Walk-In Closet Update — Cabinet Progress, Artwork & Lighting Decision, And Flooring Disappointment (Plus, A Self-Control Update)
Things are moving right along on my DIY walk-in closet. I got quite a bit done over the weekend, but I only barely got started on the exciting part — the paint on the left side of the room. But at least I got all of the not-so-exciting stuff done on that side (which I realize is on the right side in the photo below 😀 ).
I got all of the corners and trim primed (i.e., the part that had to be done with a brush). And I got everything sanded and caulked. I did all of the sanding by hand using 220-grit sandpaper just to make sure everything was as smooth as possible and ready for paint. Once all of that was done, I only had about 45 minutes left last night before bedtime, so I used that time to get at least a little bit of the painting done.
I have a whole uninterrupted workday ahead of me, so my goal today is the get the left side completely painted with two coats of paint. And if I have time left at the end of the day, I’d love to get my hanging bars installed. This side of the closet is much easier because there are far fewer shelves on this side. So barring any unforeseen circumstances, I’m pretty sure I can get it done.
In other news, last week I mentioned that I was still undecided on what to do with these areas over the washer and dryer. Because I’m so short, those areas really aren’t any use to me as far as useful storage. And at this point, I really don’t need more storage.
I can add some shelves later if I need them, but for now, I decided to just hang some pretty artwork, add some decorative lighting, and be done with it.
I liked that idea a lot, but the thought of having to make or buy new artwork and lighting was really frustrating me. I had searched online for various types of lighting, and all of the lighting that really appealed to me seemed to be at least $200 or more per light. The idea of spending $400 for two decorative lights really had me feeling frustrated.
At some point during every big project or room remodel, I hit a wall with my spending. I just get to a point where I think, “I’ve spent enough money, and I don’t want to spend any more money on this room.” I’m well past that point on this walk-in closet, so I couldn’t make myself push that “checkout” button on any of my lighting selections. And while I love making artwork, I’d rather put time into making artwork for our bedroom or the foyer, not for my walk-in closet. I want to wrap up this project as quickly as possible and move on to those other areas.
And then this past weekend, I was standing at the sink in the kitchen, staring at this wall like I always do when I’m standing at the sink.
I started thinking about my future plans for the breakfast room, which will eventually be our new kitchen, and how that meant I could no longer use these two pieces of artwork or these lights in here anymore since this whole wall will eventually be removed.
I love those two canvases that I made. They list the fruit of the Spirit from the Bible verse found in chapter 5 of the book of Galatians — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I made this artwork during a period of time back in 2021 when I was really struggling emotionally, and my struggles were having a very negative effect on my attitude. And my attitude was affecting the way in which I was treating Matt and dealing with his daily struggles with MS. It was a whole negative snowball effect. So I made these canvases so they could be front-and-center as a daily reminder that I could meditate on regularly. And you know what? It helped me tremendously as I walked through that difficult season in my life. (I shared more about that here.)
Thinking that I would eventually not have a space for them kind of made me sad. But then it dawned on me. I need artwork for my closet! And I need lighting for my closet! Could these possibly work in there? I brought one of them in to see how they would look with the wallpaper, and…I LOVE IT!!
There is something to be said for keeping a color palette consistent from one room to another. It’s so handy when you can simply move things from one room to another and they still work because you always seem to be drawn to variations of the same colors throughout the house.
I might have to do something else with the frames. Right now, they have very thin black frames on them. I’ll either paint them in the dark navy blue that I used on the trim in the wallpapered cabinet section, or I’ll replace them with thin gold frames (or gold leaf these frames). I haven’t decided yet. And I’ll make the lights work in the closet with a couple of coats of white spray paint. So for very little money (just the cost of spray paint), I have artwork and lighting for the closet! And I get to keep this very meaningful artwork in a spot where I’ll see it regularly.
