Painted Stenciled Paneled Walls

Angel’s Room: When my sister planned her move from Florida to PA last summer, I can’t tell you how happy we all were! We love having her ‘home’!  The budget for decorating their rental home was super tight. I wanted to surprise my teenage niece, Angel, with some pretty and fun accents in her bedroom. I know it’s not easy for a 16-year-old to move away from friends, but we are so excited to have our family local again. I wanted her to have a welcoming, pretty space of her own.

This blog post is sponsored by FrogTape. The walls are paneled (that old faux-paneling sheets) and since it’s a rental, we had no choice but to ignore the ugly green carpet.Thankfully it was clean, only in this one bedroom and in decent shape.

paneled walls before

Rental Tip: It never hurts to ask the landlord if cosmetic changes/home improvement materials can be reimbursed or if material receipts can count as cash towards the security deposit. I’m almost always given a green light. Free labor for the home owner and more personal choices for the renter.

With permission from the landlord to paint the paneled walls, I chose a Valspar Signature Paint + Primer. Color is “Lilac Mist”. Painting paneling is NOT fun. All of those grooves. Hard work! But it is worth the effort. The next day, I then used my damask Cutting Edge Stencil (held in place with a piece of FrogTape) and simply rolled on the stenciled design using leftover white paint.

damask stencil

The result is very subtle and so pretty…

lilac and white damask

I let the paint dry for a day before using FrogTape Delicate on the walls so I could paint the moulding around the room…

FrogTape Delicate

Pretty, isn’t it? Light, soft and subtle and much better! Even the landlord approved.

paneled damask walls

{reveal pictures will be better quality!}

Next up: some thrifty wall decor and room accents.

*This sponsored by FrogTape. FrogTape provided by Shurtech. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience.

 FrogTape Blog Squad

Pantry Progress and PaintStick Review

It’s been one of those weeks where my DIY projects don’t produce a jaw-dropping reveal, just behind-the-scenes DIY. However, there is progress! I recently had the opportunity to review the HomeRight PaintStick. You know how much painting goes on around here and I actually have a thing for paint gadgets (remember the edger?) so I was excited to give this a try.

A few weeks ago, I shared our plans for turning this space…

open pantry before

into an organized open pantry area. Here’s my inspiration, {pantry from Emerson Made}:

Emerson Made open pantry

First up, I needed to prep for painting by filling holes, sanding and taping off what I didn’t want painted with FrogTape. Then I cut in around all of the trim in this room.

paint-prep

This old house has high ceilings so I chose the HomeRight EZ Twist PaintStick to assist me in getting the painting job done.

I watched the helpful videos on HomeRight‘s webpage for tips. They sure made it look easy enough which made me even more skeptical – like a “too good to be true infomercial”. But surprisingly, it was easy! I think opening the package was the most difficult part.

The paintstick holds paint right in the stick! Attach a tube into the paint can, attach the paintstick to the tube, pull back on the handle and “fill ‘er up”.

paintstick-ez-twist

It takes a bit for the paint roller to become saturated, just roll and twist the handle to release the paint. The roller itself has small holes, releasing paint from inside. I had the walls and ceiling painted in less than an hour. It really was awesome!

painting

 

Ugh…that trim. Scratched up from installing bamboo floors and in need of shoe moulding. We’re getting there. In the meantime, I’m planning on doing a subtle stenciling/paint treatment on these walls and ceiling, so both were painted with the same paint in an eggshell finish (color is Valspar Cool Grey).

cool-grey

I was dreading the clean up, but it was surprisingly easy enough and not quite as time consuming as I anticipated. I simply cleaned the parts in the basement utility tub with water according to video directions.

What I liked:

  • Eliminating the need for a messy paint tray and possible drips paint from tray to wall or ceiling. 
  • The speed of painting without having to go back and forth to a paint tray.
  • The coverage (cover an 8’x8′ area with one fill)
  • Minimal paint waste (left over paint stays in the can…easy to empty the paint in the paintstick right back into the can too).

From beige walls and creamy trim to cool gray walls . The walls look so much better, but ahhhhh! That trim! Yellow-y next to cool gray. Guess what I’m doing this weekend?! Ultra white trim coming right up and one step closer to an open pantry! Woo hoo!

cool-grey-paint

So for you: “Yay or nay” for painting gadgets? For me: anything that makes the job easier/quicker!

This post/review is sponsored by HomeRight but the opinion is my own.

This is a sponsored post brought to you by FrogTape. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.

