Just a mini post about a mini project today to get back in the swing of things. Work has been an absolute killer since I got back after Christmas, and I’ve been finding it really difficult to get the smallest things done or written outside of work cos I’m always so knackered and zombie-fied after work and on the weekends at the moment. Hopefully things will calm down at work really soon because we have some big projects coming up at home. Watch this space.
So just a teeny weeny project – spray painting the fireguard black to make it sleeker and more modern.
We were given the fireguard by the sinlaws – they had upgraded theirs and got one of those fancy ones that sits permanently in place and has the little gates that you open when you want to put a log on the fire.
We had just got Stevie (the cat) and I had this weird idea that we needed to protect her from the hot fire. I don’t think cats are actually stupid enough to jump on the hot fire but she has been known to jump on there when it’s not burning, so you never know?
When we got the fireguard it was fine, but a bit chipped and just not in keeping with the nice black stove we’d had installed. Although the proportions are not quite right for our fireplace, it does the trick for now.
I’m not normally averse to gold (brass) – some (Jamie) would say I love gold shiz a lil too much (please refer to the name of this blog). But you know, a fire guard is serious business and I though plain black would suit it better. And also match the fire tools and the fan.
I gave it a clean over with a damp cloth and spread out my trusty painting sheets in the garage. I was going to prime it first but as soon as I picked up the can of primer I realised I was never going to have enough so I decided to skip primer. I know. So badass.
I wouldn’t normally recommend skipping primer, ESPECIALLY when spraying metal. But what the hell. I decided to just do several thin coats of the black paint. Luckily it stuck.
Gawd I love spray paint. The worlds of DiY and crafting would be sad and empty places without it. It’s such an easy way to update things. Whenever I’m shopping my eye constantly looks at ugly things and wonders if spray paint would make them pretty. The answer? Yes. Always yes.
I left it overnight to dry (and then some – our garage is freezing) and here’s the updated fireguard:
Here it is in use:
We don’t need to use the fireguard very often (famous last words), but even when it’s sitting next to the fire serving no purpose whatsoever it looks a lot sleeker and less obtrusive than it did before.
Anyone else got any mini projects going on? Let me know in the comments or over on Instagram.
little gold vase 