Spring Painting Project

A Spring project is here!  

Turn this maple bed .....

And this maple armoire..... 

into something spectacular!  Maybe a black antiqued finish? 

This furniture is circa 1999 people.  1999! (Boy, that will make ya feel old, huh?!)  Yes, in 1999, I rather liked this maple look.  Now .... not so much.  However, I do like the style.  Just a little paint and sanding may do the trick. 

I will especially have to sand these parts ....

My boys decided to unleash their artistic abilities on my bed with the point of a geometry compass .... hmmmm.   No, these are not their initials.  This one above is "APSW" ... also know as "Andrew Pirranah Snow Wolf."  HAHAHA! I have no idea what that means? 

Where was I when they were doing this?  I was here ... in my second home.  I really should put a TV in here. 

So, here is the scoop  - I talked with my ever trusting paint store genius, Todd, and got the low down on exactly what I needed to do.  There are 2 options.

Option 1(This one takes longer):
Sand it a lot
prime it and wait for it to dry
paint it

Option 2:
Paint it with a premium paint that has a primer built in and NO SANDING!!!  (except for the initials carved everywhere)
Uh, I am definitely doing this one.  Yes, it costs just a bit more in the paint department, but is totally worth it in the time department. 

My plan is as follows:

Take the bed apart
Set up shop in the garage
Clean the heck out of the wood so sanding is not required! 
Paint the bed first (next week, paint the armoire)
Let it dry
Sand off some of the edges with a sandpaper block to antique the finish (If you decide to do this, Todd, aka paint genius, says you will need to get an oil based paint so you can sand the edges).

I am starting the project soon! 

Spring is here in Georgia and it is time to get outside, enjoy the weather and paint this atrocity!

Check in to see the progress.  Join me with your piece of furniture you want to refinish!
Amy

Cheap dresser re-Do

Talkin about a cheap dresser .... this one takes the cake!  I think it belongs in an office. 

It lived in my sister's attic for 5 years.  Now I know why!  UGLY grey speckled laminate dresser - I think the previous homeowners left it there.  :)  It weighs a TON. 

However, times are tough in this recession and I needed a dresser for my 3 year old, Brady.  His clothes are in a plastic 3 stackable drawer system from Target, in his closet.  Yes, a good idea, but need more room.  Really?  Can I make this thing look better?!  It will be a stretch. 

Lets see .....

 Went to Home Depot and bought 2 cans of blue gloss spray paint (had to go back and buy 2 more).  Also bought 4 wooden knobs to add to the drawers. 

 This is after 2 cans of paint.  As you can see on the right side .... it looks like camofladge pattern.  Must get more paint! 

 I put the knobs on an egg carton and sprayed them several times at several different angles until they looked good and covered well. 

I measured corner to corner, at an angle, to find the center.  Then, I predrilled holes in the drawer and screwed in the knobs. 

This finished product is better that the previous product.  However, acrylic enamel will have to be brush painted on top of this if I really want it to be perfect.  That will come along in the Spring.  For now, this works great for Brady's room.  We have somewhere to put his clothes that is much better than 3 drawer plastic bins. 

Amy

p.s. The puppy has a name!  RENNIE - I have 4 boys who L.O.V.E. the University of Georgia Bulldogs football.  Rennie Curran played for UGA. 

Paint Colors 101

Being a builder’s wife, I have been through some serious paint in my time!  I have painted every kind of TAN you can think of on walls, ceilings, trim, etc.  Some were great, some were super gross.   So, sharing my favorite colors with you is a must.

One thing you must know about paint – paint looks DIFFERENT in every room.  If you paint TAN in the kitchen with lots of windows, and you paint that same TAN in a room with one window, they will look different.   Solution: Buy a quart of the paint you like, paint a small amount on the wall. Then you will be able to make a better decision on the color to chose. 

MY FAVORITE COLORS: (insider secret ~ You can chose ANY color, from ANY brand, and have the paint store color match/mix it for you!)

BENJAMIN MOORE:

This is a great tan, goes with everything!  White Dove for trim goes great with this wall tan. 




Amazing color for TRIM

Beautiful deep and light at the same time

Beach bedroom color … WOW!  My favorite by far!!

This is a good creamy, not too gold, not too lemon, YELLOW (Yes, it is yellow!). 

SHERWIN WILLIAMS:

My TRIM color at home

  

My CEILING color at home – put a color, one chip down from your trim, on the ceiling to make room warm

My WALL color at home – THIS IS THE PERFECT TAN – goes with everything!


Best of luck with my favorites!  If you are in N Georgia, email us ... we know excellent painters that work for "Mrs. PaintRight."  momscrafty@gmail.com
Amy

How to GLAZE painted furniture

After being trapped inside from the snow/ice storm in Georgia for the last 3 days (Yeah, Georgia is not prepared for winter weather, embarrassing), I decided to show you how to glaze a table. I previously painted this side table with Benjamin Moore #1564 Beach Glass in a flat finish.   

I used a can of glaze from a cabinetry shop .... but you can buy glaze at any home improvement store. 

Dip your brush, pull the brush up the side of the can to minimize amount of glaze on your brush, and paint the entire piece of furniture.

Wipe off the glaze with a cloth or paper towel.  Leave extra glaze in the cracks and corners for an antiqued look. I like to wipe the glaze in one direction then I wipe it in the opposite direction for more texture.   If it is not dark enough for you, let it dry a bit (10 min) and go back over using the same process.

As you can see below, the brown glaze gives a small hint of color in several directions.

Let the glaze dry overnight.  Next step is laquer or poly.  I used a laquer I had from the cabinetry shop ... once I started it became too sticky.  I suggest using a clear poly instead of laquer.  You can get poly at any home improvement store. Paint it on in a thin layer and let it dry overnight.  The poly will protect your piece from drink circles and scratches and will give it a slight sheen. 

