Wahoooooooo! A list post! I loooooooooove lists! Oh haaaaaappy day.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, this post will continue without the excessive exclamation points & extraneous vowels.
Lots of people have been asking what we’ll tackle next, what order we’ll be doing things in, etc. And our answer is usually: it’ll honestly just depend on our mood and what supplies we have on hand. When it comes to big projects we like to save our pennies and plan things to death, but for small things (which we always recommend doing first so you can live with the house for a while before making any dramatic changes that you might regret) we always just dive in and learn as we go. It’s the only way we’ve been able to accomplish things instead of being paralyzed by indecision. So we’ll hang frames somewhere and if we don’t like them we’ll move them. Same deal for picking paint colors and arranging furniture. And we’ll post pics and details as they occur, not to worry! But just for fun (and because I’m a die-hard list making fool) I thought I’d share a few of the bulleted things scrawled in a notebook by the bed.
My method? Just casually write everything out in list form, circle the small things I think we can get to right away, cross them off as we go, and underline the long term things we want to save for and tackle when we finally have the funds (and are feeling more sure about our approach). Looking at those underlined things from time to time keeps us excited to squirrel away as much as we can to make them a reality down the road. And seeing all the crossed off smaller items reminds us that bite-sized undertakings can really keep you motivated and excited to tweak your house one day at a time until it’s suddenly your love-it-to-pieces home. Anyway, here’s the ol’ list:
To Do (But Not All At Once…):
- Find bold saturated/patterned fabric and DIY some no-sew curtains (using this method) for the living room, future dining room, office, guest bedroom, playroom, bedroom, hall sliders, etc.
- Paint every room (this is one of those slowly over time tasks- we’re thinking about tones seen here in this whole-house color scheme post of yore)
- Paint all the dark wood trim (beams, trim, baseboard, crown) in the living room and the kitchen (some people love natural wood trim, but we love it glossy and white)
- Remove unnecessary bi-fold doors
- Frost the side door that looks in on the kitchen (just tackled this- will post details soon)
- Remove the shelves next to the fireplace (just realized we didn’t share this project yet- soon!)
- Prime and paint the paneling in the kitchen using this method (not sure what color we’ll go for…)
- Redo the kitchen backsplash (check out overstock.com for tile along with clearance stuff from local vendors)
- Get all new kitchen hardware (check out local places, online stuff, and big box stores for best deal)
- Prime and paint the oak cabinets in the kitchen using this method (again, not sure what color)
- Finally refinish and reupholster the craigslist rocker that we got a while back (and find a spot for it in one of the living areas so it gets lots of casual use)
- Recover the leather parsons chair in the corner of our living room (at the white desk) with a bright fun fabric slipcover
- Replace a ton of light fixtures (too many to list)
- Remove all the door handles, hinges, and doorknobs in the house and spray them with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint
- Frame out the mirror in the hall bathroom
- Paint the vanity in the hall bathroom
- Hang a thick velvet curtain in front of our walk-in closet
- Wallpaper or stencil the sink nook in the master bedroom
- Frost or add curtains to the window in the master bathroom (and possibly the other two bathroom windows)
- Turn the area between the addition and the old house with the sliders leading out onto it into a sweet outdoor cutting garden (it’s near the kitchen, and it seems to get enough light… will share details in the spring when it’s planting time)
- Make built-ins around the washer and dryer to create mini mudroom function and replace cabinet doors up top with pull out baskets or drop down blinds
- Paint the front door
- Frame out the porch columns so they’re chunky and square instead of ornate and curvy
- Plant evergreen trees around the perimeter of the property for more privacy from the side, back, and even part of the front (waiting for them to “fill in” will be the hardest part, but getting smaller plants will save us money so we’ll hopefully have patience)
- Pump up the curb appeal with more landscaping upgrades
These ones are circled:
- Paint the back of the future dining room built-ins something fun and bright
- Update and paint the vanity in the master bathroom
- Replace the medicine cabinet in the guest bathroom with a charming mirror
- Paint the dark brick fireplace in the kitchen using this method
- Paint the master bedroom
These ones are underlined:
- Refinish the various wood floors throughout the house (the same shade for a nice cohesive look- dark brown? ebony? light gray?)
