed with the red cosmos, is a Marigold, grown from seed, we call them pot Marigolds, the other yellow flower is a 'California poppy' the're very easy to grow, sow them somewhere sunny.. some will winter and get bigger but they also seed themselves and you just get a smaller plant later in the year x
What a difference a door makes.
ReplyDeleteWondering about the hardware...or do you have something perfect stashed away?
You're the Katy Eliot of the Not So Big House.
xo Jane
Great work on the bed - all your hard work is paying off. And yes...a princess phone on the wall? Brings back memories, for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe fram is looking amazing - great job! I'm glad you decided to go with a dark color stain; it brings the details out even more. Beautiful find!
ReplyDeleteThe dark stain really works best on that bed. It really shows off the gorgeous spooling.
ReplyDeleteThose spindles are just so much fun. Classic. Your new doors are going to be lovely all fancied up. I spied the light fixture in your kitchen. I have no idea of it is a new find or not but I happen to like the retro feel it has.
ReplyDeletegreat progress! the doors look great (that Sam is the best;), and I'm loving the bed stain. I wouldn't have thought to put it on on top of the paint- great idea. I've visited Katy's blog several times- they are doing a wonderful renovation of their house.
ReplyDeleteA princess phone!! I had one in turquoise in college!!
happy Sunday!
joan
I had a pink princess phone...ahhhh!
ReplyDeleteI am really surprised the stain is drying on top of paint. I always found the wood needed to absorb it.The bed looks great!! Can't wait to see the finished room.
BTW, I don't remember ever seeing the finished dining room with the staged shelves and the wall art etc... Are you ready to show us?
xoxo Dianne
...I forgot to say that the red X kinda makes my skin crawl. We have had some doozy hurricanes here, and when Emergency management goes through the torn down neighborhoods it puts a red X on the door of the unihabitable homes (then sometimes there are numbers within the X telling how many bodies are inside) :(
ReplyDeleteI am completely in love with that bed! Seriously. Your vision for things is incredible. I cannot wait to see what the room looks like and what bedding you end up with. What kind of coffee do you drink? Hahaha :)
ReplyDeleteWow! Looks gorgeous. I know it's a labor of love.
ReplyDeleteCould you do a "Sam" post and tell us a little about this amazing carpenter? Does he have any suggestions for all of us when we hire a "Sam" of our very own? He's a keeper!
ReplyDeleteKarla in CA.
I wish you were my brother...
ReplyDeletehi steve,
ReplyDeletei've just spent the last hour over on katy's blog. i think we are twins. she has an old house, so do i. she makes jam. so do i. she wears summer hats, so do i. she is a great writer/editor/decorator...ok that's where we part ways but still...
everything you've done is beautiful. can't wait to see it all in place with the fabrics and all.
hope you are having a nice sunday.
xo
Second comment. I love your new doors in the kitchen. They're going to look like they've always been there when you're finished with them. Way back in the 70's, you could buy a kit to "antique" your furniture. It came with paint for the base coat, and when dry, you put the stain provided over top and wiped as much off as you wanted. My mom let me antique the Mahogany dressers in my room, red base coat and then the dark stain over that. I really loved how it looked. Maybe you'll start a new antiqueing craze!
ReplyDeleteI think the doors give your kitchen so much more character. Also, I love the way your bed is coming out. The dark stain really highlights the shape of the spool. I can't wait to see what kind of quilt/cover you use.
ReplyDeleteLove the doors. The X adds character, no?! We have nearly identical beds in our boys' bedroom. (http://simpsonmama.blogspot.com/2011/08/we-had-to-take-several-photos-of-our.html) However we have no footboards. I so wish we did. I got all three of mine for $50 on craigslist last year and thought I was stealing them from the owner. I happily loaded them onto our truck though and paid her $50!
ReplyDeleteTwo huge, huge improvements here. Both look fantastic -- thanks for the info on the gel stain. You get that last window painted?
ReplyDeleteCamille
What a nice project! The bed comes out gorgeous. I'm looking forward to seeing what rug and cover you'll have there.
ReplyDeleteLaura
http://luxinteriordesigns.com
The bed's coloring looks great! Letting the underlying paint show through is actually a really amazing touch. I love the texture of that piece, too. The carving makes me want to touch it.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the doors installed (relatively) quickly! As for what the orange X stands for -- treasure? ;D
Bed is looking gorgeous! Can't wait to see everything all together. I visit Katy's blog frequently - what a feat of restoration they're undertaking!
ReplyDeleteLove your bed. I never would have guessed that you just left the old paint on before staining it. Very clever technique...one I will have to try. I just bought a very old rocking chair/glider and can't decide whether to stain it or silver leaf it.
ReplyDeletehttp://coffeeonthepatio.com
http://www.theapptutor.com
Wow, I love it! Thanks for the tip on the stain/paint. I have a bed from the 1920's or 1930's in my cottage guest room and it needs attention, now I think I know what to do with it! I've just posted a photo on my side bar if you want to check it out.
ReplyDeleteThe bed is beautiful. I can't believe that it looks that good putting stain over paint. It's going to be wonderful when it is finished.
ReplyDeletethe removal of those sliding doors makes me SO happy...the new/old doors are going to be a very nice addition!
ReplyDeleteLove this bed now that you've put some elbow grease into it, Steve. It deserves to be dark and rich. Have you thought about adding small brass casters? I'm kinda loving those right now!
ReplyDeleteAlso - agree that a light colored rug would perfectly highlight those details and the great color it has now.
Thanks for stopping over to the blog and saying such nice things about my bottles. I think I am going to create an etsy store sometime over the next month or so.
If only there were 36 hours in a day! LOL!
Thanks Steve for the mention! The doors are looking great! And the bed is really coming along. I love the inspiration photo with the white coverlet. So simple but gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteMy poor guest room has seen better days...the walls have now been stripped and we are waiting on a new heating system to remove some ducting (out of view) before I can wallpaper.
I love the finished spindle bed. You did a great job. I'm off to read the other blog!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a huge difference the doors make - they look like they are original to your home. Bed looks great too.
ReplyDeleteI laughed when I read your post about all the projects that you have going on at once - I do the same thing. I think I work better that way, but I have no idea why. Lori
You have accomplished so much. The gel stain is perfect and what a find. Thanks for all of your inspiration. We have a 10 year old house and each project seems to take forever so I'm amazed at how much you have done and are doing.
ReplyDeleteOutstanding job. Ann
ReplyDelete