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Hello friends! We recently made some open shelves in our kitchen and today I want to share with you what we used and how simple it was!
I’ve always loved the look of open shelving in the kitchen, but I never thought it would be possible in ours. We have a small kitchen with no pantry, so storage is limited. But after organizing our cabinets and getting rid of dishes we didn’t use, we had an entire cabinet that wasn’t needed between our window and back door. I decided it would be better to have some open shelving and in return, get more counter space by moving canisters that were previously on the counter onto the shelves.
First, we took down the cabinet to find a blue wall with a ton of holes to fill. I was eager to get the open shelving up, so the holes still need filled and then painted, but that will be simple.
Next, I pulled out some leftover gray paint that matches the rest of the kitchen and painted where the cabinet was. I would love to paint the kitchen an off white eventually, but don’t have the time to repaint the kitchen now.
I found these shelves and brackets at Home Depot. My husband attached them to the wall as well as a peg rack that I found a while back at my local Goodwill.
Finally, I styled the shelves with my Rae Dunn canisters, some plates, greenery, and a Dundee marmalade jar. I hung a few tea towels from our shop, Faith and Farmhouse Market, on the peg rail.
I love how they turned out! It was such a simple weekend DIY and now I have another fun place to decorate and more counter space! Win win!
I hope I’ve inspired you in some way today. Maybe you can try adding open shelving in your kitchen!
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. All opinions remain my own.
Hello all! If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have seen my most recent Facebook Marketplace find, a $40 fireplace mantel.
I originally had a different mantel for a few weeks in my living room (also from marketplace) but it just wasn’t exactly what I wanted and was a bit too large for the space. I sold that one for quite a bit more than I paid and actually made money off of it, so it was worth trying it out!
When this mantel popped up on marketplace for only $40, I knew I could make it work! I wanted one that didn’t stick out from the wall as much in case I ever wanted to move the couch in front of it and this one was much thinner than the other one.
I also wanted it to have a distressed, aged look to it. I have painted furniture with chalk paint in the past and distressed it, so I knew how to get the look that I wanted.
I painted this indoors since it was winter and too cold to do it outdoors or in the garage. I think chalk paint has less of a smell than interior latex paint and I painted it in a large room. However, always make sure your space is well-ventilated or paint outdoors if possible.
After the paint was completely dry, I simply hand sanded the areas I wanted distressed. The chalk paint comes right off and gives a perfectly distrsssed look!
I’m loving how it turned out! I think it’s perfect for the space and exactly what I envisioned. I can’t wait to style it different ways through the seasons! This project was so simple.
Let me know what you think in the comments section below! Would you try something like this for your home?
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. All opinions remain my own.
Hello friends! We’re finally finished with our master bedroom and closet and I’m able to share all of the details on our painted hardwood floors.
Before, we had dark tan carpet in our master bedroom. It needed shampooed four times before we felt that all of the pet hair had been removed before we moved in. The previous owners didn’t clean the house before moving out and it needed a major deep clean. It took us a week after taking possession before we could move in due to all of the cleaning and painted we did. We even scrubbed all of the walls to rid every inch of pet hair. It was a labor of love for sure but definitely worth it.
I loved our bedroombefore, but I love it even more with the painted hardwoods!
I had never really thought much of the carpet in our room except that it would be nice to replace one day. I didn’t even consider the fact that we might have hardwoods underneath. One day I discovered the old listing from when the house sold to the previous owners before us. They did quite a bit of renovations and in the old photos I noticed hardwood floors in the rooms upstairs. We have hardwoods in every room of the house except the bedrooms, but it is a new hardwood that the owners before us installed during renovations. I decided to pull up a corner of the carpet in our bedroom to see what was beneath and sure enough, there were hardwoods.
To me, the older hardwoods with a rug was preferable to carpet, so we planned on just pulling up the carpet and living with the old hardwood. We didn’t realize what shape it was in until we looked.
We found paint splatters covering the floor and an entire section that was patched. I was disappointed and we were about to tuck the carpet back down until I suddenly thought about painting it as a temporary fix. I had seen painted hardwoods in older houses and on Instagram and thought it was worth a shot.
The old hardwoods were discolored and splattered with paint. An entire section was patched as well.
