Do not forget to post again of your progress or lack of same so that those of us that get our thrills VICARIOUSLY will get our daily fix. I hope that it went smoothly as I just can not come down at this time. 1eyedJack and the Dawg

Francoise47 - I know what you mean about the white but at this point I feel like I'm going to leave it be and then when/if I paint again, it'll probably be gray just to keep it all consistent. I just can't find the right place to add white anywhere else - no matter how hard I try to imagine a good place. I think it would look even stranger. I might eventually add something lighter to the ceiling, we'll see. I do love the speakers, thanks! Mitchdesj - thanks - that's probably what I'll do (eventually paint the ceiling white or something lighter). Or, because the upper cabs are near the window, their being gray isn't as dark as that wall of gray is so it'll probably be fine if I go back to gray there eventually - fresh and happy as the white looks. I just keep adding white where I can and that helps (white bowl on island for example). Thanks! Bmorepanic - you nailed it, I think. I'll leave 'em white for a while just cause I'm taking that badly-needed break now that the guys are finally gone, and if I do any more painting in the future it'll most likely be to make the uppers the gray again. It just looks more balanced and consistent and period-appropriate, yada yada. But it doesn't look *bad* for now at all - especially to those who aren't looking at it the way we all do here! ;) Thanks! Liriodendron - wow - thanks for that uplifting, positive juju feedback! :) I'm keeping them white for now and I see what you mean. That's such a nice way of looking at it! I had a huge Easter brunch that we do with our neighbors every year and the little changes resulted in some big compliments that day. Everyone seemed to notice the changes and loved them (not sure if it was adding more white or adding polished nickel hardware or giving our kitchen island a makeover or what but people were so great about the kitchen that day. Loved having the in-ceiling speakers in there too, for the party. SO glad I did that! Thanks again. Athomeinva - thanks for your honest opinion! I had it all white for soooo long (and then had just those lowers gray as you said, for what felt like so long) that I really felt i needed something new. I agree that nothing cheers up that kitchen better than some white but I just can't go back to all that white after how long it took to get where I finally am. I also agree that it would balance things out better that way than this way, hence my original post. There's happy snappy white then there's sultry sophisticated gray and the gray's working fine...but if anything the white that is there is a bit odd now so might go back to gray eventually. When it's all gray, it's interesting how much the white marble, the white sink, the white hood/stove and the white light shades POP though - so that'll be something anyway. I"ve always been a white kitchen girl - I'm right there with you in spirit - but it's just been too many years of having a white kichen, you know? As for the 80's colonial look, I know what you mean sort of but not really...I remember in the 80's a bunch of ridiculous ducks and lots of blue in kitchens but I don't remember this so much. I remember people painted the insides of their cab door panels different colors from the frames. That I remember! What I have going on (and what admittedly is the current trend which I'll probably tire of pretty quickly) is the imitation of woodwork being unpainted, with lighter walls, only it's painted darker, with lighter walls. That's very craftsman (and possibly also victorian, I'm not sure). There was a resurgence I think during the 40's or 50's too, wasn't there? Anyway, blah blah, sorry. I like to hear myself talk. Blech! ;) Thanks! hlove - have always considered a light blue ceiling. Not sure if adding a third color might not be a bit too much for this kitchen though, but I've thought a lot about doing just that and i'll still keep it in mind, thanks! Thanks for understanding the narcissism comment, too! ;) Linelle - thank you! Duly noted! I hear you - it's been a tough transition, having all that darkness. But I'm just too tired by it all to redo that much. Maybe later! That kitchen's pretty dark no matter what. But yeah there's no denying it's a lot darker looking that when it was all white! Jessicaml - thanks - I totally agree about your contrast-throws-us-off comment re. the white cabs being the only white. I think both your thoughts make a lot of sense. Either all gray, or all white except for the lowers which could stay the gray (as I had it)! So for now, I just wait and see how I feel and then at some point in the future I can re-paint either a little, or a lot! Re. the comment about renovation addiction, I agree with you that I don't think I have it like some people have it. I deal with the kitchen for a while, then let it go cause I don't have the time or money to deal with it, then I pick it up again every so often...never doing so because I'm fussing over something that can never be right but rather cause it never got done in the first place! E.g. the window was painted with just white primer for the longest time and it's only after I finally painted it that things became clearer re. the whole picture. I just couldn't tell till I got that far. Truth be told, I really like to get things done and then be done with it. This kitchen's been going on forever and a day - it's been pretty ridiculous! But I do like updating in little ways every so often e.g. with new kitchen towels or art or what have you! Anyway, thanks for the reassuring comment (that I'm not losing my marbles - haha)!

