DIY time in the our house- Vintage Shelving

So the weekend was very busy. My husband and son not only built a fire pit, they also created my vintage shelving for our 1871 farmhouse's kitchen.  I had wall space that should have had cabinets built on them years ago and had not.  A shelving unit was just too bulky since it was near our table.  I had been researching online everywhere and since I could not find any old barn wood to reclaim and repurpose, we decided to make some.  We started off at Home Depot for the boards.  They have cheap unfinished utility boards that are perfect for shelving.  All my husband had to do to prep them was to cut them.  We chose to make four, three foot shelves.  Three for one wall and one for over our antique-window-turned-chore board.
We picked our colors.  My kitchen is done in roosters with turquoise, red, mustard and green.  Very chic.  I love it.  After finding the perfect table cloth to tie in my hand towels and rugs, I made the perfect choice in paint.  A shade that matched most of my roosters was called pomegranate and the other was blue crab.  Phil started by cutting, then painting all sides of the boards red first. 

 

 

Next, he sanded them down with a steel brush attachment for his drill that only costs a few bucks also at Home Depot.  After trail and error, it is best to just do the entire board.  It gives it a nice weathered look like many years of use in the sun and rain and elements. You can see his attachment here as well.

 

 

Third, a thin coat of the lighter contrasting blue crab hue is applied all over.  There is no right or wrong way to apply.

 

The finished product is mounted with some black brackets we found at Lowe's.  Nothing fancy, but something you may have used in accordance with the period of the home.  These homes are not preserved and loved as they should be most of the time.  I plan to correct this, but it takes time and money and we have three kids.  Small little projects like this go a long way in the presentation of your home.  It is a great look that can be achieved with an afternoon's work.  The sanding is the hardest part.  My husband had the smarts to pull it off and I can't wait to show them off.  Little things can make such a big difference.

 

They are gorgeous and you make such a statement in the room where you spend so much time, or at least we do!