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I tried this on my kitchen counter tops and can’t help thinking of that old addage~beauty is only skin deep. You know, it looks great on the outside but once you scratch the surface, there’s not much there.

First and foremost, for 20 bucks, Rust-oleum counter top coating tints is worth a try but only as a last ditch effort, meaning, you really hate your counter tops and plan on buying new ones anyway. That way, if it doesn’t work, you’re only out 20 bucks~ minus your time and effort. To be clear, I used the coating tint and  not the counter top transformation kit which costs about 200 bucks.  I went with the 20 product. I have NO idea how the kit works.

Back to what I used, the long and short of it is, if you don’t  actually cook in your kitchen, I would highly recommend this  product. If you do use your kitchen for what  it’s intended for, I  would not. I painted my counter tops two weeks ago and am still  afraid to use them for fear of chipping the paint.

I had some problems too.

The directions say only sand your counter-tops if they are glossy. My advice, if you use this product, SAND, SAND, SAND! I followed their advice and had to re-do part of the counter tops after it started peeling off in sheets.(I didn’t sand. My counter tops were not glossy) I also did some internet research where someone, somewhere, wrote on a blog (much like myself) that putting on a sealer is a good idea.  So, I tried that.  Another mistake.  That sealer peeled off like saran wrap off a watermelon.  Good news, it didn’t hurt the paint and may have dried it!

To sum it up! (If you decide to use this product)

DO!

1) Sand your little heart out!

2) Follow the directions (this may have been my demise) Wait a FULL 24 hours before putting on a 2nd coat.  I waited 18 hours thinking that would do the trick! I was wrong.

3) Don’t use your counter tops for at least one week!  I would go even longer if you can.  The directions say 3 days, for me, that wasn’t long enough.

4) DO NOT USE when it’s humid!  I think that’s why it took forever for my counter-tops to dry! Part of me feels like I am still waiting, but gosh darn it, they sure do look purr-dee.

 

 

 

BEDROOM AFTER

BEDROOM BEFORE

It’s done and I went all out on this bedroom.  I decided to repaint everything! I painted the ceiling, walls, molding and  3 bedroom doors. What a  difference! I decided to repaint    the entire room which pushed  my budget over the $220 mark  but managed to stay below the $300 mark. My goal was to  make a tired bedroom look fresh, crisp, clean, pretty and neat. As I mentioned in my last post, this “old” bedroom was nice but the dark curtains blocked out vital light. Plus, the decorating was personal and may not have appealed to a potential home buyer.

I used Sherwin-Williams Cloudless Blue as the wall color and basic white for the trim. I decided to go with a bold wall color  but toned it down with white curtains and trim. (The curtains I bought at Target for  $10 dollars a panel.) The comforter does have subtle flowers but stripes on the back make it more gender friendly. I bought the comforter set  at Marshals for $89.99. Because this bedroom is in a 1940′s house and a perfect starter home, I gave the room  a more modern, younger-feel to appeal to first-time home buyers in their  20′s or early 30′s.

"A cold winter's day"

The pictures hanging above the bed are actually from my personal collection, meaning, I took them  myself with my iPhone no less. (I love my iPhone because it’s always with me to capture the moment!)  Speaking of capturing, I used pictures which brought out the blue and green in the room. They’re generic  enough where  anyone could  see these hanging in  their bedroom; pretty, neat and generic.

The white picture frames cost only $6.99 at the Christmas Tree Shop for a total of about 28 dollars. Not bad.

Moving on, the home office area~my goal here was to create a subtle divide between the desk and bedroom. There’s no where else to put the office and the homeowner needs it to work, so, packing it up for a potential showing is not an option.  This was the hard part. I was already over budget with the extra paint, so, I had to be cheap, cheap cheap!

NEW USE FOR AN OLD SHADE

I found an old bamboo shade and transformed it into a privacy screen. First I painted it, leaving a stripe to give it some texture. Then, I drilled two small holes in the ceiling, put up ceiling hooks and used wire hanger to hang it from the ceiling, leaving space to let in the light. I went back to my photography collection and and grabbed a picture of a  flower from my garden.  I cut out the flower to give it more of a wall paper feel and a little design. I feel like I’m Martha Stewart telling you this but honestly, you have the power to do this as well. Use what you have. Use what you love and make it work for you. The end product works.  It separates the home office area from the bedroom and blocks the desk so it’s not the first thing you see when you walk in the door. (check out the slide show at the bottom of the page to see the final product)  I also organized the desk area to give it a cleaner look. Remember, when selling a home de-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter! You’re not just selling your home but your subconsciously selling your life-style too! When a potential buyer sees your home, he or she will inadvertently think they will live like you if they buy your home. They’ll think, “Oh, if I live here, see how organized I’ll be.”  It’s true, that’s why de-cluttering, organizing and scrubbing your home is so important!

