Before and After Archives - Page 7 of 25

Lowe’s Spring Makeover Plans

Lowe's Spring Makeover | Pretty Handy Girl

I’m super amped to give you an update on the Lowe’s Spring Makeover plans. If you recall, Lowe’s was partnering with these ~~bloggers~~ heroes to come to the rescue of a few homeowners:

We received several applications from these cities that were deemed the top ten hardest hit by the winter of 2014:

Boston, MA
Buffalo, New York
Detroit, Michigan
Hartford, Connecticut
Louisville, Kentucky
Nashville, Tennessee
Newark, New Jersey
New York City
Portland, Maine
Providence, Rhode Island

I was assigned to one city. Wading through all the applications was tough, but ultimately one family stood out.

This sweet family recently moved to the Northeast and was hit by one of the most brutal winters on record. If the weather wasn’t enough to freeze their emotions, having one of their little toddlers hospitalized and losing a loved one certainly crushed their spirits.

When the snow finally melted they were left with this: Read more

May 11, 2015/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Aged, antiques, Before and After, dining room, distressing, faux finish, Furniture, Glaze, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques

Aging and Antiquing Furniture Legs

Aging and Antiquing Furniture | Pretty Handy Girl

Aging and antiquing furniture legs is an easy task if you want to fake age on a table or chairs. With some stain, paint and glaze you can fool most people into believing that your new furniture is an antique.

There are many ways to age and antique furniture. This tutorial will show you my favorite technique for table and chair legs.

If you’re just stumbling upon this post, I shared the tutorial for building a table last week. The table legs I used are the rope twist legs from Osborne Wood Products. I worked with Osborne Wood Products and custom designed the legs, so you won’t find them anywhere else. I do think they should have named them the “Brittany” legs or “Pretty Handy Legs.” LOL. I’m just excited that they provided me with a set for my table at no charge. 😉

This tutorial works best with unfinished wood, but you can skip the staining step if you have pre-finished furniture.

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Furniture
Minwax Early American Wood Stain
White Chalky Paint (I used Farmhouse Paint)
Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint (Linen)
Modern Masters Tintable Glaze
Modern Masters Van Dyke Brown
Modern Masters Coffee Bean
Rag
Paintbrush
Sander
Sanding discs
Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Wax

Instructions:

Stain your furniture leg with the dark stain. Follow up with a second coat if you desire. Allow the stain to dry.

Paint the legs with white chalky paint. Add a second coat if you need more coverage.

Mix up the Miss Mustard Seed Milk Linen colored paint and brush on a layer of milk paint on top of the white paint. (For more variety, you could use a contrasting color instead of linen.) Read more

April 29, 2015/7 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Before and After, bloggers, cabinet, chalk paint, Closet renovation, Contributor, DIY, DIY tools, DIYCourage, Do It Yourself, Home Decor, Home Office, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, renovation, Spray paint metal, storage, Upcycling

File Cabinet Makeover Using Chalk Paint

Hey there everyone! I’m working in my craft room to give it a major overhaul and make it a much more functional and creative space. It also doubles as an office that I share with my husband. It’s not always the easiest thing to do, partly because of a lack of organization. One of the biggest projects we’re taking on is completely making over the closet. I’ve already replaced the closet doors with curtains and I love how much easier it has made it to get to things in the closet.

File Cabinet Makeover Using Chalk Paint

This file cabinet is one of the things that goes in that closet. When we finish making over the closet, it will be moved to a more prominent location that will be more visible, especially if the curtains are left open. Because of that, I decided that the boring beige color had to go and I gave it a quick and SUPER cheap makeover!

Here’s what you’ll need to do this project yourself!

File Cabinet Makeover Using Chalk Paint Materials:

Paint Sprayer or paint brushes
2 – sample sized containers of paint (I used Valspar Cut Ruby)
1 – container BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder
1 – container BB Frösch Premium Finishing Wax (clear)
1 – wax brush or lint free wax cloth

File Cabinet Makeover Using Chalk Paint Instructions:

Unless you plan on painting it, you want to remove all of the hardware off of your file cabinet. I wasn’t quite sure how this would go, but it was extremely easy to remove everything. Just a couple of bolts and I was pretty much done!

To protect the inside of the cabinet from overspray or paint dripping through, cover all of the holes from the inside using masking or painter’s tape.

Time to mix your chalk paint. What I love so much about BB Frösch Chalk Paint Powder is that there’s virtually no waste. You mix as you go. I like using the sample-sized paint containers because they’re cheap and if it’s a project where I’m not sure how much paint I’ll need, at least I know I won’t go way over by buying a quart. The other amazing thing is that there’s virtually no prep work.

