apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My latest DIY project (building my own shadowbox frame for a large tapestry) is getting hauled to the frame shop on Saturday morning where the proprietor is going to "fix what I started".

Sigh. My track record with DIY is pretty good but sometimes you need to know when to throw in the towel.

Mixed metaphor.

i sanded and painted some furniture, but that's so easy it barely qualifies as a DIY, no? i'm reupholstering a 1969 desk chair but since it all comes apart and screws together again i don't think thats too hard. if it involves only a few tools and is quite simple, count me in. if it takes longer than a day or a few hours, no way.

there is no way I could afford the furniture I want if I didn't put some elbow grease into those pieces that need work.

a yugoslavian-built mid century teak armchair in perfect condition can go for $300 .
They can also be found for $50 needing a weekend of work in cleaning and upholstery.

I've painted walls and cabinets (repeatedly), I've ripped out a closet and installed/customized a IKEA PAX wardrobe system to fit, I rewire my own vintage lamps, I hang my own draperies and hardware, I install new lighting fixtures, I assemble IKEA furniture...
...next big project is to replace the kitchen countertops and install a tile mosaic backsplash - then it's on to redoing the the floors.

i made benches and a coat rack out of wood from our old kitchen when we renovated. i also layed our brick patio and got to use a wet saw for the first time. fun! i also built benches for my local coffe shop. diy=fun!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47544329@N00/2330905547/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47544329@N00/2329055311/

My latest project is a small laptop desk for the office - found an old metal base at my parents' house that used to be part of the desk in my bedroom as a child, and realized it would be the perfect size for my wee little computer if I fitted it with a new top and some drawers.
If I'm not building something I start to go a little crazy, but on the plus side it saves a hell of a lot of money.

I would say that I have DIY ambitions. I'd like to make a headboard, some curtains, give life to some craigslist furniture finds.

In the next few weeks I will be moving into my first roommate-free apartment, where I'll have lots of physical space and the freedom to decorate and paint. I'm very, very excited. (Thus my avid interest in AT.) Ask me this question again in a month, and maybe I'll have some DIY projects to show off.

Working 80 hours a week and living in a tiny apartment with no outdoor space, no, I don't DIY.

DIY all the way.
But, I went to art school and majored in sculpture and painting. And I also worked for the Lab and the Camp in Costa Mesa as a art/display builder for two years. And I have all my own tools. So, I kinda build stuff for a living; or, as a way of life.

My fiance and I have been working on furnishing our apartment. She'll be moving-in in three weeks when we get married.

Here are a few links to the recent projects I've worked on.
Plant Stand - http://etrine.com/2008/07/30/plant-stand/
TV Stand - http://etrine.com/2008/07/28/tv-stand/
Book Shelves - http://etrine.com/2008/07/14/bookshelves/
Coffee Table - http://etrine.com/2008/07/08/makin-stuff/

I like creating my own world, as opposed to having someone build it for me. I have a huge line-up of DIY projects waiting to be tackled. So excited about every single one.

I thought reupholstering some dining room chairs would be soooo simple. And, truth be told, it was simple, but more time-consuming than I expected.

We had to completely gut our house after we bought it, and did a lot of the work ourselves (with guidance.) The great thing about the whole experience is that now, few projects seem really intimidating.

www.mercystreet08.blogspot.com for pictures of the reupholstery and the entire gutting story.

Current DIY efforts are all green-oriented. Stripping off layers of siding from my home and adding 2" of styrofoam insulation over 100% of the exterior. Taking this time to add and replace windows and doors as well.

I owe my DIY ethos to my father - growing up I was not aware that you could pay people to come to your house to do things for you. He did absolutely everything on his own.

Rescuing furniture and fixing it is a continuing DIY for me. Everything from reupholstering Eames chairs to re-purposed Ikea has passed through my hands. I'm constantly surprised what gets tossed out as 'garbage' these days. I mean don't these people own a staple gun, a sawz-all, and a power drill?

I've done a lot of damage to myself through DIY projects -- I'm terminally ham-fisted. I've dislocated an ankle, aggravated an ongoing case of bursitis, and gotten more stitches than I care to count. After the dislocation, my PCP said, "Hire somebody! It'll cost you less in the long run." So unless it's an ultra-simple project (such as painting an old table), I hire someone.

My dad and uncle used to help me through rough spots, but both are suffering ill effects from age and can no longer aid their family idiot.

I'm green with envy toward AT'ers who are accomplished DIYers. Hats off to you!

The only thing we've hired out was the hardwood refinishing (it's veneer and there's no room for mistakes), and installation of the kitchen floor (b/c I am ready to go insane from all the evenings and weekends spent working on the house). We've done everything else ourselves: painting, track lighting installation, installing paperstone counters in kitchen, installing floating shelves, tile work, exterior mounted hood above the stove, art track system, deck building, sauna (!) building. Luckily my so is an engineer and has a great deal of mechanical aptitude.

Im too BROKE not to DIY lol I bought a loft in Charlotte NC and gutted it and have been putting it back together for the past 7mo. I had No experience @ home reno/contracting until this.

I learned everything from TV shows :) & once I finish I will be the DIY KING !!

Stripping brass plate off 70s steel furniture is the bomb http://stylenorth.ca/blog/2008/06/do-it-yourself-electroplate-stripping/

To make a platform bed out of my box spring I simply bought a fabric of my choice and hot glued the fancy fabric to the sides of the bed. The fabric wraps over the top of the box spring just enough to where the mattress covers any bare bits of the box spring. The bottom of the box spring is wood so I stapled the fabric to the wood on the bottom. I paid about $70 for the whole project. Speaking of DIYs, does anybody have any advice for a Saarinen tulip chair? The paint has chipped and the shell has been neglected.

There's actually places you can rent power tools, as well as workshop spaces.

I've painted walls and cabinets, installed window treatments/hardware, re-finished furniture, built bookshelves from scrap lumber, put together a few pieces from kits. It's so satisfying to stand back and say, "I did that!" I currently have two side chairs to strip/stain/reupholster, and next year I'll be learning to install a block privacy fence, retaining walls for raised garden beds and a flagstone patio area. I also want to add a potting area to our backyard storage shed.

Just because I can doesn't mean I always do. I don't have the room for things I'd like to get done, and I don't have the patience for some things I routinely put off, like refinishing furniture. I kind of messed up my kitchen table base last time and want to strip it and start over, and also fix the top (that's a different type of DIY, with the veneer, even). If something is going to take more than one day, I don't have any place to leave it, and I probably wouldn't want to do anymore to it right away, if it goes like last time.

I also didn't know there was a trick to sewing hems on curtains, so.... I do do stuff like painting or wiring lamps, hanging curtain hardware and etc. I'm definitely handier than I can be in my space, know how to use tools and such. With a workshop, I would try a lot more things, and not drag my feet about things I dread. I think conditions to work with make things a lot more pleasant, and they turn out better as a result.