- Turn the fireplace in the kitchen into a double-sided fireplace that also opens up into the living room (call the mason who helped open the doorway in our old house just to make sure it’s possible and get an estimate)
- Widen the doorway between the kitchen and the living room
- Create a huge doorway between the kitchen and the future dining room that lines up with the newly widened doorway between the kitchen and the living room
- Build/adapt a custom island for the eat-in area of the kitchen near the fireplace
- Convert the carport into a garage (and pick out a killer garage door to add some dimension and architecture to our flat little rancher)
- Add french doors between the future dining room and the office (for privacy and tons of charm)
- Replace the flooring in the kitchen and mudroom/laundry room (with cork ?)
Furnishings To Slowly Save Up For:
- A queen sized bed for the master (so we don’t have to sleep on our mattress on the floor anymore)
- A big charcoal gray u-shaped sectional for the living room (I’ve dreamed about having a big enough living space for a sectional for at least the past three years)
- A larger TV stand/media center for the living room (ours is laughably dinky, but we’ll craigslist it and put the money toward something that’ll fit the space better- hopefully something thrifted or even something we can build ourselves)
- A giant rug to define the new seating area in the living room (8 x 10? 9 x 11?)
- Some kick-arse stools for the new island in the kitchen once it’s there (find something cheap and reupholster it for more style?)
- A giant round wooden pedestal table for the future dining room (with an expandable leaf to seat 10-12 people)
- Comfy chairs for the future dining table (preferably upholstered parsons chairs so they look library-ish and casual as opposed to hard and wood-heavy)
- New shower curtains and bathroom towels and accessories for the hall bath and guest bathroom
- New energy efficient appliances for the kitchen and the laundry room (we’re waiting for some killer deals, which we’ve heard can pop up in February once new models are introduced- we’ll also check out craigslist and scratch & dent stuff).
- A full sized bed frame, mattress, and box spring for the guest room (then we’ll make a fun DIY headboard)
- A big cabinet or console table for the hallway off of the kitchen (thrifted/craigslisted and refinished?)
- A new console table (since ours is laughably small, we’ll sell it and put the money towards one that’ll better fit the space to help define the entryway in the front of the house)
- His and hers dressers for the master bedroom that we can refinish (preferably super cheap on craigslist or from the thrift store)
In summary, it doesn’t sound like rocket science, but our method is to basically just write everything down and tackle things that are doable and not too intimidating while we save up for the bigger projects. And as for priorities, we generally just do whatever project we’re in the mood to take on (barring anything that needs to be a priority for safety or other extreme urgency reasons). And we definitely jump around from room to room just to stay excited and not feel too regimented and “forced” into doing something that we might not want to deal with yet.
So you’ll see us working on different areas and taking on everything from DIY curtains and paint-related projects to heavy duty renovations and lightweight accessorizing. We’ll share more deets on each of those projects as we tackle them over the next few years (yes, we said years- remember our last house took us 4.5 years to “finish” – and even then there were things we could have noodled for years). Woot! Off to the home improvement store (again) for more supplies. There’s no place like home (depot). Sometimes I wish I had red sparkly shoes that I could click three times and be taken to the hardware aisle…
Psst- Adorable “I heart lists” stationery found here on Etsy.
Psssst- Check out this floor plan post which might make some of the major layout changes & renovations that we’ve listed a bit more clear.
Katie says
I know how you feel with the to do lists! Its hard to feel settled with some much left to do! Good luck. Have fun painting the trim – we did that in our current house too.
