House Week: # One

I'm back to my regular work schedule this week after 9 days off out of the last 10. (I know, woe is me). I've had these posts drafted for awhile, so now is as good a time as any to post them, I guess!

We've been making some upgrades at Casa Lund over the last few months ... thought I would document some of the details here in case you are feeling project-minded. (I wonder if all moms feel this way? I just sit home and stare at our walls and floors and furniture and dream of a less cluttered, more stylish space that doesn't serve as a racetrack for games of "I get you").

The first order of business was the fireplace. We painted the walls and trim in our living room before Erik moved in 8 years ago (and have re-painted since - thanks, Dede Preno). I never liked the brick and tile, but it was way down on the priority list. And you know how those things go ... you put it on the 'later' list, then 8 years pass and it's still on the 'later' list. Erik and I re-tiled our outside porch, but it took us 2 months and likely caused asbestos poisoning - not something we wanted to repeat in our living room.

These pictures aren't great, but I think you can appreciate the 70's mosaic brown tile ...

After some research and motherly-advice, I decided paint was the best, lowest-cost, solution. I visited my good friends at Gragg's Paint and they suggested a serious primer for the brick and tile. I used the XIM Primer-Sealer-Bonder with good success. I scrubbed everything really well first with an ammonia-water-dish soap solution, then sanded the tile to rough it up. I really glopped on the primer - it covered well and STUNK. For sure use a fan or open windows for ventilation. I'm pretty sure I lost some brain cells along the way. (Also - good tip from my Mom - you can put a used paintbrush in a plastic bag in the fridge between coats so you don't have to wash it or watch it dry out). After it dried overnight, I re-sanded and put on a second coat.

The guy at Gragg's said I could use any paint on top of the primer, so I used a black semi-gloss paint we already had. (The primer was oil based and the black was latex. It is fine to do it in this order, but not the reverse). I think I just did 2 coats of the black, as well, and I am pretty happy with the result.

My original intention was to also paint the brass fireplace surround with black high heat paint. I purchased the Rust-Oleum High Heat BBQ paint in a black semigloss, but then decided it was more work and a more permanent change than I really wanted.

Brass isn't my favorite, but I thought I could find some brass and black accessories to tie it all together. I searched and searched, but it can be hard to find things for a mantle, or the things I liked were too expensive. I've had a mirror above the fireplace for years, but it really only reflected the ceiling and wasn't super attractive. I decided to do a little shopping in my own house - we have a closet and basement full of 'art' and knick-knacks.

This is what I came up with ...


It serves the purpose for now until I find something I really love to put up there. The little bird in the yellow frame is from Vintage Printable. They have all kinds of images you can print for free for personal use. The New York Public Library has a similar digital gallery.