We’ve had a few moments lately where I’ve thought to myself, “self, this is not ideal.” And you know we like sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly around here, so here are three things that fall into the latter two categories.
First we have this page I saw in Domino magazine with a mixture of black and white frames, which inspired me to add some black frames to the grouping over our TV in the living room (initially I was leaning towards a few black mats and some darker art).
So I thought I’d be clever and use black electrical tape on the front of a few of our frames to “get the look” without breaking out any paint (or committing to anything permanent, in case I hated the result).
About a half-hour later I had some really fun black-fronted frames (I like the contrast of the white on the side) and even cut the tape into eight 3-inch strips to make the corner detail on that frame in the top right.
They definitely helped to tie into the dark TV and in general I was pretty proud of myself for a while there.
And then a few days later I noticed it. The tape was puckering up and peeling and generally just looked terrible. Maybe washi tape is cool for projects like these, but electrcial tape…? No dice. It seems that it shrinks up over time and literally pulls itself right off the corners and eventually falls on the floor in a jumbled mess. It only took a few days for some of the frames to completely detach. But that wasn’t the worst part. Some of the glossier frames were unscathed, but the chalkier white matte frames ended up with black smudges on them from the tape. Boo! I tried some Goo Gone on a few of them and it didn’t seem to work, so I’m thinking I’ll break out the Magic Eraser and see if that does. If not, I’ll be re-painting these bad boys to get them back from their smudged and dirty looking state.
So let that be a lesson to you. Washi tape or black paint or even contact paper might have worked, but electrical tape = no bueno. Onto the next oops moment! Remember when we posted about how we have transplanted this maple tree in our last three homes? It’s an offshoot from a gorgeous maple at John’s childhood home and was a gift from his parents to us in our first house that we’ve moved with us each time. When we wrote that post, all was well in Mapleville, and it was looking like this…
But maybe it just took the deer a few weeks to decide that they wanted to have it for brunch? We never quite caught them in the act, but over the following weeks we noticed it was looking less full and a little nibbled, especially down below. Noooo! We didn’t want to lose this tree baby of ours, so we ran out to Home Depot and grabbed some black netting to throw over it. We’ve seen neighbors deter deer in the same way (we chatted a few of them up about what didn’t work for them as well, which was everything from human hair and Irish Spring soap to deer sprays and – cringe – animal urine). So since the black netting was neighborhood approved, we went straight for that.
And I’m happy to report that this oops has a happy ending, because the deer don’t seem interested in the maple anymore, and you can only see the netting if you’re literally about an inch away from the tree (it’s on in the shot below, but it’s nearly impossible to see). So… so far, so good.
The cool thing is that there are a ton of healthy bigger maples in our neighborhood that the deer don’t bother at all (they only nibble low branches that they can reach) so we’re holding out hope that in a few years our tree will be all “haha, you can’t reach me!” to those deer, and we can free it from its netted prison.
For our third act, we have the biggest “bad” in this group. Especially since I’m a paranoid prego person. LEAD! I don’t know if it was mommy intuition or what, but something in my head kept saying “check the doors in the dining room for lead, since those metal frames around each pane look suspect”). It was probably because there was a black powdery dust in the cabinets when I wiped them down back when we moved in (which in my head said “wait, if that’s coming off the metal frames, I should test those because it’s clearly not staying contained). We don’t hang out in there much at all (maybe once a month) and Clara doesn’t play there and we don’t store anything in those cabinets yet, but I still wouldn’t put something dangerous in two corners of a room and say “heck, we don’t hang out in there much so it’s fine.” So I guess that realization is what drove me to break out a lead test kit.
I love these things. They’re cheap from Home Depot and you just snap them and shake them and then rub the tip on any surface that you want to test for lead. I, being the super-freaked-out-by-potentially-dangerous-things person that I am, never touched the metal grates around the glass during testing (I didn’t want to actually get any potential lead dust on my hands or anything) so I just let the stick touch them for me as I rubbed them gently for a quick test. Within about ten seconds…
…they came up positive. Ahhh! If the test stick stays white or turns slightly yellow, it’s negative, but if it’s pink or red (or in this case, neon red) you got some serious lead on ya hands.
