Paint – Page 2 – Jenna Burger Design LLC – Interior Design & Architectural Consulting

Pop of Color: How-To Paint a Door

Written by Jenna on May 5, 2014. Posted in DIY, Paint, Paint Techniques, Paint Tools. 7 Comments on Pop of Color: How-To Paint a Door

I’m still working on my boys room. It’s almost done, but it’s probably been the longest room makeover in history (well maybe not, I think that was the master bedroom which I am happy to say is complete – well 95% complete). Even though I want to call this latest makeover DONE, a room often does AND should take time to create and come together. The transformation of a space is like a 1000 piece puzzle, it takes time and patience to get all the pieces just right and often, it’s the final stretch that takes the longest. And that’s okay.

As I am rounding up the room finishing up the final details (the window treatments are the last element which I’m just not feelin’ yet), I wanted to share one element that has really given the space added color + the punch it needed… a newly painted closet door. It’s amazing how the wall (and actually the overall room) came alive with a new hue.

Take a look…

Adding a pop of color was my Lowe’s Challenge for this month and I think I surely succeeded. Huge difference, wouldn’t you say?!

Updating a door (interior or exterior) is super easy and if a space is fairly neutral, painting the door will make a huge impact. If you happen to remember, I initially wasn’t overly fond of this very neutral / light wall color, BUT now I am loving it. WHY? It’s been able to provide a neutral backdrop for lots of color in all the layers like the red dresser to the left + the fun Frames Wallpaper + the honeycomb shelves on the opposite wall.

Choosing the RIGHT COLOR for the door!

When shopping for a color for the door, choose something that picks up on other colors in the room. Also a semi-gloss finish is best (so marks can easily be wiped away), but eggshell or satin will also work.

For my boys closet door, I picked up a color from the new rug and chose a deep blue hue (which was leftover paint from my office makeover – Benjamin Moore Van Deusen Blue) in an eggshell finish.

Along with wanting to add a pop of color to the room, the new trim/moulding color and the old door color were 2 very different and competing whites. So it was in good reason that this door needed a makeover!

Here’s a closeup:

Here are the easy-peasy steps to adding a pop of color on a door:

1. PANELS: No matter what style doore, start off with the crevices / nooks-and-crannies. Using a quality brush (a 1″ or 1-1/2″ Purdy angled brush is my favorite) start with the panels of the door.

2. HARDWARE: I decided not to remove the hardware before painting (because of pure laziness) and painted around the door knob using my angled brush. The result was great…

3. EDGES: After the panels an the hardware, comes the edges of the door. Be sure to lay a dropcloth or plastic under the door so paint doesn’t get on the floor. Also, it’s best to open the door so no paint gets on the door frame. When painting the side edges, don’t drag the brush, but instead start from the door center and pull away to get a nice clean edge and no paint on the side of the door.

Once all the panels + hardware, and most of the edges were done, here’s how the door looked…

The next + last steps are the rails…

4 & 5. RAILS: Use a brush or roller for the rails. If the door has a slight texture to it (like mine) then a brush will do fine because you won’t see brushstrokes, but if the door is smooth, you’ll want to choose a small roller. You can also use floetrol, an additive that can be mixed with paint to avoid brushstrokes. I didn’t use it for this project, but I did for my kitchen cabinets.

It’s one of my favorite products.

Once the first coat of paint was finished, this is how the door looked.

After another coat of paint using the same steps above, the door was done…

Pretty big change for no money & very little time.

When looking around the net at other homeowner door makeovers, I found 2 helpful tutorials that you might benefit from if you’re looking to add a pop of color to your door(s)…

via

O, and one more place in my home where I decided to add some color to the doors… the upstairs hallway. Just last week, I shared how I updated the space with a new chalkboard wall, but to also add some color in, I chose to paint the doors my favorite Benjamin Moore Texas Leather.

Here’s how the hallway evolved…

What a huge difference painting a door makes, especially when the walls of a space are neutral. This was a fun project to work on and once again, it shows that with a little effort, a space can surely be transformed in no time and with little or no money.

Have you ever thought on painting your interior or exterior door(s)?

To gather even more unique, fun, and creative ideas for your indoor and outdoor Spring spaces, I would definitely suggest downloading the Loweâ€™s Creative Ideas app on your iphone and/or ipad. Iâ€™m always checking out the FREE app for great seasonal + do-it-yourself inspiration.

Disclosure: I am part of the Loweâ€™s Creative Team and was provided with a Loweâ€™s gift card to purchase items for my project. I was also compensated for my time to use the products. No one told me what to create, what to buy, how to use the product, or what to write. All opinions are 100% mine!

Tips + Tricks for Painting the Perfect Stripes

Written by Jenna on September 20, 2013. Posted in DIY, Paint, Paint Techniques. 7 Comments on Tips + Tricks for Painting the Perfect Stripes

This time last week I was just about to jump into the foyer remodel. I was picking up the paint + supplies, removing everything from the space, and getting the walls prepped.

A color was chosen. The walls were spackled, sanded, and painted. Then last the stripes were added.

Straight Stripes.
Crisp Stripes.
Perfect Stripes.

