&speaking of ads or product placement!

Words can't express my hatred for winter, and cold weather. I tend to go into hibernation mode (ok it's called seasonal affective disorder but hibernation sounds much cuter and very bear-cuddle-like) and stay in the house as much as possible.  I also sleep alot, it's terrible. I've been longing for summer sun, my bikini, and outdoor parties. What I've been doing is diving head first into all of the projects I put aside in order to do outdoor activities.

First up was the formica kitchen set that we finally found in the colors to match our kitchen. Powder blue with white/grey cracked ice pattern and matching vinyl chairs. Rusty, greasy and grimey from top to bottom! I decided one snowy friday night to drag the table up from the basement and see what I could do with it.

I started with the best cleaner I have ever found:

I took photos of the grungey nooks & crannies before taking the whole table apart.

 

table leg

 

table top 

 

base

just add some hot water, Barkeepers Friend, and a scotch scrubby pad and...

voila!

table legs!

base!

table top edge!

A miracle right? It didn't take very long either, however the table was EXTREMELY heavy so bringing it up 3 flights of stairs, taking the top from the base, then trying to line it back up to re-attatch to the base pieces was very hard on my back. I had planned on doing the table and at least 2 chairs that night but I was in too much pain. I may do the chairs tonight, as it's supposed to snow again and I have a brand new, full can of BKF. :)

Here is our kitchen tile work, which is what we had to try and match a formica set to:

The blue or green sets seemed like the best choice, they are also thee hardest to find colors around here. I think we matched it up pretty well:

Barkeepers Friend is a cleanser like Comet but it doesn't contain bleach. Comet has bleach and I can NEVER get anything clean with it like with BKF. It's an amazing product, and I recommend it for vintage chrome pieces, to vintage tile floors.... sinks new and old and  it's the ONLY thing I have found that will clean my glass-top stove 100%. 

This is what it's like outside my door, something I want nothing to do with tonight. I think it's time to make a pot of tea and see what I can do about getting some chairs cleaned up.