It was this strange feeling of “gotta wash my hands even thought I didn’t touch it!” and “I KNEW it! For some reason I just knew it!” – so the doors have since been removed by John and placed in the corner of the garage that Clara and Burger can’t even access if they wanted to (they’re blocked in by a bunch of other buckets). Update: As for what we’ll do with the doors, we’re hoping to find an antiques vendor who knows how to handle lead to see if they’re interested instead of sending them straight to the hazardous waste area of our recycling center (I hope someone who knows how to safely seal them or rebuild them will rescue them).
Another update: When it comes to lead paint (both of our previous houses had it) the recommendation is usually just to paint over it with fresh paint to seal it in, but in this case we worried that black dust in the cabinets was lead dust, so we didn’t want it falling all over our cabinets and the floor to be breathed in by anyone since the two main ways to get lead poisoning are 1) by ingesting it or 2) by inhaling lead dust. We also realized if we ever wanted to store serving dishes and platters in those cabinets, they could end up with lead dust on them if the doors stayed, which sounds like a bad time.
John also wiped down all the shelves and the floor and the walls around the doors with TSP, just to be safe (you can read more about lead safety/testing/protocols, etc here).
Thankfully we’ve seen pretty corner built-ins without doors (like these over on A Beautiful Mess) so we still hope to make those cabinets over someday, and in the meantime, it’s nice to know there’s not any lead lurking in the corners of the dining room anymore. Any oops moments going on at your house? Are you breaking out the black netting or some magic erasers to remedy them? Do they tend to happen in threes to you too?
Carol says
I’m laughing, because from the very first moment I saw your dining room, I’ve been silently chanting “remove those doors, remove those doors!” We have corner cabinets in our breakfast nook that are very similar to yours (only difference being that we have a drawer above the lower cabinets) and when we took the doors off, we discovered it made the room much airier. And our vintage ceramic collection just pops against the white that they’re painted now. I’m sorry that it took slightly-paranoid-prego :-) to make the change, but trust me, it’s a good one!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Carol! It definitely does make the room feel bigger! And I bet when I get the wallpaper down that’ll help too!
xo
s
heyruthie says
I have a few comments about your glass panes–I am not an expert, but I am enthusiast of older glass, and older glass methods. (If there is an expert here, they can chime in!) But I actually believe you have no reason to fear those glass panes at all. Here’s what I think: They appear to be a traditional construction called “Leadlighting.” (A typical example of leadlighting is in Tudor-style homes where you see the windows made up of small diamond shaped glass panels.) The panels are divided by lead metal strips called “calmes” or “cames” between the glass panels. These are always made of lead. However, this lead is very, very different than the lead in lead paint, and does not become airborne, and will not hurt you. Just lead metal alone is not dangerous. The confusing part (for you) is that lead “calmes” in leadlights are traditionally treated with something called “blackening paste.” It basically adds a patina or darkness to the lead calmes. This blackening paste can be rather messy over time, and flake off or come off as a powdery dust–but it isn’t lead. The glass panes are most likely absolutely no danger to you in any way, even if you used the cabinets to store dishes. Just something to think about!! Check my facts, and see what you think :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, you’re so full of info! I love that HeyRuthie!! That blackening paste must be what was flaking off, which definitely had me stumped! I’m still way too paranoid to bring them back into the house (even if lead doesn’t usually flake off with the paste, what if ours does for some reason? ahh! I’m just a weirdo!). Although, to be very honest, even if it’s not lead, that black dust was so gross that I still wouldn’t like it on my servingware if it was lead free! Haha! I love that the mystery of the black dust might be solved though! Certainly makes me feel better. And John and I have both noticed the room feels roomier without those doors, so maybe it was just one of those happy accidents!
xo
s
Emily R says
So great to hear a voice of reasoning!
Sarah W. says
Thank you so much for this post, because it makes me feel better about own mishaps. I’m the kind of person who has plenty of bright DIY ideas that more often than not turn into oops moments.
