DIY Archives - Average But Inspired

January 14, 2020 by Bre

Limewash Stone Fireplace Makeover: Bye Bye Orange Stone Fireplace, Hello Neutral Stone Beauty!

Last September I announced that we were moving from our beloved home outside of Chicago to the Milwaukee suburbs. On December 21 we moved in to our new home, and since then, I have been busy unpacking and trying to make this house feel like our home! I tackled my first big project, which was a makeover of our massive 1970s fireplace, and I am thrilled to share my limewash stone fireplace makeover with you now!

Before I show you all the pretty “after” makeover fireplace photos, I have to show you the beast I was working with! Complete with a wide variety of orange rocks, this extra large fireplace really clashed with my living room decor.

As much as I can, I like to work with what I’ve got, though, and I did not want to tear down this fireplace (can you imagine the dust and mess?!?), concrete over the rocks, or frame it out with wood and ruin the 70s vibe we’ve got going on here. So, I did some research and decided to do a DIY stone fireplace makeover with Romabio brand limewash.

What is Limewash?

Sorry if you already know this, but I thought that some of you might be unfamiliar with limewash, so let me fill you in! Basically, limewash is a heavily mineral-based paint that produces a very chalky and matte finish. The minerals seep into the porous surface to which the limewash is applied and give a really authentic and aged look. It is VERY popular for painting bricks and other masonry, like stone!

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There are several brands of limewash on the market, and apparently you can even make your own! I chose to use Romabio brand limewash because I follow the company on Instagram and love every makeover I see with their products, and because their limewash is affordably priced and comes in many colors. I used the Riposo Beige shade for my limewash fireplace makeover.

Why Use Limewash on Stone and Brick Instead of Paint?

You might be wondering why I chose to limewash my stone fireplace instead of painting it . . .

Well, there are several reasons!

First, I like that limewash is removable within the first five days of application. This made the project seem less risky to me. Although it probably would have been messy and tedious to remove the finish if I didn’t like it, I felt good knowing that it wasn’t permanent if I hated it.

Next, I like that limewash has little to no odor, unlike many types of paint! I did this project in January with no windows open, and there were no stinky fumes invading my house.

Third, I liked that the finished look was completely up to me in terms of how much of the original stone color I wanted to show through. Simply by thinning the limewash with water, I would have been able to get a more translucent effect and would have allowed more of the natural stone color to show through. This is perfectly fine with limewash and does not affect the durability of the product! In my case, I was trying to mask the orange tones, so I applied the limewash in a more opaque finish. But had I wanted to, I could have allowed more of the stone color to show through.

What Supplies Do You Need for a Limewash Stone Fireplace Makeover?

Now that you have a little more background on limewash, let me fill you in on the supplies you need to limewash a stone fireplace. Surprisingly, it isn’t that much!

Masonry brush
Protective tarp
Cleaning rags/towels
Spray bottle with water
Mixing bucket
Stir stick
Limewash (I used one quart of Riposo Beige for my fireplace)
Painters tape
Optional: smaller paintbrush to get in crevices and hard to reach areas

All in, this project cost me just under $70, and that is because I had to buy things like painters tape, rags, and a protective tarp (since the ones I already had are still packed away from the move). If you already have these items, your project cost will be less.

How to Limewash a Stone Fireplace

I think you won’t believe how easy it is to limewash a stone fireplace!

First, make sure to protect surrounding surfaces with a tarp and painters tape.

Next, clean the stone with a wet rag. Make sure to get rid of any cobwebs hiding in between the rocks, and get the rocks wet (but not dripping wet).

After the stone fireplace surround is clean, get out your water bottle and spray the rocks. You want the rocks to definitely be wet, but you don’t want water running down the rocks.

Now it’s time to mix up the limewash! For this step, make sure to read the product instructions that come with the limewash you have purchased.

I chose to mix my quart of limewash with half the amount of water (so, 16 ounces in this case), and this resulted in a thicker cover of limewash. Remember to mix, mix, mix the product so that there is no extra water left at the top of the bucket, and so that everything is all mixed together. This could take up to ten minutes because limewash is very thick to begin with!

