Deals, Steals, & Thrifting

Table Talk & Surprise Giveaway

Published on June 14, 2013June 14, 2013 by Our Humble Abode105 Comments

You know when you see something, something you don’t need, at a thrift store, but buy it anyway? You like it, but don’t know where you’ll put it or what you’ll do with it. I’ve done that a few times, including this not so little sleek wooden table.

For ten bucks, I had to get it, right?

It seemed kind of tall to be a coffee table, but I bought it because I hoped it would work. But my hunch was right, it was taller than most coffee tables.

About four inches tall. And looked awkward.

Of course I have a few options. One, I can cut the legs down a few inches to lower it for use as a coffee table.

Not ideal, but it could work. But I can’t undo that if I don’t like it. So, I can also use it as a low end table.

What would you do with this too tall to be a coffee table but too short to be something else guy? Do I cut the legs down? Because I’m sharing recent ten-dollar purchases, check out this dipped basket I found at TJ Maxx.

Perfect place to drop dirty towels. I bought a slightly larger one for Handy Sammy’s room, too. Can’t pass up a ten-dollar basket. Can you? how about a surprise giveaway to kick off the weekend? Oh, sure, here it is!

The Goods: A Sanus Vuepoint F180 Full Motion TV Wall Mount, available at Wal-Mart.

To Enter: Leave a comment!

For additional entries:

1. Like Our Humble Abode on Facebook.

Contest Closes: Thursday, June 20th, 2013.

Number of Winners: One lucky guy or gal.

Ships: US of A only, please.

Other Info: We will select the winners using random.org and announce on Friday, June 21st. Good night and good luck.

MCM, Modernized

Published on May 20, 2013May 20, 2013 by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

Hello and happy Monday, if there is such a thing. On Friday I shared the blow-by-blow of my five dollar chair refinishing and upholstering process. Starting with these 70’s dark stained orange vinyl covered wood beauties.

And here they are now, after an overall sanding, clear coat, thick neutral fabric, and satin nickel nail head detail.

Once I started sanding the wood down, I saw how blonde the wood was. And liked it. A lot, for a few reasons. Lighter felt more updated, less reminiscent of the Brady Bunch kitchen color palette. The pale wood also contrasted with the dark slate fireplace, instead of blending in. After going through the trouble to sand to the unfinished wood, I didn’t want a dark stain that wouldn’t be an obvious change. Also, I’m leaning toward natural finished wood, for a little variety.

Even though the chairs are neutral, I’m super happy with the go anywhere colors and subtle patterned fabric.

To bump up the comfort and color, I plan to find or sew lumbar pillows.

That little footstool will get an update and jolt of color sometime soon, too. Because paint is easier and cheaper to change than upholstery and stain. These chairs work great in the family room. Comfy, but light weight and open. Can’t forget the price, either. Only $32 spent on the chairs and materials ($18 for the fabric and four more for the nail head – we had the rest already).

I might fix the back of the seat because you can see the puckered fabric. Not perfect, but not terrible for my first rounded corner cushions.

How’s that for a Cinderella story? What do you think? Have any plans for the upcoming long weekend?

I Chickened Out

Published on May 17, 2013May 16, 2013 by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

This is about those five dollar chairs I snagged at ReStore got a little overhaul. Great lines and deceptively comfortable, but not in the best condition or colors.

Before I started anything, I took pictures of the upholstery detail. Because this is my first time upholstering something like this, the pictures could jog my memory if I ran into a problem.

With the pictures on my card, I started pulling each staple out. One at a time, prying with a flat screwdriver then pulling with a pliers.

Roughly one trillion times. I counted. Okay, I didn’t count, but there were a lot. of. staples.

At that point, I wondered what the h–e double hockey sticks I was thinking. Too late now, I had to keep going.

So I did. After pulling off the vinyl, I sanded the wood frame down using an orbital hand sander with 220 grit paper. And loved the lightness against the dark fireplace and the subtle grain. Two coats of Minwax Polycrylic in a satin finish brings out the grain and protects the wood. Conveniently, it’s water-based which makes it a breeze to clean up.

Then my indecisiveness kicked in. Upholstery time, but which direction to go. I stopped in a leather shop, gathered samples and prices, and thought it over.

Leather is super durable and easy to clean, but far more expensive than fabric. Not to mention I could only buy the leather as a full hide, roughly twice as much material as I needed. Perhaps if I had another use for the leather I could justify buying it. Instead, I hit up two fabric stores where I found a beige subtle herringbone pattern upholstery fabric for 9 bucks per yard.