I am actually really impressed with myself on how straight the stripes turned out.

Here is the result…

Now a week later, other than the styling + accessories, the space is complete. {big sigh of relief}…

But taking a step back, I learned alot about painting stripes. There are many tutorials out there – I’m sure if you google it, you will find plenty – and instead of giving you a step-by-step, I thought I’d simply give you the 411 on what worked and why. Ready for it???

Trick 1.

The # of stripes. Start out by determining how wide + how many stripes you want on the wall. I wanted to go wide (somewhere between 10-12″ wide) + I wanted an odd number of dark stripes (for some reason odd numbered things appeal to the eye better), so I created a simple drawing of my wall.

The paintable wall (excluding the base moulding) measured = 93.5″. I divided 93.5 by 9 (because I wanted 9 equal stripes) = 10.38. So each stripe resulted about 10-3/8″ wide.

Are you with me?

Here’s a picture…

I hope I didn’t lose you. Stick with me.

Trick 2.

So you got your stripe width figured out.

The next step is to make the stripes. I went with the simplest technique for creating the stripes No nifty gadgets or gizmos were used, but instead just an ordinary, everyday tape measure. Yup, I’ve got about a half dozen lying around.

Starting at the ceiling (that’s key – don’t start from the floor), I measured down about 10-3/8″ and made a mark with my pencil about every 20″ across the wall.

Then I connected the dots. I lined up the tape with the first dot at the left wall edge, then continued across the wall meeting each dot. It was fairly simple. Once the tape was in place, I checked that the tape read 10-3/8″ all the way across.

For this project, I used 3M painters tape. I’ve used it before when painting the stripes in my son’s room & I have also tried FrogTape when creating the chalkboard wall for the CCC. To be honest, I feel both are equal. Both have a magical “formula” to keep the paint from supposedly seeping under the tape. I don’t think that it works incredibly (but I have a another trick for that), so overall, I don’t prefer one more over the other. Both do the job. But, I will say, don’t cheap out (like I have in the past) and buy a generic painters tape. IT. WON’T. STICK. TO. THE. WALL. Go with the good stuff… 3M or Frogtape!

Trick 3.

So this is the best trick of ALL!! The true way to achieving the most crisp, perfect striped lines with NO SEEPAGE under the tape is to “seal it”. It sounds harder than it is. After you’ve painted, use a brush to paint over the tape edge on the side you plan on painting the striped color (on my wall it was the dark color). READ: ***Don’t paint the edge of the tape that is staying the background color because you will get a line after the tape is removed.

Then “burnish” (push hard) the tape into the wall so it makes a good seal.

To help with remembering which side was which, I added a small piece of tape to the stripes that weren’t changing… the background color.

Then came the paint. I’m sure you know how to do that. No trick there…

Last and final tip…

Trick 4.

After the second coat of paint remove the tape. Yes, while the paint is still wet.

sorry for the mucky picture, it was late at night when I took these pictures.

And you’re done. Those are the 4 easy tricks + tips I have for painting stripes on walls.

Fairly manageable, right? So do you think you would try stripes now?

Have you ever seen the stripes I painted onto window curtain panels? They are still my most favorite curtain panel to date…

Anyway, let’s get back to my foyer. Want to see more pictures of the crisp, straight, and incredibly perfect lines?

And there you have it. The crispest lines you’ve ever seen and it was so easy. Are you ready to paint stripes on your walls? I’m thrilled with the result.

I have a few things I just ordered to finish up this space. Here’s a peak…

With the new gold gorgeousness, a.k.a. the new gold dresser, these new elements are going to be just right to finish up the space.

Once they arrive, I will share the big reveal. Until then, be sure to get your stripe on this weekend.

Where are you going to add stripes? Do you have stripes in your home already?

Foyer Progress + Painting Made Easy

Written by Jenna on September 18, 2013. Posted in DIY, Paint, product review. 38 Comments on Foyer Progress + Painting Made Easy

As of 9:00 last night, the painting of the walls + the stripes are done. Now that’s a big checkmark off my list!

I have one more element in the space that needs a last coat of paint, and then the painting part of the Foyer Remodel will be complete. A few styling magic tricks to follow and the space will be completely fresh and new.

Taking a step back though, I have to tell ya that the painting process wasn’t too grueling. Before venturing into a painting project, I’m always a little leery about how long it will really take. From removing everything in the space to spackling the holes to painting the edges to finally painting the main walls, it ends up being double the time than originally estimated. Plus I’m usually tuckered out over the days to follow from all the bending and lifting.

Thankfully the painting part for this project didn’t take long at all and it took exactly the amount of time that I estimated. Why? Because of a handy dandy tool that I used called the Paint Stick by HomeRight.

When I was at Haven during the middle of the Summer, HomeRight was one of the vendors. Since they have a wide-range of painting tools, I gravitated right in their direction. I was awestruck by the huge selection of paint sprayers, but then I saw the Paint Stick. A minute-long demo later sold me. I had to try it.

Once I had it in my home a few weeks later, I was psyched to get started.

