Painting & Antiquing Techniques Archives - Page 12 of 33

bathroom, Beach, Before and After, board and batten, chalk paint, Home Tour, install cabinet knobs, moulding, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, ReNew, renovation

Boy’s Bathroom Refresh {#LowesCreator Project}

Seaside Theme Bathroom Refresh #LowesCreator | Pretty Handy Girl

You know those projects that you complete 80% of the room and think to yourself, “This is good for now. I’ll do the rest in a day or two.” Yup, the boy’s bathroom was one such 80 percenter. I finally took the time to finish the last 20 percent of this bathroom makeover by giving it a refresh with some paint and new knobs.

The bathroom used to look like this:

But, before that, it looked like this:

I find it comical that I took an underwater themed bathroom and gave it a seaside retreat feel. I guess you could say I pulled this big whopper from within the ocean and laid it out on the beach. LOL.

Let’s break it down now. Here’s how to paint a bathroom vanity so it will withstand the abuse of two young boys: Read more

June 2, 2014/45 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

arts and craft, bedroom, Build It, Chalkboard paint, desk, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, priming, Trash to Treasure, Tutorial

How to Make a Chalkboard Surface Desk

As part of the makeover of my son’s bedroom, I wanted to create a fun chalkboard desk surface for him to write and build legos on. The idea of a chalkboard coated surface came to me when I remembered how much he liked the mini-chalkboard decals that used to be on his room wall.

Creating a chalkboard surface on any desk or flat surface couldn’t be easier with the right tools. Here’s how you can create your own chalkboard desk!

Materials:

3M fine grit sanding block
Valspar High-Hiding Primer tinted gray
Rustoleum chalkboard paint
2″ paint brush
Foam brush
Small craft paintbrush
Desk surface (I used pre-cut finish grade plywood)
ScotchBlue painter’s Tape
General Finishes Water-based sealer (or satin Minwax Polycrylic)

Instructions:

Begin by lightly sanding your desktop with the sanding block. Wipe any dust off with a damp rag.

Paint one coat of primer on your desktop surface. (A little note about my primer: I asked the Lowe’s paint department to tint it as dark as they could with black colorant. This helps when you are painting over the primer with a dark color.)

After the primer has dried, create a border on your desktop with painter’s tape. Press the edges down firmly with your fingers. Paint one coat of chalkboard paint with the paint brush. Brush the paint in one direction. Let that layer dry. Repeat with a second coat brushing across the original strokes (i.e. vertical then horizontal.) Read more

May 16, 2014/3 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Bed, bedroom, Build It, DIY, Furniture, Kids Room, Ladder, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, stain

A Blue Loft Bed for My Son

Guys and Gals, I am here today to tell you that you can build a loft bed for your child! However, unlike most of the tutorials you find on my site, building this loft bed is not one of them. Instead, loads of gratitude goes to Ana White and her fabulous plans for building a loft bed. You can follow her plans for the build. I assure you, they are detailed and easy to follow.

The only modification I made to the plans was to move the ladder to the foot of the bed instead of the side. What I will show you is how to color stain the bed blue in two simple steps. I’m absolutely in love with the Minwax Express Color wiping stains. They go on super easily, and clean up is a snap with soap and water. Then you seal it as easily as you stained it. Coolest product EVER!

(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.)

Materials:

Read more

May 9, 2014/6 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

chalk paint, Decor Adventures, graphic letters and numbers, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Sharpie Stencil, Trash to Treasure, Upcycling

How to Make an Old Sign from a Foot Board

One project I really wanted to make was an old wooden-looking sign. I hoped to stumble upon a salvaged piece or something found. Lucky enough, I happened to find a foot board from a bed right down the street. It was the perfect shape to make into a sign. When someone throws something out, I usually take it for a project! With some paint and lettering, you can make this or any piece into an old sign. Here’s how!

Materials

Foot board – You could pick one up at a thrift or salvage store for only a few dollars
Sand paper
TSP
Chalk paint or regular paint
Paint brush
Sealant like wax or polycrylic
Printer and paper
Scissors, tape, ballpoint pen

Instructions:

This was the foot board I scored on the curb. It had a perfectly rounded top with molding on it and had the shape of an antique sign. I remember seeing one like this at Ballard Designs that sells for hundreds of dollars. Since I had all the supplies for this, it cost me nothing! The legs were really neat, but we ended up cutting them off to make this a sign. I thought it would look better that way. Who knows, maybe I’ll make something else out of the legs?

Lightly sand down the foot board and clean it with TSP. This will prep it for painting and take off any dirt.

An Easy Way to Add Color to a Dresser {Lowe’s Creative Idea}

Easy Added Color to a Dresser | Pretty Handy Girl

Adding color to dresser drawers is definitely an easy way to add a pop of color to an otherwise boring piece of furniture. Add some new knobs and your dresser will look like a new piece of furniture! (Tutorial for creating custom knobs coming soon.)

You could say that I finally got that Kick in the Pants I needed to start working on my son’s room. One makeover I had in mind was giving his dresser a pop of color. The top and sides of the dresser were in great shape and it has a tough laminate top. Instead of painting the entire dresser, I decided to paint only the drawers because — knowing my little guy — he would have it scratched up in no time.

Materials:

Pencil
Sanding block
Damp rag
Screwdriver
Primer
Paint brushes
3 Valspar Sample paints {white, red and match Symphony Blue by Benjamin Moore}
Optional: ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape

Instructions:

Start by removing clothing from the drawers. Then firmly pull the drawers all the way out. Some drawers have a clip at the end, just pull straight toward you. Others may require you to lift up on the front to release the drawers from the track. Mark the inside of the drawer so you know which slot to return it to.