I bought it, then stopped in the second store where I found a greige subtle herringbone upholstery remnant for six dollars per yard. And bought three yards. Now that I could justify. Yes, I chickened out on a bold color. Pillows can fix that. Right?!

To get started on the upholstery, I used the vinyl pieces I pulled off as templates, tracing it to the front of my fabric to keep the pattern straight. Don’t do that! Add at least 1/2 inch around the sides for a little wiggle room. I don’t have four hands, so I used a clip to keep my pieces straight while I worked.

First tacking the arms, folding the fabric under, wrapping around the back.

From the front, it looks like this:

With the arms secured, I stapled along the top and bottom, pulling tightly. Then the sides and finally the slightly rounded corners.

That covers the front of the back rest, so now for the back. Like the vinyl predecessor, I folded the fabric under, creasing it with my fingers. Using that crease as a guide for the outer edge, I stapled just inside the crease and worked around the top.

The corners are tricky to staple under, so then I tacked the bottom of the fabric to the underside.

Satin nickel nail heads, placed using a needle nose pliers, hold the sides of the fabric in place.

I’ve upholstered chair seats before, so I thought the back would be more tedious than the seat. As usual, I under estimated.

Turns out, the slight curves of the seat were a pain in the arse. No matter how hard I tried, the fabric puckerd at the turns. Finally I gave up and let the slight puckers stay. So, if anyone has pointers, please share! I’ll leave you with that, because I have to clean up the family room to take pictures of the finished chairs. Let’s pretend it’s because there are already 17 pictures in this post, okay?

Thank You, Spring Cleaning

Published on May 8, 2013May 8, 2013 by Our Humble Abode13 Comments

I swear I can thank spring cleaning for my most recent thrifty finds. First a Drexel dresser for the boys’ room and now two chairs and a foot stool.

I found the chairs at Habitat for Humanity ReStore for five bucks each. Sold! They’re solid wood and should be easy to refinish and upholster. Because one has a giant tear in the seat.

Oh, and the orange vinyl isn’t my fav.

For now, the chairs will live in the family room, replacing the Target slipper chairs, which are in the living room now. I’ve been looking for arm chairs with a smallish frame. Ideally I’d stumble upon something like this for a fraction of the price. But I’m not holding my breath.

Until that magical day happens, these are okay. You know, with a little lovin’.

Surprisingly comfortable, the small footprint of the chairs fits nicely in the walk path perimeter room. A little more depth would be great to feel more lounge-y. Eventually (when our kids stop wiping grimy hands on everything) we’ll man up and buy adult furniture.

How ’bout that footstool/ottoman/side table for $8? After a quick search, I saw many similar stools for sale, some as high as $300.

The cane top has damage, but the wood is in good shape. I’m considering cutting a larger piece of plywood to set on top, making this footstool a round coffee table.

What would you do to these pieces? Sand and stain? What type and color fabric for the chairs? We’ve got cream leather in the basement that I think could look nice. Thoughts?

I’m Bringing Drexel Back

Published on April 29, 2013April 29, 2013 by Our Humble Abode30 Comments

Admittedly not as catchy as bringing sexy back. On Thursday, the boys and I ran errands, then took advantage of the sunny weather by stopping in a garage sale and two thrift stores. We left Goodwill with three small planters for $1.50 each.

But we hit the jackpot at our second store, striking gold with this beat up Drexel dresser.

Listed at 90 dollars, I wasn’t going to buy it. I asked if I could get a discount for the scuffs and burns on it. The manager took off 25% making it $67. Not needing another dresser, I couldn’t decide. Yes, it would look great in the boys’ room. But they had a white one that worked just fine. So I asked you, and nearly everyone said, “YES!” Tipping point, I bought it. Over the weekend, I sanded it down, getting down to bare wood.

Originally I thought I’d stain it dark (to match their bookshelf), but seeing the pretty grain made me question that decision. Again, I asked you what to do. This time, votes were about 75/25, so I went with a clear finish and gold painted hardware.

Now, Drexel’s back and more handsome than ever.

He’s a far cry from the antique-y white dresser of yore, adding a warm wood tone and sleek lines.

Look at those legs! Slightly tapered, no cankles.

Perhaps the handles are the furniture equivalent of a gold chain?

A few burns and one stain are still slightly visible on the top because they went too deep to sand out.

Sixty seven dollars well spent. Because we already had sand paper, spray paint, and clear coat, $67 is all I spent on this guy.

Another change in the boys’ room that has me chomping at the bit to give this room some attention. Like paint covering the walls. All four. And a twin bed for Ev, once he’s unhappy sleeping in his crib.