The process of putting the Paint Stick together was fairly easy. Within about 2 minutes, the stick was in place and I was ready. One point I will mention is that the first time pulling up the inner tube, which draws up the paint, was difficult. I had to use some womanpower, and then got it! I initial thought I was doing it wrong and didn’t want to break anything, but it just needed some muscle.

Once I put the paint cover onto the paint can, I was ready.

BUT, before I could begin, I had some prep to do. The good ole’ prep work…

Since the main wall with the stencil was slightly raised, I gave the wall a quick overall sanding. The ‘before’ wall color was eggshell and the stencil design was the same color but in a high gloss finish. I was a little reluctant how the new paint would take on the high gloss and thought sanding over the design would cut down on the sheen, allowing the new paint to adhere better.

I spackled all the holes. Those dang holes. There were more than I thought.

Then painted all the edges and corners of the room. Instead of taping the ceiling and all the mouldings, I decided to just “cut-in” with an angled brush and I have to tell you, it was so much easier and the result is so much better. The usual steps I take are: tape, paint, remove tape, and do touchups. None of that was needed this time. My angled Purdy brush was awesome. I bought a new one for this project and it was $10 well spent and saved a ton of time.

At last, it was finally time to paint with the Paint Stick!

I stuck the Paint Stick onto the port of the cover and drew the paint up. I was ready…

And away I painted…

Bye Bye Stencil. It was nice knowing ya.

My new Greige color, Benjamin Moore Gallery Buff, is gorgeous and my new handy-dandy paint tool, the Paint Stick, made it easy!

Once the base color was done, I was able to start the stripes. Check out my tips + tricks for painting the perfect stripes.

My thoughts

Overall I thought the Paint Stick was a great product. It made the process of painting the main section of the walls a breeze. I only had to fill the PaintStick up twice for my entire foyer. It’s not a huge space, but a decent size. The up-and-down on a ladder when using a regular roller was eliminated and the bending over to reach the areas near the lower part of the wall wasn’t necessary. The other nice part of the Paint Stick is that the paint can be used directly from the can. There is no need for messy trays + there is no waste. How many times has someone stepped in paint and/or paint drips all over? Plus there is never a way to get all the leftovers from a tray back into the paint can.

I will say the cleaning up process wasn’t as easy as simply throwing away a liner and roller, but it wasn’t too bad. Overall it took about 15 minutes. I actually started cleaning the supplies without reading the directions – shame, shame on me – and it took much longer than it should have. If you follow these directions, it’s fairly simple!

Would I use it again?

You bet and I would suggest you try it too! You can pick one up at your local Lowe’s. When picking up the paint + supplies for this project, there was a huge display in the paint aisle.

So guess what… HomeRight is super great and is giving away (1) Paint Stick EZ-Twist to one of my fabulous followers. Want to make painting less daunting and have it take way less time than ever before? Then enter now >

This Giveaway is Over. Stephanie Whitacker is the official Winner. Please keep on the lookout for more giveaways coming up soon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: HomeRight has chosen to partner with me to share their products with you, my wonderful readers and followers. I was provided with product to review and was compensated for my time to use the products. No one told me what to create, what to buy, how to use the product, or what to write. All opinions are 100% mine!

Gone with the Beige. Hello Greige!

Written by Jenna on September 16, 2013. Posted in Paint. 17 Comments on Gone with the Beige. Hello Greige!

I hope you had a fantastic weekend! Did the early signs of Fall start creeping through in your neck of the woods? It did here in Upstate NY and we enjoyed the slight chill + sun by doing a Fall favorite, apple picking. All day yesterday I was baking away.

Aside from the outdoor fun, I also got my groove on with the foyer. I shared on Friday that my next room remodel is the foyer / entry / mudroom… In my home, all the same space. It’s not huge, but an inviting space that I wanted to give a new look. One of the most playful new elements in the room is the addition of wide horizontal stripes. But before the ‘wow’ factor could be added, a new fresh coat of pant was needed.

The ‘before’ space was a beige-y color (in eggshell) with a tone-on-tone (in gloss) stencil design on the main wall. As of late, I’ve been veering towards cooler colors and the beige hue was too orangey, especially next to the new blue walls of the office and the powder room. Instead of touching up the beige walls, I chose a new color that was a mix of gray + beige, known as greige!

For my walls, the depth of color didn’t change, but the tone certainly did. It was amazing painting over the beige because the new grayer hue (that has a tinge of blue/purple undertone in it) made the old color look very orange (something that I never realized before). It instantly works a lot better with the adjacent spaces.

I’m adoring greige hues because you really can’t go wrong. Whether a space has cooler or warmer tones, the ‘greige’ will go in that direction.

My advice: If you are wanting neutral, go with greige! While I’m in the midst of finishing up the walls + stripes, I thought I would share with you my Top 10 Favorite Greige Colors…

Colors Include:
1. Sherwin Williams Mega Greige
2. Valspar Woodrow Wilson Putty
3. Benjamin Moore Hazy Skies
4. Sherwin Williams Canvas Tan
5. Behr Granite Boulder
6. Glidden Martha Stewart Sharkey Gray
7. Benjamin Moore Gallery Buff (that’s my color!)
8. Valspar Bay Sands
9. Behr Mineral
10. Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige

All of these colors are a perfect mix of beige + gray = greige, but keep in mind when choosing the ideal hue for your space that every color has different undertones (red, blue, green, etc). The best step for choosing the right color for your space is to select a few samples and test them out. Don’t forget to try the same color on different walls and also look at them at different times during the day. As the light changes, the color will too.