My husband ripped out all of the carpet and padding that morning. The hardest part was pulling up the tack strip and all of the nails around the edge. Once that was all up, I vacuumed and mopped the old, stained hardwoods, then I began painting.
We bought Dutch Boy Porch and Floor Paint at our local Menards, along with a paint roller with an extender pole. I had it tinted in Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige, a color that one of my favorite home decor bloggers, Liz Marie Galvan, used in her farmhouse.
This is after one coat of paint.
It only took two coats to cover the floor since it was such a high quality paint. I am not sponsored by Dutch Boy in any way, but I’m so happy with how well it covered and how smooth and easy it was to paint. I definitely recommend this paint!
After the two coats were fully dry, I went through and scraped some of the paint out of the cracks with a razor blade to show more of the wood lines. We still have to add a piece of trim around the edge of the room, but it already looks so beautiful!
We added this jute rug to complete the look. We didn’t seal it with anything because it’s only a temporary fix and we may put down new pine flooring in the future, but so far it’s holding up well! If you were wanting it to last longer, I would seal it with a polycrylic or polyurethane, depending on if your paint is oil or water based.
I would love to help if you have any questions! What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below!
Our living room is one of the spaces I would rarely show on Instagram, yet it is the room we spend the most time in as a family. We never painted it when we moved in. The color was a darker gray than the rest of our home and it had a bluish undertone. We bought a large gray sectional when we moved in from a liquidation store nearby. When we got it home and in the room, we realized that it didn’t fit exactly like we’d hoped and it was a bit large for the space.
We made it work for a couple of years until I got the idea to give this room a refresh. I’m slowly working through every room in our house to make it “my favorite room”. What I mean is that if I don’t love a space in my home, I try to transform it into a something that I love so that every room eventually feels like “my favorite”.
The Before
This is the before photo of the room. The large gray sectional and gray walls made the space feel small and dark, despite it being the room in our house with the most windows. We sold the sectional on Facebook Marketplace for $500. We also sold an old rug for $15.
What We Changed
We started off by painting the walls in Swiss Coffee by Behr. This creamy off-white helped brighten the space so much! Paint and supplies cost $40.
We also moved an Ikea Ektorp chair and ottoman that we had in our son’s nursery into this room. We found another Ikea Ektorp sofa on marketplace that came with an additional ottoman for $75. We bought a new cover for $50 from Ikea and cleaned up the inside cushions of the couch. We sold the ottoman that came with it for $20. The new sofa ended up costing us a total of only $105. I found some new pillow covers and spent $25 at Hobby Lobby.
Eventually, to finish the room refresh, we will add a new rug and coffee table. I’ll share those additions once we find what we are looking for on Instagram!
The Cost Breakdown
We made $535 off of selling our sectional, an old rug, and the ottoman that came with the new sofa. In the end, we only spent $350 of it on a new couch/cover, paint, a new rug, coffee table, and pillow covers. We actually made money off of giving this room an update!
The After
I’m so happy with how this room turned out! To view the process in more detail, check out my highlights on Instagram @faith.and.farmhouse.
I finally got around to painting and distressing my antique buffet table! I’ve always wanted a white buffet and now this one is a perfect focal point for our back living area.
This antique buffet was a Facebook Marketplace find. I originally had a tv stand that I found at a liquidation store, and although it was beautiful and sturdy, it wasn’t solid wood or very unique. I had been on the lookout for a buffet to refinish for quite some time, but they can be pricey. When I found this one for along with the huge hutch I refinished in my dining room for $75 each on marketplace, I was thrilled! I sold my other tv stand for $140 and ended up with two solid wood antique pieces instead of one manufactured piece of furniture.
While the black wasn’t terrible, it was too dark for the room. We are refreshing our back living area right now and the white just brightens up the space. The photo below is what it looked like in our living room once we brought it home.
First, I painted the whole thing with two coats of Rustoleum Chalked Paint in Linen White. I used a regular angled paint brush.
Then, I took a couple of pieces of 80 grit sandpaper and distressed it by hand. I haven’t sealed it yet, but plan on doing so soon with a water-based polycrylic.
I am loving how it turned out! Refinishing a piece of furniture can be daunting, but it wasn’t hard at all! You can check out another piece I refinished here.
