Furniture DIY REDO! Blech to Beautiful!

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I think I have a ratio of ponder to actually working of 5 hours of ponder to 1 hour of working on all these projects. Even with sketches and plans on paper---my head keeps getting in the way.

As I'm getting ready to start furnishing the spaces, and I'm also trying to work with what I already have. The two couches in the great room are sort of okay. Eventually I see a sectional---but that's far in the future. 

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I went through all my fabric bins-7large, 4 large picnic baskets and 3 grocery totes. Upside, I've now refreshed my memory and everything is sorted to types of fabric. I took a stack of pieces down to the workshop with the idea of modge-podging fabric on the couches.  

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The blues were too 'Copen" and the patterns were out of scale, the darks were too dark, etc., etc., etc.  The only piece that looked great was some stretchy blue/black  jean material---really too thick for the modge-podge. I thought of blue jeans or worn blue leather and decided that would be perfect for the room.

So, I'm going to try painting.

Prepping plastic for painting. First soap and water, then a rub all over with paper-towel soaked in alcohol. Use cue-tips soaked in alcohol for all the crevices. Wipe off all the excess. Make sure your hands have no residual food, grease or hand lotion on, clean with alcohol also. This is definitely necessary for spraying outside also.

These pieces had some nice subtle texture, lots of crevices and stitching detail, I though I could enhance with paint.

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To make a dark glaze: 

I took 2 parts Liquitex Satin Varnish (Totally odor free, dries quickly and I have been using it for many things this winter) and 1 part Midnight Blue Ceramcoat  Acrylic craft paint. (The color is very old-probably not available) The idea was to make the paint dark but translucent. This may take a bit of trial and error with other colors, and realize the colored plastic will show through here and there.

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I did a trial on the back---if it didn't work I could clean it off with alcohol. To finally start, I filled my brush and quickly spread it on one small section. Think of the how it would be upholstered and do 'one piece' at a time trying not to get paint it into the next section.

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Very quickly wipe excess off---you will be surprised at how fast this dries with the varnish mixed into the paint.

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Here you can see the grain before I wipe more off. I use thicker paper towel and give one swipe and the use a cleaner part to wipe again to get the desired effect.

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Next I did the back pieces and really loaded my brush with the paint/varnish as I found it was drying very quickly.

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Sorry this is out of focus...working so quickly. Again, quickly wiping it off, then doing the seats and front. You can see it is uneven, but the paint is sealing the piece as you do this first light coat.

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By the time I got all sides done, the first sides painted were completely dry. Now was the time to even-out the color application and make sure extra paint was in crevices and the stitching.

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I had chosen my OLD rather 'scumble' brush. Scumbled meaning the 'hairs' are overused and not smoothly laying down, more like a feather pin cushion with all the hairs sticking out.

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This is excellent for dry-brushing. I dip my brush tips in the paint, clean them off by dabbing on towel  a few times and then ... gently daub the paint on and blotting with the paper towel instead of wiping. I worked from the seams to the center --as the centers of each cushion/area would be worn. After a few layers, I got the couches to match, but still look 'lived in' and definitely like distressed leather! 

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I'm leaving these dry overnight to cure, before I coat them with a thin brushing (with a good brush) of the varnish. They will be washable, but not alcohol proof---but my dolls don't drink that much! 

Materials for this project.

Paper Towel

Textured plastic doll furniture furniture

1- smooth 1/2" or 5/8" nylon brush

1-'scumble' brush (used up or spread out) 

Acrylic craft paint

Acrylic Satin Varnish (I used Liquitex Satin Varnish)

mixing cup

This technique is great for 'antiquing' or freshening already finished wood pieces also. When working with colored plastics, keep in mind that some colors will show through. 

Examples:

Magenta/pink couches covered with this blue would be purple. 

Green plastic with the blue on top will be more teal.

Yellow painted with blues will be greenish. 

Red Orange/Oranges with blue will be very yucky brownish---test your pieces underneath for the best combinations.

