The One Room Challenge Week 2: The Dirty Details

Week one flew by in the blink of an eye…Last week, I revealed the mood board. Super fun stuff, right? What have I been doing since?

(Keep up with everyone’s progress on the ORC blog.)

As far as DIY, most of the time I could have *literally* been watching paint dry. But, that’s not how motherhood works. Working from home, remote learning for a kindergartener and a third grader, with a three “going on 35” year-old, life stays pretty busy. And, we took a break for some fall family photos last Sunday–one of the fall traditions we’ve been able to keep alive in 2020. How cute are these three?

The Dirty Details

Back to the challenge. Probably boring, but so important, I’m in the midst of setting the bedroom up for a successful makeover. This involves a lot of monotonous, tedious tasks. The good news is that after they are done, more fun can begin.

If you’re following my stories on IG, you can see some of the details I am working on. And, it might just compel you to get started on your own! Because, after all, these little things can make a world of difference if you can just talk yourself into doing them!

The Colors

Ok, this one isn’t boring. Choosing a color is–by far–one of the most exciting parts of a room makeover. But, here’s the thing. I strongly recommend spending a little money and buying samples. Paint parts of your wall–and live with them for a few days or more.

Depending on the direction your windows face, and how much light the room gets–both natural and artificial–paint colors can look different morning, noon and night. Notice the colors over the course of the day. Take it from a person who painted the entire first floor of her home, only to realize that it was not the right hue. UGH. Lesson learned.

Stay tuned–because we are going to be choosing “The Color” this coming week! Hubs & I are at odds…down to two choices.

The Closet

Want to instantly make a difference in your daily life? Purge your closet! One of the problems I will be trying to fix during this makeover will be to help our bedroom seem…less like a dumping ground. And, since part of that is me–feeling like my clothes are just tossed or jammed places–I took charge. I channeled my inner Marie Kondo, removed everything from one of my closets, and piece-by-piece, decided to keep or get rid of. I also added a couple shelves to one section to increase storage.

We have installed a number of Dakota closet systems in our home, and they are so easy to add, change and modify as needed.

The Doors

I had mentioned that one of the reasons this challenge appealed to me was because of the outdated elements that still exist. The doors in the second floor of our home are still the same orange stained wood that was so popular in 1993. And, the gold knobs are the icing on the cake. 

I removed the bedroom door, and I worked on it in the garage for a few days. I sanded it with 80 grit sandpaper, just enough to rough it up for paint. I painted it with two coats of this Valspar primer. Then, I used Behr latex paint in a semi-gloss finish for painting the door, the same color we’ve used on the trim and doors throughout our home. The trick for thinning out the paint is a product called Floetrol. It helps reduce brush strokes so the result is a smooth finish.

The gold knobs got tossed, replaced with Quickset Venetian Bronze knobs. They are beautiful. But, of course, as if life isn’t interesting enough, the kids locked the door the first day we installed it, forcing us to figure out how to pick the lock. #parenthood

One problem you may run into with older doors, is that the door frame is cut with a shape that fits a certain size plate. We’ve had this issue on all of our doors. The easiest thing to do is to remove the old ones, spray paint them to match, and re-install.

Hinges were an easy one. The key is to remove them and take one to the store with you. No matter how good I am at measuring and memorizing the shape and size, I turn into an idiot in the store. Just take the hinge in and match it up with what’s there.

Up next…the master bath/bedroom pocket door. I’ve been delaying this as long as possible because of the mess it will make. The good news is that because it’s hanging in place, the painting time will be reduced slightly. 

The Windows

A year ago, we replaced the windows in the house. The original ones were wooden and very shallow. Having new windows with new white trim has been a treat. However, with brand new trim, you have nail holes. And, there’s no sense in painting until you fill the nail holes…you see where I’m going with this.

And, because the windows actually have depth, I wanted new window treatments in the bedroom. (The curtains have served us well over the last year.) We originally had shades that were an outside mount, but we didn’t want to install them on new trim. It’s taken us a year to get going with ordering new ones. But, I’m here to announce: We finally ordered, and before they are installed, the window trim has to be patched and painted!

For patching the holes, the product we are using is DAP Plastic Wood. It applies similar to drywall mud, but in a small amount, obviously. The container we have is large enough to use a small spackle knife to spread it and scrape off the remains. 

The Ceiling

And then, there’s the ceiling. The vaulted ceiling has not been painted since we moved in, and it’s begging for it. In the process, I am going to be using my new “love of spray paint” to makeover the fan. Hubs doesn’t know it yet, but he’s going to love it. (His eyes may completely roll back into his head when I mention what I’m going to do, but he’ll love it.)

Getting to the Dirty Details…

I’ve got to stop blogging and get after it! Check in with me on Instagram for story highlights of my process. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions–or even helpful suggestions, I’d love to hear from you!