kelsey.mackall, Author at A Dabbled Dwelling

Updating Your Bathroom With Pfister

July 9, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

One of the biggest impacts on my bathroom makeover was updating the fixtures with Pfister Faucets. Pfister sponsored these projects by providing the most gorgeous matte black faucets for both my shower and bathtub. They are super sleek, easy to clean, and updated fixtures were the final finishing touch of my bathroom update. If you can’t do anything else, invest in some new fixtures and you will be amazed at how much it updates your space. Wait until you read all about the benefits of using Pfister!

close up of bathtub and glass shower with matte black faucets and Turkish towels to decorate

Benefits of Updating Your Bathroom with Pfister

Beautiful? Yes. But Pfister has much more going for its products than aesthetics. Each fixture has a variety of features that makes Pfister stand out above other brands and makes it my personal go-to for faucets. These include but are not limited to things like the Pforever Seal™ with a never leak guarantee, high temperature limit stop, and ,y favorite; Spot Defense! With black fixtures I knew that hard water white spots might be an obstacle but with Pfister, there are none! I have sink faucets in another brand that constantly look dirty while my Pfister faucets maintain themselves! Spot Defense also withstands all my kid’s little fingerprints! If any fixture is going to make your life easier, its this one.

Pfister’s “Karci”

The Karci Tub & Shower Trim is what I used on my bathtub. Technically this is for a tub/shower combo but it worked beautifully here. The large trim piece made it very forgiving to install on my DIY tile.

close up of Pfister faucet update with black vanity, round mirrors, and floral wallpaper in the background

Bathtub with fresh tile job in subway tile with gray and white tones, greenery and bath salts on the window ledge above with the focus on the black Pfister faucet.

Pfister’s “Rhen”

The Rhen Shower Only Trim Kit was used in my DIY Shower Remodel and I can’t say enough good things about this rain head. Its the PERFECT most glorious water pressure and looks so pretty when the water is on. The matte black finish really pops against my white tile.

close up of rain shower head and Pfister faucet update

glass shower door open with woman in robe standing inside admiring the updated bathroom faucet

Something to Note About Updating Your Bathroom With Pfister…

Installing a Pfister Faucet does require a Pfister valve. This is easiest to achieve before tiling and may require the assistance of a plumber. We were able to tackle the valve swap ourselves so it is very doable to DIY.

Use Paint To Create Your Own Stain

June 30, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

During the Entryway Console Build I couldn’t find the stain I had in mind so I decided to experiment with making my own. I really wanted a specific tone and I was concerned about traditional stain accentuating spots where I used glue or wood filler. By using paint, I could control the color and coverage. However, I still wanted to be able to see the pretty grain of the wood. By watering down paint, I was able to create my own soft, natural, stain wash and now I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to regular staining!

Above view of cabinet to show soft natural beige stain, styled with a vase, books, mirror, and lamp

Choosing Paint Colors to Make Your Own Stain:

To make your own stain using paint you can choose absolutely any color. The options are endless! To achieve the same look I did, I started with a cream color. First, I picked up a little sample container of “Gravelstone” by Behr. After the first application I felt like it was still a little too light. It needed more dimension. So I did another coat using a gray paint called “Dovetail” by Sherwin Williams. Both were watered down by 30%.

close up of cream colored paint sample on wood bench

photo of cabinet during the first coat of stain using paint — After the first coat of using “Gravelstone”.

close up of gray paint being poured and mixed with water to create your own stain — Mixing the Dovetail Gray

Application of the Paint Stain:

To create my paint wash I simply watered down my paint samples by about 25-30% and stirred well. Then I used a paper towel to wipe on the color with long organic strokes. Next, I used a clean paper towel to wipe it off and blend. Its essentially a white wash… or in this case a beige-wash?

The first coat was in the cream color, the second coat was in the gray color. This gave my piece some great dimension and the perfect soft wood tone.

gray stain wash being wiped onto the top of cabinet

using a paper towel to wipe up paint stain and blend

The Result:

I love the way the paint softened the wood grain but didn’t hide it. Using the cream and gray colors gave me such a pretty natural wood color! Because it didn’t penetrate the wood as much as traditional stains, I felt like I had way more control. It dried faster too! Do you think you could use paint to create your own stain?

Before the first coat of stain and after!

side view of cabinet to show stain variance after creating stain with paint

close up of cabinet doors to show natural soft stain result of creating your own stain with paint

Console Build with Faux Caning using Placemats!

