One Room Challenge Week Three

Week three was a challenging week for me. I faced some difficulties and a lot of frustrations with my design choices. We all make mistakes along the way; some things work and some things don’t but that is all part of the process. 

So, here’s how it went. 

Let’s start with the tile

The white was perfect and I loved the way it turned out. I didn’t use the original tile stencil I wanted because I found a 10-pack on Amazon for a lower price. Although the design was not exactly what I was looking for, the pricing swayed me. 

I started the stencil with a stippling brush and because I am impatient I quickly went onto a regular brush to get more coverage. When it comes to how much paint is on the brush, I am a bit heavy-handed, which I learned the hard way is a big no-no. Peeling back the stencil, you could see that it had totally leaked through and ruined the design. I certainly didn’t anticipate it to look like that. The second time trying I used a smaller roller with lesser paint. Unfortunately, the result didn’t look so good. I hated it. It didn’t bleed nearly as much but there was still some there. 

My friend Leslie from pink2palace suggested that I wipe any excess paint off my roller with a paper towel. And so, I did and I experimented again with a third stencil and still didn’t like how it turned out. There was something about the paint that made it appear to be a DIY project. Yes, it was a do-it-yourself project, but I didn’t want it to look like one. I still like the concept, and I like what I’ve seen on the internet of others creating stencils, but it wasn’t the right fit for me and this space. So, I did what any reasonable person would do: I painted it white again and coated with a matte finish.

The good ol’ sofa

I don’t know how to sew so I wanted to come up with an option of a no-sew reupholstery. I picked up some 5 x 5 heavy-duty drop canvas cloths from Home Depot. With a stapler I had on hand from the previous One Room Challenge I began to staple a little piece of cloth on the bottom of the sofa. Everything was going smoothly with the back and front falling into place. But when I got to the sides of the sofa where the arms go, I had a hard time getting the canvas flat enough. I didn’t want any pleats or folds, but I had no choice but to put a fold in the front. It still was meh for me. It’s not that I dislike it; it’s simply that it’s not what I was hoping for.

For the cushions, I folded them like I would wrapping paper using fabric glue and staples. I wish I had better advice for those who want to try this but it was a lot of trial and error and going along with the flow of this particular sofa.

Board and Batten

Because the tiling and sofa project was not going as planned, I felt like I needed to take a break and move on to a different project. I decided to add another accent wall in the bathroom using board and batten. This went pretty smoothly because I had enough wood on hand to finish it and paint it slate blue. This cleared up all the feelings of frustration from the tile and the sofa to think about how I wanted to complete them.

Final thoughts

 Even though this week was a tough one for me, I am still happy with my progress. I’ll be away for two weeks since my stepfather returns from my nephew’s first birthday around November 13, and I’ll be off to Arizona for a wedding the week of the reveal. That’s correct, instead of eight weeks, I only have six to do everything. No pressure right?

If you’re the type of person who likes to experiment with new things and DIY projects, believe me when I say it’s okay to not do it perfectly the first time. It’s natural to feel frustrated; what matters most is that you made progress and learned from your mistakes.

Stay till next week. I’m hoping to finish my DIY headboard while priming a wall and moving the desk. For the bathroom, we still need to replace a light fixture, install a mirror, and, of course, style it.

Be sure to follow along on progress in stories and take a look at the other participants here