Sunday, August 22, 2010

The BIG REVEAL...Built-ins & more!

The day has finally arrived!
The built-ins are done and ready to reveal!!!

I know, it has taken me forever to get to this point,
but this has been some serious work! So expect
a long post!
:0)

For those of you that are new to my blog,
I've been working on building built-ins for my son's room.
You can see my old posts here, here, here, here, here and here.
(Yes, I know that's a lot, but don't worry,
you don't have to go through all those posts....I'm going to
do a quick review of everything!)

It has taken FOREVER, but it looks so darn cute!
You can't see me, but I'm doing a happy dance!

No scrolling down to the bottom to sneak peek!
You gotta read all this stuff I did, this was a lotta work!
:)

Ok, this is where we started



A very plain jane room!
When we bought our house it was bank owned
and it was a HUGE MESS when we took possession. It's taken
us a while to get to some rooms..and this was one of them.
Until now!

My inspiration was Sarah's built-ins
She's good at inspiring me to get up and work!
Thanks Sarah!

I started this project by finding these two 30" x 30" x 12"
upper kitchen cabinets at Habitat For Humanity for $20 bucks.


They were in hideous condition, with no top or backs, but
I knew they could be fixed with a little wood and nails!
(I try to convince myself I can do anything, then get home and
think, "what did I just buy"! Luckily, I did fix these!)
:)

First, I scrubbed them down with TSP (trisodium phosphate).
This stuff will take off all dirt, grease and shine and make your project nice and clean!
BUT WEAR RUBBER GLOVES!


After all that scrubbing it was time to start building!


First I had to build a base for the cabinets to sit on so they
wouldn't look like upper kitchen cabinets sitting on a floor.
:)
I took 2 x 4's and built a rectangle like this to use as
the toe kick.



Then I cut two pieces of MDF the exact same size as the top
and bottom of the cabinet.
I put one of those pieces on top of the 2 x 4 base and kept it
flush in the back and evenly spaced all around the sides. 
It looked like this when I got it attached with screws.
(you can screw it down through the top,  cause you can't really
see it once it's finished)



Next, I attached the kitchen cabinet to the base using screws.
I did turn the cabinets upside down, I wanted the hardware on the top, not the bottom, like it would be in a kitchen.)


Then I attached the other piece of MDF,
that I had previously cut, to the top.
Like this...


I added the top piece so I would have a nice flat surface
 to attach the bookshelf onto. You know how cabinets have that little empty space on top, well
I needed that divet to go away, so I put the flat piece on top.


Then I took MDF (medium density fiberboard)
that was 12" wide x 8 ' feet long and started
building the top book cases.


I went ahead and set the cabinet in his room and measured the
distance from the top of the cabinet to his ceiling.
I wanted the cabinets to go all the way to the ceiling.
I took that measurement and cut it back by about 1/4" so it
would slide in easily.  I'll  tell you how we deal with the extra 1/4" gap later.
(let's just say it has to do with this stuff....)  :)
  

This is what the top part of the bookshelf looked like after I got it all built.


It really looks harder than it was.  Basically I just
cut the two sides the height I wanted the total bookshelf to be, minus the thickness
of the top piece and bottom piece.
In other words, if the MDF is 1/2" thick, you would subtract 1"...
for the thickness of the bottom shelf and the top shelf combined.
The top shelf and bottom shelf are the exact same size as the top of the cabinet.
The inside shelves were cut to the length of the distance
between the two side pieces.
Once I got that all built,
I put on a back made of luan. (Very thin sheet of plywood)
I did all that times 2...cause I built two cabinets. :)

Then it was time to prime and paint.
I'll be honest, this is not my favorite part of any project, but
it makes it beautiful, so I endure!

This is the primer I used.
Love this stuff, it covers like a charm!
I had to prime it, I think it was twice..


Then I painted it with this-
Interior Latex Olympic Premium paint
in a bright white semi gloss.
(It came from Lowes...my FAVORITE store in the world!
I swear I could live in there!!)


They looked like this while I was painting..


After all that priming and painting, I installed them.
I took the baseboard off the wall so they would be flat against the wall and would have a definite built-in look.
(I installed the new sized baseboard after the built-ins got installed.)
First I put the bottom part in, then slid the top bookshelf on top of the bottom piece.
Once I got them all lined up and flat against the wall,
I screwed them into studs in the wall.
Here they are installed....