June 30, 2021 by kelsey.mackall

You can DIY this console build with faux caning using placemats! I was so inspired by $2000 designer consoles that I set out to build my own. Boy, did it turn out GOOD. I’m particularly proud of this project and I used my favorite hack to create faux caning with PLACEMATS! You can’t get this kind of affordability, washability, and durability with real caning but you can still get the woven texture! Scroll down for stain details and the budget break down.

diy console build using placemats as caning styled in entryway with table lamp, vase with stems, black mirror, and stenciled tile floor

woman stands next to wall with painters tape marking a console cabinet shape

What You Will Need:

Poplar Boards (7-1×6 and 4-1×4)
Placemats (I used the table runner version)
Hinges
Magnet Cabinet Stops
Cabinet Pulls
Paint
Wood Glue
Screws and Clamps
Safety Glasses
Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
Drill
Miter Saw
Staple Gun

table runner rolled out to be used as faux caning next to polar board and gold cabinet pulls. Woman feet with white toe nails and script tattoo nearby.

Getting Started on the Console Build with Faux Caning:

I started my console build by creating my cabinet box using Poplar. I chose this wood because its a cheaper hardwood. It tends to be green but I made sure to sift through the lumber to find the lightest colored boards The top, bottom, and sides were all 3 boards wide (1×6). I cut the top and bottom to be 72 inches long and the sides to be 24 inches long. Pocket holes and wood glue is how the boards were attached to achieve my desired 3 board width.

woman at miter saw in safety glasses and messy bun cutting wood — Cutting each board to the correct length. I love these safety glasses.

woman drilling pocket holes with the console build with faux caning — All my boards got pocket hole to attach them together.

using a glue brush to apply wood glue to the sides of each board for the console build — The glue up. I love this handy glue brush!

clamps holding together 3 1x6 boards to create the console with faux caning — Clamps are your best friend to keep things tight while gluing and screwing.

pieces of console build laid out in garage — You can see the 5 pieces of my cabinet box. Top, bottom, left side, right side, and middle divider.

close up of console top glued and clamped

woman poses with screws in front of assembled console frame — The assembled frame with original legs.

The Console Legs:

Originally I had made the legs out of 2x2s but quickly scrapped them. They were looking a little too rustic and because of my own inexperience- too wobbly. Instead, my husband helped me weld some out of a square tube and flat bar we found at Lowes. I spray painted it black and they were so much better! Learning to weld might have been my favorite part about this project!

corner clamps holding together metal to create legs for the console build with faux caning

woman practices welding in garage wearing black, white, and red face shield, sparks flying

assembles cabinet frame with black square metal legs and hinges attached

The Doors and Faux Caning Using Placemats:

Surprisingly these doors were the easiest part of this console build project. Using Poplar 1x4s I mitered the corners and made 4 frames to be inset into my cabinet box. Admittedly I’m not great at measuring or math so either I’m a pro eye-baller or I got lucky that they fit so well. I used pocket holes once again to assemble my frame. *Make sure to account for your hinges!

Now for the show stopper of this console project, the faux caning using placemats! I cut my placemat/table runner to size and stapled it to the back of the door frames. I made sure to pull it tight as I went. If the edging of the placemats bother you, you could always add a trim box around it to look more finishes. I left mine as is for now since it won’t be seen inside the cabinet.

1x4s with mitered corners clamped and being attached with pocket holes

inside shot of cabinet where faux caning using placemats was staples to the back of door frame

The Stain:

This is where I really started experimenting. I couldn’t find a stain in existence that was quite what I wanted so I decided to do a paint wash instead. The colors used were Gravelstone by Behr (1st coat) and Dovetail by Sherwin Williams (2nd coat).

See my blog post on using paint as stain for more details on the process.

Budget Breakdown For the Console Build with Faux Caning:

This is an estimate since I didn’t keep my receipts and this project also happened during the high post-pandemic lumber prices. I believe if wood prices were normal it would have been half this cost!

Cabinet Frame (7 Poplar 1x6s): $200
Cabinet Doors (4 Poplar 1x4s): $80
Faux Caning Table Runner: $13
Cabinet Pulls: $12
Hinges and Cabinet Stoppers: $12
Metal Tubing for legs: $40
Misc Supplies (Staples, screws, glue, paint): $40

Estimated Total: $397