Simple before and afters....
Today I want to share a few super simple little projects that prove you can take the ugliest little piece of furniture and with a few waves of a magic spray paint wand, turn it into something you can proudly use in your home!
These aren't "hard" projects. Most require minimal repairs, a good coat of primer, (my favorite is Kilz) a little sanding and spray paint.
Lowe's (and most home improvement stores) now carry spray paints in awesome designer colors! Teals, reds, pinks, purples, greens....just about any color to compliment or jazz up your decor!
Here I shared how just a little bit of spray paint changed the entire look and feel of the bedroom furniture I had grown weary of (nice way of saying I REALLY disliked it!) I actually kind of like it now and am not tempted daily by the desire to run out and spend thousands on new furniture!
But honestly, that was a pretty sizable project. You don't have to do anything THAT big to make a huge impact on a room. Just painting a few little pieces here and there can change how you feel about a room. As I have said many times, before you sell it in a garage sale for pennies or haul it to the curb, give it a coat of paint. Who knows...you may just find that you like it again! Or if you see something cheap at a garage sale or thrift store, don't turn your nose up at it just because it is the wrong color...color can be changed!
This piece was one my neighbor gave me. Her son had tried to sell it in a garage sale and had no takers! Part of the reason may have been that it was "broken." The little bottom shelf was cracked! A little glue and clamping, a coat of Kilz, sand, tack and spray paint. Good as new...actually, better if you ask me!
On these inexpensive little pieces, I usually just spray paint the existing hardware. Why spend money on new hardware when you can spray paint what is there for next to nothing. Just stick the hardware in a piece of styrofoam, hit it with a little bit of metal primer, then spray paint it! I painted this one with brushed nickel paint. They have gold, silver, bronze...just about any metal color you could want.
I found this ugly little "pressed board" table in one of my apartments. It was missing a drawer, so I added a shelf on the bottom and again...primer, sand, tack and spray paint! Sooooo simple!
I didn't like the wood knob. I had a little knob in my hardware stash so I gave it a coat of black paint...super simple!
This is my bedside table. Again, painting the bed and high boy was a bit of a chore...but just updating the bedside tables can make a huge impact in a bedroom!
I removed the little scrolly doodads on the sides and used wood filler to putty the holes. I went a step further on this table and gel stained the top and painted the base. I HIGHLY recommend using General Finishes gel stain if you want a little contrast on a piece. Again, the hardware wasn't cutting it for me and I didn't want to spend the money on new...so I painted the existing hardware and it changed the entire look of the piece!
Using gel stain is super simple. I use the process featured on "Monica Wants It" on pieces I don't want to strip and it works every time...regardless of what I am staining. Monica used it on oak builder grade cabinets but I have found it works on just about anything! But trust me...follow the process to a T and do not try it with any other gel stain...order the General Finishes Gel Stain on Amazon...other gel stain products just don't work as well!
If you don't like the color of a piece of furniture, PAINT IT! Again, you may still not like it, but you won't get any more or less for it at a garage sale...it's worth a shot!
