HAND PAINTED DISTRESSED YELLOW DRESSER WITH A BLACK & WHITE CHECKERED TOP

   HAND PAINTED DISTRESSED YELLOW DRESSER WITH A BLACK & WHITE CHECKERED TOP

  Patti was building a very large house!  While the house was being built, she had me painting furniture, tiles, switch plates, light fixtures and lots of other things for her new home.  She even had me patina a large weathervane that went on top of her house.  She had such great ideas!

     This is an old dresser that she wanted me to paint yellow, black and white to go in her kitchen powder room.  I think it looks great with the red walls!!

     On this piece, I used alkyd/oil paint.  After I painted each section, I used a rag to rub the paint off of areas I wanted to look old and distressed.  It's really messy, but I think it makes for a great look!

     Also, in this powder room, I  painted the walls red and then painted all of the artwork, vines and flowers, that you see around the room.  The vines and flowers are on all four walls.  I painted the ceiling red, too, and then rubbed a metallic silver over the red.  And, I painted the crown molding metallic silver and aged it.

     This is a very special powder room!!

PAINTING A BRIGHT WHITE MANTEL TO A STAINED WOOD LOOK

     Well, I guess I did take a photo of my faux painting!  But, the main reason I took this photo is to show you the mantel that was painted white and now looks like stained wood.  The lighting is a bit over exposed because of the large scenic windows in the room.  The brick, the mantel and faux painting are, actually, a little darker and look really, really nice with her decor.  And, I was still working on the walls, so everything is still stacked out of the way.
     When I started working on these walls, the very bright white mantel was in the middle of the beige walls.  I just thought the mantel would look much better stained and my client went along with the idea and really loves the new look.
     You can stain over paint.  And, when staining over paint, you can just paint the stain, (on the piece of furniture, etc.), and let your brush strokes have a similar look to wood grain.  After the first coat dries really well, you might want to paint a second coat, just to have more depth to the look.  But, you can also paint the stain on and wipe it off with a rag and that's what we did with this mantel.  It still looks stained, just not as darkly stained.

     If you want to try this, just ask the paint sales people how to stain over paint.  Use their products and follow the instructions.  You will have a great new look, too!

PAINTING AND A DRAMATIC NEW LOOK!

     Today, I was faux painting for my client, who's son is graduating from medical school in May. She's having lots of family and friends come in for the ceremony and wanted the house to be "just right"! I don't usually take photos of my faux painting because you really can't see the "drama" of the transformation. The existing walls are painted a tan color and I'm glazing over that with a tea stain glaze that I mixed. She has beautiful furniture and the new walls really enhance and make the furniture more interesting. 
     For her entry, I painted a soft greeny blue and will glaze the same tea stain glaze over that. The rooms in her main living area are open to each other and using the same glaze over all exposed rooms, really ties things together nicely. She has this same blue in her rug and several accessories around the rooms.
     Her woodwork is an off white, including her mantle in the middle of all the beige and brown. Today, I showed her how to stain that white mantel, so it would tie in better with her brick fireplace and the rest of the room. She really liked the new mantel color and it really did change the look of the fireplace and the whole wall.
     Paint is the most dramatic and probably, the least expensive change you can make to your home. I get to see the transformations all the time and really love the way this one is looking!

PAINTING FORMICA TO LOOK LIKE GRANITE (Part III)

     Today, I finished painting these white counter tops to a faux granite finish.
     I worked with a kit from Johnnie Chuoke's Home and Hardware store. The paints were called "minerals". I work a lot around granite counter tops and tried to paint this formica, as close to granite as I could. The primer was black and I let a lot of it come through the lighter paints for contrast. This was my first time to use this product and really loved working with it. In the past, to get this look, I have used just regular house paint. My clients are very, very happy and so proud of their new "granite" counter tops. I'm very proud of it, too!

PAINTING FORMICA TO LOOK LIKE GRANITE (Part II)

PAINTING FORMICA TO LOOK LIKE GRANITE (PART II)   

  Yesterday, I primed the kitchen counter tops.

     Today, I painted the faux granite finish. To get "the look" my clients wanted, I used three different colors and the fourth color was the black primer showing through, all over. The tools I used were:  three sponges, one for each color.  Also, I used two small artist's brushes for the edges and corners where the sponges couldn't fill in. I get to work around granite counter tops often, and I think this looks A LOT like the real thing!  Tomorrow, I will paint the first coat of clear glossy sealer.
It will need two more coats.  Altogether, three coats of sealer, making it a really hard finish for the counter tops.
Please remember it is a "painted" surface like furniture.  It will not be as durable as real formica.
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HERE IS A LINK TO "GETTING STARTED" & TUTORIAL
GETTING STARTED & TUTORIAL

     When I left my job today, my clients were very, very happy. From white formica to a more "up to date" granite look. I suggested and I think they are going to get antique bronze or antique copper knobs to put on the cabinets. That will look really sharp and will complete their new kitchen!
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HERE IS A LINK TO "GETTING STARTED" & TUTORIAL
GETTING STARTED & TUTORIAL
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VISIT MY ONLINE STORE
LYNDA B CO.COM

PAINTING FORMICA TO LOOK LIKE GRANITE & TUTORIAL

    PAINTING FORMICA TO LOOK LIKE GRANITE & TUTORIAL

 Today, I started a new job painting and changing kitchen formica counter tops to a faux granite finish.  I have painted formica several times. Once it was formica that was badly stained. And, several times I have painted for clients who just wanted to change their decor. They wanted the look of stone, but didn't want to deal with the expense of authentic granite or other stone surfaces. Painting formica has always made a big difference in the look of the room.       

     Done correctly, painting formica will always give you a nice and durable new look. I'm using a faux granite kit that came from a hardware store. It does take several layers of paint and it's very important to follow the instructions and let it dry really well or "cure" before painting the next coat. To keep it looking nice, you do have to be careful and not put hot pans, chemicals or other things that might damage the surface. If you had a granite or stone counter top, you probably wouldn't do any of those things, anyway.

     Below are photos of before and after I put the first coat of paint.  That paint was a special black primer that came in the kit. Tomorrow, I will apply the paint for the granite look and I'll add photos of that. The third day, I will be sealing the surface with a high sheen that will give the appearance of a nicely polished granite surface.

     This is the first time I've used a kit for the granite finish. But, my client had already purchased the product. So, if you don't want to go to the expense of the kit, this is what I've done before: I always sanded lightly to roughen the surface. Then, I applied a "bonding" primer and I always use OIL primer. Always oil!! It just seems to bond better. Next, I applied the paint with a brush, rag or sponge to get the look I wanted. Then, I always applied three coats of  an acrylic sealer. This does take several days to do the whole process, but it's sooo important to let each layer of paint "cure" in between coats. And, it will give you a great new look for your kitchen, laundry, desk top, etc.

     If you are wanting to try this new look, please feel free to ask and I'll try to answer any questions that you might have. 

Be Brave!! You Can Do It, Too!!
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Please remember it is a "painted" surface like furniture.  It won't be as durable as real formica.
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HERE IS A LINK TO THE FINISHED COUNTER TOPS:
PAINTING FORMICA TO LOOK LIKE GRANITE (PART II)

HERE IS A LINK TO THE FINISHED COUNTER TOPS:

PAINTING FORMICA TO LOOK LIKE GRANITE (PART II)

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VISIT MY ONLINE STORE

LYNDA B CO.COM