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The basement renovation is nearly complete!

The last two months have been consumed with all things “basement!” Between dealing with contractors and an overseas husband worried about his man-cave, this basement might have given me a couple of gray hairs! (which no one will ever see thanks to my hair stylist)

Hubby left for Africa about a week into construction, and since then, it’s been a very bumpy road getting to completion. As you all know if you’ve ever tackled a big project, there’s always things that just don’t go correctly. Without getting into all those pain in the ass details, I thought I’d skip right to the fun stuff – photos!!

Here’s a visual tour of what’s been going on downstairs…

These are a few items I’ve picked up to hang here and there. Plus this cool vintage locker-style cabinet that I gave to hubby as an early Father’s Day gift. Since we’re going for an industrial vibe, it’s all about the metal, wire and old down there! I’m having so much fun searching for decor!

The power room is one of my favorite parts of the basement because of the copper sink and the light fixtures.

 They are the large Edison wall sconces from Restoration Hardware. I picked up the mirror at a thrift store for a couple of bucks and painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Graphite, and several coats of dark wax. There’s a touch of brass colored wax around the edges too.

Wow, I didn’t realize how dirty this sink is! Darn contractors washing their hands in our new sink! Grrr…

How cool is this piece of burled wood – now being used as a trash can!

This little front room will be used for playing video games primarily. The walls and carpet are a light grey. And the doors, beam, support pole, as well as the panel door were plainted black.

I will be painting the railing in ASCP’s Graphite. I just started taping it off today.

All of the appliances are installed behind the bar. The stone counter-top color is called Lyra. Custom cabinets were made and finished in black.

I love this deep bar sink!

This is probably hubby’s favorite part of the bar – the keg-o-rator!  

I like the wire pendants hanging over the bar, and on the side wall.

The bar is wrapped in corrugated metal. Applying this is easy to do – just buy sheets from Lowe’s or Home Depot (they’re very thin). Tack it to your wood frame, and then finish it off with metal strips that are screwed into the wood frame. Just be careful, this stuff is really sharp when its cut!

This wall will be getting a ledge under the 3 pendants, where guests can sit on bar stools and wait for their turn at the pool table! Or try their luck at the slot machine!

The back entrance was tiled, and the doors were painted black.

Here’s the view as you walk in the back door. The beams and poles were left exposed and painted black. The floor will be completed next week, with a wood flooring that looks like weathered barn wood.

Here’s a clock I picked up at HomeGoods that we have to hang. It’s a rusty metal – love it!

 Some Restoration Hardware pillows moved from the living room down to the basement.

And here’s evidence that the basement is already functioning as it was intended! hee hee We may not have furniture yet, but we have beer!

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My first Annie Sloan chalk paint piece

As soon as I got home from the workshop, I bought myself some Annie Sloan chalk paint from my 2 local stockiest – On a Whim in Lucketss, VA and The Empty Nest, located inside Fox Den Antiques in Warrenton, VA. I purchased a quart of Duck Egg Blue, French Linen and Old White. I also grabbed a sample container of Paris Grey. My bounty was not complete without a can of clear wax and dark wax.

Later, I headed to Lowe’s and purchased natural bristle brushes (for painting), lint-free wiping cloths (for wiping away excess wax), sandpaper (for distressing), mineral spirits (for cleaning the wax brushes – soap & water cleans the paint brushes), and a drop cloth (to preserve the floor in my husband’s man cave, a.k.a. the garage).

With all that loot, I was ready to begin painting. My first piece was this box I found at a local consignment shop. I purchased it with the intention of painting it, as I love the shape of the box, but am not fond of the sunflower and checkerboard design. It isn’t the best quality – a little beat up, but kind of cute, right?

So, the first thing I did was give the exterior a coat of Old White. I slapped it on, as Annie directs, in every which way.  When it dried, I then painted the inside Duck Egg Blue. Already I discovered my first mistake – I should have painted the inside first. It was quite difficult to paint inside (as the little doors do not come off), and not get paint on some of the newly painted white parts. And – I need to invest in a smaller, artist-type paint brush for little areas like the strip of wood down the middle. But, after this struggle, it got much easier.
I let it dry and gave the exterior a coat of French Linen. Waited a short bit, and then it was ready to wax. I started with the clear wax over the entire thing – inside and out. After I applied it with the wax brush, I used my cloths to rub it in, and remove any excess. It felt smooth and dry to the touch. 
Next, I got out course sand paper, and distressed it on all sides. Since this piece was a bit rough to begin with, I decided to give it a lot of distressing, and really age it. So, the next step was to apply dark wax, so it could seep into those distressed areas and imperfections. After I rubbed off the excess (which you coincidentally do with the clear wax – pretty nifty trick!), I again gave it a final coating of clear wax. Then I lightly buffed it.
Here’s the transformed box:
I’m not sure where I will keep this little bugger yet in my house. And to be honest, there’s not a whole lot of little things I have to display inside. This might make a good piece hung on the wall with thimbles inside or something else of that little nature. Any other ideas? Feel free to share!

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