Painting makes perfect!

Well, you’ve just purchased a new home. Had a budget, went beyond it. An extra cost or two popped up over the process but you’ve finally done it, found your next or first wonderful home. At least it could be wonderful if you only had that extra money to fix it up.

Fear not. Let me introduce you to my tried and true motto…"If you can’t change it, paint it!" The pine table, benches and chairs below were all purchased for a couple of hundred dollars and refinished with a coat of paint and a wood stain.

I have painted walls, ceilings, doors but I have also painted light fixtures, pink marble fireplace hearth, orange fireplace brick (and made it look like traditional red brick) I have also painted a slate floor, that had been splattered with large globs of green paint (and you’d never know it). I have painted inside and out. I’ve even painted the front door hardware. Not to mention kitchen cupboards, plywood floors, in fact I’ve never met a surface that I was afraid to paint!

So where do you start and where do you stop. First and foremost if you hate it and would like to replace it what do you have to lose? Here are a few hints for you. Regular latex paint works on almost everything. Mistints (paint that is sold at a large discount as it wasn’t the color it was meant to be) are totally affordable and there are usually lots to choose from so ask at your local paint store. If you add a coat of water based varathane (satin is my favorite finish) it really helps with durability especially for furniture, cabinets, door hardware etc, if you’re worried about the paint chipping off, first ask yourself “is this item going to be touched often?” if the answer is yes then be sure to sand the item, give it a chance to dry thoroughly and consider protecting it with varathane. If it is something out of reach like a light fixture etc, then as long as you are happy with the look don’t worry about durability. Also remember that over time the paint will be more and more durable (recall that paint splatter you cleaned up a day after painting and then the one that you tried to remove a few months later?).

So now you’re wondering about primer. Why haven’t I mentioned it yet? Don’t get me wrong it is important but I also don’t want you to be overwhelmed by the number of steps to painting, you don’t always need to prime. Anything that is absorbent like brick or slate or raw wood does not need primer in order to have the paint stick, although if what you’re trying to cover is dark in color primer will help to limit the number of coats you will need to apply. In other words if you have a big can of paint that was cheep just use that as primer which, bought separately, will just be an extra cost. If you are however painting something that is very shiny you really should prime it in order to create better adhesion.

My favorite thing about painting is that you can do it yourself, its fast and its cheep! But the best part is that in a couple of hours or less you have made a huge impact, can stand back admire your handiwork and know that you have the confidence to tackle tomorrow’s project. And don’t forget; practice makes perfect - so the more you paint the faster and better you will become at it.

Article by Hayley Burgin