Painting & Antiquing Techniques Archives - Page 11 of 33

Facelift for a Knotty Pine Dresser | Pretty Handy Girl

You know you’ve seen those knotty pine dressers from yesteryear. Their spotlight has faded and they are finding themselves at thrift shops, ReStores or worse yet…at the curb.

I’m begging you to let this knotty eyesore back into your home. It doesn’t have to be banished. It’s KNOT her fault she was built from cheap pine. All this dresser needs is a new coat of paint and some beautiful brass knobs and all her flaws and knots will be forgotten.

Extra observant points to anyone who realized that this blogger forgot to take a good before picture! She looked very similar to the knotty pine dresser shown above, except she had wooden circle knobs and an unfortunate set of bun feet. I did remove the bun feet from the dresser when I first brought it home. Mama ain’t got no need for buns in this oven (or on my dresser.)

Here are the details on how to refinish a knotty pine dresser and give it a complete makeover!

Materials:

Sandpaper
BIN primer
Damp rag
Paint brush
Foam paint roller
Quart of Benjamin Moore Advance paint (Deep Ocean)
Valspar asphaltum glaze
Brass hardware (I bought mine from House of Antique Hardware)
Drill with bits
Screwdriver
Level

Instructions:

This tutorial will be fairly brief, if you need more photos and explanation, you can view my previous dresser painting adventure.

Begin by removing all the drawers and knobs. Lightly sand the dresser and drawer fronts. Wipe off any sanding dust. Read more

July 18, 2014/22 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

art, bedroom, Decorating, DIY, Home Decor, Home Tour, Master Bedroom, Mix Paint, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Tutorial, Uncategorized, Video, vignettes

How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

How to Paint an Ombre Wall Technique | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

Ombré painting is EVERYWHERE. Clothing, home décor and even wall paint techniques. An ombré wall is the paint technique I chose to create a misty and ethereal look in our master bedroom. It started when I fell in love with Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore but didn’t want to make our entire bedroom too dark (I have a hard enough time waking up in the morning.) I decided a good solution was to use the dark charcoal gray color on a focal wall behind the headboard. But, I didn’t want to stop the color in the corners and create a sharp line.

Instead, I wanted a softer edge that would make us feel like we were being hugged by the room.

How to Paint an Ombré Wall Technique

I used Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore to paint the other three walls in the bedroom, but created a random ragged edge where the two colors meet.

This is how the side walls look in preparation for the ombré wall technique.

Materials:

Dark latex paint color (Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore)
Lighter latex paint color (Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore)
A small container with a mixture of the two colors to create an in between gray
Paint brush
Dry brush
Water-filled spray bottle
ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape
Damp car wash sponge
Rubber gloves
Wet wipes or wet rag

Instructions: Read more

July 7, 2014/43 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

bedroom, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, Product Review

How to Paint Your Room Twice as Fast – HomeRight PaintSticks Review

HomeRight PaintStick vs. EZ Twist Review | Pretty Handy Girl

Remember when I declared that I only use a handful of painting products that I’ve used for 15 years? I usually detest “new and improved” painting gadgets. I’ve tried many and they are usually a flop or not as efficient as my current arsenal of painting tools. So, you’ll understand that when HomeRight first approached me about trying their PaintStick products, I declined. After saying no, I started seeing many rave reviews from other DIY bloggers. As I began anticipating the task of painting our master bedroom, I began to rethink trying the HomeRight PaintStick Paint Applicator. I was definitely tentative. Finally, I agreed to try out both the PaintStick original and the PaintStick EZ Twist. I warned HomeRight that I have high expectations and that if they weren’t met, I wouldn’t blog about their PaintSticks.

I guess you know where this is going because here I am to tell you that I really loved both PaintSticks! And I will be using one every time I paint a room from now on! Seriously, these products are a game changer.

For one, you don’t have to worry about the messy task of pouring paint into a tray and moving the tray with you as you paint. Both HomeRight PaintSticks come with a paint can cover and fill tube that fits on your gallon paint container.

This keeps the paint from drying out and eliminates the need for a tray. The fill port on both PaintSticks is covered with a sponge type gasket that allows the fill tube to go through, but keeps the paint inside the PaintStick.

But, my FAVORITE aspect of the PaintSticks is that I can roll half a wall without stopping! No joke. With the traditional roller and tray I can usually paint a 4′ x 4′ square and then have to reload my roller. No more! The PaintStick literally allowed me to paint an 8′ x 7′ section (almost 4 times as much) without reloading.

And refilling the tube is almost as fast as rolling. I cut my painting time down drastically. Here’s a video HomeRight made showing a side by side “Paint Off” race between the EZ Twist PaintStick and a roller and tray (and a paint sprayer). It’s pretty accurate in my experience.

The only negative, is that you will spend a little more time cleaning up. The PaintSticks have to be disassembled and cleaned out when you finish painting. But, this process doesn’t add enough time to come near exceeding the time it would take to paint conventionally with the roller and tray.

What’s the difference between the PaintStick and the EZTwist PaintStick? Read more

July 4, 2014/12 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

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