Ragging the walls and more Cobblestones

 Round two on the floors at the new Reading store had Colin taking over completely after about 5 hours of squatting and shifting across the floor. I couldn't take it anymore! My knees and butt were worn out and any muscles found in the gluteus maximus were being rediscovered with a vengeance and they begged me to be kind and knock it off!! So at about 4 in the afternoon I switched to ragging the walls. At least I could stand and climb a ladder and when I got down low I could plop onto the ground and sit on my fanny.  This pic was taken by hubby as he stopped by to see our progress around dinner time...I think he was looking for his wife but she was no where to be found.

 While Colin continued on the slow going cobblestone creation I got to the ragging~there was a lot of ponytail flying and hands moving in quick motions.

 I ragged the walls with smears of Chalk Paint® in Country Grey and Paris Grey. Spritzed with a water bottle and then ragged the mixture across the wall doing two foot sections at a time.  You hardly use any paint doing this technique and it gives such an atmosphere~and its fun! 

 Hubby took his mom along for the ride and here she watches her daughter in law make something new look old. I am not quite sure she gets this idea...haha! 

 Colin and I were out the door so early and we were determined to get the cobblestones done. But we underestimated how time consuming it is to faux every cobble....and so after many hours of doing the squats I switched to the walls. This picture is so funny because I have my gym pants on backwards!! And I didn't even realize it...that is how much in the zone I get when I open a store. I am so focused on getting there and doing stuff that I will find myself wearing mismatched socks and in this case backwards pants!

 Anyway, the walls were coming along nicely~

 And quickly!

 Colin shows off the colors we used for the cobbles~French Linen and Paris Grey.

 This was our system when we worked together...see my "knee pad resting station" right there? Its a folded over drop cloth. Anyway,  I start by laying out the cobbles sponges after rolling them with paint, and then Colin follows along and adds smears and swipes of French linen and Graphite and then sponges it in.

 Very simplistic, but what a great effect when you are standing up looking at it~!

 I made a little rolling cart with a box to hold the paint so I could push it along the floor.  You have to think of ways to make life easier on jobs like this.

By the end of yesterday we got this far~half the floor and half of a wall...its getting there. But here is the kicker:  I scheduled our family vacation a year ago for this coming week, having no idea I would be opening a store. Ugh. So today I leave for a vacation and Colin and Justin are going to complete the store or do as much as they can. So til then both you and I will be in the dark and have to wait to see how it all comes out!!!! OMG!!! Can I walk away and give up this much control?  I will try my best~          

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Store makeover begins: creating a cobblestone floor

 Our makeover at the new Maison Decor location at 150 Main Street Reading has begun. Its a basic rectangular box with a cement floor that used to be covered in carpet and linoleum. It has a dropped ceiling with acoustical tiles. I want to make the ceiling disappear and create a rustic french cottage type of vibe in this modern American space.  Its all in my head of course, and we will see if it comes out the way I envision it~and since this family is DIY style all the way, you get to see how the average person can tackle this project.  For starters we figured we would paint the ceiling black. The power of paint is never to be underestimated, and the bang for the buck is huge. 

 Colin covered all the light fixtures and sprinkler heads with plastic, then we would wrap the walls in plastic drop cloths too.

 We went to a big box store and got some supplies. Basic flat black paint for the ceiling and dark grey porch paint for the floor base. I am looking pretty optimistic here on day one!

Colin rolled out porch paint in dark gray for a base coat. The floor was a cement base with various types of mastic left behind. A nice texture for my idea of a stone floor~so that was all good. He finished it up quickly. Next day we would tackle the ceiling.

 Our secret weapon would be this sprayer. We needed a sprayer that could point up at the ceiling and this one has a tank that is independent of the spray gun. A lot of sprayers have a little tank on the top of the gun but that wouldn't work for our needs.  We have never used sprayers so there was going to be a learning curve for sure~was it even going to work? Day two would reveal the answer.

 I left my nice camera in the car~Justin suited up for this task while Colin handled online orders back at our Malden store.  All the walls and lights were covered in plastic. I took a few videos and we were laughing our heads off to start because figuring our a spray gun is NOT easy....and painting over your head is NOT fun as it rains a mist of black paint all over you.  Into your eyes, all over everything...I was standing off trying to take a few pics and help figure the sprayer out, handling refills etc...but after Justin got it going, he was able to tweak it and get it ripping!! It was very messy and kind of creepy~I do not recommend doing this yourself unless you have a good sense of humor and don't mind getting paint everywhere.

 Justin had goggles and I asked him to pose for a closeup....not happy about it, but it was for the BLOG!! Then he got back to spraying and I waited to help clean up.

Yuck.

The next day Colin and I returned. It was the 4th of July. I know, a holiday...but we wanted to put in half a day and so we got over there bright and early to rip off the plastic and check it out.  This was so much fun seeing it nice and clean under the plastic~the paint covered nicely and I had the black ceiling I wanted!  It makes all the difference in my opinion. If you have low and or ugly ceiling tiles, consider doing this treatment.

 My next idea was to have the floor painted in a tromp l'oeil style of cobblestones.  To start we dropped a plumb bob to get a straight line to line the stones up so they would be straight. Very important step.

 The blocks were made out of basic large sponges that I tailored to have irregular borders by snipping the edges with scissors. I had three large sponges and I made them in different sizes, just like cobbles are.

 Starting at the chalk line we drew I rolled French Linen Chalk Paint® onto the sponge so it was covered but not saturated, then I stamped the first block.