Wipe down the file cabinet with a wet cloth and that is it!

If you choose to paint your cabinet using a roller or paint brush, you can get started from this point. If you plan to use a paint sprayer, you’ll need to prep the paint. First and foremost, strain your paint! Lowe’s sells little cone paint strainers (they look like coffee filters) for $.98 a four pack. Once your paint is strained, you need to thin it with water. The HomeRight paint sprayer that I use comes with everything you need to do this, plus great instructions. Read more

April 22, 2015/6 Comments/by Addicted 2 DIY

Before and After, Fix It, laundry room, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, spray paint, Spray paint metal, Trash to Treasure

How to Refinish Scratched & Rusted Appliances

How to Refinish Rusted & Scratched Appliances | Pretty Handy Girl

Do you have an appliance that has scratches and/or rust spots? Unfortunately over time the rust will get worse if you don’t deal with it.

Today I want to show you how to refinish scratched and rusted appliances so you can extend the life of your appliances and make them look almost like new again.

Before you get ready to tackle this project, you’ll need to order spray paint specifically for your appliance. If your brand doesn’t carry a touch up spray paint you can try the universal spray paint by Rustoleum. Or buy the liquid touch up paint and only paint the rust spots.

Be aware that all white paint is not the same color. However, typically the colors are usually the same within a specific brand. (i.e. All Whirlpool white appliances are painted with the same white.)

Materials:

Whirlpool Appliance Spray Paint White
GE Brand Touch Up Paints
Maytag Brand Touch Up Paints
Universal Appliance White: Rust-Oleum Appliance Enamel Spray Paint – White
Painter’s Tape
Saran Wrap
Cardboard or newspaper
3M Respirator with Valve
220 grit sandpaper
Rust-Oleum Spray Paint, 12-Ounce, Clear
Fan

Instructions:

Begin by sanding any rust spots down to the metal. Sand the entire surface lightly to minimize scratches.

Fold the sandpaper in half to get into grooves and tight spots.

Vacuum up any sanding dust and dirt.

Use a clean damp cloth to wipe any additional dust off your appliance.

If you can drag your appliance outside, that’s the best way to spray paint it. But, if you can’t, you can mask off an area around your appliance with cardboard and newspaper. You can also use saran wrap to mask off tricky areas.

If you are working inside, crack a window and open a door. Use a fan to pull air away from your work area. Send the kids and pets outside if you are painting indoors.

Put the respirator mask on. Spray the appliance with the spray paint. Use back and forth strokes that extend off the appliance and onto the masked area. If you stop at the edge you’ll have puddles of paint. A light coat is all you need for your first coat. Read more

April 6, 2015/8 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

accessories, Aged, art, arts and craft, Before and After, Books as decor, Centerpieces, decor, Decorating, Falling in Love with Your Home, framing, Home Decor, vase, vignettes

Love Your Home Challenge

Spring Foyer Vignette | Pretty Handy Girl

My blogging friend Melissa Michaels just published a wonderful new book to help you “Love the Home You Have.” She focuses on simple things you can do to embrace the home you live in. With easy suggestions and achievable goals, she breaks down all the barriers you have when it comes to truly loving your home.

To help Melissa promote the book, I agreed to take on a quick little Love Your Home Challenge. Her book has 31 Small Challenges to help you love your home again. Each one is simple, quick and easy.

I decided to focus my efforts on our foyer. I still loved the little rustic IKEA hack chest, but the mirror was a little to drab. I’d been staring at the pussy willows all winter and needed an infusion of color.

Originally, I chose to work with the Day 30 suggestion to Paint Something. I removed the mirror and within 30 minutes I painted the wood slats with white chalk paint. Then I used some patina Rub ‘n Buff to give the edges an aged metal look.

Much better.

To continue adding some cheer to the foyer, I incorporated the Day 11 Challenge by Adding Fresh Flowers.

I didn’t spend a dime on my flowers or vase. The red bud branches were clipped from our tree. And I slipped a mason jar into the boot for a fun and quirky vase. I think it’s a nod to the saying, “April Showers Bring May Flowers.”

A small collected birds nest and feathers add an additional nod to springtime.

I also painted an old frame with blue chalk paint and popped a piece of scrapbook paper into the frame for instant art.

My total cost was $0! I can honestly say that seeing this springtime foyer vignette has made me happy.

Within an hour, I was able to love this corner again. What can you do for $0 in your home? Read more

March 31, 2015/18 Comments/by Brittany Bailey