Console Table Chalk Paint Makeover - Quick & Easy!

What's a girl to do after she's painted all the things in her house? Start repainting, of course.

This little console table was a $25 thrift find several years ago. When I bought it, it was hunter green with a lighter oak stained top. I repainted it using a white latex paint and gloss finish, along with refinishing the top with a walnut stain. 

Recently I've gotten the itch to change up our entryway wall, so it was the perfect excuse to give this table another facelift. The white's fine and dandy, but I'm just bored with it. And since I've started using chalk paint pretty much exclusively on any cabinets and furniture, I knew this could be a pretty quick project. Mainly because chalk paint requires virtually no prep and dries quickly. So, after wiping the dust off the table, I just painted right over the existing gloss finish.

Normally for larger projects (like our kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets) I opt for the more pricey Annie Sloan chalk paint. But for this small table I just used Buttercream brand Teal Lagoon (because I still had about half a bottle after using it to refinish this small cabinet a couple years ago). It took two coats to get good coverage over the white.

Once the paint dried, I wiped on some clear wax since this that's supposed to help the dark wax apply more evenly. Then, I wiped on dark wax in sections, let it sit about 20 seconds, then wiped it off. The dark wax really tones down the bright paint and gives it an antiqued effect. With this Teal Lagoon color in particular, the wax also seems to bring out more green/aqua tone which I prefer.

Voila! Finished in one evening for immediate gratification, and it's just the look I was wanting. The table ties in nicely now with a few other pieces of "distressed aqua" furniture we have. It wouldn't take someone long after walking into our house to realize that this is one of my favorite colors.

Next I'm going to replace the circle medallion mirrors (another DIY project from way back when we had more of those colors in our decor) with three white wall planters that I just bought off Amazon. Stay tuned for the next phase of this little entryway makeover!

Painting the Master Bedroom, Part II: Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray

Before we get to this reveal, let me just say that it's solely based on the paint transformation alone. So please don't judge based on my bedroom styling skills or the size of our humble master bedroom. :)  

Okay, moving on. So for all of you who like instant gratification, here's our newly painted bedroom featuring Sherwin Williams Colonnade Gray! I'm super thrilled with it and when you see the photos of what it looked like before, you'll understand why.

There are some additional before pictures and progress pictures in my previous post, but here's a quick refresher of the chocolate brown walls (actually Tree Branch, an SW color):

Master bathroom updates (and a motivation problem)

Well, this is my third post of 2019 and it's already halfway through July, so.... yeah. Figured I should come up with some kind of update to share, even though it'll be hard to top our kitchen makeover! We've been tackling a few things here and there around the house, and I've been spending more time outside this spring and summer planting new flowers and maintaining our landscaping beds.

Other than that, last month I got the itch to repaint our master bedroom and master bathroom. I'm kinda [very] over the milk chocolate shade of brown I painted them a few years ago. After painting a few samples of various "greige" shades in both our bedroom and bathroom and agonizing over which color to go with... I eventually lost all motivation to repaint all those walls yet again. Ha! It just felt too overwhelming all of a sudden. 

Yes... it's very dark in here, especially with no windows to let natural light in. I'm not sure why I ever thought this brown was a good idea...

Before

The one thing I did follow through with, however, was to paint the trim white in the master bath (which I've done in all the rest of the rooms and just never got around to in our bathroom). I followed the same system that proved successful before -- three coats of Kilz premium primer and two coats of Sherwin Williams ProClassic interior acrylic latex.

Cabinet Makeover: Chalk Paint with Antique Wax

As you may know if you've read some of my recent posts, I'm no stranger to chalk paint. I've painted all our kitchen cabinets, plus a coffee table and a couple other small pieces of furniture with various brands of chalk paint (aka miracle paint). However, up until now I've only used clear wax to protect said pieces. 

This past weekend, however, that all changed. *cue dramatic music* On a whim, I decided to paint a small cabinet in our dining room which holds all our kitchen towels and such. Several years ago I had actually re-stained the cabinet a dark espresso brown. But since then we've installed new flooring (also very dark brown), so this little corner was feeling pretty heavy and monotone. And to be honest, I was feeling antsy and in need of a smallish, weekend DIY project to feel productive.

