So…. when I scored some bedside tables on Craigslist last week, the asian tables were back in flux, and with the sale approaching, I started to worry the CC might push the subject of selling them.  I simply wasn’t ready for that.  My solution?  Find a place in the house for them QUICKLIKE.  I became a rearranging ninja, and after many room redos, I managed to save them…for now. They are pushed together to serve as a long table between the rattan at the fireplace.

So they are safe…. for the moment.  The next time a favorite household item is threatened, I will quietly emerge from the walls….

via cellardoor

via 8wayrun

…and will silently and stealthily rescue the defenseless.

That’s right, he SWIVELS his layers….shall we call him the Swinger?

I also found a place for the Sexophone…..

Oh, and remember my pair of vintage chairs that I love love love so much? Turns out they are a bit dangerous in the house.

Yup.  Those front support bars blend in with the dark floors and had become a huge maiming hazard.  I can’t have pretty chairs that hurt my people, so they moved out and we have enjoyed them on the deck where we can see those bars better.

In their place is a pair of swiveling rattan chairs that had been in Thing Two’s bedroom.  Not as pretty as the others, but far friendlier on the toes and way more practical for the upcoming fire season.  Now we can swivel towards the flames, or the couch…flames, couch…

So, I think that’s it for now.  I’ve updated the tour with the latest changes.

Remember how I wanted some fancy outdoor fabric for my patio furniture here?  And how I wanted to sew them myself to save the ludicrous expense here?

Well, neither of those things happened.

What I did manage was a no-sew fabric origami contraption that is the most unprofessional DIY ever, so don’t blame me if you do this and get laughed out of your neighborhood…K?  Just sayin’.

Joann was having a 50% upholstery foam sale, so I knew it was time.  Just as well I got there early too, since the cutting table was 6 deep with peeps and foam.  I got 2 inch Nu-Foam for boats and outdoors along with some iron on velcro, and my cheap fabric.

Rather than cramp my hand for life attempting to cut the stuff, I splashed out on a $20 electric knife…trust me on this…you need it if you have foam to cut…period.

So…now it’s cardboard template and cutting time….

Then comes some tricky folding of the fabric to make it look as neat as possible…..then attach the velcro to your key places.

Then you’re done…all told, materials cost was $58 for foam and velcro (I got enough foam for 2 long sofas and I have 2 yards left-6 yards total) $12 for fabric and $20 for the knife.  $90 total.

You won’t wow anyone with this ramshackle upholstery job, but your tush will have some cush that’s inexpensive and easy to wash.  Down the road, we’ll get something done right, but the weather is glorious and un-saunaesque so it’s time to enjoy the deck…NOW.

Their humble beginnings seemed to cry for a bit of orange lacquer, but that’s too much work for an impatient one like myself.  Let’s start sanding!

I decided to cheat and use spray primer instead of brushing it on because of all the thin areas…and because I’m lazy.

Then, it was paint time!  We have an HPLV (high pressure, low volume) spray gun attachment for the air compressor that we used for painting.  I bought a high gloss, oil based enamel (a Ralph Lauren color matched in Glidden since Ralph didn’t have high gloss enamel.)  At first we thinned the paint with paint thinner, but it was still clogging in the nozzle.  After a little research and polling of paint pros…I needed Naptha.  It was still early spring and weather made these stages go by in weeks rather than days.

Now, if we were professional-like, we’d set up a spray booth in the garage or something…but nooooo….

….So you get this…now it has to dry, and that bug has to be sanded off…crap!  At least there are multiple coats of paint so it will disappear.

Then after sitting around without glass for a couple of months..I finally got it done.  Glass inserts in…and NO WHERE TO PUT THEM.  I’m sad.  I really want to keep them, but they aren’t working anywhere right now.  If I don’t figure out a place soon, I guess they’ll have to go to the booth…which makes me sad….maybe the attic for future rearranging possibilities?

Sad…and lazy….did I mention the sad?

OK!!

Here’s how I found it…$4.00 at the Goodwill Outlet.

