The Room Journal on Apartment Therapy
DIY Leather Drawer Pulls
It's back to the grindstone for me.
Christmas Break is over. I've spent two glorious weeks sleeping in, staying up late, hanging out with family and friends, thrifting, decorating and doing projects all day every day and now it's over. Boo.
So let's kick this week off right with a DIY project to help me adjust my attitude a little. I shared my chest of drawers makeover a while back over at Answers.com, but I kept it pretty short and sweet and I didn't go into very much detail about those little leather drawer pulls I made. Today I'm going to show you step by step how I made these little guys.
X-Acto knife
Cutting board
Scissors
One machine screw, washer and bolt for each pull you plan to make
Drill
Drill bit the size of your machine screws
1. Cut your leather pieces. I made mine 1"x 3". Using the cutting board, I made the first cut with the X-Acto knife to make a nice clean cut in the smooth, shiny side of the leather. Then I went back over the cut with the scissors to cut the suede-y side of the leather.
2. Make a small hole where you want the screw to go through your pull. I had to puncture the leather with the X-Acto knife, then twist it around a few times to make a hole. Make a matching hole at the other end of the strip of leather.
3. Put a washer on the screw, then stick the screw through the two holes you made in the strip of leather. The washer will keep the leather from trying to slip over the end of the screw when you open the drawer.
4. Drill a hole in the drawer or cabinet door where you want the pull. I measured down 2 1/2" on my drawer and found the center. Put the screw through the hole and tighten the bolt on the back inside the drawer.
Good idea: Make sure the screw is pushed all the way through the drawer so it is on there really tight so your leather pulls won't spin around and be upside down on your drawers.
5. Repeat with remaining drawers or cabinet doors. Congratulate yourself for putting stylish pulls on all your drawers for way cheap.
Christmas Break is over. I've spent two glorious weeks sleeping in, staying up late, hanging out with family and friends, thrifting, decorating and doing projects all day every day and now it's over. Boo.
So let's kick this week off right with a DIY project to help me adjust my attitude a little. I shared my chest of drawers makeover a while back over at Answers.com, but I kept it pretty short and sweet and I didn't go into very much detail about those little leather drawer pulls I made. Today I'm going to show you step by step how I made these little guys.
Supplies Needed:
Real leather remnants (I chose dark brown and I picked it up at a local craft/hobby store.)X-Acto knife
Cutting board
Scissors
One machine screw, washer and bolt for each pull you plan to make
Drill
Drill bit the size of your machine screws
1. Cut your leather pieces. I made mine 1"x 3". Using the cutting board, I made the first cut with the X-Acto knife to make a nice clean cut in the smooth, shiny side of the leather. Then I went back over the cut with the scissors to cut the suede-y side of the leather.
2. Make a small hole where you want the screw to go through your pull. I had to puncture the leather with the X-Acto knife, then twist it around a few times to make a hole. Make a matching hole at the other end of the strip of leather.
3. Put a washer on the screw, then stick the screw through the two holes you made in the strip of leather. The washer will keep the leather from trying to slip over the end of the screw when you open the drawer.
4. Drill a hole in the drawer or cabinet door where you want the pull. I measured down 2 1/2" on my drawer and found the center. Put the screw through the hole and tighten the bolt on the back inside the drawer.
Good idea: Make sure the screw is pushed all the way through the drawer so it is on there really tight so your leather pulls won't spin around and be upside down on your drawers.
5. Repeat with remaining drawers or cabinet doors. Congratulate yourself for putting stylish pulls on all your drawers for way cheap.
Enjoy your week!
White Painted Floors in the Bedroom
Happy New Year!
My bedroom finally has white floors, and oh friends, the whole room GLOWS.
I followed Anna Dorfman's steps pretty closely, except that I didn't need any shellac spray. The primer she recommended covered everything up beautifully with no wood bleeding. I sanded, primed twice, then brushed on three coats of Royal Porch and Floor paint in Benjamin Moore's Simply White. Going over the floor three times with a paintbrush seemed to take forever, but it looks so good and was completely worth it. It also forced me to examine every square inch of that floor for any remaining staples, nails, and flaws, so now I can walk on this floor barefoot without fear.
The baseboards already had quarter round, so I just went around with caulk and made sure everything was sealed up. I also caulked up a couple of the cracks between the floor boards that seemed larger than the rest, but I left all the other cracks alone. White floors look good with a few imperfections!
Speaking of imperfections, there are still a couple of issues I haven't gotten to yet. The paint just stops at the doorway. I plan to finish ripping up the upstairs carpet and paint it all white at some point, but Rand couldn't handle the furniture piled everywhere downstairs any longer, so that will have to wait. He's going on a weeklong business trip in a couple months, so I think I may do it then.
The mismatched patch job over the old heat register hole is also still there. It was too overwhelming to try to do it all at once, so I'll come back to this one. For now, it is covered by a rug and it looks fine.
I considered using water-based polyurethane over the whole thing as a last step, so I tested it on a small part of the floor. Sure enough, even the water-based version that promised to dry crystal clear still looked a little yellow, so I sanded it down and repainted that little part.
I moved the little bookshelf downstairs and replaced it with this painting and magazine cart. The painting hung in Rand's family's house for years and was there when we first started dating. I think his sister bought it at a yard sale. I don't remember how we ended up with it, but I like it.
Max and Mitzi both really love this room now. Although Mitzi thinks it's a little bright in here.
Even though this project seemed to take forever with so much painting, then waiting, then more painting and waiting, it felt really satisfying to give my house that kind of love and attention to detail. There is a lot of evidence that this house has been the victim of some neglect and abuse over the last 90 years, so I'm happy to take the time to make it beautiful again.
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