One Room Challenge-week two. Pallet backed bookcase makeover and painting the furniture

Last week, I introduced my 8 year old son's room and came up with an industrial vintage airplane theme for the one room challenge. As part of the challenge this week, I learned how to use power tools! Super exciting because I have always wanted to learn how but my husband has been afraid to teach me. I think I finally wore him down. Plus, he may have decided that having all of your fingers is over rated. {side note, I do still have all of my fingers}
Here's a refresher of what Owen's room looked like last week. The focus this week was on painting the furniture and taking the $5 bookcases you see on either side of Owen's bed and giving them a bit of a FREE makeover. I love free, so that's my kind of decorating! Here is the finished result for the pallet backed book case. I just love it! I used denim blue paint I had leftover from painting my older son's loft bed and Annie Sloan red chalk paint to highlight the wood. Then we stacked the bookcases so they took up less real estate in Owen's room {of course, bolting them together and securing them to the wall}.

Here is a close up of the fake cardboard backed bookcase before and of the free pallet wood back after.

So how did I do it?

I picked up this pair of cheaply made particle board book cases at a garage sale for $5.

Total.

It was a great deal, and provided more storage for Owen's room, though high quality furniture it is not.

I emptied both bookcases

{a feat all in its own right!}

and took them outside to prepare them for painting.

Paint particle board you ask.

Yep, but I will get to that.

First start by peeling off the back of your bookcases.

I used the back end of a hammer and the poster board back came right off.

Next, you will remove the nails left behind from the backing.

Once those are removed, you are ready to move on to the painting.

I did some research and found that people had good luck using Zinsser primer to prep their particle board pieces so that they would take paint.

I used two bottles of spray paint to coat the bookcases.

In hindsight, I wish I had put the primer on thicker.

But this is what I got done before it started to rain.

Yep, rain.

Straight up on my paint day.

How rude.

{Notice my bookcases are being painted upside down.

I learned that trick in my drab to fab paint class yo.}

 I gathered my bookcases and headed inside to my kitchen because

 that's where all normal people paint am I right?

I put on three coats of the blue paint

and I dry brushed the Annie Sloan red chalk paint on the whole surface.

This same technique was repeated on my son's bed and toy box.

If you follow me on instagram you will know that I hit the jackpot on free wood outside of a local truck delivery location last week.

Here is my haul.

I was all ready to cut things with power tools, when I was told that I had to actually prep the pallet wood.

There were all sorts of rusty nails involved in the making of this book case.

{probably not a bad idea to make sure you are up on your tetanus booster.}

I hammered the nails in from the back because the heads of the nails were buried.

Once you get them pushed through a little, you can use this little leverage trick my hubs gave me.

Put a little board next to your nail and use that to help you pull your rusty nail out.

Isn't science grand?!

Next, as they say, measure twice and cut once.

I measured the back of my book case

and cut my boards to size.

Pallet wood isn't usually even, so I would cut one side to give me a flat end, and then measure and cut the other side after that.

Using a chop saw is serious business!

Once the boards were cut to size, 

you can start laying them out like a puzzle to get them to fit on the back of your book case.

Pallet wood isn't always straight and even, so you will need to be flexible.

What What???

Two power tools in one day?!

It must be heaven!

I got to learn how to use a pneumatic nail gun.

Isn't that super fun?!

I nailed the boards in place, starting at the four corners and working my way down the sides and then on the top and bottom.

Much to my husbands surprise, I didn't put a single nail through the back!

{or through my hand.  Bonus!}

Here is a shot of the book case before anything is in it.

I love the variations of color from the different boards.

We slowly put back Owen's books, legos and some decorations I have purchased at garage sales

{$3 for the red tool box, 25 cent globe, $1 wheel}

at thrift shops

{$4 vintage gas sign}

and at Home Goods

{$6.99 wire baskets}

Here's a sneak peek at the curtains and the new {to him}

airline travel case that Owen is using as a nightstand.

I love how this project came together!

I think week 2 was a success! Phew! There is much more in store for next week. Stay tuned for next week. I'm hoping some of the goodies I have on order start showing up in my mailbox.