Like using recycled paper (backing for adhesive labels, so it was waxy on one side) to make over 100 origami pieces for a DIY light shade only to realize when I tried to glue them on that the waxy paper didn’t stick to hot glue, so having to rip them off and reglue them with chemicalish craft glue. Then having to reglue pieces that fell off almost every week. And finally after a year tearing down the lampshade and ripping it into a million pieces.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that sounds like something that would happen to me!
xo
s
Sherri says
I really liked the added depth to the white framed wall when you added black. Cool idea. Meanwhile, I’m totally freaking out about my vintage decanter collection. I keep Amaretto and Kaluha(sp?)etc. in them. Since they are only used on special occasions,I can just imagine the seeping of lead in them. I will definitely be getting a tester kit today. Thank you YHL readers for your information.
YoungHouseLove says
Our readers are the best! Hope it all comes back clean and safe!
xo
s
ErinEvelyn says
I know you do t mind dusting things in open shelving (la the kitchen shelves in the last house), but if you have any want to keep the doors to your dining room cabinets, all is not lost! Yank ’em off Craigslist and have John take the doors to a glass place. They’ll recreate your glass doors using zinc strips instead of lead. We had a gorgeous 1930s original front door with a non-standard sized half-circle window made of leaded glass panes in our old house. The leaded window itself never bothered us, but 2 of the panes of glass were cracked, so we had it rebuilt. Wasn’t nearly as expensive as I’d have guessed either.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip Erin!
xo
s
Carrie says
I’m sorry the tape didn’t work out though I loved how it looked on the frames! Where are the frames from? Are they your usual IKEA? May try to pick up some this wknd!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Carrie! Some are Ikea and I think some are Target (I wait for framing sales there and they’re not too bad).
xo
s
Angela says
In our last house, there was an extra switch by the front door and we never knew what it was for. Nine years later when we sold the house, our buyers’ home inspector found a live wire under the front door that ran to the end of the sidewalk for a lamppost. Big oops that our home inspector didn’t find the live wire when we moved in and then we lived there for 9 years with a fire hazard. It was immediately capped.
YoungHouseLove says
Eeks!
xo
s
Jennifer says
Great advice about lead paint! Thank you for sharing, and I’ll keep an eye out for that lead-checking pen! #DIY Learing from Mistakes! https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/11/three-oops-moments/
Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says
Oooops moments?!? Oh yea, definitely have had a few myself! I’m glad your tree is safe now though! :)
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs says
I love the look of the black tape on the frames — too bad it didn’t stick ( and left behind black gunk)!
Mary says
I am glad you caught it! Way to be an Awesome Mom! :D
Larissa says
We just had our new to us home tested for lead because the contractor doing our renovations insisted on it. They can be majorly fined if they do stuff without taking care of potential lead problems. I don’t know if that’s a regional thing or not. The lead test was over $500, but the peace of mind that all came up negative is nice. I’m glad you went with your intuition. It’s there for a reason!
Have a great weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad it came out all clear Larissa!
xo
s
Rebe says
I’m learning so much about lead today and I guess never realized it really is a big deal! 5 years ago a question on the PRAXIS (Ohio teaching certificate test) asked us to explain how we would know a child was exhibiting signs of lead poisoning. At the time I was all “…uhh…they aren’t acting like themselves” and got maybe half the question right if they were generous. I thought it was a weird question but I guess maybe not. :-)
Marlena says
My biggest oops moment lately was the week after we moved into our new-to-us-106-year-old house I attacked the old wallpaper in a bathroom. I thought the project would take a few hours, but 6 hours later (yes, I used the scorer and eco-wallpaper remover and water), it was nearly done. But in the process, I wrecked a lot of the plaster that had been skim-coated. I am so not DIY-savvy, so we had to call in someone to fix the walls. It took a while to get on his schedule, and only now, nearly 2.5 months later, are the walls being fixed. I thought it would be a simple removal, followed by some fresh paint, and alas, it has warped into an expensive fix.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, so glad it’s finally getting fixed though! I bet it’ll look awesome in the end!
xo
s
Cynthia says
I’m fairly certain that washi tape also would not be a good long-term solution. I used patterned washi tape to decorate the light switch plates in my kids’ bedrooms. While they were very cute for several months, the tape is now peeling up and looks terrible.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw man, thanks for the tip Cynthia!
xo
s
Kat says
In the picture, the frame with black tape residue actually looks nicely antiqued.