Here are a few spaces with my favorite Greige Colors…

Valspar Woodrow Wilson Putty (interesting name…) on the walls of the living room by Bryn Alexandra

Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige on the walls of the dining room by 2 Vintage Sisters

Benjamin Moore Hazy Skies on the walls of the home of Kirsten Krason

Behr Granite Boulder on the walls of the dining room by Sappy Apple

Now that I’ve got my new greige paint color on the wall, I am ready to add the bold + dynamic stripes. More on that later this week + I’ll be sharing a new handy dandy tool that I just discovered to make painting a bit less daunting – Holla! In the meantime, enjoy and be inspired by the new greige colors I shared.

What is your favorite color greige? Do you have a greige wall in your home?

How-To Paint Laminate Furniture

Written by Jenna on August 30, 2012. Posted in DIY, Furniture, Paint, Paint Techniques, Paint Tools. 173 Comments on How-To Paint Laminate Furniture

I recently shared my newly styled bookshelves, but before I added all the colorful books and stylish accessories, I gave the bookcases a much needed makeover.

Since painting the space deep blue, the once faux-wood bookcases got lost in the dark hue of the walls, and they were ready for a transformation. A crisp, fresh coat of white was the perfect solution to make a statement.

I purchased these two bookcases from Walmart about 2 years ago. Each were around $100 and were not the best of quality (duh, look at the pricetag). Anyway, they fit the bill at the moment, but recently the shelves started to bow. Aside from the decision to paint the bookcases, I also needed to make a few updates so they would last a few more years – I’ll get to more on that later in the post.

Before starting the process of painting the laminate, I did a little research on the process and the first article I saw was Lindsay’s post when she transformed her TV cabinet. It was just what I needed to get me started.

Here’s the bookcase before…

To begin, I gave each bookcase a good sanding with my orbital sander (hands down, my favorite power tool). These bookcases are made of a particle board-like composite with a faux-wood laminate exterior. It was important NOT to sand too much because otherwise the surface would get ruined (since it’s essentially paper), but at the same time it was important to get them ‘roughed-up’ so the paint would absorb into the surface.

Then the next key step was to prime all the surfaces. Like usual, I used Kilz Primer which blocks, seals, and preps the surface for the paint to adhere to the surface. Primer is important, but especially when painting over laminate (as I described above). Unlike wood, laminate is a smooth, non-porous material, so it really needs something to ‘grab’ on to – primer will do the trick! It’s suggested that primer takes 7 days to completely dry – you can take that advice if you’d like, but I didn’t (shame, shame on me, I know). BUT, I did wait about 4 days before painting to really make sure the surface was good-to-go!

My good blogging friend, Diane, recently wrote a post on Gripper Paint. She uses the Glidden brand (Kilz brand has a similar product), and even though I haven’t tried it, this is another great product to use as a primer. The name says it all.

Sidetrack Steps…

At this point of the project, I made the decision to make a few much-needed updates to the structure and look of the bookcase. Instead of moving on to directly painting the bookcase, I decided to replace the shelves and the backing material.

As I mentioned before, the shelves were really bowing – alot – so I took a trip to my hardware store and had a long piece of 2×12 cut into lengths needed for new shelves.

And check out the back of the bookcase… UGLY! It was basically paper and when I started to paint the surface, it started warping even more. Once the decision was made to upgrade the back, I crumbled the paper-backing with one hand…

To fix the backing, I had a thin piece of plywood cut to size. Then the Mister and I flipped the bookcase onto it’s front and nailed the plywood to the perimeter of the bookcase back. (This step might seem difficult, but please be assured it wasn’t – this was probably one of the easiest steps throughout this project).

Now back on track…

After sanding, priming,and making a few updates, it was time to PAINT!

I used a brush for the corners and a roller for the flat surfaces. In certain areas, I used a brush first, then went over the same surface with the roller to achieve a smooth, stroke-less surface. Here’s the bookcase with the first coat of paint…

Here’s a tip. If the surface isn’t sanded or not sanded enough, then the paint will bubble (because it’s not adhering to the surface). Check this out…

This is a No-No!

I’ll be honest, these bookcases took about 3-4 coats until I felt they were fully covered. And even after they were dry to the surface, I didn’t put anything on the shelves for at least a week. Paint takes about 30 days to fully cure and with the heavy books and accessories sitting on them, the last thing I would want would be to have them ruined or peel!

And this is the result…

So refreshing! Then it was time to add the books and accessories.

And here’s a peak at how the bookcases look fully styled with books and accessories. You can check out more by viewing this post.