Easy to do ... go paint and get crafty.

Amy

Den converted to Toddler Room

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I figured it only appropriate for this year's first post to be something that is so near and dear to my heart. I LOVE before and afters... like mildly obsessed. My husband knows this and would agree 5 million percent. It's a little ridiculous but I ADORE seeing something come to life or get reinvented! So with that said, here is one of our own before and afters and although the new room isn't finished it's fun to see the progress in just 6 months.

Here's the story...

We live in a small bungalow and it really only has two bedrooms (not counting a loft upstairs that is unfinished). When baby #2 arrived in April of 2010, we had to come up with something, and something quick. Sure I could have my 2 year old share a room with the new baby but their schedules were so different. Couldn't imagine the baby waking up all night and our 2 year old as well. So we turned our den into our bugaboo's big boy room/ playroom. Yes, we still have a place to sit and watch Greys Anatomy, football and DIY shows and that room is off our kitchen. We call it our little nook. It's so comfy and cozy so we haven't missed our den too much. 

Here's before. The walls were painted by previous owner and this room needed a makeover either way.

And here's the room today

(Excuse the mess as I didn't clean up before taking this picture. Also my husband was reading to bugaboo and had no idea I was taking pictures)

The paint color is one of my tried and trues. And if you're in the Atlanta/N GA area and you need a good painter, email me... we've got the best ones and we love Mrs. PaintRight!

The carpet was a splurge along with the plantation shutters. But most everything else in his big boy room was done in a very bargain shoppingness way! I'll post that in a different blog so you can get some ideas on how to get great stuff at a price that you can tell someone about.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy New Year!

Katie

What should I make for the class art project?!

Hey Crafties!   Did you do your Fitness Friday workout???

Newest obstacle .... As the all unknowing Grade mother, I was thrown into a class art project with one week to figure out what to do, get the students to help make it, and turn it in.  WHAT?! 

Of course I was panick stricken ... ackkkhhh! 

So my brain started to churn and I remembered that my sister painted some stools for my boys' rooms several years ago.  They are precious!  Ah Ha ... thats a great idea.  Paint a stool.  Now, what can I paint that 26 students can say they helped paint?  Hmmmm ......  each student can use their fingerprints .... fingerprints can make bugs .... fingerprints that are ants .... ants like picnics .... ants like sugar.... sugar is sweet .... sweet is watermelon!  YEAH!!!  That is it!!!!!!

I have my idea.  Each kid brought $1 for the project.  I was able to buy a stool at Target and lots of acrylic gloss paint from WalMart. 

I sketched the watermelons and ant lines on the stool with pencil.  I wanted the students to see where the ants should be on the stool ... so I drew a line where they would put their fingerprints.  I had each student dip their pinky finger in black acrylic gloss paint and paint 2 of their fingerprints on any of the lines. 
As you can see, some of the ants are A LOT bigger than others.  LOL.  That is ok! 

Paint your initial layer of color, let it dry, repaint more layers until you like the consistency. 

 I added an ant hill on one side. 

Put a small black dot on each fingerprint for the ant's head.

Each head gets 2 small antenae with 2 small dots on top of each head.  I used a fine tip black Sharpie marker. 

Add 8 tiny legs on each fingerprint for the legs.  I used the Sharpie here too.

Add a few streaks of green and black for some grass for the ant hill. 

Add some black ovals in your watermelons for seeds. Erase your pencil lines! 

I sprayed it with Krylon Spray Paint Clear Gloss so the acrylic paint would not chip off.    
Maybe their class stool will get a good bid at the art auction!
Amy

Paint colors

Hey Crafties ... check out our new info on the PAINT COLORS tab.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall...

Who's the best paint of them all? OIL RUBBED BRONZE!

This mirror was red, gold, silver and brown and although it was fun, I just couldn't' figure out a home for it in our house. Nothing 'fit.' So I got my spray on and turned it's brown upside down.

Horrific iPhone pic but you get the idea... Before ORB

Recycling a Parents Magazine

Thought my beauty of a mirror could look good above my newly distressed and painted foyer table! For now, I'm liking. For later it may turn white.

(Don't judge the phone on the floor and hideous wall plug.)


Here's our old entry. We piled everything on this entry table, I know you do the same and that's another blog entirely! And YES, that's a microwave on the floor. Again, don't judge. We like heating up nuggets in the front room! This was taken when we were renovating our house so we crammed furniture and stuff everywhere! Notice the lovely yellow paint?

BEFORE

AFTER

Me likey! You likey?

Pop of Color

These chairs have been on the screen porch for 4 years.  Yes, they have survived quite well, but they definitely need some love.

Hello ugly worn out chairs! Meet my paint can.
Paint can, meet ulgy chairs.

 

HOW TO:


1.  Clean off the chair (Remove spider webs and old food particles!)


2.  Get a sanding block from the hardware store.


3.  Go over the entire chair lightly with the sanding block.   


4. Wipe off all the sanding dust.


5. Paint - small sprays if you are spray painting and you will need several layers (I used spray paint), OR if you are brush painting get a medium size paint brush that is angled on the end.  The angle spreads paint better and is great for all of the little spindles.  Any enamel paint will cover wonderfully and be sure to get the sheen you want (satin, semi-gloss, gloss, etc).

I sprayed 3 chairs "Krylon" Avocado Satin and 2 chairs "Valspar" Mediterranean Gloss.  


The gloss is definitely the way to go for these chairs.  Now I have to spray the green chairs with a clear gloss so the finishes match. 


I'm loving POP of color they added to our screen porch ... and the boys fight over which color chair they get to sit in.  Maybe I should've painted them all the same?!  :)