The lead issue is interesting.. My dad made a few leaded stained glass windows when my parents built the house – I was 1. I was obviously told not to touch it but I know I did a few times – little kids are probably more attracted to stained glass than regular glass like yours. It was not a big deal. But it was new, so not decomposing lead into the room. If it wasn’t shedding lead dust, would you keep it?
Kelly says
I’m glad you’re posting about lead hazards in the home. Since you are cautious about lead exposure, but I didn’t see you mention it in the post, I wanted to mention that electrical tape can have added lead as well. Lead-free tapes are available (but this kind of thing always makes me wonder what else is in the products around our home).
YoungHouseLove says
Someone else passed that tip along! So helpful as it’s something I never know to check!
xo
s
Kristen says
I might have a solution for your frames, try using a bounce dryer sheet to get the goo off. It worked on my wood furniture after moving.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kristen!
xo
s
John says
Contractors renovating houses today must be aware of lead and asbestos problems and must be certified to do removal. The house next door was sold to a flipper and he did the renovation himself without testing for lead and asbestos. Told him about it, but to no avail.
YoungHouseLove says
Eeks! In our first two houses contractors did tests and took precautions if it was present (giant plastic bubbles, etc). It was really interesting to watch!
xo
s
Luisa says
Sherry and John,
Thank you for addressing the lead issue. As a board member of the Lead Safe Foundation, we are constantly educating the public about the dangers of lead. Some readers have mentioned that lead isn’t really a concern if your child is not licking it. Kids don’t usually get exposed by licking surfaces … it happens when their hands pass over a surface with lead dust and then their hands go into their mouths. It takes a TINY amount of lead to cause poisoning. There is also the myth out there that older children and adults are not at risk. Lead is a neurotoxin and can cause brain damage, impact fertility, and raise blood pressure (and this is the short list).
It is hard to address these issues in a comment section but the best way to avoid exposure is by learning more about lead.
EPA Info:
http://www2.epa.gov/lead
Here is a link to the Lead Safe America Foundation:
http://leadsafeamerica.org/
Also – a trailer of documentary, MisLEAD, directed by the founder of Lead Safe America.
http://www.misleadmovie.com/
Thanks and hope to hear more about this pervasive environmental toxin.
Luisa
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all of the helpful info Luisa!
xo
s
Marta says
I love that you guys share the successes and failures. I once tried to paint frames sold as a gallery collection and found that spray paint and cheap plastic did not mix.
Yikes on the lead situation, but at least it was a quick fix. I was terrified that the popcorn ceiling in my house was asbestos. Turns out is was built after they stopped using the product. Whew!
Thanks for sharing.
YoungHouseLove says
Such a lucky break! Asbestos is nothing to mess with!
xo
s
Beth says
The dust you’re seeing is probably the putty that’s used to make a seal between the lead cames (the I-shaped strips) and the glass. It could definitely dry out and crumble. I agree with all of the commentors who have stained glass experience and think it’s safe, but I’m guessing that it’s not a look you’re loving anyway so you might as well be cautious. You need some pregnant mama peace of mind!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Beth! Someone else mentioned that blackening paste, and I bet that’s what’s filling the cabinets with that black dust :)
xo
s
Luisa says
Hi again
One more GREAT link is the the MisLEAD Facebook page where you can get an idea of how much lead can be found in common household objects. Scroll down. It is amazing.
https://www.facebook.com/MisleadMovie
Thanks
Luisa
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Luisa!
xo
s
Dana@chocolateandsunshine says
Oh, I feel terrible for you guys. I love that you shared your Oops moments, because we all have them. I was thinking of your picture frames as I remember that post and thought was a great idea.