You’ll notice that I very conveniently left the canvas in the breakfast room that listed “self-control”. Perhaps that’s the one I really should have brought in here because…well, my self-control only partially held out this weekend. 😀 I mentioned last week that I was anxious to get my handbags and shoes in here and on their shelves, but that would be a really dumb thing to do since I still have to sand the floor. I was hoping that my self-control would hold out over the weekend.
I made myself hold off on the shoes. I have far too many shoes to bring in here only to have to take them out again before I sand the floors. But I just couldn’t wait on the handbags. 😀 Fortunately, I don’t have nearly as many handbags, so those only took two trips from my studio to bring them all in here. But I was way too curious to see what they would all look like on the light blue shelves next to the wallpapered section to hold out any longer.
I played around with a couple of different ways to arrange them, but then made myself stop and focus on getting the rest of the cabinets finished. I could easily waste away an entire day on this type of fun stuff, so my self-control finally kicked in again, and I got busy with the real work.
But speaking of floors, I got some frustrating news. As I’ve mentioned, the reason I didn’t do the floors first (which would have been the logical thing to do) is because one of the products I had ordered was on backorder. I was hoping to use a product called Bona Red Out that reduces the red undertones in red oak floors, making them look more like white oak. Right after I ordered it, I was told that it would be a few days late because of the lack of availability from Bona. But at the end of last week, I got another email saying that Bona doesn’t know when the Red Out will be available. *Sigh* I could continue to wait, with no shipping date available at this time, or I could cancel my order.
I decided to cancel my order and do the floors without the Red Out. The good news is that all of the red oak floors I saw finished with the Bona products (the floors that convinced me to go with the Bona Natural) were done without the Red Out except for one. I really loved all of the ones that were done without the Red Out, so I’m going to take my chances and forgo the Red Out on my floors as well. Fortunately, the Bona Natural that I chose (and received two weeks ago) has white in it, so that alone lightens and brightens red oak. I’m just going to move forward with that, and I’m sure I’ll love the result. I loved it in all of the pictures and videos I saw, so I’m confident that I’ll love my floors even without the Bona Red Out. I mean, if it’s not available, there’s not really anything I can do about it, and I can’t stop this project while I wait for an unknown shipping date.
So as soon as I get the other side of the cabinets finished, my plan is to let them dry for a couple of days, and then I’ll cover the cabinets with plastic and then get started on the floors. That’ll be a big job, but it needs to be done before I hang the rest of the wallpaper in the closet. And the floor is also what’s standing in the way of me bringing the washer and dryer into the closet.
It’s a little disappointing, but it’s a small disappointment. I just need to keep moving forward. And I’m sure once they’re done, I’ll be thrilled with the finished floors even if they are a slight bit redder than what I had hoped. At least they’ll be light and bright, and that was my main goal.
The A2D Daily:
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Just a thought and you may have already done this…have you checked with any local or nearby Bona dealers who may have it in stock?
I was thinking the same thing. I did a quick search and it comes up at several flooring suppliers across the country. It might add shipping costs but if that’s what your heart is set on (I saw some before/after pics on Houzz and WOW), it might be worth it. Of course you might have better luck calling some of the distributors to see if they actually have it in stock!
Great progress…just keep on and before we all realize it will be done…then the fun begins. I can’t wait to see how you do your clothing. Love the idea of the artwork being used in the closet and your choice of lighting…especially since the lighting looks as though it is adjustable to shine where you need.
LOVE that you are able to use the artwork and lights in the closet! The art goes so well with the wallpaper, it’s unbelievable! And those lights (when painted) are exactly what I thought of for those spots. Bonus that they are adjustable if you need them for laundry use! Sorry about the red out product, but maybe it will work out fine without it. As you said, there’s not much you can do about it anyway. And the purses look so cute!
It is really coming together! I think your self control has been amazing. I would have probably already tried out some hanging clothes! Remarkable how you found the solution for the artwork and lights. God is Good! 👍 From what I have read, little to nothing is being shipped to the USA. Good idea to not wait for the Bova. Hope you have a very productive day.
