Back to School: No Mudroom?! Make Your Own

When we bought our new house six months ago, on my wishlist was a mudroom. Unfortunately, we picked location and good bones over a newer house with a mudroom. Not to worry, inspired by countless projects on the Internet, I created our own mudroom in this tiny corner by the garage entrance. Going to show, no corner is too small to have your own organzied area for the kids' coats and backpacks.

Supplies:

- MDF (aka Medium Density Fiberboard - if you've never worked with you, YOU SHOULD! It's technically paper, but does the same job as wood for trim and other projects when painted and is SIGNFICANTLY cheaper. Think pennies on the dollar!)

(SUPER AWESOME TIP: Home Depot will actually use their special saw -- that's mounted on the wall -- and make cuts for you. Their policy is two free cuts and then each additional cut is 50 cents. I strongly suggest you have them cut the MDF for you. Who knows, you might make friends with a worker and get all your MDF cuts for free!)

- Get two large sheets of MDF. One in ½" thick and the other ¼" thick and have the nice people at your home improvement super store cut it for you. You will need the following pieces

The Boards (The piece(s) that go horizontaly. I put one board across the top....you could also add one to the bottom instead of a baseboard or on top of the baseboard)

- ½ thick x 3 ½” wide board for the top x (measure the lenght you need across your wall and have them cut this)


The Battens (The pieces that go vertically)

- ¼ thick x 2 ¼" wide for the battens x (the height you would like them)


The Ledge (this piece can be ommitted as well, but I like it for the mudroom, as we are always using it for odds and ins (random keys, lunch money, or occasional item that needs to be put in the garage.)

- ¼ x 2 ¼" x same length as your board for the piece for ledge

The Molding (that supports the ledge so it stays up. If you omit the ledge, you will not need this piece)

- 11/16” x same length as your board and ledge for cove molding



- Brad nailer or brads and old fashion hammer (I actuall have a brad nailer, but since our recent move it is MIA)

- Liquid Nails or Gorilla glue (I used Gorilla glue, but it grows as it dries)

- Ball Hammer (it isn't 100% necessary, but so helpful to punch in the nails)

- Spackle (to cover up the nails)

- White caulk (to seal the seams for even coverage)

- Pencil, level, tape measure (to measure and mark where you want your boards and battens)

- Primer and paint (I used latex aka waterbased paint for this project)

- Good brushes, mini roller


Directions:

1. Measure and Mark the Wall
Measure the height of your battens and placement of your board; mark with a pencil (you're going to paint over it anyway)


2. Apply Glue
Apply glue as directed and place the top board on the wall.

If you use Gorilla Glue like I did, warning, it will grow as it dries. The directions tell you to let it set for a few minutes after applying and before placing them on the wall, but I will go on to tell you it will grow, not just that few minutes before placing it on the wall, but long after you've hung it on the wall with glue and nails. It then will need to be wiped away and watched. I had put mine on while the kiddos were at school and watched it for about 30 minutes, wiping the extra that oozed out. I left for 30 more mintues to pick up the kids, and when I returned, more had oozed out and had crusted over. Now, I couldn't easily wipe it up, I had to use a box cutter to cut and scrape it away -- so fun :o( So, if you use Gorilla Glue, use it very, very sparingly and watch for growth for the first hour or so. My friend Stacy recently did a project like this and used Liquid Nails. She didn't experience any growth. I plan to do a similar project in my boys' bathroom, and I think I will stick to Liquid Nails. I'll let you know.



3. Nail it in
After the glue has set for a few minutes on the wall, hammer in the brads (or use a brad gun) to secure the board.

4. Glue and Nail the Battens
Follow steps 2 and 3 and add the battens to the wall.



5. Add the Ledge
Using the glue, add the shelf, quickly followed by the molding. The molding is necessary to hold up the shelf.





6. Cover the Nails
Use the ball-head hammer and drive the nails deeper into the wood. This should cause an indention.

7. Fill the Indentions
Fill the indention with white caulk and let dry. Lightly sand if needed.

8. Caulk the Seams
While this might not seem neccessary, caulking the seams helps finish the project and prevent weird places in the seams where paint seeps in and causes bubbles/holes.

9. Prime & Paint





10. Add Hooks

Now you're ready to hang coats, hats & backpacks. The perfect late-summer project to make your back-to-school mornings and afternoons easier.



