You know those little projects around the house that are quite simple to complete, yet you somehow never get to them? Something breaks, you rig it up with duck tape, and then eventually you don’t even notice it anymore. Until you need to photograph a new rug or sheepskin piano bench, and there it is, right in your face, refusing to be ignored.
I’m talking, of course, about the little stack of yellow blocks we wedged under the broken piano leg YEARS ago. The wood split, causing the caster to fall out, and left the leg unsupported. (The piano was Mr. Sugarplum’s as a child, so it’s reeeeeeeally old.) Having the leg professionally replaced would cost more than the piano is worth, so the yellow blocks remained. Until now.
Fortunately, we still had the original caster, and piece of wood that had split off. And the leg isn’t really weight-bearing, so we didn’t have to prop it while doing the repair.
After brushing off any loose dust, we filled the inside tunnel with a generous amount of Gorilla Wood Glue, and put the caster back in place.
Then another generous dose of wood glue for the broken piece, followed by holding it all in place with the world’s oldest clamps. Note to self Make sure to clean up the excess glue before it dries.
We left it clamped for a few days, mostly because we forgot about it, but also to be sure it was fully dry. Once the clamps were off, the caster and leg were sturdy, but the split was still obvious. Granted, you’d have to be laying on my floor to notice it. Trust me, you don’t want to do that.
The true way to fix this, would be to fill the crack, sand it down and restain. Which means sand and stain the entire piano. No thanks.
So I borrowed Courtney’s idea, and added brass Rub ‘N’ Buff to strips of painter’s tape, and wrapped it around the legs. Voila….brass cuffs!
The other leg is fine, but I taped it, as well. Not only are the yellow blocks gone, and the leg fixed….but the piano also got a little upgrade.
This angle shows how the new Entrance Hall rug ties in with the Dining Room. The striped lampshade is a project I’m still undecided on…I’ll fill you in once it’s complete.
Once more…Before…
And After.
Oh yes, those are drapes! They are finally hung and waiting for hems….so I should have them ready to show you next year. But for now, I’m thrilled to have the yellow blocks gone, and some pretty fine looking piano legs in their place! What took me so long to do that?? Please tell me you’re procrastinating a few simple fixes in your house, too!
And here’s the perk of making detailed lists…you get to cross even the little things off!
those cuffs are such an awesome idea! i love how simple a solution that was!
I love the cuff look that the tape adds!
Jenn
With Luck
Brilliant!
luv the cuffs!i totally procastinate on almost everything, lol! i really like the red lamp shade!
Ha! I love this idea and it adds just a touch of elegant class!
Yes, I don't think you have time to hear about all the little projects on my to-do list.
Love the gold cuffs, can you have your hubs play us a little diddy now??
So funny how a little detail like that can make a huge difference! Love the gold tape…clever girl!
Ok, THIS is why we love you! I just spent a couple of hours painting "dipped" leg barstools last week…I should have just taped them on! 🙂 I've got some chairs that are getting the stink eye right now for something like this!
SO smart! Those are some hot legs!
Looks really cool! I love the painter's tape idea.
I love that I saw those legs! Thanks for the sweet shout out. So happy the piano is once again whole and looking good!
What a great idea! I love the use of tape instead of actually painting the legs themselves! It makes it very noncommittal, but still looks fabulous!
Such a clever idea! I love the new look.
Looks great, gorilla glue or e6000 are glue staples at my house. The cuffs look great just from the picture I thought it was a metal cuff.
What a smart little fix! Your dining room to-do list is looking good…not much farther to go! Hope you're having a great week!
~Abby =)
The brass on the legs is perfection! I'm sure you won't miss the yellow blocks! And I'm loving those drapes!
What a great simple and affordable transformation! Looks amazing!
Looks great! I have a crazy list of projects and I just started highlighting things that I thought would take 15 min to an hour to complete. I am finally getting stuff done and ask myself why it took so long! The satisfaction of crossing it off my list feels great and I feel like things are coming together…Finally! Sometimes it's the projects I didn't highlight that get done quick, too! Like hemming my guest room curtains!
Great idea with the piano bench! We have an old one as well and I think I'm going to steal this idea and brighten it up! Love it! Also are you sharing soon where you got your drapes from? Or did you make them? They are fabulous!
I'm in the process of making them…it's been a very long process! 🙂 But yes, I will share!!
xo. C
So, I have a stack of books under one corner of our sectional…the stub leg was missing when it shipped to us and I kept forgetting to contact the company, and now it is surely too late. Also, painter's tape with Rub n' Buff is pretty darn impressive!
What a smart fix – it looks fabulous! And I'm a major procrastinatorr, but I blame it on the five other people living with me. 😉 I'm planning to knock out some big and some small projects over spring break this week. Thanks for the inspiration!
What a great idea! Also, I like your idea to list all your home projects by room.
Thanks for sharing such great post! I love your blog!