Painting laminate wasn’t difficult, but I did find it more time consuming than painting wood. To sum it up, the most important steps are to sand and prime all the surfaces before painting. If you were to skip the 2 steps, your paint would have nothing to adhere to and would most likely peel right off. Going into this project, I wasn’t sure of the result and if the paint would even stay since the surface was so smooth, but with the right preparation, I was thrilled with the outcome.

DIY Stair Makeover: REVEAL

Written by Jenna on June 14, 2012. Posted in DIY, Paint, Stain, Stair Makeover. 88 Comments on DIY Stair Makeover: REVEAL

The day has finally arrived for me to share the final reveal of my staircase makeover.

Alot of progress has been made since I announced and started this latest DIY endeavour only 3 weeks ago. It’s amazing how one change can totally impact the aesthetic of a space. As you know, my home is my experimental playground which is constantly work in progress, and this stair makeover has been an incredible update.

Take a look at the result…

And here is the progress that I’ve made from start to finish…

Amazing change, right?!

Since my last post where I left you off at the staining of the stair treads, I’ve been a non-stop painting machine! And actually, I’m still painting (which I’ll get to more in a bit). After the filling of the holes, the sanding of the wood, and the staining of the treads, it was time to paint the stair risers, the balusters, and the banister – and that’s what I’ll be sharing details about in this post.

In my last post, I left you off here…

So after that, it was time to prime!

Whenever I have a big painting job (like my kitchen makeover last summer), I always turn to Benjamin Moore as my go-to paint line. Their paints are of really high quality and it applies with an effortless manor. Since this project was pretty big, I immediately turned to them for assistance and they kindly donated the product for this project (Thanks BM – I love you)! Their Aura paint line is like no other and actually has a primer built-in (which is why my kitchen cabinets came out so great and still look as fabulous today). BUT, since I was working with a white hue, I thought it would be best to use an actual primer FIRST, then the Aura paint on top.

To start off, I first taped off all the areas that weren’t to be covered with the primer and that was basically just the newly stained treads and the surrounding walls.

Once everything was properly taped, it was time to apply one coat of Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Primer. I learned recently that the primer coat does not need to be a thick coat – a thin coat just to cover the wood surface is perfect. As long as your coating the wood, it’s blocking the stain from coming through and preparing the surface for the paint color.

All primed and ready for paint!

Once the primer was dry, which didn’t take long (the stairs were thirsty!), it was time for the 2 coats of Benjamin Moore Aura paint. For this project, I chose the color Snowfall White, which is essentially white, but has a slightly warmer hue (no blue undertones).

And of course I’m using my favorite Purdy Brushes 😉 (I wasn’t paid to say that – just sharin’ the love).

I mentioned that I applied 2 coats of paint, but in some areas a 3rd coat was needed. Thin layers of paint are better than thick, so 3-4 coats isn’t unlikely. It’s best to apply thinner coats than to end up with drips! If you do though (like me), continue to go over the drips with your brush. To avoid fast drying paint so you can fix those drips, it’s important to use a paint additive like Floetrol. Learn more about that from my post on Tips for Painting Furniture.

The painting around the balusters took a long time and it was the most grueling part, but honestly looking back, it wasn’t that bad and it’s done – YAY! Once I was finished with the white areas (the risers and the balusters), it was time to paint the newel post and banister. A few people thought I was crazy when I said I was going to paint the post and banister instead of staining it to match the treads, but I’m glad I stuck with the idea, because I love it!

I decided to use the same color as my kitchen cabinets which is Benjamin Moore Texas Leather. It was one of my all-time favorite colors and can be seen here and there throughout my home. Painting the post and railing gave the stairs a unique touch rather than a typical stained railing.

One itty bitty part that I didn’t mention above when painting the risers white was that there was a large gap at the edge where the treads and risers meet. When painting, I didn’t have to be perfect with the white paint because I knew I would be adding a small piece of cove moulding afterwards. Take a look…

I found the cove moulding at Lowe’s and it was about $2.50 for an 8′ long piece. It actually wasn’t wood and instead a plastic composite. (The wood version was $5+, so this less expensive version was just fine). At this point of the project, I dragged the Mister back in to help out. He measured the length of each tread and cut the cove moulding using a miter box.

Using Liquid Nails, we adhered the moulding to the tread/riser to cover the gap.

And Voila, the gap was hidden!

Once the paint was completely dry, the unveiling was about to begin a.k.a. the removal of the painters tape…

A little trick that I’ve learned along the way is to score the joint where the tape and the painted surface meet with a sharp razor.

This allows the tape to be easily removed and avoids the paint from coming off where it’s supposed to stick (see below where I didn’t score the joint).

Once the tape had all been removed, the stairs were basically done – not too bad right?!

And now it’s time for a ton of pictures (I hope you don’t mind)!

Looking from the front room into the foyer

Close up of the banister

The stenciled foyer wall looking into the front room

Psst… You probably didn’t realize, but check out all the mouldings in the foyer and front room – I painted them white too. YES, as I was painting the stairs, I just continued right around the room (+ the dining room and kitchen). Those oak mouldings had to go! My goodness, the house feels so much fresher now – more on that soon.