Be sure to check out my Instagram page @faith.and.farmhouse for more decor ideas and before and afters!
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. All opinions remain my own.
I’ve had quite a few questions recently on how I added sharpie shiplap to a few walls in our house. I thought I should write a quick blog post explaining how simple it is to do.
I love the look of shiplap but didn’t want to nail actual boards to the wall, just in case I ever grow old of the style or if we ever move and the next owners don’t like the farmhouse look as much as I do. Sharpie shiplap is such a cheap way to give the illusion of real shiplap and is much easier to install. Hopefully, I can help you recreate the look of shiplap for a fraction of the cost in your own home!
Sharpie shiplap in our master bedroom
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
The first step in sharpie shiplap is to gather the supplies you will need. The things I used were: white interior wall paint, a wooden yard stick, a 4 foot long level with a straight edge (I found mine at Menards), and these Sharpie Paint Pens in Black from Amazon. The paint pens come in a pack of three and I only went through one pen for an entire room. They really go a long way!
Step 2: Paint the Walls White
The next step in sharpie shiplap is to paint the wall or walls that you want shiplapped white. I used a cheap, base paint that took way too many coats that I don’t recommend and won’t use again. I suggest getting a gallon of higher quality interior paint and having it tinted the white you want. We painted the exterior of our home in Sherwin Williams Pure White and I think that a bright, crisp white like that would be perfect for shiplap. The finish is up to you, but satin is what I tend to use most. Let the paint dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.
The wall in our living room before we painted it white and added “shiplap”
Step 3: Measure Out the Lines
Starting at the top of the wall along a corner or edge, measure using a yard stick and make marks where you want your shiplap lines to be. I measured 6” down each time, to make my shiplap look like it had the width of 6”. You could do wider widths if you’d like but I wouldn’t recommend any smaller. The 6” marks also equal out nicely if you have 8” ceilings. You’ll want to start at the top so that any smaller widths would be at the bottom of the wall and less noticeable.
Drawing the sharpie shiplap lines in our living room
Step 4: Draw the Lines
Using a straight-edge level, begin drawing your lines with your Sharpie paint pen. Make sure that each line you draw is straight and level. I think it is easier to get the start of each line first along a corner or edge and then continuing each line. You will make mistakes and on occasion the level may slip. Don’t worry, you can always just paint right over the mistake! If you are doing multiple walls that connect at a corner, just continue drawing the lines around the room connecting the lines. Be careful to draw straight and level lines if you’re doing an entire room as you don’t want the last wall to not line up at the corners. Work your way across the wall until all lines are drawn.
Sharpie shiplap in my daughter’s room
That’s it! Its such a simple project that gets easier the more you do it and is so affordable! I’ve “shiplapped” in three different rooms in my house for the cost of paint and the pack of paint pens!
Here are a few shots of sharpie shiplap in our home!
Before and After- Master Bedroom
Before and After- Living Room
Thank you for reading! I hope this helps somewhat if you want to add sharpie shiplap to your own home. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions and be sure to follow me @faith.and.farmhouse on Instagram for more home decor inspiration! God bless!
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. All opinions remain my own.
I had never refinished a piece of furniture in my life. What I learned was that refinishing an old oak table, though not exactly easy, was well worth the time and effort.
A Thoughtful Gift
This solid, round oak table was where my husband and I sat and ate many meals, some great, others not so much, during our first few years of marriage. It was a hand-me-down table from my parents. They had it sitting around in a garage and knew we needed a place to sit and eat. We didn’t have too many pieces of furniture starting out. My husband was still taking college classes while working full-time and I had just graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and was looking for my first teaching job. Even though it didn’t look the best; the finish was peeling in places and it was stained that orange-ish color that made it look straight from the 90’s, we welcomed this table with thankful hearts.
Time for a Change
We bought our first house together in the spring of 2018. We had just welcomed our little girl into the world and we were ready to stop renting and buy a place of our own. I knew before we even found our home that I wanted something that I could decorate farmhouse-style. I’ve always loved seeing the transformations that Joanna Gaines does to the houses on Fixer Upper and I couldn’t wait to bring that farmhouse feel into our future home. When our offer was accepted on a home with two dining spaces, an eat-in kitchen and a formal dining area, I knew that it wouldn’t be in the budget to buy two new dining tables. I was going to have to update our current dining table in order to get the look I was hoping for. I had never refinished a piece of furniture in my life. What I learned was that refinishing an old oak table, though not exactly easy, was well worth the time and effort.
