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How to Pick the Right Sheen and Types of Paint

Types of Paint and Sheen | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Pick the Right Sheen and Paint Type | Pretty Handy Girl

Welcome to Paint Week everyone! This week we’ll be giving you the best tips and tricks for painting your home and beyond. Yesterday we learned How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color!

Paint Week - 5 Lessons to Perfect Your Painting Skills

If you missed any of paint week, here’s the recap:

You finally decided on a paint color, but now you are utterly confused by all the types of paint available in the hardware store. How do you know which paint to use for your specific project? Picking the right paint the first time will save you the hassle of having to repaint in a year or two. Today, I’ll be covering How to Pick the Right Sheen and Types of Paint.

Sheen:

The sheen refers to the shine reflected off the paint when it is dry.

Paint Sheens | Pretty Handy Girl

  • Flat – No reflection. Flat paint is perfect for ceilings where you want the color to be smooth and flat. The ceiling is the only place I recommend using a flat paint. If painted on a wall, the flat paint will show dirt and finger prints very easily and it is much harder to clean without leaving a mark.
  • Eggshell – One step above flat, this paint is a little easier to clean, but it also has very little reflection. If you have uneven or textured walls, eggshell paint will show less imperfections. Eggshell is a good choice for a bedroom or living room, but if you have kids I recommend moving on to a satin finish.
  • Satin – This is your middle of the road sheen. It has a very slight reflection. Satin is relatively easy to clean for an occasional mark or finger prints. It is an excellent choice for any wall in your home. Satin can also be used on trim and moulding, as long as you opt for a higher quality paint.
  • Semi-gloss – True to the name, this paint has a slightly glossy appearance and does have a reflection. Typically this paint is reserved for trim, doors, or wet locations like a bathroom or laundry room. It is also an excellent choice for furniture and cabinets because it can be wiped off easily.
  • Gloss – A high shine makes this paint durable and easy to clean. Gloss is typically reserved for windows, doorways, trim and furniture. Once dry, this paint is resistant to dirt, grease and grime. However, if you have any imperfections, gloss paint will accentuate them.

Types of paint: Read more

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How to Pick the Perfect Paint Color

how-to-pick-paint-colors

how-to-pick-paint-colors

After painting every room in two houses (trim, windows and doors included), I’ve amassed a bunch of tips and tricks for achieving the perfect paint job. This week will be devoted exclusively to painting your home. Five Days with five different lessons to help you perfect your painting skills. Ready to jump into this (into the lesson, not the paint, that is.)

Paint Week - 5 Lessons to Perfect Your Painting Skills

If you missed any of paint week, here’s the recap:

 

Grab your white pants and painter’s caps and join me today to learn how to pick the perfect paint color!

Choosing paint colors can be a daunting task. Looking at small paint chips at your local paint store can be a bit overwhelming. Especially because there are so many colors to choose from! (That can be a good thing too, in my opinion.) I can’t tell you how many times I picked up a few paint swatches of what I considered to be the perfect color, only to get home and wonder, “Who the heck picked out these ugly colors?” That’s because a color will look different in your home compared to that evenly lit display at the store.

You may think that the difference happens based on what light bulbs you use. That is one factor, but there are other factors at play. Do you have windows in your room? What direction do they face? Do you have a lot of trees outside? What season is it? Believe it or not, the light that is being reflected from outside your window will change the color on your walls. If you have a lot of leafy green trees, this will cast a green hue on your walls. Or if you live ocean side with a beautiful view of the water (you lucky duck) this can change your wall colors too. For the same reason, if you are picking a color in the winter and it’s stark white outside, know that when the trees fill out your color will look very different. This is why I rarely choose a paint color in the winter. 3/4 of the year we have lots of foliage on our trees.

With all these factors at play, it may seem impossible to choose a color. Rest assured, I have a sure fire way to choose a paint color you will love!

1. Pick Colors that are Less Bold

Almost every time I pick a color that I think looks amazing in person, when it’s enlarged to cover an entire wall, it ends up being too bold. For that reason, I know to chose paint swatches that are more muted. They may look dull on the chip, but in mass it will look more pleasing to the eye.