Once the product is fully mixed, it’s time to apply the limewash to the fireplace. I started on the top side and worked my way down. I watched carefully to see when the limewash was almost dry (but not totally dry), and then began to wipe it off very lightly.

Doing this let some of the rock tones show through – but not too much!

I repeated this application / drying / wiping process across the front and couldn’t believe the immediate difference the limewash made! I won’t lie – I did have a minor time of doubt as it was such a drastic difference, but I know that I always do that with any project, so I calmed down and kept working.

Once I finished the entire fireplace, I went back in to the nooks and crannies I missed with the bulky masonry brush, and touched up those spots with a small paintbrush. (If you’re working with a limewash solution that is more diluted than my mixure, this may not be an issue for you!)

I stood back and admired the look of my limewashed rock fireplace, and then noticed how awful the orange hearth looked against it. I felt a pit in my stomach because I couldn’t let this orange hearth ruin this makeover! The limewash did not work on the marble hearth (I accidentally got some on the hearth and it wiped right off even though it had dried), so I had to think of a different solution.

The good news is that I did come up with a way to paint my marble fireplace hearth, and the whole project came together gorgeously! (I will be sharing a tutorial for that phase of the project very soon!)

The Completed DIY Stone Fireplace Makeover

I know, I know – you want to see it! Here is the completed fireplace makeover – it looks so different!

I cannot believe what I accomplished for under $70!

And in case you’re wondering why I didn’t paint the brass fireplace doors – it’s because I like them! Brass is one of my favorite finishes.

Decor should be about what you like and not what others say you should do, so I am leaving them. (For now, at least. ;-)).

Final Thoughts and the Nitty Gritty on a Limewash Fireplace Makeover

In total, I spent just about 4.5 hours on this DIY stone fireplace makeover – from cleaning, to wetting the stone, to mixing the limewash, and applying the limewash. Note that if your limewash solution takes longer to get to the “wipe off” phase, your project time could be longer.

It was TOTALLY worth it. My living room is so much brighter, and my fireplace looks so much better. I didn’t have to spend a ton of money to make it look fresh, and I am so thankful to have found out about limewash!

I used an entire quart of limewash in the Riposo Beige shade for this fireplace and I didn’t have any left over. If you use Romabio Classico Limewash, they have helpful tools on their website that will let you figure out how much product you need for your specific project. They say that generally, a quart is enough for a fireplace makeover.

The next step in this living room overhaul is to paint the wall surrounding the fireplace (it’s currently a gray/purple color), and then paint the built-ins and get rid of the mirrored backs! We would also like to have a mantel built for the fireplace, but it is surprisingly expensive (according to the one quote I’ve gotten), and my large round wood mirror gives the natural wood look we’re after – at least for now!

So, what do you think? Was this 1970s stone fireplace makeover a success? Let me know in the comments and please share this post to Pinterest to help others learn how to limewash their fireplaces, too! Us stone fireplace people need to stick together! 🙂

-Bre

June 17, 2019 by Bre

IKEA Bathroom Vanity Hack: IKEA Silveran for a Shallow Space

Like many bathrooms in old homes, our upstairs hall bathroom is small! We just renovated it (check it out in this 1920’s bathroom renovation post), and knew we had to work in as much storage and countertop space as we could, while getting the period-correct look we wanted. That’s where our IKEA bathroom vanity hack comes in! We hacked the $89 IKEA Silveran sink cabinet and turned it into the perfect bathroom vanity and bathroom storage solution for a small bathroom!

This IKEA bathroom storage hack might be perfect for your small bathroom, or it might inspire you to modify a different IKEA piece for your bathroom! There are so many possibilities if you think creatively about how to use IKEA furniture in your space.

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Before I show you what we did here, I want to thank Marti at Project Palermo (also a Chicago girl!), who previously posted an IKEA Silveran hack, and who gave me the inspiration to also hack this piece! Although my hack is slightly different from hers, she definitely deserves credit for being the hacking pioneer!

OK, so anyway, I desperately needed a shallow depth vanity to fit this tight spot next to the console sink, and my Google searches revealed the Silveran. At just 9 7/8″ deep, it was the perfect fit! It comes just like this – white, and with no legs or countertop. It’s super basic, and meant to work with legs and a sink you purchase separately from IKEA!

