Hi Guys - Well after a long and grueling Sunday of peeling blue tape off the roll and laying down plastic I have learned the meaning of prep. And oh how I've grown to hate that word. Prep. Eeerrrr. See, after a weekend of prepping the upstairs for paint, we didn't even make it to the painting part. So the Ravenna House is covered in a shroud of plastic. And no paint. Not exactly the makings of beautiful painted wall pictures I was hoping to share with you today.
Here's a progress shot of the window masking:
Yeah. Anyway. Let's move on. I'll tell you all about the prep and the pain(t) sprayer another day when the words blue-tape and plastic don't make me grind my teeth.
So let's talk drawers. All-wood. Easy-gliding. Smooth. Wonderful. Joyful drawers. See I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about dressers and built-in-drawers of a certain age. We've got a lot of those around here. They look really nice. And they are solid. Plus they've lasted 80+ years so I know they're well made. But they are a real b^#*$ to open. They stick. They grind. They take two strong hands to open. Of course I can't get rid of them or replace them with some cheap crap. Cause that would be wrong. That would cut me straight to the soul.
So, what to do.
Well it turns out that there's an easy fix. My years of frustration and ground teeth were all for not. It could have been fixed with $0.90 and a trip to the drug store. Let's consider this my first DIY on the Grit and Polish blog. Here I'll make it official:
DIY: How To Make Old Wood Drawers Slide Easier
Cool. Ready?
For this DIY, I'm taking you over to The Bryant House. That's where we live now. It's a 1920 craftsman that has 2 bedrooms, a renovated bath and kitchen, and just 790sf of finished space. Yeah, try fitting two full-grown-adults, an energetic 65-pound dog, and a baby plus their swings, bikes, and toys in 790sf! But that's another post entirely. Back to the drawers...
Step 1: Roll up your sleeves. What's that? You've got a baby tugging on your pant legs too? Well put him in the jumping johny. Maybe toss a binky in there. Okay, now roll up your sleeves.
We've got this.
Step 2: Pull out your drawers and arrange them so you can access the underside.
Now grab a bar of soap. I used a classic bar of Ivory, because that's just the kind of family we are. But really any bar of soap will do.
Step 3: Rub said bar of soap across all wood sliding surfaces on the drawers and in the cabinet/dresser. Don't be shy - give it a good, strong rub. This is one of those more is better situations.
Okay, that's it! Slide the drawer back into place and pick up the baby. We're done!
That wasn't so bad, right? Give those drawers a try. Better, right? Yeah they're not brand-new soft-close drawers, but they're better, right! And for $0.90 and 5 minutes, I'd say that's pretty darn great!
What's that? You like the drawer hardware. It's a Martha Stewart classic and you can find it at your local Home Depot (here).
It's a good thing I came across this solution (from The Farmers Nest here) when I did because I've got a lot more sticky drawers in my future.
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Did you catch that? Yeah, it's a new dresser that I picked up on Craigslist for Wilder's new nursery. Lot's of soon-to-be-smooth drawers in this piece. What's that? Oh you think she's kinda dingy? Well just hold on a sec (read: couple months). Not sure if I'm going to paint her or give her a new coat of stain, but she'll be looking lovely before you know it!
xoxo
p.s. It's been electronic anarchy around this household. First our MacBook Air crapped out (she's still in the shop), then I dropped my iPhone into the toilet. Before I flushed. Too much information? Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, no phone for a week.
p.p.s. I'm secretly digging the way the blue tape and plastic looks in the windows. So graphic and ethereal. Of course I'll be digging a fresh coat of paint even more...
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