I’m back with an update to how our living room makeover for the One Room Challenge is going. To be honest, the exhaustion has set in and I am living on caffeine and dreams right now. But we have made serious progress and I am thrilled (thrilled!) to show you the biggest DIY project we have ever done! That’s right, the entertainment center makeover is finished! This monster is over 12 ft long and put all of our woodworking, building, painting, and designing skills to the test.

But First, let’s take you back to week 1 and what it looked like:

I could just die laughing looking at that. I knew it was always temporary, but, wow, that is bad. Along with out beautiful craigslist entertainment setup, the center console section was left behind at an old apartment so we used it to hold up the tv until we could either find or build something more suitable. We decided to build. We are kind of stubborn like that. The main reason was that a certain love-of-my-life, who I can’t say no to, had his heart set on one day getting a really big tv. The center console needed to be at least 65 inches wide in order to accommodate that. Finding something that would hit all of our needs was impossible.

So hubby started building while I started working on the rest of the hooker entertainment center. In week one, he put together the basic foundation for the center console.

I have mentioned that we had problems matching the original trim, so took off the chair rail and added a new one. Those bookend shelves are unbelievably heavy. Hubby guessed maybe 300-400lbs each. Therefore, there was no moving them to workshop and I had to turn to a zero VOC paint in order to paint them right in the living room.

For this piece, Fusion Mineral sent me several products to get the job done. After sanding and scuffing up the finish, I did use a quality Primer. Although Fusion Mineral Paint is touted to have amazing grip, this piece was far too large for me to screw up. Also, it was fairly difficult to sand many areas like the millwork and trim. Because I was going dark to antique white, I  used concealer (now discontinued), and 2 coats of Fusion Mineral Paint in Champlain. Although I usually use a sprayer furniture, I wanted a handpainted, lightly distressed style. It felt right with this piece since it has beautiful handles and pockmarked purposely for additional character. You can buy and learn more about Fusion Mineral HERE.

And here it is today!

That center console just looks like it belongs there, doesn’t it? I set this up just to take pictures, but we have to break it back down and move it to the kitchen while the floors are being installed. I can’t wait to put our treasures back on those shelves. After the rest the room is done, I am considering adding a bit of glazing to create shadows in the millwork, but that is a project for another day.

I love the finish on this piece. Although the entire facing was painted with a 3/4in angled craft brush,  I used a Microfiber Roller for the flat sides. I tried a dense foam roller at first, and that was a mistake. But the microfiber roller gave a beautiful finish. It is a smooth finish matte paint, but this it isn’t completely flat like a chalky finish paint. For the distressing, I just handpicked a few spots and door corners to let the old stain color show through. I am firmly in the less-is-more style when it comes to distressing.

These handles were the hardest part of the entire process. We were unsure how to remove them and worried we would harm them in the process. Therefore, I spent hours with a tee-tiny brush hand-painting around and in between them. Though it was a lot of work, they stand out beautifully now.

This was truly our largest DIY project ever. We have never built furniture. But that’s the whole point of this, we aren’t professionals. We just try really hard, and if we can do it, you can too. Challenging yourself just enough when you have a goal makes it all the more satisfying! Sure it’s hard work, but think of all the years of smiles and pride coming your way when you complete that challenge.

I would love to hear what you think. Especially all of my friends who thought I was crazy for painting it. You know who you are (and I really do appreciate your honesty). Only 2 weeks until the complete room reveal! Next week’s update will most likely be late, unfortunately. The floors are not scheduled to start being installed until Thursday next week, and I won’t have much to show until that is done. However, after the floors, it is going to be a mad dash to get everything back in the room and setup for the big reveal. But let’s check where we are:

To-do list:

1. Build sofa table
2. Pick out accent chair, sofa table
3. Purchase new rug
4. Build center console for entertainment center
5. Paint entertainment center
6. Choose and purchase accessories
7. Find mirrors for behind couch area
8. Rip out old floors
9. Install new hardwood floors throughout main floor
10. Put everything back in the rooms

I’ve got a lot of work to do. Stay Tuned!

*UPDATE: While we were unable to complete our living room transformation in the six week time line, you can see our makeover HERE.

Like Furniture Makeovers? There’s more:

Antique Desk Makeover with Chalky Finish Paint

9 Amazing Furniture Transformations