Dining Room Makeover STILL a work in progress

Dining Room Makeover STILL a work in progress

When I first saw the AWESOME multi-blog, multi-room linky party ROOMSPIRATION, I was SO hopeful to be able to link my COMPLETED dining room up by the deadline.  Not happening!

Firstly, it is at times like these when I SO wish I would have gone through with getting married.  If only for the fact that I am getting tired of doing all of this work myself!  :-)  Dont know how much I would have let him do but at least he could make lunch and go on supply runs!  LOL!!!

I started this project in SPRING and here we are two seasons later and Im still plugging away.  So, I am posting this to motivate myself to finish by November 1st!  So all of the amazing room Roomspiration link- ups have served their purpose and are totally inspiring me to finish this room once and for all!  Thank you!

It started with the removal of the "lovely" carpeting and wallpaper and it took quite a while to get the walls repaired and prepped for primer.  The green stripes were painted in case the wallpaper seams separated, the white wall wouldnt show through.  My parents were wallpaper masters.  :-D

I really liked the grey primer color!  I sanded the brown windows and painted them white.   I also removed the brass crystal chandelier and gave it new life by spraying it silver.  It still needs to be re-assembled - something to which I am NOT looking forward.

When it came to paint color, I never could have imagined that there are so many shades of navy blue!  I mean R U KIDDING ME?

I finally decided on Blue Velvet from Ace Hardware and once I got it on the walls, I hated it.  I think it took me about two weeks to pick a color but, in the end, I got it right.  BEHR paint - STILETTO!  It is a deep, dark navy blue and I couldnt be more thrilled!

I got rid of the old dining room furniture except for the hutch.  I was going to paint it white and buy a new table and chairs but then I had a total change of heart.

I decided to keep the sideboard intact and I took a hammer and dismantled the hutch to use the pieces for a WINDOW SEAT.  I know - crazy, right?  But it is almost finished and I LOVE it.  These crazy ideas keep entering into the original plans and wreaking havoc!  :-)  No wonder its still not completed!

I found my dining room table, chairs, mirror and buffet lamps on Craigslist and they are just sitting in the garage waiting to be put in place.  My dining room table (LOVE) is from a travel agency.  How funny is that?

Then I watched Somethings Gotta Give for like the 200th time and I am so green with envy of her transom windows!

Source:  Hookedonhouses.net

 Crazy idea #47 - "Hey, I can put those in my dining room!"  And so I did.  I bought two door sidelights at a builders supply house and put them on the horizontal and built frames for them.

 I then adhered them to the ceiling and I love it!  I just have to figure out how to trim it out - yet another delay.  UGH!

And I couldnt just have a NORMAL ceiling, right?  I found this awesome picture and decided to use it as my inspiration picture.  

I found these little beauties at Hobby Lobby on clearance for $2 and they were a rusted finish.  I painted them white and they will be put in the corners of the ceiling.

To prepare the ceiling, I painted the blue wall color onto the ceiling.  I painted the rest of the ceiling grey because I didnt want a traditional white ceiling.  Color:  Secret Passage.  Love the name!

So, all I have left to do really is finish the ceiling, chandelier, wainscoting, crown molding, transom room divider, and window seat.  YIKES!   Oh did I mention I am going to try to paint my underlayment to look like mahogany wood floors?   Hopefully, they will turn out as great as I am imagining them.    A temporary fix until I can afford the real thing... Someday.

 Can I get it done by November 1?  All of you amazing DIYers and ROOMSPIRATION linkys have totally inspired me to get in gear and get it done!  I Thank You all for sharing your beautiful rooms and please check back - I will be posting my progress!  (Fingers crossed)


Dining Room Makeover STILL a work in progress

Still trying to figure out the heater issue

Still trying to figure out the heater issue

The tiny electric, ceramic space heater is OK, for now (especially with the timer that turns it on an hour or so before I go out there), but I dont believe it has enough surface area.  You need to pretty much be in front of it.  Directly.

So still researching.  It cant cost too much, right now, and I dont want propane, so that narrows the field...I need clean, more or less allergy-free heat.  

Almost bought a little heater that looked like a wood stove--I know, its nuts, but it was CUTE!!  I was willing to give it space in the shed--till I read the review that said the fake logs were styrofoam and when they heated it made her sick.  Uh oh...ceramic heaters dont do that...

>Not impressed with the oil-filled ones...J. knows of two that lost one of their two heating elements in a short time, and the one I had to do with simply didnt offer enough heat.

The wall-mounted panels seem OK, but not overly impressive, and seem to need to be on longer to heat the area.  No blower on those (something they share with the oil-filled ones)...which is good news and bad news.  Hot blowing air CAN dry your sinuses, but no blowing air sometimes doesnt feel like enough heat."color: black;">

And of course the woodstove would need a hole in the shed (wall is Js choice, roof is mine), double-walled chimney, fireproofing for the wall and floor, and take up considerably more of our 10 x 10 space...and chopping and splitting firewood.  Hm.  Thats not going to happen right away, if ever...

So back to electric heat, for now...

I found this guideline on Amazon.com--and it looks worth reading!

Five Tips for Buying a Heater

Choosing a space heater is a matter of sifting through a bewildering array of types, power ratings, and fuel sources. Lets break it down a little to make the process easier.
What are the different types of space heaters?
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• Radiant heaters emit infrared radiation that directly warms the objects in front of the heaters (rather than the surrounding air). If you only need heat by a desk or in a small section of a room, a radiant heater is quiet and will use very little power.
• Forced-air heaters use a fan to blow air that has been warmed by metal or ceramic heating elements. A forced-air heater is appropriate for quickly heating up a small- to medium-sized room, but can be noisy.
• Convection heaters draw cold air from the floor; the air is warmed by heating coils and emitted from the top of the heater. A convection heater is appropriate for quickly heating up a small- to medium-sized room, but also can be noisy.
• Radiators work by heating oil enclosed in a reservoir, gradually heating the surrounding air. If heating speed isnt an issue, you might want to opt for a radiator. These are extremely quiet and effective--perfect for bedrooms.

Should I buy an electric or a combustion model?
If you want a heater that will be available in emergencies, or that can heat areas larger than a single room, choose a "combustion" model--one that is powered by a gas or fuel like propane, kerosene, natural gas, or diesel. Which fuel type you choose depends largely on convenience and local availability. For example, diesel would be appropriate for a heater you take with you on long car trips.

How powerful a heater do I need?
Heaters are rated by BTU, which stands for British Thermal Unit (the amount of heat needed to heat one pound of water by 1 degree F). To find out how many BTU you need:

• Calculate the volume of the space to be heated by multiplying square footage by height.
• Multiply that number by 4 if your insulation is poor, 3 if its average, or 2 if its good.

The resulting number is a ballpark figure for how many BTU youll need.

Do space heaters cost a lot to operate?
As a general rule, electric space heaters are more expensive to use than combustion models. To ensure energy efficiency, a thermostat is a must-have feature for any heater. For radiant heaters, models with a 360 degree heating surface can heat larger spaces. If you need a forced-air heater, models with ceramic elements tend to be more efficient.

Are space heaters a fire hazard?
Space heaters are implicated in about 25,000 residential fires every year. To ensure proper safety, always follow the manufacturers usage instructions and fill out the warranty card to receive informational updates from the manufacturer. Also, look for extra safety features such as an automatic shutoff switch that can shut down the unit if, for example, it gets upended. In addition, choose a model where the heating element is adequately enclosed within the unit.

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Thanks, Amazon, still considering...babble babble...

Still trying to figure out the heater issue