Finally done!

After days of fun with a feverish 4yr old and a few mistakes along the way, it is done!

This is one of those times that I really really like how something turned out. I keep going into the playroom to look at it...hee hee...I just did again!

I learned a few things through my mistakes that will come in handy for next time.

Pre-drill holes with a small drill bit (smaller than the screw) first, then use screws...Orrrrrrr THIS will happen:

(Fortunately, after I took the screw out, the wood bounced back a little.)

This little entertainment center is made of some knarley oak and has a pretty deep grain (that you can see above). You can see the crack in the full length photo, but it seems to blend in a bit.

I'm going to bore you with the *how I did it* because it makes me wacky when I see a finished project with no how-to info. ( I'm thinking I might have done that in the past a time or two though...oops : /  )

After taking off all of the original hardware, lightly sanding and priming, it was time to start painting. (one coat on the inside, two coats on the outside)

Well, I accidentally asked for eggshell finish paint when I was picking out paint color. I have no clue why I did it because I certainly know better, and because of it, I ended up making the whole process last MUCH longer than it needed to be. Because I didn't buy semi-gloss, I ended up having to polyurethane it also. I despise polyurethane that you have to brush on so I went the lazy (and more expensive) route and purchased a spray...TOTALLY worth it. The stuff is tricky either way and requires more patience than I tend to have but it worked out nicely in the end.

The doors were so much fun! I knew I wanted to try something different and thought that some funky paper or fabric would do the trick. I loved this fabric right away BUT I did learn something about fabric too. Stripes make things just a little bit more challenging. Striped paper would have been fine, but if you are a perfectionist, trying fabric with stripes may not be the way to go. ANYWAY, I used Mod Podge to adhere the fabric to the primed inset, and after it seemed to set, I added two coats on top of the fabric. ( I LOVE that stuff!) After the Mod Podge dried, I added a light spray of Polyurethane over it and after that COMPLETELY dried, I added the new hardware and TA DAH!

I am anxious to tackle some more painting projects before the humidity really kicks in here. I am REALLY excited to paint. Super excited. Crazy excited. I fear the only things safe in my house are the ones that eat, sleep and poop. Maybe.

Have a great weekend!