This is How We Roll {Pun Intended}

Behold, my new workshop space..

So this is where I will be making stuff happen for the next 3 years. It's the only non-carpeted space in the new apartment, besides the bathrooms. And a little known fact...normally I cringe at laminate hardwood flooring, but for a workshop floor it just happens to be great. We had it in our old house, in the kitchen. With a little magic eraser action, everything comes up.

So yesterday, while Mr. Sabbe grilled us up some steaks... on a grill pan (ah, city living) I thought it would be a good idea to be all in the way with my latest diy undertaking. I have a sweet husband. He tolerates me saying things like "if you hit this furniture with that refrigerator door I am going to kill you." (joking of course, he's too cute to kill) Because it's normal to be painting 4' long dressers, while someone else is trying to cook, in a 8 x 8 kitchen, right?

I'm not 100% finished, but remember the before...

And here is where I am. I  know, not quite breathtaking...yet.

But is it not so amazing what a difference a coat of paint can make?

This time around I researched painting tips. Centsational Girl has written an excellent post that anyone interested in painting a piece of furniture should read. The biggest ah-ha moment for me was her suggestion to buy this...

It works. They have it at Home Depot. But be warned, no one there had any idea what I was talking about and it was not with the paint thinners, like you would think. Another tip, add cautiously. I think I went a little heavy and ended up having to do a coat or two more because of it...BUT, no roller or brush marks!

Then I also remembered a post Jenny wrote on painting furniture. I use latex now that I have a baby and no outdoor space to paint. Oil based paints are much, much tougher, but they will make you high. So I needed a way to toughen up this piece because we are sitting a 40" tv on  it and I would like it not to have tv stand marks on the top when we move in 3 years. So I followed her instructions and added two coats of this...

The great thing is, the Floetrol takes the sheen out of your paint (it tells you this on the label). So my semi-gloss was not so glossy, but the the wipe-on poly added that gloss back. Problem solved. 

I'm going to paint the inside the same color as our last living room, because I have some left over. 

Cute architecture, I miss you.

But did you catch the cabinets and counters in our new space?

Ugly, 4' wide kitchen, I do not miss you.

So that is that. Seen any good hardware lately? I haven't really started looking, but I want something fun. 

I'm thinking brass. I recently discovered chicken wire comes in brass, get excited.