I love old tables and have been fooling around with them for a long time. If you have a gate leg table with fancy turned legs then I'd hope the legs are in pretty good shape and all you need to do is wipe them down with soap and water and if they look good leave them alone. If you are lucky the legs have a laquer finish and you can use a non-shedding piece of cloth and wipe the legs down with alcohol - this will dissolve the laquer and let it re-build into a shiny cover again. Legs aren't subject to too much wear and if they need to be finished you can buy a new can of shellac, mix 2/3 cup of shellac and 1/3 cup of alcohol in a clean glass jar and use another non-shedding piece of cloth and wipe the legs down with this mix. You could also use a brush and keep the non-shedding cloth in your other hand in case you get a drip or run. Practice on the legs you think will show the least first! The top is a different matter because it gets so much more wear than the legs usually do. The top could also be solid wood, or a synthetic veneer or a fancy wood veneer and either of the last two of those pose problems. Some people think veneer is a bad word but if you wanted to use a wide piece of wood for a table or the side of some piece of furniture you would have to do something about the shrinking and swelling of wood fibers over time in dry and damp weather conditions - the wood would warp or crack. The solution is a couple of hundred years old - use veneer. The furniture maker glued long narrow boards together and then glued a very thin layer of wood on top - veneer. Today the veneer can either be wood or a synthetic if you have wood veneer you have a chance of sanding through it right down to the glued together narrow boards, if synthetic you could sand into something really funny looking and sticky or something that just peels off. I liked the answers you have already rec'd in this thread, I think once cleaned and put together again you should have a nice taple and your only big problem will be the top. If the top is a synthetic veneer I'd clean it up and buy a wood colored vinyl table cloth and hold it in place on the table with an elastic edge and cover it with a nice table cloth. Leave the vinyl cloth on it forever. If the top is solid wood I'd sand it down and stain it and finish it with Minwax stuff - read directions for wipe-on poly or email me about getting a stain and finish back on the top. If the top is a wood veneer I'd try to get away with what posters said above but if that didn't work I'd sand it lightly and see if I could get down to the veneer without getting to the underlying glued wood and then treat it like solid wood. Be most careful about sanding the edged they seem to sand away first. Do the edges last and with sandpaper on a block of pine. If you can't make the solid wood or the veneer look good, think about painting it black and then putting poly on top of that. No matter what you do, if the legs are presentable then you still have a great table even if you have to cover the wood with vinyl and keep a nice table cloth on top! Jois

Hi everyone, Oh, so nice to see so many friends rooting me on and taking the time to comment on this thread. I so enjoy "getting to know" the GW posters. All so sweet and kind. :O) GAgal~ Oh, that is gorgeous. I wish I had asked about colors before I ran out and bought my mistake. LOL! That sunroom is beautiful. I'm writing your combo down for future reference. You never know when the urge will strike to really "repair" mine. :o) I appreciate so much you taking the time to share your photos. Those walls are just gorgeous! When can you come over and play? :o) Oceanna and newhomebuilder~ Thanks for your sweet words. :o) lauraa~ That "panel" for fabric in my laundry room is actually fabric I borrowed from a fabric store in Chattanooga. I had to check it out and return within a week. It's gorgeous fabric. I'd be happy to share the name and phone of the store if you'd like to see about getting a sample. I'm not sure where you live. If it's a look you like, I don't think you'd be disappointed in this fabric at all. It's silk, has gorgeous body to it, nice and thick and beautiful colors. I love it. Unfortunately now I'm not sure it will work with my "dirty" old walls. I may have to go with the toile. I'll toy with the fabrics again after we get closer to move in and things slow down a bit from the Holiday pace of life. :o) Let me know if you want that store name. :o) Caroleoh~ I know exactly what you mean about laundry backing up and it being difficult to get it all done. I too have laundry going all the time at my CA house. It's much smaller, and the laundry room is tiny! I have a maytag frontloader there, and each load seems to take forever and a day. LOL! I am really pinching myself that I am finally going to have 2 sets of machines. Honestly, if I had been thinking more clearly, I would have put in 3 sets and stacked them. ON days I want to do bedding, towels it would be so handy. Oh well. I am loving having 2 sets and certainly won't complain. 5 kids plus 2 adults makes for a LOT of dirty laundry. Good thing I enjoy doing laundry. LOL! Okay, I finally found a minute to share a few photos with you. It has been another whirlwind here at our build, which I'm not complaining about. The lights are not installed on the 2nd floor yet, or I'd show you dd#1's pink marble shower that was installed today. My gosh... it's absolutely gorgeous. Even the worker men are saying it's the sweetest girls' shower they've ever seen. Another day.... when there's light. Meanwhile, I went in tonight and took a few photos to share with you. The lights are a bit blinding in there. I'm changing the recessed lights to a dimmer switch.... it's really bright in there! Good for days of scrubbing stains, but otherwise hard on the eyes with those shiny machines. LOL. :o) Okay, here is a shot of the "machine" wall. There are windows that flank either end of the machines. The cabinetmaker is building pedestals 18 inches tall that these machines will sit on eventually. So excuse the staggered mess they are currently in. I'm just glad they are functioning since we are in our RV behind the house! Anyhoo, I can't reach the area behind the machines without standing on them...... eeeks. So... I did not glaze the wall area behind the machines. We will be pulling these to the center of the room when the cabinetry is installed, so I will have dh move them a few days before installation so I can finish that wall up then. I know the original color doesn't look bad in these photos, but trust me when I tell you it was a bit more yellow than a giant school bus..... it was not attractive in that room! The glaze gave it a bit of a "dirty" look, which is not what I had intended originally, but I'll work with it for now. It does look more "old world" now, and I like that look, so I'm fine with my "fix". I prefer the new look to the old, that's for sure. LOL! I've left the paper covering my travertine for now, as I really want to paint the ceiling a darker color in that room. The pale cream is just not working with my darker glazed walls. What kind of monster am I creating? LOL! Here's the room with the unglazed portion behind machines and the glazing on either end of the room. :o) Here is a close up of the wall, which is actually truer to the real color/look. I know the full shot of the room looks cheap and tacky, but it really does look better IRL. I promise. :O) So thanks to all who rooted me on. You are the best cheerleaders, and I can't tell you what your kind words did for me when I was feeling soooo disappointed in myself. :O) You were just the medicine I needed! I don't think this room will stay this color, but I have so many other areas to concentrate on that it will probably stay this way for some time. And now I can enjoy my room as I had originally hoped to, without cringing each time I walk that direction. :O) Thanks so much!