Katie
mypatsyann says
WOW. You are amazing. I need to do this list thing!! You’ve inspired me. And I know what you mean about Home Depot. I’m on a first-name basis with the lumber guy…I love just hanging out in the lumber aisle swapping stories and plans with the other customers. That’s my idea of a night out.
Nichole@40daysof says
Thanks for posting this. For those of us who are organizationally challenged (me!), it really is helpful. I am really looking forward to see the results of so many of the projects listed.
http://40daysof.wordpress.com/2010/12/29/how-to-look-like-a-space-alien-with/
Krista says
Explanation points? I think maybe exclamation points, right? Although now that I think about it, maybe we need some sort of grammatical explanation point — like a period with power that lets a reader know that whatever the preceding sentence was, it was a great great point.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, all fixed!
xo,
s
Micha says
I’m usually not one for making lists but we created a Master to-do-list for our ugly duckling house and are lovin’ it!
I’m stoked I get to peek at your renovations and brainstorming pretty much every morning for the next couple of years :o)
Nikki says
For the evergreens check to see if leyland cypress’ will grow in your area. They are really fast growing…my parents planted 52 of them four years ago and then have at least quadrupled in size (although full disclosure – they fertilize with horse manure that’s conveniently located in an adjacent pasture). Anyway…thought you might appreciate the tip. Great work! You guys have been busy :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Nikki,
Thanks for the suggestion! We’ll definitely look into it.
xo,
s
Jenn from Much to My Delight says
By my account, that list should yield approximately 300 blog posts. I love that you’ve already managed to scratch off some biggies and look forward to seeing what else you manage to accomplish (to perfection, no doubt!). The only thing more gratifying than writing a list is scratching things off of it!!
Stephanie says
Thanks for sharing your list making method – I might have to adapt it for myself. My husband and I are getting settled into our new house and are torn in a million different directions trying to decide what to tackle first (and how to budget for it).
Amanda says
It looks like you have lots of great stuff planned. Have you guys had any moments of “I miss our old house” though?
YoungHouseLove says
We actually expected to have those moments but we haven’t had a single second of “I miss our old house” yet! We’re usually good about looking forward and not back, so although our first house was an amazing place to live, we’re really focused on the new house and how excited it makes us!
xo,
s
Carol Adams says
Ooooooo
The new abode is just charming.
I will be looking forward to all the projects u have on your awesome list in the 2011! (love that!! Hubs is an engineer, so according to him I really don’t list enough.!)
What a lucky house to have been purchased by such a wonderful little family.
Reading your blog ALWAYS makes me smile!
Thank you & big hugs from Indiana!
naomi says
I love lists, too–it’s so nice to see everything in black and white, instead of having them pound around inside my head.
I have a question relate to all of the “To-Do”s you have going on: I know you guys are working toward a greener home, so I was wondering what your plan was for the kitchen counters. Here in my part of Texas there is a very large granite quarry nearby, so I’ve seen what harvesting that stuff does for the surrounding landscape (not to mention the fact that it took the Earth millions and millions of years to make). Or are the counters already granite (I can’t tell–my eyes are as old as the rest of me) and staying?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Naomi,
They’re actually already granite. Not something we would have chosen, but we like to work with what we have…
xo,
s
Stephanie Phillips says
I love that you are a list junky, too! We have a list that hangs on our fridge door, organized by room and short-term/long-term goals. It’s awesome for Saturday mornings- just grab a cup of coffee and stand there perusing the options. We’ve gotten a ton done this way!
We’re replacing our knobs and hinges on the interior doors with brushed nickel. Since it’s a little more expensive than spray-paint, we just add one or two to each Lowes purchase we make (so it’s only $8-$16 a pop). The expense goes almost unnoticed that way, but we’re slowing converting every door this way!
Sarah says
Please post the details of your door hardware spray painting project! I’ve been wanting to spray all our 1978 brass hardware a beautiful brushed stainless but I’m worried about how it will affect the functionality of the moving parts inside. Did you guys do this in the old house?