I also cleared off the dresser and decorated it with cobalt blue vases to tie in with the night-stand lamp, wine colored flowers and spray painted the mirror the same wine color to match the flowers. I found an old tea bag box and turned it into a jewelry box.

An inviting place to read

Last but not least, I made the window seat more prominent by decorating it   with things I found around the house. The blue coverings are actually cafe     curtains I found in a bag.

I simply tucked them in around the corners of the double-ottomans to give it a finished look. Then, I  threw on matching pillows, something the homeowner already had, to give the entire room a pretty and neat feel.

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I’m a Sherwin-Williams girl, hands down! Trust me, I’ve done a lot of painting during the past several years. I started off with Home Depot’s Behr paint. The price was right but I had no idea it would fade in one year. I ended-up repainting just about every room in my house with Sherwin-Williams and the colors look as fresh as when I first painted. The Cashmere paint costs about 39 dollars a gallon compared to about 25 dollars for a gallon of Behr paint.  I used the Super Paint for my basement.  It’s still holding on strong. Trust me, investing a little more money in your paint is a good investment! I like Sherwin-Williams because it has a thicker consistency and is much easier to use. If you’re a woman (or a man who wears make-up), I would use this analogy. Behr paint is like a sheer foundation. Sherwin-Williams is full-coverage and creamier; a little goes a long way. Get the picture now? Benjamin Moore is great paint too but is a little more pricey.

I have finished my room make-over and will be revealing it later on.
I decided to repaint the entire room, ceiling, walls, wood molding and all three doors; hence, my late blog posting. I’ve been a busy bee.

I finished the room in about three days. I went with a little sheen so it could be washed, if need be.  Also, another tip, no need to buy endless supplies of roller pads if your painting project lasts longer than a day.  Here’s what I do. I tied-up the roller in a plastic bag (wet paint and all) and the next day, I was  good to go! I used the same roller pad for all three days!

The color is great, a very bright blue but it’s exactly what I was going for, a spa-like atmosphere with a crisp and clean look.

For those of you who have never painted but want to give it a try! Go for it, just take your time. When you go too fast or get tired, that’s when accidents happen. I personally don’t use painter’s tape. I find it bleeds through no matter how hard I press it down. Get a good trim brush and with a steady hand, you can get a lot closer to the edge.  Most importantly, you can see what you’re doing. Plus, if there is any sheen on the paint you’re painting over, lightly sand it down so the new paint sticks to it. If you don’t, you’ll find your paint peeling off in layers down the road.

More advice, there are different kinds of paint sheen. Matte is good for bedrooms and living rooms but you CAN’T wash it. I always go with a little sheen (not too much) so you have the option of wiping off smudges and so on.  Also, wood-work should have at least a semi-gloss! Sherwin Williams also has a washable matte which I love too. I used it in my kitchen. It’s called Duration and it’s good stuff!  It will cost you about 50 dollars a gallon but well worth it!  Another note, NEVER use a high gloss if you’re painting a deck. floor or stairs. If it gets wet, it turns into an ice skating rink. I learned this one the hard way~years ago.

Happy painting!

 

I like this master bedroom. I really do. The problem is, a potential buyer may not dig the mirrors over the bed or the dark brown curtains blocking vital sun light.  This is the difference between decorating and staging. I want this room to look fresh and clean.  I want a potential buyer to see this room and imagine waking up on a sun-kissed morning to  light pouring into the room with the scent of lavender fabric softener on the crisp, clean sheets.

Come on.  Can you picture it? Wouldn’t you want to live here?

That is what I envision for this room.  A bedroom gender friendly, clean, tidy and pretty.  However, if you plan on selling a home, you don’t want to spend a lot of money.

My project during the next few days (or maybe a week, depending upon how much painting I will do) will be to make over this room on a small budget of 220  dollars.  I am going to stick with the blue but get rid of the accent wall and mirrors over the bed. Also on my agenda, make the home office not as much as a focal point.  Some will tell you that you should never have a home office in a bedroom.  However, if you live in a one bedroom house or apartment, where should you put it, in the bathroom?  A home office in the bedroom is fine with me. My plan will be to tidy it up a little and somewhat conceal it.

Tomorrow, off to the store to buy paint.