 Looks like this~a sponged block. Basic and easy, but it will get a bit of faux touch ups.

 I laid out a bunch of stamps first.  Of course I was thinking, I hope this is going to look like I think it can...but what if it doesn't??? Everyone has those disaster thoughts.  You have to ignore them or at least know that it is normal to think these things, but keep going.

 The different blocks just set in an empty roller pan...I had a tray of Paris Grey Chalk Paint® and a little bit of watered down Graphite Chalk Paint® too.

I used the Paris Grey and Graphite to brush high and low lites onto the blocks.

Meanwhile Colin painted out the partition wall that will separate our Workshop zone from the Retail zone.  It will become a large Chalkboard for messages and Workshop listings.

 In just a few hours we were well on our way to getting a good look at how our store would be shaping up.  The ceiling has disappeared and the stone floor is taking shape!

 Today we head back for 8 hours of cobblestone laying.  Colin and I will not leave until this entire floor is finished. My butt is sore from doing a continuous two hour squat yesterday~wonder how it will feel after today? 

We set a little window vignette up to let any interested parties get a glimpse of things to come.

Maison Decor is coming to Reading!

Stay tuned for how the floor comes out~

I can hardly wait to get to the walls next!

  

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Our last weekend in our Malden store and the new shop reveal!!

 Our newest location~! Isn't it a beauty?! 

No, ha ha, we are not going into the liquor business, this is the 

place we are taking over on July 1st. By Saturday the place should be empty

of all of these bottles and shelves and carpeting etc.

I have to say I haven't really been fantasizing about the new shop

because it looks like this. Its hard to see the walls and the windows are covered 

with beer posters. The ceiling is pretty ugly as is the floor. Thats what I know.

I also know that I have a good imagination and serious determination

to try and transform this space into a happening place of business.

Hoping it all comes together, but there will be plenty of 

decision making on the fly about what is going to work 

and what we will put where etc.  

 The exterior is a brick building, on the newer side. I love the old buildings and so this will be a challenge

as its not quite my style.  With any new store there is a start up cost of spending on stuff like the signs and 

painting and new inventory etc.  So it will be an expensive July for us as we close Malden to the public and 

get started on the Reading store location. Boston will continue to operate its regular schedule of Friday through Sunday 11-5.  When Justin is not in Boston he will be

 pulling together our Reading store with Colin and me.

I will get rid of the 15 minute parking sign for sure! 

We have a private parking lot for 30 cars

so that is going to be a huge bonus for our shoppers.

 Just to get my brain wrapped around how I could get this 

storefront looking more to my liking I drew a sketch.  

Drawing helps me put my ideas onto paper and then 

communicate my ideas to the boys and others who might be interested.

 In addition to the Reading store we are taking an indoor spot at the SoWa Vintage Market in Boston. It is a well traveled shopping spot open on Sundays and there is a collection of vintage dealers in this building.  Our Boston shop is two blocks away and we get lots of the overflow from this popular Sunday only event.  

Colin will be running the Maison Decor SoWa space.  

We are thrilled to be asked to join in~and this gives a chance 

to showcase more of our vintage painted furniture that 

showcases the wonder of Chalk Paint®!  To get ready for this

 space starting in July I asked Justin to work his magic on a chalkart board 

that we will use as our sign in the space at SoWa.  SoWa stands for 

South of Washington (Street) in case you were wondering. 

 I will have a link to their website at the end of this post. 

 There is a $5 parking lot right next to our shop, so there is 

no reason not to indulge in a little city vintage shopping trip!

 Sylvia, Justin's schnoodle is just the most darling dog. 

 She is going to continue to be at our stores, and I actually 

had it written into our lease for her to be able to hang out in the Reading shop.

 We will continue to take orders for our popular reproduction Mora clocks

 and get them shipped out during this transition period. 

Because we will keep Malden for working on things, 

we hope production will increase so the waiting time

 should be shorter on the clocks!

 Cream and Old White mora wall clock

We will be doing a giveaway for the Mora clock when we open the new 

store in Reading!! So stay tuned!

 Our last workshop in Malden was held last Sunday~

the next workshops are listed in the online shop and you can

 read the descriptions and see the dates they will be held. 

We do offer private workshops to groups of 6 or more so 

you can schedule one with me if that might be something of interest. 

However, most ladies come alone and quickly settle in to a 

fun class where you will leave knowing everything you need to know 

about painting furniture with Chalk Paint and how to properly apply the waxes.

 We create sample boards using the 

various techniques that you will apply to furniture.

From rustic to elegant, we have you covered!

One of our newest classes is the Ugly Dining Room chair workshop.

Bring your chair and we will get it painted, upholstery included!

 In the meantime, if you are local please don't forget to 

stop by our Maison Decor space and say hi to Colin~

check out the official SoWa link by clicking here.

Of course we will be open Friday through Sunday in Boston at 524 Harrison.

Look what the boys just brought into the shop for this weekend~

 Hint: Its very heavy and has big wheels and is normally used in a factory.

Fairbanks Factory Cart

Super popular for coffee tables, we think this will do well in Boston.

So over and out for now, we have plenty to keep us busy and of course

I will be blogging with the new shop progress and the latest on that end.

We will sell paint by appointment in Malden until then so give a call and leave a

message on the phone and we will get back to you 781-324-0701.

Hope to see you in Boston and in a couple of weeks 

we will be creating a splash at 150 Main Street Reading!

Workshop classes Information and Online shopping

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