Shabby Chic Mantle for the Cabin

There was an old farmhouse not far from our home that had to be demolished and we were lucky enough to get one of the mantles.

This mantle was in need of some attention. We took it to the cabin and I worked on it there. 

Ready for attention

Sorry about the shadows; it makes it easy to tell whether The Husband or I took the pictures. Guess who is not the photographer!

Lots of layers of peeling and chipping paint.

This was a job to clean up and restore. There was multiple layers of dirt and paint. All those layers of paint were also lead based so I needed to work outdoors and wear proper protective gear. The top paint layer was white and I wanted to remove that layer. Then there was a light yellow layer, a darker yellow and then a blue gray paint. Not to mention the many colors around the sides from each time a room was painted a new color.

This was the layer of white coming off using a paint stripper. Then I started sanding to achieve the shabby chic look I was after. 

So, I sanded and sanded.

and sanded some more!

After I had sanded to just the look I was looking for I gave it two coats of polyurethane.

The carpenter then installed this on the bathroom wall. I plan on putting the clawfoot tub in front of it. I was really pleased with how the mantle turned out. Thanks Rosetta!

The bathroom is starting to take shape and I can't wait for it to be finished. Next, we install the clawfoot tub.  

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Bathroom Part II

In my last bathroom post we had emptied the bathroom to the 

framing and had the whitewashed tongue and groove ceiling installed. 

Lots more changes are happening and it's really starting to come together. 

New walls were put up. Hooray for walls! A recessed medicine 

cabinet was installed in the wall. A set of upper cabinets were 

rescued from the kitchen and installed on the wall over the 

new commode. Then it was time to get busy priming.It's so 

much easier to paint if you don't have to worry about the trim work! 

I can't decide what my favorite part of the bathroom will be but I am in love with the new floor! We got 10" wide plank flooring for the bathroom. We stained it before it was put down and we will put floor finish on it when the rest of the work is complete. The floor appears rustic and looks like its always been there;, even without the final finish it is beautiful.

Then the new toilet went in. I'm sure going to miss that old "rock and roll" toilet. Yea, right! The tank is still not on in this picture for ease of painting. We got the primer coats on but the final paint still needed to be completed.

I'm so in love with it already and it's not finished! How about that floor? Isn't she a beauty?

Now it was time to get busy with the final wall paint. At this point we are still managing to stay ahead of the trim work installation. The bathroom will have an old claw foot bathtub and an antique mantle when it's complete. I decided to do a textured wall treatment to keep the vintage them going. This took a bit of extra time but was well worth the effort. I was very pleased with the end result. 

Below is an up close photo of the wall texture. I may also do this same wall treatment in another room of the cabin. Just ignore the shadow, my camera and I weren't agreeing that day but it looks like an old plaster wall.

The wall painting is complete. The cabinet doors were removed

for painting and still need to be finished but the room is now 

ready for the trim to be installed. 

What a difference! There is still more work to come but its made an amazing transformation already.

More updates to come. 

Mountain Belle

Bathroom Update Part I

The cabin bathroom was so ugly and scary when we purchased the cabin that I still shudder when I think about it. It has been a long process but we almost have it completed. The bathroom has involved so much work and has made such drastic changes it will take multiple posts to give all the details.

This is what we started with:

This is the bathroom in its original glory

The shower was so flimsy it was more of a liner then an actual shower. If you slipped in this shower the whole shower would probably come down around you.Sound like fun?

This counter was made from 2x4's and tile. There was a curtain across the lower half but I tossed it before I remembered to take the photo. 

Below is my personal favorite. I call it the "rock and roll" toilet. Seriously, if someone sat down on the toilet it would pitch forward and attempt to throw the unlucky individual onto the floor. It was a rare treat! I'm going to miss that rock and roll toilet. Not!!!

This bathroom needed lots of help. There was nothing we saved
in this bathroom except the studs in the wall.The photo below is
a rug that was on the floor when we bought the cabin. The
cabin had been deserted for so long that the mice took
most of the rug. Yuck! We actually put the rug to the side
and tossed around the idea of framing a piece of it to remind
us how far we had come in the remodeling. About half way
through the bathroom demolition we were so over that idea
that it no longer seemed funny. That the rug was tossed.
Bye bye rug!

I know y'all are all jealous about right now. I couldn't type
that with a straight face! Needless to stay we gutted the
bathroom all the way to the bare studs and started over.

After demolition it was already an improvement to me.
I was actually excited to see nothing but a framed wall
and insulation. While the walls are being torn apart
we opted to put the same white washed tongue and
groove pine on the ceiling that we were using for the
vaulted ceiling in the living area. The ceiling looks
great; my photo does not do it justice. A new overhead
light fixture was installed. I had to allow room for a shower
rod system I had made for the claw foot tub so no chandilier
for this bathroom but it still looks great.   

This room is starting to come together. Next we tackled
the walls and floors. More updates to come!
.

Mountain Belle

Cabin Windows and Doors

I know I'm behind on the cabin updates and I apologize. We
have been very busy with the cabin. Between our jobs and
working on the cabin whenever we can we have been going
non-stop. When I was home long enough to possibly post I was
behind here or just exhausted.Please accept my apologies. I'll
get you up to date on all our changes. I have lots of posts to write!  

The outside of the cabin has really come along way. The last
exterior photos I posted showed the paint colors we were using
but since then we have made even more changes.

Cabin after exterior color and before new windows 

The new windows and patio doors have been delivered and
installation is complete. It is really making a big difference have
the old windows replaced. Of course nothing is ever just a simple
job. We made some changes in the existing window and door
configuration so openings had to be resized.  The front of the
cabin had 2 patio doors. We decided to replace with 1 patio
door and 2 side accent windows. The double window on the
front was shortened to be above kitchen counter height inside.
The kitchen sink in the new kitchen will go under that set of windows.                                                                                                                                             

                        

 

 

 

                                

After the openings were resized they needed to be primed and
painted multiple times. The Husband got busy with his paint brush.

We also had several new window openings added. We had two
awning style windows added to the back of the house on our
bedroom wall.

awning windows added to bedroom    

We also added 2 awning windows in each gable end of the
cabin. These windows will be a great air flow benefit as they
can remain open during rain and the extra light they allow has
made a big difference.

We are having a flood light added above the awning window
which is what those wires are for. The acreen door is new but
the main door and the trim around it are still waiting to be replaced.
I'm still holding out for the right door; giving the old one a paint
job till then. I'll find it .... soon I hope!

From this:

To this:

Yes, that is snow you see!

More updates coming. We have been really busy!

I'm glad you're here, pull up a chair and sit a spell.

Mountain Belle