Workshop Series - 5 must have power tools

Welcome to the Workshop Series, brought to you by

Funky Junk Interiors and Mustard Seed Creations!

Miss Mustard Seed will be bringing you a new edition after her Luckette's gig. She's going to be talking about her biz and how she runs it from home, so stay tuned for that very cool series! 

And I haven't forgotten about the onging photo series. I'll get back to it very soon. Promise!

For today, let's talk power tools!

~ 5 Must-have Power Tools ~

If you are a DIYer and not yet using power tools, you are SOOOO missing out.

Before I had any working knowledge of these scary buzzy things, I was soooo frustrated. I'd have these visions in my head but couldn't implement a thing because I didn't have the tools nor the knowledge.

Those days are slowly changing as my own tool stock and knowledge grows.
I'm going to show you my 5 must have power tools I could never do without ever ever again.

Palm Sander

Scary factor - 0/5 - just dusty

Used for - sanding rough surfaces

You totally need a palm sander if you work with any kind of wood projects. If you're still using those sanding sponges (well, I use them too but for small stuff), you need this guy. It truly does the work for you. Some come with fancy bags attached  but I just use mine outside if possible and all is well. I tend to have poor luck with the velcro type (sandpaper keeps coming off) but better luck with this latch it on type.

Compound Miter Saw

Scary factor - 3/5 - they're LOUD. But pretty safe.

Used for - straight cuts on thin boards, and miter cuts for moldings

A compound miter saw is your best friend. It cuts wood like a knife does through butter. The cuts are perfect each and every time.  I never put my miter saw away.  

If I were to ever buy another one of these, I'd get the one where they slide towards you more so you can cut larger pieces of wood. Without a doubt. Because I want it ALL. :) If a compound miter saw comes that way that is.

Cordless drills

Scary factor - 0/5. These are FUN!

Used for - predrilling holes in metal or wood, screwing in stuff, making bigger round holes, etc etc.

Oh my word, I could not breathe one day without my cordless drill. I personally love the Makita brand as it's a power house with the lithium batteries that last a long time. The big bonus is this unit is light enough for women to handle. Trust me, that's a big deal if you are a woman.

If you buy this thing in a set, it's MUCH cheaper. My set came with two drills as well as two batteries. Always have two batteries!  Oh oh! And this one has a little LED light that comes on when you use it too. 

I also like all the doodads in the matching case. But they are not the best of quality. Most of the bits in mine are terribly stripped, but we renovated my house HARD for a good 2 years or so, so I'm due to toss this one and buy new.

Nail Gun

Scary factor - 3/5 at first, but now, 1/5.

Used for - carefree nailing for molding, and thinner boards.

My newest discovered toy (I've had it for awhile) is the nail gun, in the picture above, located at the bottom left. Ptchoo! Ptchoo! Yes, it's that easy to nail in stuff. LOVE it, but you need an air compressor to run it. Go ahead. Ask Santa/Hubby for this little combo and I'm most certain you'll get it if Santa/Hubby can use it too. (wink!)

Jigsaw

Scary factor - 1/5, but raises to 3/5 if you have a dull or bent blade or flimsy surface.

I just turn mine off and rethink it. :) 

Used for - freehand cutting wood

The jigsaw is a finicky thing if you don't hold it just so, and as cuts are freehand, so are your not-so-straight-lines, so curve them on purpose like the above photo and you're good to go!

Useful but scary tools are:

- Tablesaw. But I'm scared to use mine so there it sits. I want one that mounts onto the wall. I can't remember what they're called, but they appear to be so much safer to use. Used for cutting nice straight lines in long boards. 

- Circular saws are good for cutting bigger longer stuff, but I'm scared to use this one too. They can really kick back on you. So rude! I generally have someone in the know around me when I use mine.

- Grinders scare me too and are pretty dangerous if not used with caution, but man, can they cut metal!

- Chop Saw - I don't have this and they totally scare the crap outta me, but I like to use my friend Dan's under his supervision. These cut big chunks of metal, making fireworks of sparks.