One Christmas, I gave each of my girlfriends homemade photo frames w/ magnets on the back. They were so cute and then a few weeks later, the frames that I had on my refrigerator started falling off and leaving the magnetic strip attached to the refrigerator. I wondered how many of my friends had the same issue and wouldn’t tell me. You don’t know unless you try, right!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! I hope theirs were perfect!
xo
s
jen says
Hey guys, so this is unrelated to the post today, but I have a question I was hoping you could answer. Im taking the plunge and painting curtains this weekend. I have all the stuff to do it, but Im terrified that the paint is going to bleed under the tape, and i wont have straight lines. What is your tip on that? Any certain kind of tape or roller you used? I just have regular green frog tape, and foam rollers.
YoungHouseLove says
We love frog tape! It has some special formula to help with bleed (when it gets wet from paint the edges make this invisible gel to keep bleed from happening as often or something) so even though each roll is a little more, it’s so worth it to us! Good luck Jen!
xo
s
Jen Keane says
I’ve said it before – I love that you guys share mistakes as well as your final, awesome looking pictures. Know that you make mistakes makes me feel less bad when I have to course-correct due to my own DIY errors.
Laurie says
The lead paint is kind of scary! I’m glad you spotted it ahead of time and tested it. I don’t think that would have occurred to me.
I do know that we found all my linoleum is “hot” (asbestos)which means I can’t tile my bathrooms. I just have to put linoleum over them. Very disappointing and sort of disconcerting when I think about the other work I want to do in there. I can’t help looking at that floor like it has the plague now.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! That stinks! We had asbestos liners under our last house’s vinyl flooring but we learned that a floating floor over that worked without causing any danger, and we went with cork! I think cork is water resistant (probably not great for a super wet bathroom, but if you have a powder room or something it could work in there). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Chris says
Oh please think about it before you get rid of those doors. Maybe even store them until you find out more. You may wish you had them back one day. The dust you are referring to can only occur if it is sanded.
Kimberly @ Turning It Home says
Oh man, that lead incident is scary! Good call on testing it.
My current oops moment is attempting to paint an old typewriter tabletop white. Five coats of primer later… the wood is STILL bleeding through. It’s reminding me of your old kitchen paneling problem. Off to buy some new primer…
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! I really like Kilz primer for stopping bleed the best. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Kiki says
Why would you sell something that is dangerous to others…………..Just trash them………….
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kiki! We added an update to the post since our plans evolved from putting them on craiglist with a lead warning after chatting with a few people in the comments. Someone mentioned that antique dealers might want the doors and they’d know how to deal with the lead issue, so I might contact a few local stores. We’re hearing that stained glass has lead in it (and that’s sold all the time) so I think as long as we’re cautious it’s less like hazardous waste and more about making sure it’s in the right hands. It’s certainly easier for us to bring them to the hazardous materials area of our recycling center and drop them off, I just think someone might do something awesome with them (while taking the necessary precautions) so that’s my hesitation for junking them off the bat.
xo
s
Kiki says
Thanks for responding, I just don’t now why anyone would pay money for something that’s dangerous. Despite what people say about how benign lead is unless you chew it, I still think it is dangerous. Take good care of yourself and babies and pets!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Kiki! Heck, nobody might want them, so they could end up at the recycling center!
xo
s
Cara says
Ah, lead. I recently received a letter that my 3 year old daughter’s beloved pink bed was being recalled. I’m not one to panic over a recall letter since its usually something really unlikely to happen. But, when I looked at the website to see what the deal was – that beautiful pink she loved so? Lead paint. Fabulous. I know she’s not gnawing on her bed at this age, and since the bed was new it wasn’t flaking off. But. It still freaked me right the heck out. Lead paint is not something I’m supposed to have to worry about in this day and age. (It was an American company, but manufactured in China.) This is my child’s BED. Rational or not, it had to come out of her room that night.. She’s now sleeping on a mattress on the floor while we wait for her new bed (which will be white, much to her dismay). Apparently, my typically measure and rational responses do not apply to lead paint in my child’s room.
