Bringing The Outdoors In

I guess you can say that this is

my idea of bringing the

outdoors in.

A made-from-scratch decorative

Metal Awning.

This is what I’ve been up to

this past weekend.

Note: this post may be choppy

because I have lots of pics and

lots to say… so bear with me!

OK… let’s get started.

I bought some galvanized metal flashing… in the roofing section of Lowes. You can use the corrugated metal roofing but I opted out at the last minute for this.

If you make this… wear Gloves

when working with metal… it

can cut you and it cuts deep!

(( And)) Be careful when you cut

that yellow tape you see in the

pic…make sure you hold the roll

together so it doesn’t unravel

really fast...and wear gloves so

you won’t get cut.

I already had several of these L – brackets/corner braces/ angles (they have so many names) left over from my crate table.

Then I had this piece of poplar wood my neighbor just gave me… free wood (the best kind)!

I measured out two long pieces for the top of my frame and bottom of the frame. Next, I measured two shorter pieces for the arms I would attach to the wall.

I spray painted my wood, brackets and screws to match my kitchen.

Yes… that’s my pallet garden bench/ work station! It has come in handy for some of my projects. I love this thing... ((sigh))... it so nice to have a little sitting place...

Ok… STAY FOCUSED KENDRA!

I rolled out the metal flashing and measured my pieces to fit my frame. I left enough on each side to bend up and cut to curve my awning and also make dividers between each metal strip. I have tin snips/ scissors that I used to cut the flashing.

AGAIN… I recommend using

gloves because you can get cut!

Here are some pics trying to

show you how to bend and cut it

to make it concave.

I used my needle nose pliers, regular pliers and my metal scissors to cut, bend and manipulate the metal.

THIS WAS THE HARDEST AND MOST TIME CONSUMING FOR ME!

OH… and I know… my green countertops… ((sigh)).

It did match the old wallpaper that use to be up. But we took that down and painted the kitchen with brown tones. We haven’t changed the countertops yet… and it may be awhile!! UGH!

OK… Kendra… FOCUS!!

I wanted to age the metal some.

I bought galvanized because I like the variation in the metal. But that meant I had to figure out how to break some of that down. Brillo pads and rain. I had plenty of both this past weekend.

Next, I used a solution of hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and salt to lightly rust the areas that the steel wool broke down.

Finally… it was time to build!

I started attaching the L brackets to the arms and one of the long boards. I made a U shape for the bottom part of the frame. I aligned the metal strips of flashing, taped them on the back to keep them together and tacked them to the bottom of the frame.

Now, it was time to attach it all to the wall.

Well, that’s it!

Here is the final awning…

I know… those green countertops just don’t belong in there!! :(

Thanks for stoppin’ by y’all!