No, it's not the mudroom I had dreamed of, but I was able to use the nearby coat closet for further storage, thanks to these cute cubbies I picked up at Target. When you get lemons, make lemonade.

Tutorial - Thrift Store Table to Outdoor Tuscan Retreat

To surprise my hubby for Father's Day, (and after watching too many DIY shows) I got the courage to convert our back deck to a Tuscan retreat (or as close as you can get in the Midwest. Instead of heading to Target, like I used to whenever I needed something relatively inexpensive and chic, I headed to my local thrift store where I picked up this old restaurant table. It was sturdy and the right size (big enough for our family of four to eat dinner, or big enough so that we can play games with our friends -- Ticket to Ride, anyone?) The table I found wasn't pretty, though. It didn't say "outdoor retreat," it said, "Do you want fries with that?" But thanks to all my new online blog friends (I'm talking about you Centsational Girl & House of Smiths) and their resourcefulness, I took a chance on it. And for only $15, why not.


After seeing a "Design on a Dime" where the designer made a table and covered it in tile, I decided to take a stab at it. Here's what it took:

- Spray Paint (I used Rust-oleum Hammered Bronze)
- Tile
- Trowel
- Rubber Tile Float
- Grout
- Tile adhesive
- Grout Sealer
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Damp rags (that you will never want to use again)

1. Paint the Table
First I started by spray painting the sides and legs of the table, after having the boys hose it down in the driveway. Did I mention there were spider nest/eggs underneath the table? Yep, gross. Thankfully I have boys!


2. Shop for Tile
This is where I tell you how I mathematically figured out how much tile I would need, but it was more like guessing. Then, a Home Depot worker suggested I turn some of the square tiles around like diamonds to save save money. Save money? Yes, please. When it was all said and done I spent about $100 for tile and grout. A bit pricey, but I think the results are worth it.

3. Adhering the Tile
I bought this cool tile that had a preset pattern that would serve as the center of the table. I measured to find the center of the table and applied tile adhesive (like frosting) and made sure to scrape with the trowel's notched edges to ensure an even coat of adhesive. I carefully placed my center tile. The adhesive doesn't set immediately, so you can easily move it around if you make a mistake. I made sure I worked in small sections so the adhesive didn't dry out.


4. Design Away
This next part was easy (and fun). The small tiles are sold in tile sheets that can be placed directly on your project or you can cut and design them any way you want. I alternated between small gray tiles and larger cream ones. (Note, they didn't always line up perfectly. I think they make it look more authentic -- like it was handmade by a sweet old Italian woman in Tuscany --- or a 30-something mom in the Midwest :o) Also, another tip from our friends at Home Depot, use the smaller tile on the outside edges of the table. That way, it's easier to make it fit and you don't have to cut them.








5. Let the tiles cure for 24 hours (or whatever your adhesive suggests).

6. Grout The Table
Dip your tile float into the grout and load it up. Push the float at an angle onto the table, so the grout really gets into all the cracks. As with the adhesive, work in small sections. Once the cracks are filled, use a slightly damp rag (I found an almost dry rag worked best) and rub over the tiles to get rid of the excess grout.



7. Seal the Grout
Use a grout sealer and follow the instructions on the package. This will help prevent staining of the grout, as it is a porous material.


The finished product: I was surprised at how good it looked. It was hard to believe it was a yucky thrift store table just a few days before. To think that I almost overlooked it in the beginning. And my (picky) husband was very happy, too.



I hope you liked this DIY. Feel free to send me your tips on working with tile or your pictures of tile projects and I'll post them.

Gotta run. So many projects, too little time.

- Lori

Patio Table DIY - Preview

Who doesn't like a preview. Since it's late, I won't get this first project posted tonight, but here is the BEFORE picture of this restaurant-style table I picked up at the Goodwill for $15. It was solid, a good size and the table top was flat and in good condition. Other than looks, this baby was good to go, but let's face it, it's not getting a prime spot on my back deck looking like this. Later this week, I'll show you the step by step tutorial that will make you want to run out to the trift store to start your own project.

Until then,

Lori

New Blog

Welcome to Lori Garcia Home. In response to friends and family urging me to share my projects, I decided to start a new blog just for my projects. I'm a wife and mother, photographer/graphic designer and avid decorator/crafter. We are also members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope you enjoy the projects as much as I do.