YoungHouseLove says
So sad about the pink bed Cara! I hope she loves the white bed- and maybe Santa will paint it pink for her someday. Haha!
xo
s
Gabrielle says
You might have mentioned this already: Did you test the dust in the built-in to confirm it was lead dust? I am just curious as we have original leaded glass windows in our 1929 English Cottage. (Many original homes in Portland, Oregon have original leaded glass and leaded stained glass windows for all windows). It would decrease the value of original homes significantly if the windows were removed and dust in our house has not tested positive for lead. (And our main floor woodwork is all unpainted original mahogany so no worries there!) I haven’t heard of lead dust from the leaded metal in older homes and wonder if you have a link specific to that. I would certainly look at ways to seal the leaded part of the glass if that is something we should be concerned with. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
I had wiped that thick layer of black dust up when we moved in (around 4 months ago) and only tested recently, so there was a small amount of it back in the cabinets, but not enough to test. So I just tested the metal parts of the door (positive) along with the paint (but that came out clean!). If the dust in your house has not tested positive for lead it sounds like you should be fine!
xo
s
Tracy B says
Does Clara still have her little pen pal Clara? – I miss their sweet letters!
YoungHouseLove says
We lost touch with her a little while back, but I’d love to hear from her again!
xo
s
Catherine says
I was starting to go ‘oh no!’ about the maple and then was relieved to see it had a happy ending. Phew. I love the black frame idea – shame about the tape being a putz. Also? Totally good call on the leaded glass I think, even if they are lovely. New doors would be easy to make if you still wanted to anyway.
NicolaDreams says
Eeeeeeek! I just covered my white painted apartment door with a spider web made of black electrical tape for Halloween! I noticed the shrinkage and slight goo residue a couple of days ago, but was hoping it wouldn’t be the length of the tape strips?! Please update us on what works Sherry!
I’ll give all the suggestions in the comments here a go and keep you posted on what worked for me xx
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! I hope it comes off! On the glossier frames it didn’t leave that goop, so they only seemed to stick to the chalky dry matte-finish frames. If your door is semi-gloss (as most doors and trim are) you will hopefully be just fine!
xo
s
NicolaDreams says
Sherry, a little panicked at the prospect of having to re-paint my front door, I just took the problem with urgency! Not intending for the “spider webs” to be permanent, I hadn’t ‘pressed and sealed’ the entire length of the tape, I did however have some very nasty adhesive “goop” in some areas.
I used the only trusted Aussie method I had on hand – eucalyptus oil! (it’s 8:30am on a Saturday morning here in Oz!) It worked an absolute treat! All the sticky residue right came off, with no damage to the paintwork. I then gave it a final clean with a magic eraser, and to be honest, the door is probably cleaner than it has ever been!
Good luck with your picture frames! May the power of Aussie eucalyptus oil be with you! xxxx
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I’m SO GLAD! Thanks so much for the eucalyptus oil trick too! Good to know!
xo
s
Peggy Mckee says
I understand that if something frightened you but later you found out it wasn’t dangerous, you still might be frightened. That seems to be the case with the lead calmes (cames)on your doors. As far as I can tell, you didn’t test the black dust to see if it contained lead. After you washed the cabinet, did you retest?
My suggestion: Wrap the doors in plastic and store them in the attic if you don’t want to use them. When you come to sell the house, put them back. The doors will add value–if the corner cabinets are truly vintage.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for your thoughts Peggy! Over four months after washing the cabinet (I did that right when we moved in) I tested the metal parts of the doors and they came up positive. I don’t believe washing the cabinets made any difference in my results, but the positive test was done well after the wipe down (when there was only a small amount of the back dust back in the cabinets – not enough to test itself). We actually both prefer the look of the cabinets without the doors now that they’re off (the room feels bigger/more open), but I promise we’ll think long and hard before letting go of them. Who knows, maybe John will want to hold onto them and they’ll end up shrink wrapped in the attic!
xo,
s
Chelsea from Sap + Sea says
So while the lead thing is way more important… the electrical tape! I did a whole project of “drawing” a headboard on with geometric lines to the wall using electrical tape… Yup, it all shrinks up and peels off!? What is with that man? Makes me wonder.. are all the wires in the wall just lose and free-ballin’ after a while, or does the tape stick to itself of really well or something…
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I was thinking that too! Although I wonder if the elastic quality of the tape is what holds them all together and when you touch the tape to tape it must really bond well (so it’s just when it’s flat on a wall or a frame that it shrinks up and pops off.