FrogTape Blog Squad

Accent Wall Before and After

Patti (my youngest sister) is renting but has permission from the landlord to paint…and to be creative about it too. The entryway wall before had peeling paint…

wall-before

I scraped and sanded until we had a smooth finish. Holes and cracks were patched using DAP’s DryDex (spackling that goes on pink, dries white) and sanded.

dap-drydex-spackling

The walls got a coat of primer and a base coat in a neutral light gray color.

Using FrogTape Delicate (the yellow painter’s tape with PaintBlock Technology, safe for freshly painted walls) the next day, I created a chevron/zigzag pattern.

accent-wall-tutorial

Then painted the zigzag stripes alternating a left-over darker gray paint and left-over gray-beige paint (the color under the tape is a lighter gray).

As soon as I were finished painting the second coat (while it was still wet), I removed the FrogTape Delicate.

removing-FrogTape

Next up cleaning the dingy vinyl floor and decorating.

After (paint is still drying):

accent-wall-after

Patti just happens to work part time for a thrift store so she gets first dibs on all of the eclectic treasures (and has a good eye for what can be transformed). Lucky girl! If it was me, I’d never get out the door with a paycheck. I’d be trading those dollars for thrift store goodies!

Even though the wall now sports a busy pattern in 3 colors, the colors are neutral enough to work in some fun colorful accents and patterns. {All accessories found on Polyvore.}

teal, gold & gray

teal-gray-entryway

 coral, black & gray

coral-gray-entryway

emerald & navy

navy-emerald

gray & mustard

gray-mustard

Looking forward to seeing what she does, how about you? Which color(s) do you like?

This is a sponsored post brought to you by FrogTape. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience.

 FrogTape Blog Squad

Pantry Makeover Prep and #ReadyDoneClean Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed. And the winner is…winner1

winner2

Congratulations, Jessica! I’ll send you an email to get your mailing information!

We’ve been using an enclosed porch as a temporary pantry ever since we removed a closet from our kitchen but with warmer weather approaching, it’s going to need to be moved inside for better temperature control. So, it’s time to start considering a pantry makeover.

Inspiration: I have had this open pantry image from Emerson Made saved in my inspiration files forever.

Emerson Made open pantry

via Apartment Therapy

The ideal spot is the ‘room’ behind this back wall in the kitchen… farmhouse kitchen

It’s wider than a hallway and sits between our kitchen and living room and has FIVE doorways. Time to make the most of what has always been a waste of space. The freezer will be relocated to the basement.

open pantry before

The first step in prepping for painting is to examine the walls and fill any holes, cracks or imperfections with spackling, letting it dry and sanding smooth. My Swiffer Sweeper is handy for cleaning up the spackling dust.

Then time for a little clean up. This area is so dark and un-used, meaning it often gets overlooked even though we walk through here nearly every day. Cleaning up before painting is important. Ever get cobwebs on your wet paint brush? No fun. A Swiffer Sweeper with a dry sweeping cloth works really well by attracting dirt and dust from virtually any surface, including walls, ceiling and baseboards with it’s 360 degree swivel head. With the long Swiffer Sweeper handle, I don’t even need a ladder to dust the 9 foot ceilings and corners.

I DO clean so I’m embarrassed by the dirt that accumulated in this dark, unused space. Yikes! This is just from the ceiling, walls and trim above 5 door frames. It’s not something you’ll want to paint over.

dirt and dust

I can’t believe it took cleaning this room for me to actually see the dirt. Gross! Next prepare for painting by taping off trim. Then paint!

After painting, I use my Magic Eraser. It’s is so powerful that it removes more grime per swipe than the leading all-purpose bleach spray cleaner, and it has no harsh chemicals. I seriously have a basket full of Magic Erasers. With a husband who loves to cook, I use them all.the.time. for cleaning up spills and drips on white kitchen cabinets too.

magic eraser clean up

It’s going to feel so good to use this space, for it to be lighter and organized! I can’t wait!

You can find all of your painting supplies, including the Swiffer Sweeper and Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, at the Home Depot near you. Be sure to visit Paint Like a Pro at HomeDepot.com for a paint calculator and more great DIY painting and tips.

Home Depot P&G Prize Pack

Ready to paint?

Get ready. Get done. Get clean. Giveaway

#readydoneclean-giveaway

DIY Painting #ReadyDoneClean Prize Pack:

  • Swiffer Sweeper
  • Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original
  • $50 The Home Depot gift card

(1) entry per person: Simply leave a comment below describing your next paint project to enter to win.  Giveaway starts today and ends March 1, 2013. Open to US and Canadian residents. Winner will be chosen randomly and announced shortly after.