Next I started trimming them out with lattice strips and fluted molding..
remember these?..
:)


I put the fluted molding on the front edges of the sides and top of the bookshelves.
I used little rosette square blocks for the top corners.
(this is when I would have hidden any gaps at the ceiling with the molding...
but to be honest, they fit really tight to the ceiling..glad I left 1/4"!! yikes!)
I put the lattice strips on the front edges of each shelf, and anywhere I had raw edges showing.
(like where the bookshelf met the cabinet)


As you can see from the picture, I was also installing
Board and Batten at the same time.
If you'd like a tutorial on the Board and Batten, go here.


Next, I installed ticking wallpaper in the backs of the bookcases...



Like this....


Now isn't that better?! :)


Since we were doing a patriotic/military theme,
we decided to use red, white and blue.
I needed to inject the blue color somewhere on this wall, so here it is!




Next I built a shelf that connects the
left bookshelf with the right one.
Notice I lined it up with the top shelf in the bookcase.
 I put it up with little l brackets on each end and in the middle,
I painted them out so you can't see them.
I trimmed the front of it out with
the lattice strips and put the fluted molding
at the ceiling to finish the look of the cubby shelf.


Next, I installed the ticking in the area above the cubby shelf,
so it would match the backs of the bookshelves.
Then I painted anything I'd missed, (like the new trim) with my
semi-gloss white paint.



Tada! It's finished!

Now the fun part starts!
Getting to decorate!


Here are some shots of the shelves and everything
I put on them.
I got these cute little red and white boxes from Ikea.
(It was my first ever trip..and boy oh boy am I HOOKED!..
too bad it's 1 1/2 hours away! Or maybe that's a good thing! lol)





Carson just HAD to have the cute little airplane!
We were at TJ Maxx and he saw it and it just
so happened it was a plane like the Red Baron...
he's a Snoopy/Peanuts nut!
So here it hangs. :)


:0)


On the long cubby shelf wall, I hung a propeller I found at
our local Peddlers Mall.  I just have a couple of
things sitting here, but it's a little different now. 
See the brushed nickel frame with the glass in it?
I am going to show you what I put in there in another post.

:)

I was trying to include some brushed nickel in the room through
things like the hardware on the cabinets, the frame and the little
metal container on the shelf.


Here I have a cutie patootie
gum ball machine. It did have all red, white and blue gumballs in it,
but someone in this house (and you know who you are)
keeps chewing all the gum,
 so now the re-fill gumballs no longer match!





On this shelf I hung a metal wreath on the back
with stars and his favorite magazines and books.
I LOVE the old coffee can.
My hubbies mom gave it to me with
all my husbands marbles he collected as
a little boy.  They're still in there for my son to play with.

I bought two of the metal star wreaths and
cut the stars off the second one to use around the room in
different ways.

Like this...




and this...




How many of you out there hate for electronics to show?
Well it drives me crazy...especially in my son's room
cause he has so much STUFF!
Check out what these built-ins hide...



Now you see it.


Now you don't..


Makes my heart go pitter patter! :)



The pictures I hung on the walls were prints that were my
honey's when he was a little boy.
They are soldiers in different eras of military uniforms.

I mounted them on red wrapping paper so it looks like a matte.
Here they are...







Don't ya just love em'?!
I do!


Here is the left side of Carson's room...
it got a little update of it's own.




It got shutters, a school desk and chair, his little goodwill
lamp and locker bins.


and of course, a new valance.
(well new from a yard sale for 2 bucks!)



and the right side....



(He got a new bean bag, which he LOVES,
 and he also added new toys to his shelf which, right
now would be Charlie Brown and Lucy!)




:)


Here's one last before and after of his room...

Before...



After.....



So tell me what ya think!
:-)
Any questions?
Blessings and Hugs
Missy


I'm linking up to the following:

Saturday night special @ funk junk interiors
Sunday Showcase @ Under the table and dreaming
Weekly Treasures @ Souther Hospitality
Met Monday @ BNOTP
Before and After party@ thrifty decor chick
Make it for Monday @ Cottage Instincts
All about the boy @ The Thrifty Nest
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
POPP @ Domestically Speaking
Spotlight Yourself @ It's so very cheri
Pinching Pennies Party @ The Thrify Home
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Show off your stuff @ fireflies and jellybeans
I'm Lovin' It @ Tidy Mom
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Feature yourself friday @ fingerprints on the fridge

The Thrifty Home Refinished Furniture Party

56 comments:

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

wow Missy! I love it. The built ins look great with the bridge! You really did a great job.
I like the lockers and the left side of the room also!
lucky guy!
gail

A Southern Rose said...