xo
s
Amanda says
We just moved into a ‘new to us’ house this summer that had been completely (but sadly, somewhat poorly) renovated. I was so excited to move into a home with white trim and white cabinets (trim was done well, cabinets were not.) My 4 year old and I recently had a home spa date and she wanted me to paint her nails. No problem – we do this all the time. She chose the hottest of hot pinks and we went to work. I decided we would do it over the tile floor in the kitchen as I didn’t want to chance an accident over the wood floors in our living room. Immediately after I told her not to touch the bottle of nail polish, she picked it up (we were sitting in tall chairs, nail polish on the counter) and dropped it on the floor. It didn’t break but shot a line of paint all down one of my lower kitchen cabinets, across the tile floor and onto the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. UGH! Major oops! Thankfully the people who remodeled had left the leftover paint in the garage and I was able to take care of the cabinets. Nail polish remover took it off of the tile but I am sad to say that we still have some hot pink grout. Not quite sure what to do about that (suggestions?) but it was quite the morning. Oh, and we also ruined one of our dining room chairs. I just face the painted portion of the chair away from the main flow of traffic. So yeah, not exactly a DIY oops but it turned into a necessary DIY fix. And on a side note, we just put up Edgecomb Grey in our living room and I am LOVING it! Thankfully no “oops” moments with that.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no!! I think if you carefully scratch down the grout a bit (maybe with a flathead screwdriver?) the stain should just be on the surface so hopefully it’ll come off and be the right color underneath. So glad you’re loving the Edgecomb Gray too!
xo
s
Amanda says
I really like the cabinets better with the door off.
On another note; are you going to be doing a post about Clara’s halloween costume, or did I somehow miss that completely? I saw an instagram photo of it and it looks completely cute & would love to see more!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Amanda! We like them better without the doors too! Makes the room feel more open! And as for Clara’s costume, we shared that last Friday, so if you scroll back a few pages or search jellyfish on our sidebar search box it’ll hopefully pop up for ya!
xo
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Shay says
Probably the best diy tip I could ever offer to anyone;
Before going too crazy with the tape residue try rubbing lighter fluid on it. Often just rubbing with a paper towel is enough but you can use something more abrasive if needed. It’s cheaper goo removers and the chances of it damaging whatever you’re using it on it pretty much zero. If it’s really awful switching between warm water and the fluid works well. I keep a can in the kitchen and use it to get off all things sticky.
I learned this trick from my best friend when she first started working at a used book store. They use lighter fluid to get price tag glue off of books – meaning you can even use it on paper if needed. Once it dries you’d never know. She pretty much changed my life with this knowledge bomb.
*The irony of a book store putting lighter fluid on their books is not lost on me.
YoungHouseLove says
Never heard of that! Love all the tips everyone!
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Cheyenne says
I would LOVE a post about how you organize your crafty supplies. Mine are all jumbled in a Rubbermaid container and I could use some inspiration. And/or the realization that EVERYONES craft supplies are a jumbled mess. ;) I feel like I would be more inspired to do fun stuff if I knew where everything was…
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man since the move everything is a hot mess! I have bags of stuff just piled in the guest closet (eeks!) and I dump them all out to find stuff. It’s ridiculous and I hope to get it under control and post about it someday! Haha!
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Sarah says
Sherri, I love that you share the bad with the good… Great balance! And I’m so glad that I didn’t scroll down to see a “Charlie Brown” maple tree all stripped of leaves!
I would urge you to just hold off on getting rid of those doors. Remember how long your house was empty before you moved in and started cleaning. Once you decide to tackle that room and actually store things in those built ins you may wish you had the doors. I would consider sealing the lead pieces(tedious!) with clear lacquer of some sort to quell your fears. Or put them back and wait for a week, month, whatever to see if the dust returns. Test the dust to be sure. Your test came back positive because you were rubbing it on pure lead. See what the dust is.