When assembled, it doesn’t even have a back!

We started by cutting a piece of plywood to fit the back and the bottom, and used my not-so-scary nail gun to secure both pieces into place. TIP: Some of the nails went in crookedly and poked out in places we didn’t want. No problem! We used a metal file to sand and smooth them, making them a non-issue.

We also secured the back part of the cabinet with the wall mounting hardware provided with the sink cabinet.

Once the back and bottom were mounted to the vanity, we attached these 6″ unfinished wood table legs using the corresponding furniture leg mounting plates. We initially attached these 9″ legs, but they were too tall and made the vanity quite unsteady, so I went back and got 6″ legs instead. Those worked much better!

Next, we attached trim pieces along the bottom front and sides, where the plywood meets the Silveran cabinet. We used wood glue only for this!

Once that dried, we attached trim pieces at the joint of the back plywood and the cabinet, also in order to give a more finished appearance.

While the glue on those trim pieces dried, I ran up to Sherwin-Williams and got my own custom IKEA white paint color made! I brought one of the pre-finished doors with me and they color matched it. Brilliant!

I got to work priming and painting all of the newly-added unfinished wood pieces, and was so happy that the white was a super close match to the original finish of the Silveran cabinet. Because of that, I left the original cabinet the color it came to me, and just painted the pieces we added. Less work = happier me.

Although the Silveran came with an interior shelf, it was shallower depth than the cabinet, and not very functional. Because of that, I cut pre-finished Home Depot shelving to size and used that instead.

I added some cute blue and white ceramic knobs, and then the final step was getting a custom countertop made!

My contractor took the measurements to his “guy” and had a quartz scrap cut to size. He added it to the hacked Silveran vanity and got it into place in the bathroom. It is perfect for this tight bathroom spot! TIP: Our contractor fastened the Silveran to the wall for maximum stability. Because he had to drill through the wall tile, we saved extra wall tiles so that if we ever decide to remove our Silveran vanity, we can replace the wall tiles with perfectly-matched tile.

It gives us just what we need in here – a place to store necessary supplies and a spot to set things while primping and cleaning up. 🙂

The perfect small bathroom storage solution!

Although this particular IKEA bathroom vanity hack might not be the perfect bathroom storage solution for your space, I hope it gives you some inspiration and ideas on how to modify IKEA furniture to fit your needs! Don’t be scared – just get started and figure things out as you go along. We made about four separate trips to Home Depot for this project because we modified our plan as we went along. 🙂

-Bre

You May Like This IKEA Bar Cart Hack, Too!

August 29, 2018 by Bre

DIY Hanging Mason Jar Storage

Most of the time I share “pretty” things on my blog – like decor or design projects. But sometimes projects that aren’t as “Instagram worthy” (as the kids say these days), are the ones that deserve the most love because they’re actually useful! That’s how I feel about this DIY Hanging Mason Jar Storage project, which is a BRILLIANT* way to gain some extra storage space for small things by using the space above your head (or under a cabinet or shelf, perhaps)! (*No, I’m not full of myself calling this project brilliant – it was my husband’s idea so he’s the brilliant one!)

We installed our hanging mason jar storage in our utility room and filled the jars with screws and such, but you could use the exact same concept to store things like spices, craft supplies, and all other small odds and ends! Keep reading to see just how easy this is to make!

Supplies Needed for DIY Hanging Mason Jar Storage

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Wood Strip cut to fit the space where you’re hanging the jars (we used a 1×4)
Plastic mason jars (note: we used glass mason jars because it’s what we already had, but if it were up to me, we definitely would have used plastic)
Drill
Screws to mount the mason jar lids onto the wood (make sure you use screws that are shorter than the depth of the wood into which you’re drilling)
Screws to hang the wood strip (and also anchors if your space requires it) – we used drywall screws
Label stickers

How to Make DIY Hanging Mason Jar Storage

Begin by cutting a wood strip to the correct length (and depth, if necessary), for the space in which you plan to hang it.

Next, drill pilot holes into the mason jar lids.

