MaryAnn T's Profile | Bethlehem, PA

Followed 7 people on Dec 31, 2012

4

A way to add color and insulation to an old plaster wall without major construction.

I used insulation foam boards, cut into 15"x15" squares. Than I covered each with batting and fabric using duct tape. To hang on the wall I used double-sided velcro so they can be taken down to clean, or rearranged. It really made this drafty room so much warmer.

#KeepingCozy

Commented on Oct 22, 2012
Hi Lori, The insulation foam board is from Home Depot, used to put on a house exterior under ...»
vinyl siding. The one I used was 1/2" and came in 4'x2' folded panels. It cost around $35. It's called "Rigid Insulation Sheathing". I bought the folded one so I could fit it in my car, but it usually comes in 4'x8' sheets. Hope that helps!

Removing Carpet from Stairs and Painting Them

Earlier last week I decided to rip the carpet off of my stairs and paint them. Here is my progress so far. Still have a lot of the finish work to do i.e Install moulding, board and batten and paint. Will keep you posted.

Liked on Jun 13, 2012

Followed 1 person on Jun 03, 2012

Repurposed Shutter Fence

After creating a neat little garden room that we aptly named "The Nook", we realized that to really be a 'nook' it needed more privacy. {It sat right beside the property line.} A few ...»

years earlier when visiting some friends I noticed a huge stack of shutters by the road-they were renovating the outside of their home and throwing out the old shutters. EEEEEEKKKKKK! Throwing out!!???? I immediately loaded them into the car and hauled them home-not knowing at the time what I'd do with them; but I knew it would be fun!

So, here we are needing Nook privacy–and a shed full of wooden shutters. Handsome went out and purchased four 4 x 4 posts, hinged the shutters together; and after cementing the posts in the ground nailed our hinged shutter fence to them! We are not sure why our friends had two different colors of shutters on the outside of their house?? White for some, gray for the others........ BUT, didn't matter to us, because we painted them a wonderful French blue. {We painted the other side a bark color to blend in with the trees-since this was the side facing our neighbors. We weren't sure they would be as excited about the French blue as we were. In fact, we know that they wouldn't be.}

So, if you come across (or already have!) some old wooden shutters-have fun making a little nook for yourself!

Here's what you need to make a fence out of old shutters:

* as many shutters as you would like the fence long–we have 10-6 feet hight shutters

* 4 x 4 posts (that are 2 feet taller than your shutters)-about 1 every 3-4 shutters (depending on the width of your shutters)

* 2 sets of hinges for each set of shutters

* nails/screw to attach shutters to posts

* cement for posts

1. Paint the back side of the shutters-once installed you will not be able to get to this side! (Be aware of any neighbors that may not be as excited about your nook as you are–so, be considerate in your color choices for their side. )

2. Measure off how many feet apart you will need a post, dig a hole that is 2′ deep, put post in, fill with cement. When dry, cover with dirt.

3. Attach shutters together with hinges-make sure the 'hinge' is on the back side, spread out flat

4. Once cement has dried-usually 24 hours-attach shutter sections to posts using nails or screws. (Screws are a bit more sturdy for this project, but nails will work just fine.)

5. Paint your side of the fence! {When we painted ours–we didn't make it opaque, we wanted a weathered look. That is hard to see in the pictures-if that is the look you are looking for it will only take one coat.)

6. Cozy up your Nook with furniture, plants, walkways, etc.

7. Sit and listen to birdsong while sipping your coffee!

Some things to remember:

**be sure to check your shutters to make sure there are no decayed places before using.

We used shutters that were found....so the total cost of this project was $35! Woohoo!

In the Nook~

Daune

Cottage in the Oaks

www.cottageintheoaks.com

For some more fun shutter ideas that I found...head over to my Shutters! Board here: http://www.hometalk.com/b/710723/shutters

#Love2Repurpose

#SpringFever