As for children or dogs licking it…. Haven’t we all seen how smart sweet Clara is by now to know she would not be licking doors that stand at least 40″ off the ground? And Burger…even on a good day could he really make that leap for a lick of cold glass and metal? Really people.
Once you are storing items in there you will be glad you saved the doors because the whole reason they were there in the first place…. Was to protect the interior from dust!Im sorry if this repeats what someone else said… I honestly couldn’t read one more comment cheering you to sell or cautioning you from dumping toxic doors on some unsuspecting person.
Just stash them in the attic until you get to them.
Keep up the good work! Sarah
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the thoughts Sarah! John and I won’t get rid of those doors lightly, so we’ll have I see if they end up shrink wrapped in the attic or if we truly prefer the open look :)
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HeatherM says
Did you change your furnace filters after stirring up more lead dust by removing the doors? If not, it is probably a good idea. At least you found the lead & addressed it. Two points for mothers’ instinct!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip HeatherM!
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thedogsma says
I’ve bee lurking on this site for a while–even read thru the archives–but haven’t commented till now. Enjoy it very much.
Regarding lead: this would not apply to you, but might to some of your readers; another risk to children & animals is lead dust that has leached into the soil around old houses that were painted with lead-based paints. Children playing in the dirt can get it on their hands & then into their mouths. Covering it with thick mulch or paving stones, & providing them with a safe place to dig is your best bet.
Also, an anecdote on how little lead it may take to cause a serious problem–the grand-daughter of a co-worker (4mo) was diagnosed with acute lead poisoning, & the very helpful county health department eventually traced it to residue left on the father’s clothing when he came home from target shooting & snuggled the baby. She was treated successfully, & is fine.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow that’s so scary! Glad she was fine!
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Missy says
I didn’t read all the comments so if this is a repeat, sorry. I found this paint called Ecobond. You paint it straight on top of lead paint no scraping or sanding. It has molecules in it that bind with the lead and turns it into a harmless compound. Then you CAN sand or scrape or just paint right over it. The sanding trash and scraping can then be put in the REGULAR trash. Isn’t that awesome? I used it on a 90 year old beach house because I knew it had lead paint. But, if you want those doors or if you suspect any other lead paint give it a shot. It costs about $50 a gallon.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow that’s really awesome! Thanks for the info!
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Katie says
Lead poisining is still a huge problem these days. Sometimes it’s hard to reduce exposure but a healthy diet will lower your risk of absorbing the lead. Make sure you’re getting enough Calcium, Vitamin C, and Iron. Also, lead can be stored in your bones and can be rereleased during growth spurts, stress, and pregnancy. So make sure to take your vitamins and eat well if you you’ve been exposed. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Katie!
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Libby says
I like the cabinets with doors. Weird how there was black dust. They must be something wrong with them. Being lazy I’d paint the cames instead of removing the doors permently. Which really is more time consuming but then I like the doors! It finishes the cabinets off. And keeps little hands & dust off the stuff inside.
I stripped railings of our 1952 house way back in 1987ish just before I heard about lead paint contamination. I had 3 little boys then. If I had them tested it must’ve come back fine.
Seaweed & Raine says
Boo for duct tape that falls off, yay for trees that are getting a grow on, and I am SO glad you found that lead before you put anything in the cupboard. Those lead test kits are cool.
Sheree
caroline [the diy nurse] says
Bummer!! I wouldn’t have thought of lead- our house is made after laws were passed so it easily went out of my mind as a hazard but you never know! I’m so glad the tree worked out- I got a bit worried there for a minute!
Kathy says
Hi, We fought deer using everything listed by your readers and more until I tried a version of a “cattle grate” around my garden. You know, that wire fencing coated in green plastic. Its about 4 feet high and comes in a roll at Home Depot or Lowes. I rolled out lengths to surround my garden and layed them on the ground, overlapping if necessary to create a wide “cattle grate” around the perimeter. You’ll need it to cover the ground under your tree and outward enough so they cannot reach over for a tasty bite. You can move them from time to time to clean up leaves and keep them visible. The netting is good until the tree grows leaves and small branchlets through and then you have a mess. Hope this helps.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the info Kathy!
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