Our fireplace and built-in bookcases looked pretty darn heinous when we bought our house:
Last week, I finished the final step in their transformation and I’m so excited to share their new look with you:
I am loving the end result and how it has totally transformed the look of our family room! This was a long-term project (emphasis on L-O-N-G) that was done in three phases:
1. Painting the bookcases, trimming them out, and adding new knobs
2. Adding a new gas fireplace insert and installing stone veneer over the brick
Today’s post will walk you through “phase 1” (perhaps the least exciting but definitely the most transforming phase of the project) with posts about the remainder of the project coming later in the week (post includes affiliate links – see my full disclosure statement {here}). As you can see from this “before” photo, the original built-in bookcases had a lot of ugly going on, including wimpy shelves & crown moulding, ’70s-ish wood, and dated brass knobs.
I started by having the crown moulding replaced with more substantial moulding, which was continued around the entire room. Then I had a strip of moulding added to the front of each of the shelves to make them look more substantial as well (my contractor had to shave about 1/2″ off the back of each shelf to maintain the original shelving depth).
Next I tackled the ugly wood with a simple solution – paint. After lightly sanding all surfaces and wiping away the dust with a tack cloth, I primed with Zinsser Cover-Stain oil base primer, using a paintbrush for the trim and tight spaces and a WhizzFlock 4″ roller (my favorite roller for painting wood!) for the flat surfaces:
I then repeated the process with two coats of white latex enamel paint. Finally, I rollered the top of each shelf with a coat of polyurethane for some extra protection against scrapes and scuffs from the accessories I’d be placing on top. Then I had to do something about the ugly shiny brass knobs on the bottom cabinets. I picked up four of these knobs at Hobby Lobby to replace them:
It’s amazing what a difference some paint, trim, and a few knobs can make!
Update!: For more details on the built-in bookcase and fireplace transformation, check out these additional posts:
Thanks for stopping by!
Rory Fugerson says
May 23, 2012 at 3:14 amThis comment has been removed by the author.
Megan Sloan says
June 5, 2012 at 6:49 pmWow! I came over from Better After and that is a great transformation!!!
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
June 5, 2012 at 7:02 pmThanks Megan – I appreciate you stopping in!
[email protected]&Style says
June 6, 2012 at 3:48 pmThis is such a great transformation! I always admire the power of paint. Kris, i was wondering if you’re interested in guest posting at my blog Stardust? I host a guest blogger every Friday, so take a look around and shoot me an email. I know my readers would love this!
Love, Olga
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
June 6, 2012 at 6:30 pmSo nice of you to ask! I will definitely shoot you an e-mail!
Debra Leary says
June 6, 2012 at 5:25 pmHopped over from “Better After” and can’t wait to see the rest of your “how to’s”! We have looked at plenty of snoozy suburban houses that were styled like your “before” and I am sooooo impressed with your “after”! It looks so fresh and lovely. Congrats!
Debra from RusticLodgeStyle.com
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
June 6, 2012 at 6:29 pmThanks so much for the nice comment! Now if only I could finish off the zillion other snoozy aspects of my home… 🙂
Anonymous says
June 6, 2012 at 7:56 pmI popped over from “Better After” too. I love the new look, great job. Thank you for pointing out the paint roller, I have some trim to work on and will have to give it a try.
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
June 6, 2012 at 9:09 pmThanks for the comment and good luck with your trim work! Be sure and read the directions on the roller packaging – they recommend lightly wetting the roller before use which definitely does make it work better!
Anonymous says
November 20, 2013 at 4:29 pmWhat a beautiful job! Maybe there is hope for my 70’s double-side fireplace after all. You certainly have me thinking…Thanks. Lee
Kris @ Driven by Décor says
November 20, 2013 at 8:49 pmThanks for taking the time to leave such a nice comment Lee! Tackle that old fireplace of yours – it can be beautiful!
Carol says
October 4, 2014 at 10:18 pmI just found your site, I really like it. I love that you give tutorials. Have a great night , carol
Therisa says
October 19, 2016 at 4:16 pmI will be looking up this stone for sure for my fireplace!! Was this an expensive project? I am worried about the price of the stone.
Kris Jarrett says
October 26, 2016 at 11:01 pmHi Therisa! We actually did this project almost ten years ago now so I unfortunately can’t remember the price of the remodel. Stone veneer isn’t cheap but it didn’t take a ton to get the job done either!
michele says
December 26, 2017 at 5:10 pmHi!
What is the name of the stone and manufacture? I have been looking for this kind of style and color tones!
BTW…Your home tour was so fun to visit today, beautifully done!! 🙂 mk
Kris Jarrett says
January 15, 2018 at 10:38 pmHi Michele, Thank you! You can find information about my fireplace stone in this post: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/five-important-decisions-in-designing/
Jonathan says
March 14, 2020 at 1:01 pmLooks great! I’m planning a similar project right now. Where did you buy the cabinets from? Are they custom?
Jonathan says
March 14, 2020 at 1:03 pmNevermind, just reread more carefully and saw that you fixed up the one you already had.