Seaside Theme Bathroom Refresh #LowesCreator | Pretty Handy Girl

2. Create Larger Paint Chips. Looking at tiny paint chips won’t help you conceptualize that color over the entire wall. Making large paint swatches using foam board and sample paints is easy and can save you time when choosing the ideal paint color. I put together this short video to show you how I helped the school librarian select a paint color for the school library. Read more

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Dress Up a Plain Tote with Piping

Make Piping Out of Thrift Store Finds | Pretty Handy Girl

Piped Tote Bag Tutorial | Pretty Handy Girl

Welcome back to Tote Week! If you’re just joining in here’s the line up:

 

If you’re short on time (or don’t have a sewing machine), there’s nothing wrong with cheating a little.

Tote Week | Pretty Handy Girl

Today I want to show you a great way to add some character to a store bought tote bag. You can dress up a plain tote bag with piping. I purchased canvas tote bags at Michael’s for a few dollars. You can purchase piping or make your own easily (if you have a sewing machine.) If you don’t own a sewing machine, purchase pre-made piping and buy some double stick hem tape or hot glue to secure the piping instead of sewing it on.

Piped Tote Bag Tutorial

Materials:

Piped Tote Bag Tutorial | Pretty Handy Girl

  • Tote bag
  • Scissors
  • Piping (tutorial to make your own piping)
  • Fabric
  • Rope
  • Thread
  • Needle
  • Sewing machine (use hot glue or double stick hem tape if you don’t have a sewing machine)

Instructions:

Start by making your piping. Be sure to make enough to line the rim of your tote bag and overlap by at least 2 inches.

Piped Tote Bag Tutorial | Pretty Handy Girl

If your tote bag handles are sewn to the inside of the bag, rip the top seam off to free the handles from the top edge of the tote bag.

Piped Tote Bag Tutorial | Pretty Handy Girl

Begin pinning your piping around the inside of the top edge of the bag. Fold the raw edge over and between the bag and the piping as shown below:

Piped Tote Bag Tutorial | Pretty Handy Girl

Overlap the edges of the piping in an inconspicuous spot (near a back handle.) Read more

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Faux Aged Metal Pulley

Faux Aged Metal Pulley | Pretty Handy Girl

Faux Aged Metal Pulley | Pretty Handy Girl

Do you love rustic metal pulleys, but don’t like the hefty price tag? Wouldn’t you rather have a rustic metal pulley for less than $5? Ah, I have a secret. That beautiful rustic metal pulley above is actually:

Faux Metal Pulley | Pretty Handy Girl

Plastic! Ready to see how I secretly transformed that black plastic pulley into a gorgeous faux aged metal pulley?

Faux Aged Metal Pulley | Pretty Handy Girl

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.)

Faux Metal Pulley | Pretty Handy Girl

Instructions:

Paint Metal Primer onto the plastic pulley. Read more

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DIY Produce Rack

diy-produce-rack

Hey everyone!  It’s Katie from Addicted 2 DIY again!  I’ve got a great project to share with you all to store your summer bounty.  I’ve been looking for a way to store fresh produce for a while.  It was driving me crazy storing everything on my kitchen counter or having it get lost in the pantry.  Forgotten potatoes start to smell pretty bad after a while.  I stumbled across some adorable wire baskets in the Target dollar spot a few months ago for only $3 apiece!  At that price, I bought several and figured I’d find some way to use them.  I thought they would be perfect to store fruit and vegetables, so I built this simple DIY produce rack using some scrap wood in the garage.

Supplies:

  • 1 – 1×6 @ 6′ long
  • 1 – 1×4 @ 8′ long
  • 2 – 5 gallon paint sticks
  • miter saw
  • staple gun
  • 3/4″ staples
  • wood glue
  • wood stain
  • chalk paint
  • adhesive vinyl
  • Farmer’s Market Silhouette cut file
  • wire baskets
  • screw eyes
  • drywall anchors and screws (I used 75lb anchors)
  • D-ring picture hangers

Cut the 1×6 into two 31″ pieces and the 1×4 into one 31″ piece.  Cut the paint sticks in half.

supplies-for-produce-rack

Glue and nail the paint sticks to the back of the boards using 3/4″ staples.  You can also use a brad nailer and 5/8″ brad nails if you don’t have a staple gun.

staple-paint-sticks-to-wood

For a weathered finish, stain the boards with a dark stain and then dry brushed chalk paint onto the wood until satisfied with the look. Allow the stain to dry overnight and then you can dry brush it the next day.

stain-produce-rack

To dry brush, add a tiny amount of paint to your paint brush and dab the excess off onto a paper towel, then brush it in even strokes on your wood.  It is a great technique to make your new wood look decades old. Read more

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