*This review and giveaway is sponsored by The Home Depot and Proctor & Gamble, however opinion is my own and these are products I do purchase and use even when not sponsored. Read more about the DIY Show Off disclosure here

Tips for painting a herringbone patterned accent wall

Apartment progress!

Herringbone Accent {on textured} Wall

I’ve shown sneak peeks of the apartment renovation progress and you’ve likely seen the herringbone-like accent wall in the kitchen area…

painted accent wall

Base paint color: True Value Easy Care – Baby Elephant (soft neutral gray) & Accent color: True Value Easy Care – Sweet Honey

Since we own this rental space, I was able to get a little creative in adding a fun accent wall as a backdrop behind some open shelving. Before paint…

apartment walls before

Yes…I have ‘plans’ for a DIY radiator cover but I must confess that I feel it’s a LOT ambitious and I’m scared. Working up the courage to give it a try sometime this month. Anyway, after paint {including painting kitchen cabinets and Rustoleum Countertop Transformations}:

find center of wall

The open wall space above the wainscoting was the perfect spot to display open shelving as a solution for more storage/organization in this tiny apartment. True Value’s Easy Care Platinum and FrogTape were all I needed to add some interest to a flat textured wall. The pattern also helps disguise the un-hidden pipes. I put together a quick tutorial video using my iphone {pardon the portrait orientation, poor quality…amateur videographer but working hard on getting better!} explaining how I achieved the herringbone pattern:

The wall was finished and I was so happy to be able to move forward on the renovation! Shelves are budget friendly Ekby shelving and brackets from IKEA… IKEA Ekby

{installation was super easy using the Master Mechanic Swift Driver!}

Woo hoo! painted accent wall And just when I felt super good about a little DIY success, something went wrong upstairs with the plumbing. The joys of DIY… upstairs plumbing leak I was just too exhausted and heartbroken to deal with it. My Mr. DIY fixed the plumbing issue in the bathroom above and Bri’s boyfriend, Steve, saved the day by patching the ceiling below. patching ceiling textured ceiling and I set about touching up the paint… touching up paint Now, all done for real… herringbone accent wall If you missed it yesterday, I shared the hardwood floors before/after refinishing:

staining hardwood floors

More apartment renovation, decorating and furnishing coming soon!

TDC Before and Afterbest diy

We were chosen by True Value to be one of the members of the 2012 DIY Squad. I have been compensated for the materials needed for my DIY projects. However, the thoughts and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own. I have not been paid to publish positive comments and no one has twisted my arm to participate.  This is a sponsored post brought to you by FrogTape. The opinions are completely my own based on my own experience.  FrogTape Blog Squad

Redoux Interiors’ tips and technique for creating a real wood look…

I’m on vacation this week – hurray! I’ll still be in and out of “the office” but I’m so happy to have a few guests this week. First up is my super talented blog friend, Karen:

Hi DIY Showoff Readers, I am Karen, aka “Good Time Charlie from Redoux Interiors.

I am thrilled to be here filling in for Roeshel. I love Roeshel’s blog so much, probably for many of the same reasons you do. There are really good tutorials here, and I always learn something new. I am going to share with you how to make anything look like wood, for real!

Do you ever find a piece of furniture, especially a table, that you really wished had a rich, wood toned top, and you could paint the rest. The problem? The top is plastic, or veneer that is really in bad shape, or just ugly wood! These nightstands started out like this:

I had a vision for these two. I wanted them to have a rich wood top, and an expensive, creamy glazed body.

I achieved the look by using several layers of glaze. This isn’t hard, and you don’t really need any particular artistic skills, just a little practice, and you can start turning any surface into wood.

I come across a lot of Farm tables like this. Maybe you even have one in your home? The wood top is usually inferior wood that isn’t stainable. Many of these tables are built well, they just need an updated “Redoux”!

If you haven’t worked with glaze before, you might want to start by just familiarizing yourself with how it works, feels. Try antiquing something with glaze, and then adding another darker glaze to deepen the color, you will get the hang of this technique in no time.

Let’s get started, time to gather your materials:

I use Modern Masters products for this technique, they are high quality and the products are concentrated so I end up using less. You can purchase these online through the MM website, some Kelly Moore stores have them, or you can buy them from my distributor HERE. Alternatively, you can use similar products, and high quality, highly pigmented acrylic paints (best purchased at an art supply store)

NOTE: If you are painting a surface where water where will be present, I recommend starting with two coats of an oil based primer, I like Zinnser. Follow this with a light brown standard paint, to make your “base color”.

TIP: You can paint over an oil based primer with water based paints and glazes, but not vice versa. Make sense?