What a great room for your son! Now I have really been inspired to get to work on Garrett's room! I love those built-ins! They are awesome! I also have that wallpaper in navy stripes that I can use. I'll be searching the thrift stores now for some old cabinets and stuff to make the built-ins. I can't wait! We already have the trundle bed too. I'm excited!

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

This project really turned out wonderfully, Missy! You did a beautiful job~ I am impressed!!

Jeanne said...

This looks FANTASTIC! It makes me want to redo something.....!

afistfullofweeds* said...

I would totally steal that room for myself!! Iam lovin those lockers!!!

Crafty Sisters said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Crafty Sisters said...

I was so excited about your reveal that I just left a comment with almost every word spelled wrong! Sorry for the delete!

The built-ins are incredible and so is the decor! The lockers are super cool too. Excellent work Missy! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing all of your great tips with me, I really do appreciate it! Good work!!!

Jen said...

Wow! Wow! Wow!!!!!! It's fabulous, what a great space you have created for your son! I bet he loves it Missy! It's amazing!

::cottage instincts:: said...

Omaga....totally rockin' redo! And very timely since I'm getting ready to redo both of my boys bedrooms. Love that ticking wallpaper in the back of the shelves and all the decorative touches. SOOOO glad you could Mi4M so I can pinch some ideas :)

Sue said...

What a "handygirl" you are!!! Love what you did w/the cabinets to create a built-in look.
It is all the little touches that you added that made this room look so nice. Visiting from Rhoda's.
:-) Sue

Crystal Rose Cottage said...

Hi Missy......Wow! You did a really fabulous job with Carson's room!!! Really a terrific job! You know how impressed I am with your woodworking skills so that goes without saying but everything just goes so well together...colors and details...everything! I like the bank of lockers against the wall! The storage in the room is amazing! I am sure he is just thrilled with his mom and her talent for transforming his room!~Hugs, Patti

My Corner of the World said...

looks even better in real life! i would hire you to do my whole house if i could afford you! :O) great job. you're house is like a little doll house. love it!

Cindy said...

Wow! That is an amazing transformation! I love the built ins and the lockers! LOVE it all!!!

Liz said...

Nice work! I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into making this room perfect! What a lucky kiddo!

I hope you will come participate in my link party today!

All About The Boy @ The Nifty Nest!

Liz

Cara said...

WOW! I don't even know where to begin! The built ins are fabulous, and I may steal this idea for our master bedroom. We need some shelving! Love the lockers too! And all the little patriotic red, white, and blue details just completely the room perfectly. What a great makeover!

Marie said...

My jaw just dropped!!! Amazing, really amazing room transformation. You're one talented lady. I love everything you've done to the room. Stopping by from SOYCM.
-marie

Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking said...

LOVE the room! You did an amazing job creating your built-ins. I LOVE your color palette & your room decor... very cute!

Sherri said...

Missy, what an awesome job you did!! Just wonderful! You are one talented and creative person! Good job!!

Robyn said...

YOU. ARE. A. ROCK. STAR.

Unknown said...

That is so clever!
I love how the bed fits in the space between. Love the lockers, love the red white and blue.
Well done

Lemon Lane Studio said...

Wow Missy, you totally rock starred that room. It is well put together but you can still tell it's a growing boy's room. Great reveal, all the way around! Patty

Anonymous said...

Missy, I love it all. Boy I could use some of those lockers. I love the color theme.
Jane Barkley

Amanda @ Healthy House on the Block said...

This is fantastic, Missy! I just love all your details -- the whole room looks amazing! Great job!!

Lettered Cottage said...

Two words.

SO RAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Way to go sista!
Layla :-)

FairfieldHouse said...

Missy!

I knew I would blown away with this makeover, but that is an understatement. WOW! This was so worth the wait. Love the details - the ticking wallpaper, the propeller, the plane, the storage boxes from Ikea. I am especially taken with the wall of lockers! I want to do that in one of my rooms -- storage space is a premium in old houses! Where did you get them?

Your Friend,
Deborah

Anonymous said...

OMG!!! Missy, sweetie, you outdid yourself! This is awesome! And you covered every single detail perfectly. I love the ticking wallpaper idea. It's perfect. Thank you so much for taking us through it step by step. You thought of everything. I love the lockers in there, too. This is a room he can grow with for sure! Do you have a vision before you start, or does it evolve as you work through it? You are so amazing! Hugs!

Rebecca said...

Your room turned out fantastic-so many great storage options!

Shanna said...