That’s a whole lotta dark wood and I love it 🙂

I definitely was apprehensive about removing the carpet from the stairs and risking the possibility that one of my young kiddos (or me) could fall – carpet has a lot more padding than hard wood. Thankfully this is my awesome solution…

Sisal Carpet Treads!

These carpet treads are perfect and I love them. The kind folks at Natural Area Rugs sent me these attractive woven sisal treads which have a cotton twill border and non-slip back. They’re ideal for giving the added protection for people walking up/down the stairs, plus they protect the actual stairs. After all that work, the last thing I’d want are scuffs and scrapes! But the beauty is that you can still see much of the stairs unlike a typical stair runner which covers the treads and risers.

The carpet treads have velcro on the back, so they easily attach to the stairs with a sticky back.

I’m ecstatic about this solution!

And it’s complete! What do you think? Have you ever considered giving your stairs a makeover? Thank you for following along over the past few weeks!

DIY: How To Paint Stripes and Product Review of U-Stripe It

Written by Jenna on February 21, 2012. Posted in Color, DIY, Paint, Paint Techniques, Paint Tools. 31 Comments on DIY: How To Paint Stripes and Product Review of U-Stripe It

Not too long ago I wrote an article for Build Direct on adding stripes into your decor. Ever since, I’ve had the longing urge to add stripes SOMEPLACE in my home. I recently made some new pillows for my family room and chose a fabric with stripes, but that wasn’t enough. I truly envisioned making a bold statement, but just wasn’t sure where. Until…

…I decided to makeover my son’s room which was a home goal of mine for 2012. It was the perfect spot to make dramatic focal wall with STRIPES!

We started off by taking apart his bunkbeds (which you can see in this post), so he now has two twin beds in his room. We removed the train table, which he was getting a little too old for (his words, not mine) and in the midst of furniture rearranging to create my new office space, I gave him one of the desks that I was no longer using. ‘This desk’ has been desperately waiting patiently for a makeover for a LONG TIME and now that it finally has a home, it’s time. {sigh}

Thankfully to my generous friends at U-Stripe It, they made my life alot easier to tackle my idea for adding stripes to the wall. Because the wall was already painted (Benjamin Moore – Puritan Gray), I was able to jump right in and start painting the stripes. For fun stripes, I used denim blue, rustic deep red, and crisp wintry white. There was no rhyme or reason to my stripe layout, but before I started, I sketched this quick drawing as a vision for what I wanted to create.

From U-Stripe It, I received everything I needed to create my stripes, including their handy-dandy Paint Tool, a roll of 3M Painters tape, two levels, and 3M Command Mounting Strips.

Once I was ready to start my stripes, I added the mounting strip to the back of the U-Stripe It Paint Tool, positioned it horizontally on the wall, and locked it in place.

I then added the painters tape along the edges of the tool and continued it across the wall.

In about 30 minutes, I had completed making my stripes on the wall…

…And I was ready to paint. {WARNING: these pictures aren’t so pretty since I was painting fairly late in the evening once the kiddos were asleep. And NO, I was NOT painting over my son’s head – he was fast asleep in another room}

Once the painting was complete, it was time to do the unveiling!

What a difference the room looks. A simply added touch, truly makes for a huge impact.

Over the two beds will be black and white pictures of my little boy (which I still have to do). I moved the vintage airplanes (which I purchased from Home Goods years ago) over the dresser instead of over his head (not a good place if one ended up snapping off the fishing line and falling on his head during the night). I also handmade a sign with his name and traits – this was probably the most difficult project I’ve ever created, but I kept with it and in the end, am really happy with the result. Lastly, the dresser he’s had for a few years and was purchased from Ikea.

There is still some work to be done on this room and I wouldn’t dare show you a picture of the current state that it’s in, but it’s coming along!

Stripes are such a fun and easy way to add some personality to a space. Have you painted stripes in your interiors?

Disclosure: I have a material connection because I received an item of nominal value from a company affiliated with a brand, topic and/or product that is mentioned herein, but all the content and opinions in this post are 100% mine!

Paint Tricks, Tips, and Techniques

Written by Jenna on October 24, 2011. Posted in Paint, Paint Techniques, Paint Tools. 20 Comments on Paint Tricks, Tips, and Techniques

I love PAINT! Whether it be regular paint, spray paint, or craft paint, paint can dramatically change and transform any room or piece of furniture. With my many painting endeavours, I have learned a few TIPS + TRICKS along the way, and now I want to share them with YOU!

TIP 1

There is never a time when youâ€™re painting that youâ€™ll be done with the brush or roller after your first coat. Either you need to take a break OR you are waiting for the paint to dry.

Before I discovered this all-time favorite paint trick, I washed my brush/roller with water EVERY TIME to avoid it from hardening. Then the next time I went to use the brush/roller, it was often still water logged and would make the paint runny – NOT GOOD! So hereâ€™s the trick (Itâ€™s SOOO easy) ~

1. Take a grocery store plastic bag
2. Put your brush or roller in the inside corner of the bag
3. Grab it from the outside and Twist
4. Secure it with a rubberband, clip, or simply twist it around and lay something on it.