I didn’t take enough before pictures, but the top is MDF and was gouged, and even burned in a few places….I think this table’s owners had anger issues….

So the CC filled all those places with epoxy….

sand down the epoxy and old paint….

Then sandblasted the metal base when we were blasting the outdoor furniture.

I never showed you one of the tricks we find necessary when sandblasting…sieving the sand…..

We pour the sand through a window screen to catch the coarser bits that clog up the nozzle of the blasting attachment.  It really makes all the difference!

See?  That stuff will mess you up.

Much better.

Then, prime, paint, sand, paint again…nothing exciting…just plain white.  Sorry for the crappy photos…this room is way dark with difficult angles away from the window and I had no time for styling….then again, I never do…I’m a renovator first.

I hope I don’t regret this, but I decided to hit my faux Salterini hoop chairs with a splash of orange.  All the other pieces are getting painted a dark bronze, and these needed something special.

Speaking of hoop chairs….On the copycat front….The new CB2 Igloo is certainly more affordable than those Acapulco chairs I’ve been wanting.  While certainly not as groovy, these could work.  Has anyone sat in them yet?  What’s the verdict?  No CB2 store in Nashvegas, so no test drive available for me.  $149 v. $400.

First up was this pair of chairs I picked up for the booth.  They needed the lipstick.. some light peeling paint, but no rust and no sandblasting required…YAY. Recovered the seats with a staple gun and this project was done in a couple of hours.

I needed an injection of spring into the booth and I think these will do the trick.

People, can I just TELL you how thrilling, yet horrifying this was?  It works.  I mean really works.  I knew I should give up my once daily diet soda, but I don’t think that will be a problem now.  I can’t believe I’ve been ingesting RUST DISSOLVER. Not cool.  At all.

There were a couple of areas I knew were beyond saving since it had penetrated the chrome, but all the other spots I couldn’t get with the Noxon?  WOW.  Check it out.

before and after

and another before and after

You can see where the chrome is pitted here…but still WAY better than before.

Then, I went back and polished up all over with the Noxon again and…Tah Dah!!!!!

one of the good spots…

It took a lot longer than I expected, but it was well worth it.  They aren’t perfect, but they are miles ahead of where they were, and I lurv them.

I picked up another project from one of the dudes ready to deal.  Why is it I NEVER find anything that doesn’t need work?  Sigh.  Anyway… stopped off at the hardware store on the way home and got busy.

I have to research chroming/chrome plating…that would be valuable info for me and the stuff I’ve got.  Body shops?

I got a lot of the crud off, but some of the rust is there to stay…but, I’m OK with that for now..the pleather was in great shape…onward!  Have a great weekend..

UPDATE: I’ve conducted a poll of friends and the Interwebs:  Coca Cola and tin foil is the choice of many for those pesky rust spots…will try in morning and let you know…

No, not Singapore’s solution to misdemeanors..I’m talking basket weaving cane.  Remember the new bookshelf?  I managed to find the cane to re-wrap the damaged areas….a decent sized roll for $30…bringing my bookshelf total up to $130.  I’m quite pleased since I couldn’t even get the CB2 Hancock bookcase I had considered for that much.

Not knowing jack about weaving or caning…a little research turns up a few tips and we’re on our way. The CC took the lead on this one…he thought it looked like a lot more fun than organizing the workshop in below freezing temps, so I stepped back to simply document the process.

First, we soak the cane for 4 hours in warm water…while it was soaking, he removed the old torn bits and scraped off the old glue.  He saved the tacks so we could re-use them…and then it was wrapping time. We were out of Gorilla Glue, which we love, so he decided to use plain old white glue. Tack the end and start wrapping until you finish the strip, Tack and repeat.  Linseed oil or tung oil should be rubbed on it to prevent cracking etc.. so if you have dry cane on anything..a little oiling can save it…so say the wise weavers of the net.

There is a color variation between the new and old cane, but not too bad.  My hope is that with repeated applications of the linseed oil, the color will even out.  All in all, I think it was a success, and I have enough cane leftover to do something else down the line.