YoungHouseLove says
Never done it before- but we figure before paying for all new stuff it’s worth a try to attempt to salvage the old stuff! You know we like to work with what we have. And of course we’ll post all the details when we get there.
xo,
s
emily says
We are also remodeling our 60s ranch as we can afford it. Yesterday I snagged a chandelier at Tuesday Morning for $40 (original price was $350)! They are having a clearance sale right now (50% off all clearance). You should check it out!
Cheryl says
We moved two years ago and we had trimmed down considerably before moving to our new house. To my surprise, few of our previous belongings (furnishings) looked right in the new house and I could see that we’d have to replace items, bit by bit.
One suggestion: consider holding off on purchasing “place-holders” and just wait until you can get what you need, at the price you can afford. Case in point: we needed counter stools and I looked hard locally. I ended up getting a good sale price on stools that are so uncomfortable and we’ll need to replace them now. I already repainted them, hoping that would help with the looks of them. sometimes, you get what you pay for and you have to pay more for quality, durability and comfort. Finding good counterstools is a nightmare! I’m still looking.
Emily B. says
I <3 lists too. I just got giddy
Rebecca @ the lil house that could says
So many things on your list are on mine… the frosting windows, spray painting hardware, stenciling! But I haven’t dared to write them down, I’d be overwhelmed and paralyzed! I just keep a running tab in my head :)
February for appliances sounds about right, I think that’s when we got our fridge and washer/dryer on sale last year.
pam says
Okay, the thought of removing, painting & replacing all that hardware causes me a bit of panic – but man, what a great idea! My 70’s rancher actually has matching hardware but if I painted it…wow. Just like new jewelry updating an older classic outfit. Tons of inspiration on your list – thanks for posting it!
Julie says
Out of curiosity, didn’t you guys get a credit from the sellers to convert the carport? If so, how come this is something to save up for — don’t you already have the dough? (Granted, this is coming from someone who got seller’s credit to replace a door to her garage and just did it this summer — 4 years after buying the place… So I’m not one to judge!)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Julie,
Yup, we got a full credit to do it but it’s still on the wait list because for major stuff we like to contemplate how we’ll do things and take our time with the approach (for example, we’re debating adding two side windows to let light into the garage, adding built in storage, and have to find a front door that we like, etc). We don’t like to jump into stuff like that without letting it simmer a while and then attacking it when we’re more sure of our approach.
xo,
s
Sandra says
We have ebony painted hardwood floors in the downstairs of our house. Although, it is cool and we get a lot of compliments on it, it shows everything and you constantly are cleaning them. Just something to think about…. However, if you have any great tips on quick and easy ways to clean hardwood please pass them along! :)
Pamela S says
I’m so totally a list person. However, you opened my eyes a bit. Our home is an ongoing project, much like yours, and normally with lists I try and tackle the hardest thing first to get that out of the way and feel better about a big accomplishment. That works at work & most everything else, but it won’t work with home projects because it’s not something you plan to finish in a day or even weeks or months. So, I’m tackling something easy this weekend (after recovering from New Year’s Eve) and getting the year started off right.
Megan says
Do you have any thing that is really major that you didn’t put on the to do list? Like a complete overhaul of a room? That would be on mine – our three bathrooms and our kitchen! We also have thought of future ideas for our basement to make it an adult space and a kid space by moving our laundry/storage room around. Who knows! That’s the joy of home ownership! I’d just be happy if I could get my upstairs completed! And then back to the list. Love your idea…. my lists just float around in my head.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Megan,
We’re pretty much going to overhaul every room (refinish floors, paint walls, add furniture, create window treatments, etc) and for the kitchens and bathrooms there will be even more upgrading than that going on- so major overarching things like that might not be fleshed out on the list but they’re definitely floating around in our heads!
xo,
s
Beatrice says
Love lists. Love boxes. But in Sandra Bullock’s words, ‘let’s get back to normal please’.
