She didn't have great color and it certainly doesn't work with my dining room, but the details! Oh the details. I'm a sucker for details, but she's needs a coat of polish. Not to forget but has she got storage! The top drawer is a silverware drawer that is felt lined and has a soft cotton blanket for said silverware. The bottom two drawers are deep and also felt lined. Score. The two cabinets have a shelf inside and are very deep. 

Oh and did I mention that she was at the Salvation Army store in Manassas for $150. I bought her on a Wednesday, which means she was an additional 25% cheaper. Amour!

So I'm off to Lowe's for some {polish}. After a quick wash in vinegar and warm water, she's ready for primer and paint. I decided to do a test run on the oil-based penetrating primer I was going to use on the windows. I'd never used oil-based paint before so it was an experience. First, its a lot thicker than regular paint, and two, it smells a lot worse than latex. :) It was hot and humid outside (106 degree days here in VA that week{end}) and I didn't want to be out there, so I placed a drop cloth underneath her legs and went to town inside the house, with fans blowing on her and into the dining room to keep the smell down. I don't know if it worked, but I couldn't smell the primer from our family room which is across the hallway from the dining room. So here she is after a coat of primer:

I ended up putting another coat of primer on her, just to be safe. Then I busted out the enamel black paint. WAIT?!?!? What?!?!?! Enamel? What the frick? I bought enamel? Crap....I didn't notice that the rustoleum paint was enamel black. Well, I'm not putting this paint job off any more. I need this buffet done so I can move furniture around and we can have more table space in the basement. So I call Bet and tell her the mistake I'd made, and she made me feel better about it because she reminded me that oil-based paint is more durable than latex. Yay! Now I'm back to work! 

So after letting the paint dry for 24 hours or so.....I start putting back on the hardware. I spray painted the hinges aluminum, because I could not find  suitable replacements, and attach pretty glass knobs to the doors. No more brass adornments. Then I go to put on some sleek updated handles. They're called butterfly handles, but I don't know why. They don't resemble a butterfly anymore than I resemble a squirrel, and they don't fit. What the frick!?!? I measured! Twice even!! 

{insert quiet rant here}

I remeasure the original, ugly brass handles.....same size as what I bought. 

{insert slightly louder rant and start questioning my sanity}

I decide to go slow as I reattach one of the original handles. Maybe I can see what I'm doing wrong. Yes, because, Heather, you've never before attached handles to a piece of furniture. But ho! I do discover something. Those ugly brass handles flex and move to accommodate the shape of the drawer and that's why they fit inside those idiotic little screw holes and my newer, much prettier, and more modern handles don't. 

{Yell for Dev to cover his ears while much louder and non-child friendly rant ensues}

The aluminum spray paint comes back out. 

The newly painted, but still slightly to ornate for my taste handles remain on the buffet, but I like them. I like them a lot. They look good with the new glass knobs on the doors. Je l'aime!

But there's a lot of wall above her tabletop.....I know! I need more shelves. So back to Lowe's I go. I really think Lowe's should start sponsoring me. :) 

So here she is now. All gussied up and pretty-fied!

I am very impressed with the oil-based paint and primer, and I may have to start working with them more often. I hope you guys enjoyed this photo-laden post, because I had a lot of fun with this project. It was a long time coming. Now if only I can get the rest of the dining room done. I have chairs to update and a ceiling to enhance. It doesn't help that I also just found the purrrrr.fect chandelier at Lowe's while shopping for the bar materials either. Oh well.....that's enough for today! 

Have a wonderful day and enjoy yourselves!

There's the first shelf, and look at that....it's level. :) Love ya Babe!

There's the  completed wall. It will hold about 1800 DVDs. Hopefully that's enough. :) 

We first taped out the bar and then had 1-1/2 hour long discussion about obtuse/acute angles. Then Steve framed it out with 2x4's. He wanted it to be able to hold up the house should it ever decide to fall. :)  

Here's the backside of the bar. The open spot on the right is for a small refrigerator. 

Here's Evan testing out the bar height. Steve wanted a surface for our guests and then a separate area for him to work. :) 

So here are the two work surfaces. The tile was just being laid out for placement. Both bar tops have 3/4" plywood and the top is {obviously} in tile and the lower is in 1/4" oak.  

We added some shelves to the unused side of the bar. You can never have enough storage.  

So here's everything trimmed out and the tile laid out and cut. The diamond blade on the dremel is amazing...if not painful. When glass melts and then hits your hand....it kind of hurts. :) Thought you'd guys like to know. 

Here's the tile after the grout has dried. Not to shabby for first-timers. 

So the painting was easy and the staining was easy. We used leftover paint from the master bedroom revamp. Our bar is now Epic. ;-) We also applied two coats of Polyshades to the wood. I picked Mission Oak, which is a new color and I am in love with it. We were good to go. Until Steve {on the morning of the party} spilled almost an entire can of mineral spirits all over the bar, tile and carpet. Major Eff. So after my using my good towels {grumble} to clean it all up, he quick takes a clean rag {not one of my good towels} and wipes on another quick, light coat of polyshades. It was luckily dry by the time the party started at 9 that night. 

So here are the completed pictures {which you've seen}. I really should get some better ones.... :) 

I'm so proud of what the guys did. They put in a lot of work over that weekend and it turned out so incredibly amazing that I have decided some of my list with Steve...I'm sure he'll be thrilled when I tell him that. :) 

I hope you guys enjoyed and have a wonderful Monday!