Place the lids onto the wood strip and screw them into place.

Once all of the lids are in place, screw the wood strip into the ceiling or area where you want to hang it. Make sure to securely attach it to the ceiling! Find your studs and/or get anchors that will hold the weight! Obviously you don’t want this to come crashing down on your head. Ouch.

Put the objects you’re storing into the jars and screw them onto the lids!

Add labels to the bottoms of the mason jars to help you identify the contents of the jars.

And that is IT. So incredibly easy and such a great way to maximize space that would normally go unused!

Before making this hanging mason jar storage system, we had boxes of screws and nails all over the place. It was such a mess! This truly helped us get our utility room area under control.

So what do you think – was my husband’s idea brilliant or what?

-Bre

Looking for More Organization Ideas? How About My Linen Closet Makeover?

July 11, 2018 by Bre

How to Build a Custom Backyard Fire Pit

One of the most rewarding DIY projects my husband and I have completed is the building of a custom backyard fire pit in our family’s tiny backyard. Spending time together relaxing, roasting marshmallows, and eating way too many s’mores is the perfect way to enjoy summer and fall evenings! This backyard fire pit posed some construction challenges, but at the end of the day, it was not a difficult project, and it’s one that YOU can do, too! Let me walk you through it all. . .

Supplies Needed to Build a Backyard Fire Pit

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Fire Pit Supplies:

36″ Galvanized Metal Fire Ring
Landscape bricks (we used approximately 65 3″ x 8.2″ Mini Flagstone Wall bricks from Lowes)
DAP DynaGrip Adhesive
Caulk Gun
Paver base
Paver sand
Pea gravel

Tools:

Tamper
Level (long length)
Hammer
Mallet
Chalk
Knife

Optional:

How to Build a Custom Backyard Fire Pit

Before Beginning Work – Things to Consider

Before you build a fire pit in your backyard, there are a few things to take into consideration. The first is whether there are any buried cables in the area that you need to be careful of when digging. The second is if your city, town, village, whatever has any codes or regulations that will impact your project. And the third is whether your fire pit will negatively impact any neighbors (smoke sensitivities, etc.). Think about all of this before beginning work to ensure a happy fire pit experience!

Phase One: Clear the Land

Once you have those things figured out, the first step in all of this is to clear out the area where you’re placing the fire pit. As you can see from this picture, we had a lot of plants (namely, giant hosta, which are difficult to remove), to clear.

Once the plants were removed, we got to work raking up the area and getting the ground level. The kids got involved in this part of the project, which was fun!

We used our level to make sure we got the ground as flat and as even as we could, and then we laid down the landscape weed barrier fabric to prevent vegetation (like those darn hosta), from growing up around our eventual fire pit.

Next, we figured out where we wanted the fire pit, and used chalk to make a circle several inches wider than the galvanized fire ring. Then we cut that circle out of the landscape barrier.

You might be wondering why we used a galvanized fire ring in our fire pit construction, when many other fire pit tutorials do not use one. The main reason is that we wanted our fire pit to be extra durable and for the landscape bricks not to get charred by the flames. One other benefit of using the fire ring is that you can purchase accessories, like grill grates and fire pit screens, that fit perfectly over the fire ring. Finally, we also thought it made it easier to create a perfect circle with the landscape bricks. While this added a little extra cost to the construction, it was worth it in our minds.

Phase Two: Preparing the Ground for Landscape Bricks

The next step was to fill in the circle with paver base. Once that was poured, my husband got to work with the tamper, pounding it down and getting a level surface that was slightly lower than the surrounding ground.

Next, we poured paver sand around the perimeter the circle – so where the galvanized fire ring and the landscape bricks would sit. We again used the tamper to make that paver sand flat.

Then we placed the galvanized fire ring into the paver sand, using a mallet to pound it into the paver sand, paver base, and ground ever so slightly, and we laid our first row of landscape bricks around the fire ring. NOTE: see how we left a space of about 2.5″ between the fire ring and the landscape bricks? This is important because if you place the landscape bricks right against the ring, by the time you get to the top row of landscape bricks, they will be too close to the fire ring and will be jutting out farther than your base row of bricks. You will have to disassemble and start over. (Prior to gluing our bricks together, we stacked all four rows to see how this would work, and it didn’t! That’s how we knew to put that space between the fire ring and the landscape bricks at the bottom.)