Don't forget to tie long hair back, wear safety glasses, long tight fitting sleeves and hearing protection with the more dangerous tools as well!

Me ~ "Yo, Miss Mustard Seed! It's been awhile! Do tell, what are your fav power tools you use yourself and on your wish list?"

MMS ~ “Well, you hit the nail on the head.  My top five power tools are exactly the same as yours.  I am blessed to have a great hubby who likes woodworking, so we also own a table saw, band saw, circular saw, planer, jointer, a drill press and a few other things.  We would like to add a panel saw and a dust collection system down the road, but we have a great set-up.  I talk about power tools without commenting on my paint sprayer.  That is obviously the power tool I use the most, but it’s not cost effective or necessary for an average DIYer.”

Let's talk tools! Love power tools? Scared of them? What do you use most? What's on your wish list? Are you interested in learning how to use any of the above?

Workshop Series - how to board and batten (+ link party)

Welcome to the Workshop Series brought to you by

 Funky Junk Interiors and Mustard Seed Creations!

With a guest appearance by Karla of It's the Little Things!

Today Miss Mustard Seed is going to start her new series on furniture painting, with the first installment on how to select the right piece before you even start. I so need this lesson myself as I tend to pick up 'junk', so see you there. :)

Today's hot lesson on Funky Junk is...

photo courtesy of It's the Little Things

~ How to Board and Batten

a Feature Wall ~

Have you tried the infamous board and batten wall treatment yet in your own home?

Board and batten is such a simple way to add major character to a plain wall. It's easy, cheap, and anyone can do it, guaranteed! But I will add, it's a little easier doing it the Funky Junk way. And you KNOW I've invented my own twist to it, yes? :)

The most common way to achieve the effect is to simply nail slats of wood directly on your drywall, to simulate a boarded effect with dimension. I have officially done it twice now.  I love the effect so very much I can't wait to install it elsewhere!

Since I self taught myself, I have a few tips to pass along to you should you feel like giving it a whirl.

~ Board and batten in 7 steps ~

What you'll need:

hammer

level

finishing nails or nail gun

countersink tool

primer

finishing paint

wood strips

wood filler

sanding sponge

measuring tape

paintable caulk

caulking gun

1. Decide: Feature wall or full wrap?

A feature wall vs. a full wrap are both beautiful effects! It's wise to know the difference on how to install the two so you can make a good decision about your given space.

Feature wall - boards look best going right to the ceiling. This treatment makes a great impact focusing on one wall or area. 

Full wrap - It's The Little Things

Full wrap- boards look best going up 3/4 to allow some wall colour to peek over top. A lovely option if you have miles of drywall and wish to carry a continuous look throughout an entire room or more.

2. Choose your boards.

What kind? How thick?

The boards I personally chose were pine tongue and groove random scraps that happened to be pretty thin. So I did no special treatment where they hit the baseboard. But if they were thicker, I would have had to cut a 45 degree angle where they meet the base molding. If you want to cheat, go thin.

How wide?

Mine ranged from 1.5" to 3.5" as I did a random pattern using scraps, however alot of what size to use is determined by how close you wish to place the boards together. I suggest pick up a few samples to get a feel. You can make virtually any size work as long as they're spaced appropriately for the given space.

3. Decide on crown molding first.

For a feature wall, at this stage, you really want to decide if you desire crown molding or not. I didn't have the budget to do that, so I simply went flush to the ceiling with the treatment. If you want crown molding, it must go on first.

4. Position.

even sizes and spacing

'funky' random sizes and spacing

(no funny cracks about my cheater wall painting, ya hear?!?)

First decide how you want your wall to look. I personally chose random boards with random spacing so it would be easier to install, plus to add something abit different. Work around  plugs and wall switches if you can. This is the beauty of doing it the funky method. :)

5. Cut your boards to size.

If you are fortunate to own a compound miter saw but have never attempted to work with it, I highly encourage you to get lessons and use it! Cutting with this saw is like slicing butter with a knife. The cuts are so precise! I now officially have my saw set up like this permanently so I can quickly throw on a board, cut and off I go.

