I went to Lowe's and bought lumber and everything

9.20.2016

^^^ Staining!

Over the past week, I completed a project! I'm typically not very handy with DIY-type stuff for our house, so I am really proud of myself right now. I actually went to Lowe's by myself and bought wood and stain and sandpaper and everything.

I repeat: I did this all by myself.

One of the selling points of our house for me was the laundry room. It's a good size with built-in cabinets and storage space in the back, and I'd never seen anything quite like it before. I knew the back wall would be a good place to put some kind of coat/purse rack, but I couldn't figure out exactly what I wanted to do. (Related: See our house tour here!)

Right now I have my lunch bag, R's lunch bag, R's diaper bag, and my purse that I just pile on the floor, which obviously looks cluttered, not to mention we keep tripping on things, and R wants to dump out the contents of all the bags and put anything she finds into her mouth and draw with pens all over her face.

I pinned this forever ago and finally decided to try and make something like it.

It was a Saturday afternoon and R was sleeping, and I really wanted to get started on this project, so I asked Jordan what I needed and drove over to Lowe's. I found a worker and said, "I need to buy a one by four." And he said, "You just need lumber?" "Yes I do! I need lumber." And then I proudly marched around the store with my 1x4 over my shoulder like I was a member of Swiss Family Robinson going to build my tree house.

You think I'm kidding.
I need to get out more.

So I bought a 1x4, a small can of "Dark Walnut" stain, and some fine-grade sandpaper. I already had a paintbrush and a can of Polyurethane for our outdoor bench, so in total everything cost me about $10! I painted two coats of stain (letting the board dry in between), then painted polyurethane, let it dry, sanded it down, painted another polyurethane coat, and sanded it one final time.

*I normally do not condone apologizing for pictures I post on my blog, but I feel like I should tell you that the lighting in our laundry room is terrible and I wish there weren't such a yellow tint to these to really show off my project! Alas.
We added hooks I found at Hobby Lobby (they were half off and only $1.50 each!), and Jordan helped me find studs and hang it on the wall. (Side note: What is it with guys and stud finders? They all seem to like to say stuff like, "You don't need a stud finder. I'm right here." Good grief.)
The laundry room still needs some organization, maybe a cubby kind of thing like this? But for now I am in love with my new coat and purse rack! And it's even better because I made it all by myself for a total cost of less than $20! I don't know whether or not this is true, but I'm telling myself that something like this would cost double that at the actual store. It makes me love it even more.

What do you think? Have you ever made something like this before? 
Amy @ A Desert Girl said...

Lumberjack Amanda. Looks fantastic!! I bet you smile every time you step into that room now.

Katie @ Live Half Full said...

Wow! I'm super impressed. I am not good with patience with DIY, so I ETSY. :)

Courtney said...

Dang girl! Go on with your bad self!! That's awesome.

Jenny Evans said...

I can see the floor! I love seeing the floor.

I appreciate the visual and I know exactly how you felt walking through Lowe's with your lumber.

Rachel Emily said...

Swiss Family Robinson, I'm dying. Things on the floor is my worst pet peeve. I'm so impressed with your DIY skillz.

Danielle said...

Haha! I'm similar when I'm in Lowe's. Love your rack!

Ashley said...

Looks great! And you bought the lumber yourself and everything! Lol. I really like the color of the stain and the fact that the hooks are different colors.

I've never attempted any DIY projects, but I probably will when I get my own house one day. I mean, screwing something up in my parents' house was a "no" and screwing something up in our rental house is a "no," so my creativity has been somewhat stifled. Personal injury may have also been stifled...

Leslie Lukens Martin said...

Nice work! It looks great! #Success

Emily said...

This is a big deal because I often don't do projects because I'm scared to ask about lumber by myself! Haha, so you rock!

Maria said...

Currently eyeballing my bags plopped on the floor by our garage door and realizing that with each passing post, we are more and more the same person.

I love it and I'm jealous that you now have a solution for the bag problem! You look like a proud child who just brought home his first craft from kindergarten.

I decided to make a side table once from two Ikea Lack tables. I documented the whole process on my blog and by the end of it, I had spent close to $80 on the project, which, at the point, I could have probably bought two brand new side tables from Wayfair. It was definitely a bust. I haven't made a single thing since. It was cute though. Just not $80 cute and now I have paint that I don't know what to do with.

Amy said...

yesssssssssssssssssssssss
Such a simple solution that looks AWESOME!

Angi said...

Looks great!! We made something really similar once. It's crazy how much difference something simple like that can make, and the less expensive the better! I like that dark stain a lot.

Rebecca Jo said...

Watch out HGTV!!!!

Audrey Louise said...

That looks great! We need something like that! My husband bought me these paw print and bone hooks but I don't want to put them directly into the wall.... I think I need one of these boards!

Laura | Making Baby Provence said...

You are so funny! I love how you tell stories. The hooks look amazing. I need one, too. I'll pay you $25 to make me one. ;-)

Nadine said...

Look at you being all hard core with your lumber and staining skills! I love the way it turned out and I am totally jealous of how big your laundry room is! All we have is a laundry closet. Never again!

Kristen @ See You In A Porridge said...

oh my gosh girl YOU GO. i would walk around lowes proudly as well - that is, if i ever went there by myself. you have way more guts than me my good friend. good job!!
ps. yes to guys with stud finders. KC is the same.

Carolann @ Finding Ithaka said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carolann Chambers said...

I love this!! As the daughter of a carpenter, I think all ladies should be confident enough to do stuff like this. You go!!

Beka @ Sunshine to the Square Inch said...

That is so cute! And for the price you can't beat that.

You need these for your organization room! My friends with kids have them and love them. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10031987/

Michelle said...

Haha! I love how it turned out! I want to do something like this one day. You should be so proud of yourself. I bought a half gallon of paint once and felt so proud of myself.

Bethany Carson said...

Oh wow! You did a *great* job and the laundry room looks so much better. Well done.

Katie Elizabeth said...

You go girl! It turned out awesome! I have something similar in my entryway from Pottery Barn and let's just say it was a lot more than $20... DIY is the way to go!

Ali said...

It looks great! I typically do not make things without instructions. My husband on the other hand...all kinds of creative and crafty. I just let him do it.

Erin LFF said...

You go girl!! I love pictured you marching around Lowes with your 1x4 haha, I feel like I would be doing something similar. I pretty much feel like an expert DIY-person anytime I'm in Lowes, no matter what I'm buying. It looks great and I am definitely envious of all your space ;)

Julie @ Just the Joy's said...

You rock! I love it! I definitely don't know that I would have done that myself... well maybe if I got desperate and my husband ignored me when I asked for help 1,000 times over again (like he does often! ha!) :)

Rach said...

Atta girl!! It looks great!

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