Basically, you DO NOT want air getting to the brush, or it will harden.

NO JOKE â€“ – I use this trick EVERY TIME. Iâ€™ve had brushes stay in bags for weeks when I havenâ€™t gotten around to doing my final touch -ups (I know, crazy?!).

TIP 2

Another one of my favorite painting tricks is to use this formula to create a smooth and even painted finish.

This “magic potion”, Flood Floetrol, is a paint additive that will create a smooth, even finish, free of brush or roller strokes. I used it for the first time during my Kitchen Makeover and the results were amazing. And better yet, it’s less than $10 a bottle (depending on the size). I use this every time I paint.

TIP 3

One pet peeve of mine is buying something, only to discard it within a short amount of time. If it can be avoided, I’m all for it! Buying paint liners is a huge waste of money, but it’s easier than cleaning or throwing away a paint tray, right? Well here is a solution instead of wasting your hard earned money on paint liners – Use foil. It’s that easy! Line your paint tray with foil and throw it away when you’re done. This trick comes in especially handy when using multiple colors and changing paints often.

TIP 4

After you’ve poured your paint into your foil-lined paint tray, it’s typical for leftover paint (in a can) to get stuck in the rim. Then when you try to seal the lid, it splatters all over you and you’re left with an unsealed can, resulting in possible hardening. Here’s an easy trick! Wrap a paper towel around a screwdriver and clean around the rim of the can. The paper towel will soak up the leftover paint and you will be splatter free!

After Post Edit: Sandra of Sawdusts and Paperscraps just added a great painting tip that goes right along with cleaning the rim. She punches holes in the rim with a nail to allow the paint to drip back into the can. With that tip and the one above, there definitely shouldn’t be any leftover paint in the rim to achieve a perfectly sealed can!

TIP 5

Applying paint can sometimes be tricky, especially if your a first-timer. Using the “W” or “M” technique, along with a good quality roller, will result in an even, smooth finish.

Cover your roller with a good amount of paint and starting from the bottom, make a long stroke up.
Then come down with your roller.
Continue your “M” pattern along the wall and fill in the area in between rolling from left to right until the area is completely covered.

> Use a quality brush and roller: DONâ€™T bother buying the â€œall-inclusiveâ€ paint packages. Use a roller that is best suited for your project (see above for options)! A ~~cheap~~ inexpensive roller wonâ€™t hold as much paint and itâ€™ll take you double the time to complete the job.

TIP 6

And last but not least, winter is right around the corner and within a few weeks the freezing temps will be setting in. Avoid the mistake I made last year and be sure to bring all your paints indoors, otherwise they will freeze. Paint should always be kept at room temperature!

I hope you’ve found these tips enjoyable + helpful to make your next painting experience a little easier!

DIY: Cabinet Makeover with Glaze Overlay

Written by Jenna on June 19, 2011. Posted in DIY, Paint, Paint Techniques.

Last week I shared my latest DIY: How-to Stencil project where I transformed one of the walls in my foyer.

Did you happen to notice the cabinet in the pictures?

It’s new. Well not really “new” in the sense of just bought, but new to the place it now sits. AND it just got a huge makeover!

This cabinet is about 40 years old. My mom had it for about the first 35 years and I’ve had it for the last 5 (it’s had quite the life so far). On a random day, a few weeks ago, the cabinet was looking quite sad, so I said, “let’s give you a makeover”! And I did!!

To step back in time, this is how she looked before ~

Quite sad and in need of some L-O-V-E!

Here’s how I made her over

1. I’m often known to be a bit lazy and skip over steps, but after learning my lessons from other projects, this time I used a PRIMER!!

KILZ Premium Primer, Sealer, Stainblocker was what I turned to for this project. It blocks heavy stains from showing through the paint (especially since the new color was light).

2. I applied the one coat of Primer using a good quality synthetic brush, then painted the cabinet with an off-white color.

Need help finding the right brush for your paint project? Check out {this} post.

3. To cover this dark cabinet, I had to used 3 coats. The 3rd wasn’t really necessary, but I wanted to make sure it was completely sealed and covered!

At this point, I thought I was done. Just like a woman with a much-needed dye job, I had transformed this old cabinet into a new beauty. But she was looking a little bland…she really needed highlights.

Yes, that would be the trick to make her fabulous!

After much thought, I decided to use a glaze overlay. I had never before attempted a glaze, so I really didn’t know what I was doing. I thought I needed a special product for glaze, but I was wrong….

4. Here’s the glaze effect on the right and the plain painted door on the left.

How-to Glaze Furniture

5. Using the brown paint from my fireplace (Benjamin Moore Chocolate), I diluted it with water ~ about 3 parts water to 1 part paint. Taking a dry brush, I lightly applied the watered down paint onto the cabinet. (This must be done in SMALL SECTIONS because you need to move quickly). Then using a paper towel (or rag), I wiped away the paint and what’s left was a lightly covered brown glaze.

* Note: It’s important to wipe the paper towel / rag in one direction (preferably in the direction of the grain).

Here is a closeup of the glazed cabinet~

6. Once the entire piece of furniture is glazed, you may want to go back and add a little more detail at the edges with a smaller paint brush.