Opaque Whites, grays, blacks, ochre/browns may need additional varnish to be translucent to work, test your combinations on undersides or similar colored pieces.

Give it a try and Have Fun!!!

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An Empty Townhouse, Planning, Walls, Painting!

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Yikes, I took everyone and everything out of the  townhouse side of the HFIM House. And pondered, and pondered and pondered.

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The storyline will be---that two houses/remodeled were worth more to the residents/investors. The Chicago market has been hot throughout the pandemic. 

BMR Ltd.  Barbara Millicent Roberts-my no.3's company bought the two  properties and began the separation.

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I picked my nose for two days trying to figure out the new configurations and how to do the 'remodels'! What would new families/residents want in a higher end town house. Meanwhile the craft room was in upheaval.

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I thought I was organized, but my thrift store stashes have gotten out of control. I have 8 totes of furniture, and lots of bits here and there on shelves.

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I pulled out all kinds of furnishings to see what I had that would work in the potentially newly remodeled homes.

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The HFIM guys (7) have moved into the basement apartments for the time being. Belle and Mulan are still living upstairs in the Victorian Mansion. Everyone else is scattered.

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 It really has become fruit basket upset. I couldn't help adding another bunkbed to the 4 girl's duo townhouses to give them two bedrooms(adding a wall) and I 'll eventually add some bathroom walls too, for privacy. Meanwhile there is an extra gal on the sofa. (So that is five gals here).

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One thing was obvious---I have more than enough furnishings to do 10 more dioramas.

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The biggest issue still is...the floors in the townhouse are too shallow for any kind of furniture arrangements. Do I expand the floors out, or just try and work with it as is?

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I decided to definitely add to the ground floor living space, extending the floor about 7" out to match the depth of the Victorian Mansion. This will leave walk space on the open side of all the homes. My imagination says they are all on one crowded block in Chicago, north of the Loop.

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I used an old piece of thick foam core. I actually remembered to notch room for the elevator line.

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The old foam core had (tiles on one side, concrete on the other that gotten raggy.) Thick foam core is running about $7 a sheet now, so I reuse, reuse, reuse.

I ripped off the old papers and had pristine thick foam core.  The thickness wasn't quite enough so I added another layer of $ store foam core on the bottom.

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I also gave the magenta kitchen cabinets a prime coat of brush on multi-surface acrylic after a thorough cleaning with alcohol. OMG..what a difference. I'll finish a second coat tomorrow and silver handles on the appliances, then a sealer. I like the gray---it is neutral and not six layers of white to cover the magenta...LOL!

I ripped off all the wall paper and the pink/white tile flooring(contact paper). I 'drywalled' the walls in white contact paper. It will be easy for new residents to change it to their tastes with wallpapers. (double stick taped papers are easily removable from the contact paper).

There's still a pink tint...I wish I had time to do this in summer so I could spray multi layers of paint. Honestly that ghastly pink is potent!

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Here I have put up some scrap foam core on the sides for the walls, just to see how it will finish off! The center window on the bottom screams for built-ins, which will take some time. First new walls, and deciding on the flooring application. I plan on redoing the elevator---in spring when I can spray it, that will involve restringing it---cross your fingers, I may paper it now, or cover it up...I really don't like that pink!

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I 'drywalled' the second floor room also. The bathroom is fine as it is. I am debating on the flooring or to work with it. There are a few touchups needed here and there of the white!

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The third floor got the same treatment, although the walls on the right were temporary, I finished them off to match. I don't have to add lighting to this floor as it is so close to the ceiling lights in the shop. I plan on painting the windows and adding moldings to the square ones.

PS (Because the walls on the right aren't permanent, I can easily add the original patio/pool and light posts at anytime) Patio pools aren't really cost effective in cold Chicago. Did you ever notice that Barbie apparently lives ONLY in warm climates????)

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So three days in, this is what I got accomplished. A good start!

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And, here is the IKEA LEDBERG lighting which was the reason I started this to begin with! (No more Batteries!)

Lighting and flooring, more painting in next post!

WHAT'S YOUR LATEST REMODEL PROJECT?

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