The hand-me-down oak table in the dining room of our rental home. I hated those green countertops!
Doing Some Research
First off, I started doing my research into how to refinish a table. I knew that I wanted a white base with a dark walnut stained top. I found another blog tutorial online that proved to be very helpful from @makingitinthemountains. Her tutorial online about how she refinished her kitchen table was exactly what I was looking for! I also found a few other tutorials and googled the basics on sanding and staining. With it being a free, secondhand table, I decided to take a shot and refinish it.
Gathering the Supplies
I knew I wanted to stain my tabletop a dark, deep color. After researching different stain colors and brands, I went with Miniwax Dark Walnut stain. What’s great is most of my supplies for this table are available on Amazon, so I didn’t even have to go out for too many supplies. Click on the images featured to purchase on Amazon.
Miniwax Dark Walnut Stain
After reading something about how belt sanders can leave marks, but palm sanders may not leave as many, I went out and bought a palm sander that proved to be very handy (pun intended).
Black + Decker Mouse Detail Sander
I definitely didn’t have the time to sand the entire table, and I knew that chalk paint allows the paint to stick on finished surfaces without sanding. I purchased a can of Rustoleum’s Chalked Paint in Linen White. I love how easy it is to use!
Rustoleum Chalked Paint in Linen White
I used a cheap foam paintbrush that I had lying around so it wouldn’t show too many brushstrokes, but a good, high-quality paintbrush is all you really need.
To seal the top, I bought a can of Miniwax polyurethane. This is the one I used:
Miniwax Polyurethane in Clear Satin
Sanding
The key to sanding is starting with the most abrasive (lowest number) of grits first and then moving onto the finer (higher number) grits. You’ll want to make sure you get off ALL of the original finish. It needs to get down to bare wood in order for the stain not to look blotchy. It took me at least an hour and a half to completely sand the finish off of the top. I probably should have continued to sand a bit longer to smooth out any scratches, but with a young baby and busy evenings, I didn’t have that much time. I’ve read where you can use stripper and scrape the finish off first but I didn’t have the tools and I chose to just try to sand it down. Overall, it worked pretty well!
The Before Photo of the Table
Staining
After completely sanding the top down to bare wood, I applied the liquid stain using a staining sponge to the top in even strokes going with the grain. Make sure you don’t leave too much excess stain piled up and just sitting there. You can also apply the stain with a clean t-shirt or clean cloths. I used the sponge and wiped the excess up with a cloth. I let it dry overnight. I applied a second coat of stain the next day and waited for it to dry overnight as well.
Sealing
After the stain had dried, I used the polyurethane to seal the top. I was advised to go with polyurethane vs. polycrylic by the salesman at Menards, so I went with it! It has held up so far. Be sure to apply a thin coat and not too thick, otherwise you’ll end up with bubbles like I did. I had to sand down a couple spots where it bubbled up before doing a second coat of polycrylic, which was frustrating. After fixing my mistake, I did two more coats of polyurethane. Overall, I did three coats and it still looks great! Because I was teaching at the time and only getting to work during the evening hours while dealing with dinner, bath time, and bedtime, I waited about a week before I painted the base. This allowed time for the polyurethane to really set and seal properly.
Painting
Painting the base white was the easiest part. I purposefully chose to refinish the top before painting the bottom because I knew that I would drip stain. I didn’t want to paint the bottom white until all of the staining was finished. I painted the base with three coats of chalk paint one evening and it only took me about an hour total. The paint was completely dry the next morning!
It is (re)Finished!
I am so happy that I decided to take a leap of faith and refinish a piece of furniture, staining and everything, all by myself. It looks so much better and has more of a farmhouse feel to it now! I see similar orange oak tables all of the time for dirt cheap at Goodwill, garage sales, secondhand shops, etc. If you’re thinking about refinishing a piece of furniture, I say do it! I now have a beautiful, solid wood farmhouse table that didn’t cost much at all! Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think or if I can help answer any questions you may have!
Faith and Farmhouse 