With the addition of new hardware, she now sits beautifully in my foyer

Some colorful Spring accessories complete the look

Do you like glaze over a cabinet to give a distressed look? Have you ever glazed a cabinet before? If so, what technique did you use?

DIY: How to Stencil & Review of Cutting Edge Stencils

Written by Jenna on June 17, 2011. Posted in DIY, Paint. 24 Comments on DIY: How to Stencil & Review of Cutting Edge Stencils

Sometimes (actually most of the time) going into a project, I never know what the result will be. Because most of my projects are real experiments – – that’s why I call my home, My Experimental Playground – – I’m always a little scared “in the moment” anticipating a complete fail (which there have been many). WELL… the result of my latest project was surprisingly amazing.

I LOVE IT (now)! Yet, during the process, was a complete different story….

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about my love for stenciling and how it’s the new “wallpaper”. In that post I made mention of a company, Cutting Edge Stencils, that offers gorgeous, stylish stencil designs. I got in contact with them, and they graciously sent me my design of choice, which was the Trellis Allover Stencil, along with all the materials needed for me to try it out and share my results with you!

I chose to use the stencil on one of the prominent walls in my foyer. The overall wall color in the room is Benjamin Moore Lenox Tan in a flat finish. For the stencil, I decided to also use Lenox Tan but in a hi-gloss finish. My thought was this contrast of sheen would give a subtle, but dramatic appearance (and it does)!

So before I share the steps…..

Don’t skip over reading this

The most important part of stenciling is to use the RIGHT materials! These stenciling instructions are a must to read beforehand – – they are very detailed and will give you ideas of the exact tools you will need.

And the most important TOOL to use is a roller foam with an ultra smooth finish. It has very minimal nap and will give you the best result. This is KEY to a successful stenciling result. SO PLEASE USE THE RIGHT TOOLS!

So let’s get started….

Here is a before picture of the wall…. okay, but kind of boring ~

You will need ~

Stencil(s)
Sample board (Small Wall, poster board, cardboard, or even a pizza box to test out your colors)
Latex or acrylic paint
Dense foam roller with rounded ends or a stencil brush
Painter’s Tape
Paper Towels or rag

Note: I stenciled over an existing painted wall, but if you just painted your wall let it dry for 24+ hours before stenciling

1. Clean off the entire wall – remove all items including nails / screws, so the stencil can lay flat.

2. Starting in the corner, lay the stencil on the wall and tape the stencil to the wall with painter’s tape.

3. Using the innovative clip-on Stencil Level (which is included), check that the pattern is level.

4. Pour a small amount of paint on a plate or in a painter’s tray. Roll it back and forth a few times.

5. Then roll it on a paper towel to get most of the paint off. Your roller should have no visible paint left ~ it should look almost dry. Less paint is better to avoid seepage under the stencil.

6. Using a light to medium pressure, roll the paint over the stencil. I lifted the corner edge to sneak-a-peak and noticed that the first coat wasn’t covering enough, so I ended up using two coats (READ BELOW on how to avoid using 2 COATS). I let the paint dry about 5 minutes between coats.

(this is a picture my son took of me while painting – he did pretty good, right?!)

7. Once the section is done, remove the stencil and reposition the stencil right below the finished print. Use the parts of the design to realign your stencil. And don’t forget to make sure it’s level!

Finish the rest of the wall and you’re done!

Overall, I am very happy with the result, BUT I have to say it does take some time to get used to. I tackled one wall, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for a whole room or ceiling. Check out {these} projects by other bloggers. Since I’ve previously tackled wallpaper AND now, stenciling, I would say stenciling is a wee-bit easier. The result is a little more forgiving.

An important note I want to share: I used Behr paint….BIG MISTAKE. I’m not really a fan of Behr paint (sorry, Behr), because it dries too quickly and then removes the paint from the wall. I ended up having to use Behr because they were the only company who had a hi-gloss finish and could color match the Benjamin Moore Lenox Tan. So here was the problem ~ At times during the stenciling, the paint was peeling off the stencil and getting onto the wall. I spoke with Cutting Edge Stencil about this problem and they never had that happen before. SO that confirms that it was the paint that was the issue. To avoid this issue….

They recommend using:
Benjamin Moore Aura – It’s more opaque and usually gives great coverage in just one coat

Again, the result is subtle, but dramatic. Depending on where you stand and the amount of sun light filtering in throughout the day, the overall look changes.

Even though Cutting Edge Stencils sent me their product for review, I am giving my 100% honest opinion that they have a great product! Stenciling is not just roosters and flowers anymore. They have truly taken their designs to the next level to enhance the overall look and feel of a space. Here are a few others that I love:

Moroccan Dream Stencil

Nadya Damask SM scale

Vision Allover Stencil

AND it gets better…

Cutting Edge Stencil is offering a GIVEAWAY! But, you’ll have to wait till next week to enter. Head back to SAS Interiors next Thursday during my Summer Spaces Link Party for the Blogger Block Party and learn more about what Cutting Edge Stencil wants you to have!!