In other house there wasn’t comment after comment about “when this/that, whatcha gonna do about that ugly this/that”. It’s like the tail is wagging the dog now!!! (I borrowed a couple of !! from you)
It’s not like readers have a choice in what you do next, or how you even do it. And we shouldn’t. So maybe if you stop answering the “what will you do…when” questions, the focus can stay better on whatever it you are doing at the moment. EH.. maybe I’m just a ‘here and now” type of girl.
Jenn says
A girl after my own heart! If only I had a dollar for every list I made each day/week/month I would be retired by now! Nice to know I’m not the only anal type-A DIYer out there :)
Tab says
I have been looking for a charcoal gray large sectional for a year and have been unable to find a suitable one. I am so excited to see what you find!
Blog is the New Black says
I love lists, too!
Beth-BTW says
Glad to see that you have already addressed a comment about spray painting your house hardware. I am dying to change out all the brass in our house for something more modern. If the spray paint thing will work, then that is something that must be done ASAP!! I say, move that little project to the top of your list. ;o)
Bethany says
I love this post! Lists are also my thing. I love keeping track of them in an Excel spreadsheet, so I can sort and highlight, etc. I’m a nerd. ;)
I have a couple questions for you:
– Nate Berkus recently answered a viewer question on his new show regarding painting door hardware. He said he doesn’t recommend it because door knobs get a lot of use, and the paint wears off (even spray paint meant for metal). Is painting the hardware just a temporary solution, or is that the long-term plan? My mom replaced the door knobs in her house but just painted the hinges, and that seemed to be a good compromise.
– In your list, you mentioned that you want to create an opening between the new dining room and kitchen directly across from the living room opening. On the floor plan, it looks like there are cabinets in the way of doing that. Will you change the layout of the kitchen (when you renovate it) to facilitate openings directly across from one another?
Thanks for taking the time to answer reader questions. You have many loyal fans!!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Bethany,
Well, we’ve never spray painted door knobs or hinges before- but we figure before paying for all new stuff it’s worth a try to attempt to salvage the old stuff! You know we like to work with what we have. And of course we’ll post all the details when we get there. As for the kitchen, we’re planning on some mild restructuring of the cabinets but nothing too crazy. Of course that’s just what we’re thinking now so who knows where we’ll end up when we actually tackle that project…
xo,
s
OurSoundHome says
I know this is one of your smaller projects, but can’t wait to see you frame out the mirror. I have a mirror I want to frame ( it’s just a sheet of glass in our bathroom right now), and would love to see your tutorial!
Christine B says
My hubby and I made some his & her dressers for our bedroom really cheap. We bought the malam dresser from ikea, added some hardware and then placed Monogram letters to identify mine and his. We have them on either side of our bed so they function as nightstands as well and really open up the space in our room. You can see pictures on my blog form2form.wordpress.com Happy dresser hunting!
Stephanie says
Just wanted to say that you can get a really good deal on Oil Rubbed Bronze doorknobs at doorknobdiscountcenter.com. I bought mine there, the Weslock brand, for about 4-5 dollars a piece for the knob and all associated hardware (depending on whether it was privacy or not). I read up on painting them first, but decided the jury was out on how long the paint actually lasts (especially on doors that get used often). I LOVE my new doorknobs. Very classic and timeless. Also, I bought ORB door hinges on amazon for dirt cheap (I think it was maybe $30 – $40 for all 17 of my doors – three hinges each – maybe it was less than that though). If you’re interested, I can probably dig up the seller’s info. Just wanted to give you this tip.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Stephanie! Great tip!
xo,
s
michelle says
Well that certainly leaves you with enough blog content to keep writing for many years :) This is perfect timing for me because I have a lot of unfinished projects in my home that I want to tackle this year and you two will definitely help keep me motivated.
P.S. I hope that sweet little light fixture in your main hallway is staying.
