Home Maintenance~Sealing and Polishing Granite

I hope you all are having a great week so far!

I wanted to share some home maintenance tips 

that I worked on over the weekend.  

After taking all of the 

Christmas pretties down I really wanted to 

deep clean the kitchen.  

One of the things on my list (for a while now)

was to seal and polish my granite counter tops.

I have used the Rock Doctor Granite Polish 

many times before but I had never used the Granite Sealer.

Since I really liked and trusted the product 

I decided to give it a go and try it out.
I found both products at Lowe's.

I cleared everything off of the counters and while I was at it 

I took apart the stove for cleaning.

Here is a close up of my granite on the island.  

You can see the small whitish marks. 

Those are small pits in the granite.  

The product, along with the polish 

is supposed to fill in these small pits.

I sprayed the Granite Sealer onto the counters and waited 

the 2-5 minutes before wiping it off.  

 The directions said to drop water onto the counters 

 and if it beaded up well then go onto the polish.  

 If it doesn't bead up well then apply another coat.  

 I was on the fence after the first coat 

 so I decided better safe than sorry 

 and I applied another coat.

Now onto to the polish...

You are supposed to spray it on and buff it in 

small circles with a clean 

cotton cloth until it forms a hazy sheen.

Think "Wax On, Wax Off"

Hazy it is!  

Now, wait at least 30 minutes before 

buffing it out completely.

While I was waiting for the polish to dry 

I started another project:

This little table was rescued at an Estate Sale for $15.00.  

I needed a small table for the side of the sofa 

and I thought that I could paint it if I couldn't 

revive the wood.

I am embarrassed to say that it sat like this 

for a few months! 

Isn't it cute though?  

I love the slanted book shelf on the bottom.

OK, let's take a good look at the top of this table.  

Water stains, scratches and just general wear and tear.  

Resor-A-Finish is a product that my mom told me about.  

I have used it on just about EVERYTHING!

I thought I would give this product a try first instead of sanding and refinishing. 
I can only seem to find this at Home Depot.

It is so easy to use, you just wipe it on with a soft cloth 

and wipe off any residue.

Let's see if it worked...

OK, WOW!!!

It took all of the scratches and water marks away!  

The finish is even and back 

to it's beautiful self.  

Do they sell this for faces?  

OK, I love how it looks but it seemed to lack luster.  

I wiped a little lemon oil on it and it just soaked it up!  

I had to apply it at least three times.  

But think about it...

Your furniture is thirsty in the winter!  

I know that I have been reaching for the hand cream 

 a LOT this winter.  

 I have a whole house humidifier and 

 I still feel the dryness.  

 Wood in the winter needs a little more TLC.  

 Just wipe your furniture down with the lemon oil once a 

week and watch it suck it up like it's a Margarita!

 OK, let's see the Before and After...

Now THAT makes me happy!

Back to my granite...

How shiny is that?  

It's like glass!  

I redecorated, cause that is like 

the reward for my hard work...

I kept some things and added some things from storage.

 My favorite Vintage Tole platter.

A sweet cow print.

And in the upper cabinets,

I added a little bling with an old silver platter.

And another cow painting to carry on the theme.

My built in hutch is one of my most pinned pins!  

I kept it simple on the sink side.  

I don't like to have a lot of clutter or appliances out.

My favorite white rooster, a fresh tea towel

And a little greenery.  

This is the only plant in the house that I haven't killed...yet.

Thanks for stopping by,

Until Next Time,

Beaux R'eves

Sharing with:
Savvy Southern Style
  Between Naps On The Porch 

A Stroll Thru Life

 The Scoop 
Tatertots and Jello
 French Country Cottage

It's Finally Fall in my Kitchen/Hearth Room

I hope Everyone enjoyed the weekend! 

 Can you believe it's October already?  

It is really feeling like Fall around here with the Gorgeous weather and the fact that we attended the Chiefs Football game yesterday.  They LOST but we had such a fun time! 

 So, I thought I had better share my Fall Kitchen and Hearth Room before the Witches and Goblins take over!

 I'm loving the way my drapes have softened up this room.  They were the perfect addition! 

 And I shared my Pillows with you last week.

  Yes if you are wondering, the dogs are 

finding them quite comfy.  

Where did my new Dough Bowl end up?

Over in this corner by the Kitchen table and Hutch reside. 

 Do you see it up there?  

There it is on top of the Hutch.

  I tried it in a few places like the granite island and over by the built in Hutch but I loved the warm colors over by the table.  The HUGE Tole platter is a Flea Market find for $9.00.  

I love adding to my collection and I'm always on the "Hunt" for these trays.

I tucked a few fall leaves and twigs into the corners.

Mr. Rooster has been with me for a while moving around the Kitchen.  He looks good here for Fall don't you think?

I dressed up one of my Nell Hills' Lanterns for Fall.  I placed a Pottery Barn Pumpkin candle on a short candle holder and arranged some fall foilage inside.  

 More Fall flowers grace the top of the lantern all tied up with lots of rbbon.  

 This cute dishtowel was an Estate Sale find.  I wanted to layer my table runners and this was just the perfect compliment for the other fabrics.  The bottom runner was a remnant, the next layer is from Williams Sonoma and the Little Gold Roosters holding it all down were from my Design Center.

 Let's move around to the other side of the room. 

 I've kept my Built in Hutch pretty much the same and just added a few Fall touches.  

Another Tole tray has a new home in the back of the Hutch.

 A few Fall leaves are placed inside is all you need to give a hint of the season.

My new cute cow print is leaning against the back splash.  

I placed these tiny pumpkin candles in a Mason jar for fun.  

I have sort of pared down the accessories on the built in cabinets that flank the fireplace.  

I grouped the items together to make more impact.  Sometimes too many things make me crazy! 

 I took down the pictures that I had mixed in with the plates.  

I'm always looking for new pretty plates to hang up! 

 I just placed a cute little pumpkin in a basket here.

And another one on the other side.

Three Pottery Barn candles from a few years ago sit on top of the mantle with a few leaves and green pottery.

I wanted to share my little secret ottoman with you. 

 There is a tray that slides out from underneath.  

See the hinged compartment?  

How cool is that?  

Hmmmm, some people don't agree I guess.  

He looks a little bored with the whole thing.  

 Doesn't it all look cozy for Fall?  

I am definitely enjoying this room!  

I think it's my favorite!  

And I got it finished just in time to redecorate for Halloween!  

Until Next Time,

Beaux R'eves

XO Cindy

My entry into No Minimalist Here Open House Party  
sponsored by Appliances Online.
 

Sharing at

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
   Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop TuesdayCoastal Charm for  Nifty Thrifty Tuesday 
 Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
 Cedar Hill Ranch for The  Cowgirl Up Party
  Kim at SavvySouthern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays 
 Judy at DIY by Design
  Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
 From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Poutpourri Friday at 2805
 Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special

 Roeshel  at DIY Showoff