I found you from Today's Creative Blog...and I've gotta say, I'm REALLY impressed at your cabinetry skills!!!!! Terrific job!!!

Virginia said...

What a great room for your son!You did a wonderful job.
Blessings,

Norma Lee @ Norma Lee Good said...

Wow! I got tired just reading about all of the work you did! This room turned out wonderfully. I love the lockers- so All-American and it goes perfect with your theme. The shelves are amazing. Wow- just great!

fitty's pinky rose cottage said...

wow!!!! job well done! the room turn out soooo amazingly wonderful! perfect!

Nicole said...

I found you via "Tools are For Women" - and now I'm hooked here! Love, love, love your built-ins. I remember seeing Sarah's built-ins thinking, I could never do this, but with your very detailed step by step instructions I'm thinking of venturing outside of my comfort zone. Great job! Love the lockers -can't believe they were from Goodwill. Just awesome, looks great and I'm lovin' the idea of all that storage!

One question - how'd you hook up all those electronics? Was this because the cabinets didn't have backs to them? What about the cords going down from the speakers and stuff to the underneath - was that hard?

Nicole

Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking said...

I'm putting your adorable room in the PoPP Spotlight on Saturday... you guys did an amazing job.

Unknown said...

What a lovely room. I love the idea of putting something behind the bookshelves.

Vanessa said...

Those built ins are awesome!! Great job!

Amanda said...

You did an amazing job!!!!

Thrifty Decor Chick said...

Wow wow wow!!! It looks SO amazing!!! I never thought to do the shelf across the top! Brilliant! I'm going to put this on my Facebook page! :)

Amy anderson said...

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVe it. thank you so much for sharing!! I might have to try this!! amy

My Cottage Charm said...

Thanks you guys, I appreciate all your kind words. I promise that I replied to each and everyone of you comments individually, but for some reason no one got them. :( BUT THANKS so much for loving me anyway, even if I don't have every single aspect of blogger figured out! :)
Missy

Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming said...

Missy - I love the completed room! The built ins look amazing and I love the lockers! Fantastic job! I have featured this today - stop by and grab a featured button if you like. Hope you are enjoying your weekend! Thanks for linking to The Sunday Showcase. ~ Stephanie Lynn

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2010/08/three-scoops-of-love-winner-last-weeks.html

Sarah said...

WOW! This looks so great! You shared a lot of great tips!

Heather{Our Life In a Click} said...

Stopping over from Sunday Showcase. Wow it's fantastic!! What a great boys room! I love it!

Unknown said...

Wow! Wow! Wow! Great job, Momma! Carson is one lucky boy to have a mom that can do all that on her own. I am so impressed!

Megan Gunyan said...

Um, wow!!! I bow down to your skills. The room looks AMAZING. And I'm just way too impressed that you did all that woodwork yourself! Fabulous job! I would hang out all day in there if that were my room!

southerninspiration said...

You scored a home run with that one, girl..you knocked it out of the park! Congrats on an amazing job! I bet your son loves it!

Suzanne

Shannon Rodriguez said...

Great job...I think you should paint the bed to match the built ins...you are so talented =)

josephinemarch said...

Wow! Super impressive work and great looking room! :)

Pam said...

WOW....that is awesome work. They look fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

Grace Ng said...

You are amazing! You have created such a difference space with all that shelving and lots of storage to boot! I'm inspired!

Deborah@Green Willow Pond said...

I'm in awe! That is an amazing transformation Missy! Love the built in shelves...and those lockers are to die for! What a lucky boy to have a room like this. Hope my boy's room turns out as nice!

Sawdust Girl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gina @ Temporary Nest said...

SO CUTE! What a great job you've done!!! <3 I bet he LOOOOVES it! And my favorite part is the airplane propeller... so classic!

Sawdust Girl said...

Missy, that room looks absolutely amazing! (I was on my phone before and can't type on it so ignore that last comment...well I deleted it so you have no choice!) The ticking on the back is genius and I know you didn't build them but I'm green with envy for those lockers! Great job!

Katy said...

This is wonderful, great job! I love the ticking too!

Angie @ SeriouslyAHomemaker said...

oh my gosh! i am truly amazed! i am following you now so i can watch u work and refer back here when i do built-ins in my office!!!

u r good at this!

ps. i find the blog background a big misleading... it's so feminine and fluffy... and your work is seriously awesome. just sayin'!

Edee said...

I am amazed at your talent for turning" old useless junk" into works of art! I will be looking at things in a whole new light! Thankyou...now I want to start a project!

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