Miranda says
We’re in the process of purchasing our first home, and you’ve got a list about the same length as mine! It can’t be any easier than writing it all down then stepping back and tackling small to large. It’s much like a debt plan…pay off the little stuff, then take over the big stuff with what you would have been paying for the little stuff, once that has been paid off. Genius!
What about this Sherry — instead of painting the backs of the built-ins in the future dining room, what about a totally fab printed paper? Gives a little texture and a little bit of charm at the same time!
-Miranda
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Miranda,
We considered that for a while and couldn’t find eco friendly paper that we could afford (lots of it is super expensive and we didn’t want to worry about glue fumes with the baby when we could use no-VOC paint for a nice little pop of color. Maybe we’ll paper them down the road though- since paint is so cheap and easy to change we won’t be sad to upgrade someday!
xo,
s
Mary C says
Have you been to Clash & Trash? On Route 1 just west of Virginia Center Commons mall. It’s a-maz-ing. Awesome stuff for great prices.
YoungHouseLove says
We can’t wait to check it out!
xo,
s
Angie K says
Oh, I hope you will photo/blog your door handle painting. I was just thinking of replacing all of mine because the shiny gold just isn’t my style. I’d sure rather paint them, but never realized you could!!
I’m guessing it’s not your color, but I have a BUNCH of deep red/burgundy (almost like the red in that chevy add at the bottom, just not so bright) really thick upholstery fabric. It’s got a damask print kinda stamped into it as a texture, but all one fabric. Almost velvet. If that makes any sense. At all. I can give you a pic if you are at all interested. I already redid a chair with it and hung some curtains and I don’t think I’ve used HALF!! Got the entire lot at an estate sale for $20! Was thinking of putting for free on Craigslist. But, I live right at Fairfax VA if you think it’s a fabric you’d like!
Jill says
If you’re like me there is just such a rush that comes with crossing something off the list!
Just curious… are you planning on replacing the backsplash in the kitchen?
P.S. Coupon show was crazzzzzzzzzzy! Can you imagine stock piling all that stuff?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Forgot to add that! The backsplash is definitely getting upgraded.
xo,
s
Caroline @ The Feminist Housewife says
You speak my language…
LISTS. Oh love!
Good luck and enjoy every minute of tackling it. And Happy New Year! = )
Nicole Hansen says
Sherry–
As a fellow list enthusiast, these note pads are my fav:) They’re so worth the little extra cost:)
http://www.crane.com/pages/productdetail.aspx?pid=tp773
Rach says
Your list is awesome :-) thanks for sharing it with us!
To comment on one of your items- planting evergreens- do you like the look of Leland Cypress? Because we planted a bunch of little guys around our house for privacy and they grew FAST. Seriously it’s pretty impressive, and the little inexpensive ones can give you some privacy pretty quickly. When the time comes ask your local nursery about them ( even if you buy them somewhere else), because we live in Chesapeake VA so the climate is pretty similar, although I don’t know about the soil.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re the second one to recommend those so we’ll definitely be looking into them! Thanks so much.
xo,
s
Lisa says
Would you guys consider using some of that fancy cabinet paint in your kitchen so we can hear how well it works? :-D Pretty please? Like the Cabinet Coat stuff, or the Ace Hardware version. I’ve heard good things and am considering using some myself, but I’d love to see a review by some experienced DIYers… :)
My mom painted her cabinet hardware and it’s held up surprisingly well. She went from a shiny brass to a more matte shade. Those handles are constantly used since they are in the kitchen, and they’ve done really well.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
We actually are trying to avoid that because it’s high VOC so we’ll be doing the same old two-step method we usually follow and trying to use low and no VOC products.
xo,
s
Kelly says
Sounds great! I am trying to channel your “just jump in and do it” approach in the coming year – I’m always too afraid to try something for fear I’ll make it worse and will have to redo it for more money! I think as long as I plan my projects well, I can’t do TOO much damage…right?