Tip 1: When making a cut, it's important to see where the blade is cutting. You have to ensure you cut on the right side of the pencil mark if you are going for an exact number. The blades are thick and will mess with your precise measurements.

Tip 2: Be safe. Tie long hair back and get GOOD hearing and eye protection!

6. Attach your boards to the wall.

Because I chose a fun random pattern, I didn't have to sweat over perfect spacing. However I still ensured I followed a few rules so they looked good.

a) Prepaint the wall first or not to prepaint?

 Your choice. But I personally saved no steps prepainting the wall as I did in my kitchen, so when I did the bedroom wall, I didn't prepaint. Also remember if you plan to silicone the edges, you have to paint over that anyway. I vote to not prepaint the wall myself.

b) If you can, measure the placements of your wood slats wider than the paint roller. Makes painting a whole lot easier! This was a total fluke and I was mere fragments of an inch just right! So it bears repeating here.

c) Level it.

Each board got the level treatment so my lines didn't go wonky on me.

d) Install

The pros would use a nail gun for install. Not having one, finishing nails worked just fine. You just have to be watchful that your wood doesn't split on you. Sometimes predrilling a hole is safer, but I went for the gusto. I split only one, but it wasn't anything a little wood filler couldn't take care of. :)

Tip 1: Install a finishing nail in the CENTER of the board half way down the wall to start with. This will enable you to slightly rotate the board either way to straighten it later. Worked like a charm!

Tip 2: Make sure you use the right nails.

Finishing nails have a very small head so you can countersink them easily. After the nail is driven in the board, tap 1-2 times extra with a countersink tool to bury the level of the nail head for filler. The nail head has a slight indent that will keep the countersink tool in place.

Tip 3: Follow countersunk nails with a wood spackle or wood putty, NOT caulk.

The putty dries hard enough to sand and silicone stays rubbery.  You want to sand. A window frame installer saw me use paintable caulk instead of wood putty and boy did I get a well deserved lecture. (I LOVE knowing the right way to do stuff!)  I use this whipped variety called Shur Stik and apply it with a small putty knife or finger if just for tiny holes. It dries super fast and sands like a breeze.

Eggshell or semigloss? Read on!

7. Paint it

a) Paintable caulk first?

 Caulk is that goop you slide against the board and wall so you can fill in any gaps. I personally didn't use it on mine in case I changed my mind on this wall treatment. Caulk is quite a job trying to remover later. Just know, you may see slight spaces here and there between the boards and wall if you forego the caulking step. Mine were minimal and it has a more rustic cottage look if it isn't perfect anyway. :) For a room with good lighting, or for a larger area, I'd do it right and caulk all the gaps.

(Want a video and tute on how to caulk? Just say the word)

b) Eggshell or semi gloss?

A true board and batten would be slightly glossy just as as moldings generally are. HOWEVER!!! I do not recommend this. You are using the drywall as your pretend board background and drywall is not as smooth as a board, so IMO it's much better to camouflage that aspect. I suggest to use a high quality eggshell instead. The outcome is a very soft muted feel, rather than a bumpy sheen. The picture above is done in semi gloss and I couldn't stand it. I changed it out to eggshell right after. :)

c) In your white / white paint, get 1 drop of black added.

This removes the white starkness out of the tone just a touch. Apparently for south facing walls, you don't need to do this is what I'm told, so I'll leave that one up to you. Ask your fav paint person. But I always mess with the white if going on a full wall to minimize the stark impact white can have.

First Timer?

If you're going to try board and batten for the first time, I recommend start with a small area and just do a feature wall to get the feel of it. There's alot of measuring if you wish to do it the standard way and you may be glad you only chose a feature wall to start with. Then again, do it my way (random boards and spacing), it becomes more fun and less chore. Ask me how I know. :)

A great beginner project would be my smaller scaleboard and batten backsplash tutorial  HERE.

Wish to go for the gusto and want a full wrap?

Karla's livingroom (I know... gasp!)

