Sliding Barn Doors

The reason that I have yet to post any photos of my bedroom is simply because I hate it! Most people believe that, out of all the rooms to decorate in one's house, the bedroom should take priority, as it is meant to be your sanctuary of peace and tranquility.  According to them, there should be no noise, no eating and, above all, no work to be done in your bedroom.  I am guilty of accomplishing all of the above, from the comfort of my own bed...on a daily basis.  The main reason that I hate my bedroom, though,  is not because it doubles as my office and dining room, but because it is a completely  disorganized clutter.  

I do understand that in the 1930s people did not own as many unnecessary items as we do today, but certainly they must have needed to store a thing or two IN A CLOSET!! I could probably write a university thesis on the frustrations of not having a bedroom closet but will spare you the boring details and simply show the options that I am currently contemplating in order to fix my storage crisis while finding a way to incorporate my love of barn doors:

There is an alcove in our bedroom which we have been using for storage.  It is currently hidden behind hideous curtains and I am considering replacing those (finally!) with lovely barn doors.  Now the research begins. What are the costs? (unfortunately, fairly high.  It seems that the average barn door hardware is priced at 1000$. For the hardware...No doors!). What is the level of difficulty? (pretty easy to put up).  Are these permanent fixtures? (the hardware can always be removed but most come with fixtures to drill into the floor as well, which is the tricky part if you don't want to make holes in your new floor, or if you rent your home, in which case, it is doubtful that any landlord would agree to that kind of addition).   

The unfortunate conclusion to my research and many discussions with my friendly hardware store clerk Julio is that until we purchase our own house, this kind of reno is simply to expensive for us.  I can still dream though, and I am glad that I am more informed now and will be fully ready when the time comes.  If you are contemplating this option for yourself, here a few websites that I found helpful:

http://www.barndoorhardware.com/

http://www.richelieu.com

http://www.krownlab.com

How to Stencil Your Floor 101

A few minutes on the Apartment Therapy website is all you need in order to get that itch to renovate your entire home.  As a renter, I am constantly on the lookout for cheap and easy ways to upgrade my home without having to spend a fortune on a place that I cannot call my own. Painting that dingy floor that has been an eyesore since you moved in is an inexpensive solution and can make any room look like new, if you are patient... A few examples are posted below, some seem fairly easily accomplished, others I couldn't bear to undertake!

So, how does one stencil a vinyl floor?   First, wash the floor with TSP solution. Then, sand down the floor and degloss it with a deglossing solution.  Sweep, vaccuum and give it two coats of primer. Let dry. To paint the floor,  use outdoor paint and apply two coats as well.  Then comes the time to choose a stencil.  Apartment Therapy recommends Ed Roth's Stencil 101 Decor for stencil patterns and advice.  Mark off the grid and paint over the stencil design with stencil brush (practicing on cardboard is advisable).  Finish by applying two to three clear coats of polyurethane.  Let dry and enjoy your new floor! (This is of course the abbreviated version of the instructions necessary to complete such a task.  For further details on how to make it your own, I suggest following this link.)