The Wonders of Paint - BTSH Around The House Tip of the Week

It’s easy to freshen up the look of any room with fresh paint, but why limit yourself to the walls?

EXTREME KITCHEN MAKEOVER ON A BUDGET

It’s hard to believe that this is the same kitchen in both pictures. It’s amazing to see how a little paint helped to freshen up the look of this dated kitchen. If you’re planning to paint your kitchen cabinets, be sure to choose a primer and paint that are suited for the surface you’re painting. If you’re unsure, ask at your local paint store. No matter what the surface, remove all doors and sand before painting. Because these cupboards had been painted previously, they were completely stripped down (turned out there were a couple more layers of paint under that peach colour)! Update the hardware as well, including the hinges. You’ll also note that the backsplash in this kitchen was painted. Both the backsplash and counter were an old arborite laminate, and unfortunately it wasn’t in the budget to replace these. Instead they were sanded, painted with a melamine paint, and sealed with a lacquer.

WHAT WAS OLD IS NEW AGAIN


This bedside table was showing it’s age, but it still had good bones. It was about 30 years old, solid wood, and the perfect size for this space. So, it was sanded down, primed, and painted white. Because of the thick varnish on the wood, I used a bonding primer. It bonds to any surface, and allows the paint to bond to it easily as well. While I would normally suggest updating the hardware, in this case, the brass drawer handles went great with the gold in the bedspread, and so they were simply polished and re-attached.

SPRUCE IT UP WITH FUN STENCILS

Stencilling is an age old technique, and is a great way to add a personal touch, or simply add a touch of colour to any wall or furniture piece. Stencils can be found at any craft store, or online. Want to spice it up with multiple colours? If using a single template, simply tape over the areas that you want to paint a different colour. Multilayer stencils with overlays make multi-colour stencilling a lot easier. Simply tape the base stencil to the surface, paint the first colour and remove, then place the overlay according to the registration marks on top of the base, and paint with the next colour.




*All stencil images found at stencilease.com

Written by Shauna Lynn, Beyond the Stage Homes
www.beyondthestagehomes.com