The best tutorial I've ever found is at

Karla's How to Board and Batten

Karla and her hubby take you through all the steps required to do a large scale project. Look at all those perfectly spaced boards! Or are they? :) Read her article so you can learn a few of her cheat sheet methods as well. :)

Karla, thanks for the wonderful links! What do you think of my mini tutorial? Is there anything else you could add?

Karla ~ "Donna! I LOVE your tutorial! :)

I would just add, if people are going for the full wrap, not to be intimidated by the scope of the project! Putting the boards up and adding the top rail of molding really didn't take that long (only about 5 hours - and that was for 2 good sized rooms, and we didn't have any sort of "How To" to follow. We were flying by the seat of our pants for this one!). It was the multiple coats of paint and primer that was the real time consumer.

But if you're looking for a way to add instant architecture to a space that is lacking character , board and batten is a fantastic way to do just that! We have no regret with our decision to wrap our entire kitchen and adjoining family room. To be honest, I'm still looking for another place in our home to add more board and batten! We like it that much! :)

Thanks so much for including me in a post from such a fantastic series. I am honored!"

Donna ~ "I'm honored to have you here Karla!

Karla created a brand new post for the very purpose of joining in the workshop series, so go and find out how she likes her board and batten after a year of living with it, plus other features they added. Check out the new ledge on the top rail. Wonderful!

Karla`s new post is HERE.

Donna - ``So Miss Mustard Seed, what's your take on board and batten?"

Miss Mustard Seed ~ "I think board and batten is one of the easiest ways to add some architectural detail to a room. I’ve never done it, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to. I love the treatment on your backsplash and it was the reason I became a follower of your blog in the first place. So, hopefully I’ll have a project of my own to share one of these days!"

Donna ~ "I didn't know that! Cool. Glad I did the kitchen even more now. :)" 

I now have a little surprise for you. :)

~ Board and batten link up! ~

Have you done this treatment  in your home? Please feel free to share your link with us so we can inspire others to give it a go! I'd love to see where you've placed it and your own tips and tricks.

 The link will be active for new additions until the next workshop. Remember to come back and visit them. :)

Any other questions either Karla or I could answer for you? Are you inspired to give it a go? You can do it!

Workshop Series - Faux painting spindles

Welcome to the Workshop Series, brought to you by

Funky Junk Interiors and Mustard Seed Creations!

This week, Miss Mustard Seed has a special guest that is going to talk about living in a world of whites.  I'm personally going to be in the front row seat on this one!

This week on Funky Junk, we're diving into a special effect kind of topic. :) 

Faux Painting 101

Faux painting is all about fooling Mother Nature. What you're doing is painting in such a way where you'll achieve a look that you think is real. The deal with this one? It's all about the paint.

Faux painting is a VAST topic and is achieved in several ways:

(pic from The Magic Brush's website)

Adding texture, glazing for depth, gilding, stenciling, stamping and so much more are all techniques used to fool the eye.

And don't forget about specialty paints on the market! This is one small example of a CNC routered letter sample, painted in a special paint that creates real rust. You can make anything rusty! Or look like metal, or stainless, or gold.  Many of these specialty paints can be found at Michaels or Hobby Lobby.

Here are some gorgeous examples of faux painting.

Faux and antiqued cabinets

dramatic dresser treatment

Awesome tutorial on glazing

amazing wall technique

All pics courtesy of The Magic Brush

As you can see, there's alot of depth to this topic, so let's start with a simple tutorial any beginner can try. And who better to show us than a pro faux finisher!

~ Faux finishing metal spindles ~

Welcome, Jennifer, from The Magic Brush!

Hello! I am Jennifer from The Magic Brush Faux Finishing. I have owned my own faux finishing company for 9 years. I am not an artist per se... I am first a wife to one spirited husband, and then a mom to 3 very cool kids and a business owner who just happens to love changing things. Most of my days are spent trying to juggle it all.

What an honor to be asked by Funky Junk Interiors to be a guest blogger today! Thanks Donna! I hope my post will do your blog justice!