I love how your significant artwork is going to be used in a new way. Awesome!
The art and lights are perfect for that area. I love when I move art or lamps I love to another area and save money. Winning!
How exciting to “shop” your own house and find the perfect light fixtures and artwork for over your washer and dryer for free! I was having a hard time imagining what subject matter would look good over the wallpaper. The stripes with words works very well over the floral. Wish your words could be posted on bill boards across the country.
One step forward, two steps back, it is a dance that anyone who’s done any house projects knows all too well. But dancing is good for us. I learned the keep the palate simple trick with the military. For I never knew what kind of house we would be renting in the future, and I love to have a nice house, I went with a three-color palate that could easily move into any room and work. I also love it more when I find I have the stuff to finish up a project sitting right there in plain sight. It is really looking great and remember slow and steady wins the race.
Cheers to you and Matt!
Before giving up completely on getting the Bona product, maybe you should check with your floor refinishing contractor and also go talk to the great people who did your most recent floor installation! They might be able to check with people in their supply chain who might have some remaining stock of the Bona product on hand or who could assist in locating some. With their assistance, you might be able to cobble together a big enough supply to do the job. The pros always have hidden sources who know other hidden sources . . .
You have a great attitude!
If the purpose of the Red Out is to eliminate the red/orange could you add just a bit of the color opposite on the color wheel and possibly do the same thing? I have no knowledge or clue on finishing flooring but I worked years doing hair and if a persons hair would “pull red” we would put in a bit of an “ash” or green to neutralize it. I would test on a bit of scrap flooring first but it’s a thought. I’m loving how everything is turning out and kudo’s for showing self restraint, I’d have loaded up the shelves by now, LOL
Wanted to ask you why you are hand painting the closet and not spraying it. I am working on a rather large bookcase and I had planned to spray it. Should I be hand painting it instead?
I’m doing it this way because I did each side of the room individually, and it just seemed easier. Had I done each step for both sides of the room at the same time (i.e., prime all the cabinets, then sand all the cabinets, then caulk all the cabinets), I may have decided to spray them. But since I started and finished the right side before really concentrating on the left, using a paint brush and roller seemed easier. Spraying is faster and you’ll get a better finish, but I absolutely detest all of the prep work (draping and taping) required for spraying.
I love when you can “shop the house” for decor items! I’ve done that so many times! YAY!! I hate that the product wasn’t available, but glad you are able to move forward anyway. I’m surprised no one else makes a ‘red out’ type of product for overly red wood tones!
Your closet is really beginning to take shape. I’m so glad you are able to move the art work and those lights into the closet/laundry area. The art work will remind you to keep your attitude in check! We all have bad attitude days once in a while. I have been sick for two full weeks, been to the doctor twice. Believe me, my attitude sucks. But today reading your blog and the reason you made the art in the first place made me feel better. I have so very much to be thankful for I just need to thank God I’m still breathing!
Have a good week. Go hug Matt. When he asks what for, tell him, just because.
Quick thought to aid with self-control… I think acrylic paint that you want to harden like an oil paint should be left for up to 30 days without anything placed on it. Maybe soft clothes are OK, but I know for a bookshelves they recommend not putting books on right away. And since you put all that time into ensuring a beautiful finish, you might want tobe careful to let it dry and harden thoroughly before loading up the top of any shelves. It’s coming along, absolutely beautiful.
I was wondering if you were leaving your jewelry in there when you are sanding the shelves, etc. I thought you would take that all out until you were through with the sanding part. Plus the floor sanding. I thought you might spray paint all of the room, but I think you said you were using a brush and roller. That it very tedious work. I forgot why you said you were enclosing the washer and dryer in cabinets.
Do a sample section with just the Bona Natural and if you don’t like it, you could substitute Absco Red-X Pro Red Blocker for the Bona Red Out.
I like the idea of moving the artwork and lights over the washer dryer. They look good with the wallpaper.