Also, I don’t know if this is a myth but salespeople at 2 different big box home improvement stores told me that Labor Day is the very best time to buy large appliances. I don’t know why, and since I couldn’t put off my purchase until Labor Day I can’t confirm. Something to think about though (if you can wait that long)! I need a new stove so I’m going to be checking around in Feb. thanks to your tip.
Mike @HA says
When we first moved in we had too many projects to keep track of so I made a spreadsheet with a row for each room and a column for each project in the order they needed to be done. We printed it out super big and taped it to the wall (with blue painter’s tape of course!) and then crossed off projects as we finished them. The best part was when we had friends helping that didn’t know what to work on they could just look at the list and see what’s next.
Miranda says
I’m curious about: Remove all the door handles, hinges, and doorknobs in the house and spray them with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint
I have young children and went with upholstered chairs at our dining room table…one of the worst decisions I’ve made. Make sure you get those plastic and/or leak proof covers and have extras…especially if visiting nieces and nephews or cookie decorating parties are in your future!
christy panzarella says
Im motivated to make a list.
There’s so much that needs done around here…
I’ve been putting it off!!
Now, Ill have a nice new fb note in no time!
Ps. I swapped my bifolds for cheesecloth curtains and Im loving it!
Julie says
Love the list! There are several in particular I’m keeping my eyes open for – especially the pillars in front. We have wussing little curvy ones too and have been talking about something chunkier since the first time we saw the house. (We moved in in July). We just spent our Christmas break laying flooring in the dining room, kitchen, and family room, replacing all of our kitchen counters, replacing the kitchen sink and faucet, and doing a tile backsplash. Definitely not my dream kitchen, but it will more than tide us over until we can afford an overhaul!
MS says
Hi guys (and all the folks considering doorknob painting),
We actually did this at our old house! We had the old glass doorknobs so the only part that we painted were all the hinges, the plates on the frames and then the part of the knob closest to the door…not the actual knob as it was glass.
A few thoughts:
1. Your worries are correct, it doesn’t last forever. We used Rustoleum designed for metal surfaces and it lasted maybe 2 years scratch free? Again, it wasn’t on the most used part of the knob, so who knows. However, touching up isn’t that big of a deal, so I wouldn’t be totally turned off by that. Person asking about the stainless look, that might be tough to get “smooth”…but worth a try!
2. I cannot stress this enough, LABEL EVERY SINGLE HINGE AND KNOB. They all need to go back on the same door in the same spot (top hinge/frame side, top hinge/door side). We had a HORRIBLE time of mix and match to get all the doors closing correctly because we just took em all off and painted them all and slapped them back on wherever.
3. Clean the parts like crazy first. Any imperfection at all will show up through the paint. Ours were super old and a bit cruddy. We used black, matte spraypaint and I thought that would help minimize the imperfections. It did a bit, but not the perfect result I was going for up close.
My project for New Year’s Day is to make a list in Excel for all our house projects! My head always feels clearer once its all written down!
Danielle says
Cool post. I love lists to but I always seem to lose them or start over – i need to get a master list of to do’s for our house..new years goal is to get a lot done in our house!
we bought it last may and there is still so much to do. I must admit that i’m so jealous that your full time job involves doing all these projects around your house AND staying home with your beautiful daughter. lucky lucky!!
Reading your blog should hopefully keep me motivated with our lists as well. thanks for sharing!
Julie says
Danielle – I’ve often thought that too!
Shannah says
Hi Youngsters –
You have lots of fun ahead of you! I just wanted to give you a quick tip re your contemplation of cork flooring. I work for an architecture firm and can not recommend your use of cork. It picks up every mark, isn’t as durable as it claims and is easily marred by heels. (Do you really want to make your guests take off shoes all the time?) Think about bamboo – it’s eco-friendly, relatively cheap and super durable.
Miranda says
haha I commented and then read the comments….looks like lots of us want to learn more about the handles/hinges/doorknobs!