  • Modern Masters Dead Flat Varnish, or Glidden Polycrylic in flat, or very low sheen
  • *Foam roller, or old paint brush
  • *High quality paint brush (I like Purdy Brand)
  • Glazing medium (cream)
  • *Tobacco Brown colorant (or warm wood acryclic paint color)
  • Aged Mahogany colorant (or similar acrylic paint color)
  • Van Dyke Brown or Coffee Bean Brown (this is a very dark brown color)
  • Cheese cloths, cut in half, and wadded up to look like a “pom pom”
  • Chip brushes, 2″, 3″, or 4″ (depending on the size of your piece)

1.Using the foam roller, apply varnish to a clean, lightly sanded surface. Using the high quality paint brush, lay off the varnish in the direction of the grain.

2.When 1st step is dry, prepare your glaze by making a mixture of TB colorant by a 1:6 ratio with glaze. Depending on how big of a piece you are glazing, start by making a small amount, you can always make more.

3. Using a chip brush, apply Tobacco Brown glaze all over surface, generally following the grain, (or if there is none, in the same direction). While this is still wet, apply your Aged Mahogany colorant straight out of the bottle. I like to pour some onto a paper plate and then use a chip brush to (dab it on). It should look like this when you are finished with this step.

4.Now Use your cheesecloth Pompom to pull the glaze in the direction of the grain. The pompom will absorb the excess glaze and softens the look. When your cheesecloth is loaded up with glaze, you can use it to apply glaze to the sides and details. Also, just sort of re”pompom” it to use a dryer section, and continue doing so until your cheese cloth is all used. Use your chip brush to pick up the excess glaze that may have settled in corners and grooves.

5. Prepare your next layer of glaze by using a mixture of the Van Dyke Brown (or very dark brown) in a 1:1 to ratio. This is a very strong mixture, if you want your wood to be lighter, use more glaze to colorant ratio. Apply Dark Brown glaze with a chip brush in the same way you did the first layer. If you are doing a cabinet door, start with the middle, and work your way to edges. Again, soften and “remove” excess glaze with a Cheesecloth “pompom”, following with a chip brush like you did in step #4.

***Optional step*** If you desire a richer, darker look, you can experiment by repeating the first step, just by adding another layer of the Tobacco Brown glaze, and then when dry, another layer of the Dark brown glaze.

6. You can decide to leave your finish as is, or you can take this optional step. When glaze is completely dry, use some of your dark brown colorant straight from the bottle. (Again, I like to pour it onto a paper plate). You can apply some to the edges, using a chip brush, and randomly throughout your piece to “darken” the wood. Use a rag to “blend” the colorant.

8. When you have achieved the desired look, seal with protectant of your choice. I have used wax or a clear coat, or nothing, depending on where my piece will be used. Both will work beautifully with this finish.

Tip: This is one of my favorite glazing “tricks”. You can try this on just about any surface. If you are painting a surface that is not easy to paint, i.e. laminate, etc., then it is a must that you begin with a high adhesive primer.

Here is the kitchen table I did, completely “glazed over”

Before:

Close up of corner:

One more note…..the chairs were black with the same fakey wood on the seats. I used my sprayer to paint out the chairs and the table base with Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black in an outdoor paint they carry called “Resilience”. I don’t usually use an exterior paint for indoor use, but this family has small children, entertains often, and I decided to go with something that would hold up to all kinds of wear and tear, and lots of wiping down!

The wonderful thing about this glaze treatment is the endless choices of wood tones you can come up with. Once you get comfortable with this method, you can begin experimenting with all different colors of glaze and colorants. Here are some other samples of work I have done using this technique:

This bathroom was honey colored Oak. The owner’s master bedroom was all Cherry Stained wood, I added more red tones using more Aged Mahogany to achieve this look:

This bathroom had all white laminate cupboards and did not match the English Country Style of the rest of the Decor. I used less red and dark tones to achieve this look:

This was a large, very light colored built in Oak cabinet. It didn’t suit the new owner’s tastes. Instead of stripping and staining the entire piece. (which would have been very long, laborious, and EXPENSIVE!), I used my glazed wood technique. The new owner’s were delighted. They had a rich, dark, built in, for a fraction of the cost and time it would have taken to strip and stain the entire piece.

Hopefully I inspired you to go create your own wood on some unsuspecting furniture! It is really fun to experiment with this technique. I would love to hear from you if you have more questions, or even better, see your results!

 What an awesome technique! Would you look at that gorgeous dark rich wood? ::insert whistle:: Thank you so much, Karen for sharing your tricks with us! Can’t wait to give this a try!!!