I wanted to give Funky Junk's followers a project that they could do at home themselves. Sometimes people just need to see something once for that "aha" moment to click and empower them to go try it themselves. Let's get started!


Many of my faux finishing clients are replacing their wooden spindles with iron ones. The cost of iron spindles depends on the number you need, the design and the paint finish you order on them.

One way to save on the cost of iron spindles is to order them in RAW iron and paint them yourself! We changed all of the white spindles in my house to this a few years ago for a couple hundred dollars.

We ordered them in raw iron like this:

And then I got to work faux finishing them! I always use at least 2 metallic paints to faux spindles. These 2 colors are my favorite.... "Antique Bronze" and "Blackened Bronze". They are both made my Modern Masters and available in most paint stores (Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore dealers). I know there are many metallic paints on the market... but these, in my opinion, are the best!

Donna ~ "Another great brand I've personally used is Sophisticated Finishes" found at Michaels. It's a similar product. These metallics have the most amazing shimmer ever! Very realistic coppers, silvers and golds."

The secret tool for faux finishing spindles is this (drum rollllllllllll please):

A men's shaving thingy-ma-jig! They can be found at Walmart, garage sales, eBay, etc. They make pouncing paint on a round surfaces a breeze!

We dip the brush in the paint and pounce it on the spindles. Remember... less is more. Use very little paint on your tool. In fact, dip it in paint and wipe most of it off the tool with a rag first. Too much paint with look "goopy". And goopy is never good!

I usually work in sections.... doing the entire top half of a spindle with both colors. Feel free to double dip using one tool for both colors. Double dipping is totally allowed in faux finishing!

It took me literally 10 minutes to change my spindles from this:

To this:

Here is a closeup.

Donna - "The glowy warmth has an amazing effect against the wood! Nice choice!"

Donna - "Take note how the lighter colour was used in areas the sunlight would hit. This creates a pop of dimension, especially to objects in darker areas of your home. You can make the sunlight come in wherever you choose. :) "



This is a picture of another spindle job that we did where the clients ordered the iron in black for the base. We did 2 metallic colors over the black as well. Don't cover up all of your base color... when it shows a little, then you see 3 colors which is really pleasing to the eye!

Even though this tutorial is centered around spindles... you could use this technique on anything small. Picture frames, iron bar stools, plant stands, ceiling medallions, etc. etc.

At the risk of ruining any TV career I may have (ha!)...... I had my son tape me fauxing the spindles in my basement that I had never gotten around to doing. It is a complete and utter disaster of a video. Because I love you all..... I'll forewarn you of my mistakes:

• 1) Always clean up the room you are taping in (this was right before Christmas when we were in the middle of our basement remodel).
• 2) Always put on some makeup before being taped for a video.
• 3) Always put a really loud, but precious, 2 year old in another room before beginning to tape.
• 4) Always teach your 8 year old how to say goodbye before he just stops taping.

Bless you for even watching it. It was really a slow moving train wreck... but my first ever video on a blog! Donna you are a peach for airing it! I will take your advice and invest in a tripod and a babysitter before I get videoed again!

Donna - "Hahaha! Great work!"

I hope you enjoyed my spindle tutorial. Be sure to stop by my blog at The Magic Brush to see more painting projects!

Thank-you Jennifer! I've long been a stalker of your work. Your blog and website are amazing, not to mention your relaxed humorous ways. You are the real deal. :)

Know what I really like about this gal? She writes about failures on her blog too.  I just read this one again and I was gasping for air... (right click/new window the link so you come back! We aren't done yet!!)

Ode to a Ping Pong Wreath

Woman Beats Chandelier 

How funny are those?!? Her blog is loaded with them. :)

So, any faux finishing questions for Jennifer? Product questions? Techniques? Just remember, if you riddle her with questions galore, I'll have to twist her arm to come back again with another topic. :)

~ This post is sponsored by ~

Make Mine Beautiful's DIY Work Aprons

* Special pricing for this week *

Workshop Series Apron giveaway event - March 31st