Once the first row of landscape bricks was laid, it was time to move onto the next row. We used DAP DynaGrip adhesive to hold our bricks together. We simply applied it to the stones and pressed them down, making sure to stagger them rather than laying them directly one on top of the other.

We repeated this process two more times, making our fire pit four rows of landscape bricks high. Note that once the landscaping went in, the first row of bricks was essentially “underground.”

We added inexpensive pea gravel inside the fire pit, and with that, our backyard fire pit was complete!

Over the following weeks, I spent time landscaping around the area to make it look nicer. I will be writing up a post on that process, too!

This project took us about 8 hours to complete, and that included ripping out all the pre-existing landscape and running to Home Depot a few times for extra supplies. At the end of the day I can honestly say that if you’ve ever thought about adding a fire pit to your backyard, you should go for it! It brings a huge element of fun to your outdoor space and is a wonderful memory maker for your family and friends.

I’d appreciate it if you’d pin this post to help others find out how to make their own backyard fire pits!

Once you’ve done that, come over and roast a marshmallow with me! 🙂

-Bre

May 2, 2018 by Bre

How to Make an Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath

I hope I’m not jinxing it by saying that spring has finally arrived in Chicago, but with beautiful sunshine and temps in the 70’s, I think it’s safe to say that winter is gone! I, for one, could not be happier! I am really looking forward to sprucing up my backyard and patio this season, and I have the first project to share with you – my new outdoor hula hoop wreath! Yes – I turned a hula hoop into a large outdoor wreath and I’m going to show you how to make one for your outdoor space, too! Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

I wish I had some pretty backyard shots to show you, but my grass is barely growing, I have no flowers, and everything still looks kind of blah. So you’ll just have to see my wreath for now and check back later in the season to see how it looks with the rest of my backyard setup!

Supplies Needed for an Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath

This post contains affiliate links. To read my full disclosure policy, please click here.

Hula hoop (I bought mine at the dollar store)
Faux greenery (I picked out two types at Michaels)
Faux lemons with leaves
Gorilla tape
Floral wire
Scissors
UV floral protectant spray
Rope
Fishing line

How to Make an Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath

When I started, my hula hoop looked like this – it had a bright pattern all over it. Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

The pattern was just tape, so I peeled it all off to reveal a plain, brown hula hoop. Not so good for kids, but perfect for my wreath! If your hula hoop is not decorated with tape, you could spray paint it to get a solid color. Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

I started to transform the hula hoop into a wreath by attaching pieces of faux greenery to the hoop with Gorilla Tape. This tape worked perfectly because it is the same color as the hula hoop and because it is SO STRONG and waterproof – perfect for outdoors! Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

After I had a first layer of greenery on the hula hoop, I attached a different type of greenery to the hula hoop – also with the Gorilla Tape. The first type of greenery had large leaves; the second had small leaves and tiny white flowers. Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

Then, I used floral wire to wire in some faux lemons. I liked the pop of color the lemons added. Plus, they’re summery and fun. (If lemons leave a sour taste in your mouth, skip them. :-)) Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

Once I had everything on the hula hoop, I took it outside and sprayed it with UV Floral Protectant. You know how faux flowers can become a really strange color when they’re left outside? I do not want that to happen to my hula hoop wreath, so I made sure to protect them! I want those vibrant colors to last! Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

After that dried, I cut some rope and fastened it to the top part of the hula hoop (where the greenery doesn’t show), with the Gorilla Tape. Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

I then hung the hula hoop wreath from the side garage door (I have a detached garage that is next to my patio), with fishing line. I put the hook on the inside of the side door and strung the fishing line over it so that the wreath hanger is not visible on the door. Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.

This outdoor hula hoop wreath is super cute and was such an inexpensive way to add a decorative touch to my (currently) bare patio area!

Add a pop of color to your patio with a pretty DIY Outdoor Hula Hoop Wreath! Click here for the tutorial on how to make a hula hoop wreath, and learn how to protect it for outdoor use.