For those of you that need immediate gratification (trust me, I get it), I'm just going to show a "before & after" right now. Of course, hopefully you'll still read the rest of this post to see the whole process and more pictures of the final result!

Initially I thought of painting the cabinet Annie Sloan Graphite to match our lower kitchen cabinets. But that just seemed too matchy-matchy, plus we just have a lot of gray shades happening in our house already. No, it needed to be a color with a bit more punch — yet still tie in to our other decor. Digging through my stash of chalk paint, I pulled out a bottle called Teal Lagoon, which seemed like a solid choice given we have some other teal accents. 

Home Exterior Painting Reveal: Quest for the Perfect Gray

Hello again, friends — I have a lot to fill you in on since my last update two months ago! Although if you choose to just skim through and look at pictures rather than read my long post, I won't blame you.

If you'll recall, I was internally tortured with deciding on the perfect gray for our home exterior. Well, we finally did settle on Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal at 75%. (The 75% is an important detail, as you'll find out later...)

Label from my sample container. We had it matched at Sherwin-Williams even though it was a Benjamin Moore color.

Since this was one of the few projects we were not going to DIY, we hired a small local painting company (after getting three different quotes) and got on their schedule for June 11. Well, they called me up on May 20 and said a client had cancelled so they could actually start on our house the next day. Yikes! I felt a little un-prepared but couldn't turn down the chance to have the house done even sooner.

Home Exterior Painting Decisions: A Gray Area (Part V)

Did you think I would be done with this dilemma after Part IV? Oh no, my friends. It's not that easy! 

If you've been following along, you might remember that we had narrowed our gray paint colors down to Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal, Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray, and Sherwin-Williams Gauntlet Gray. The two BM colors appear to be a bit more gray-gray, whereas SW Gauntlet Gray leans a little warmer, brown-gray in comparison.

In an effort to look at just one more option and try to find something a little lighter than Kendall Gray but darker than Chelsea Gray, I decided to get a custom sample of Kendall Charcoal at 75%. You can see this compared to the original Kendall Charcoal in the photos below. (I still have SW Westchester Gray at the bottom, which I never repainted from the first round of sample colors. But it's out of the running because it's a little too blue-ish/cool toned). 

It's a pretty noticeable difference, right? I was pleasantly surprised at the color achieved by having Kendall Charcoal lightened by 25%. [Note: I got this custom sample mixed at Sherwin-Williams, even though it was a Benjamin Moore color to begin with. That's because we're probably going to go with SW SuperPaint for our exterior, and I wanted to make sure the sample is going to be an accurate representation from where we end up buying the paint).

And just around the corner of the house, here are the three different Benjamin Moore colors for additional comparison. I'm digging the 75% Kendall Charcoal, with Chelsea Gray as a second favorite. This is the first time I've ever experimented with getting a standard paint color lightened, but it could (hopefully) be the answer to our quest for the perfect gray for our home.

So, what do you think of these latest options? Have you ever painted your interior or exterior with a custom color?

Home Exterior Painting Decisions: A Gray Area (Part IV)

Someone send help. I've been sucked into a world of grays and I can't get out. If you can't tell by the post title, this situation has gotten a bit out of control. What started out as just three paint swatches grew to five, then ten, and now... 

I've somewhat reined myself in when it comes to buying actual paint samples though — only seven of those (so far). After initially debating between several Sherwin Williams colors in the gray family, I decided I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't also check out some Benjamin Moore colors. Upon a visit to the paint department in Ace Hardware, it looked like Ben Moore offered a couple promising gray options: Kendall Charcoal and Chelsea Gray. 

Once I painted these two samples on the house next to those from the first round, I definitely liked the Kendall Charcoal better than SW Peppercorn (which now appeared more blue-ish and too dark). Kendall was like a happy medium between the Peppercorn and Gauntlet Gray.

Home Exterior Painting Decisions: A Gray Area (Part III)

I don't know if you've been following along with my last couple blog posts, but I have a problem and it goes by the name of "Gray." This should come as no surprise to anyone, as I've had plenty of experience with gray paint in our house. This decision feels a little more nerve-racking than usual though, since it involves painting the entire exterior of our house (and paying someone else to do it).

The latest update in the saga is that I've tried out five samples of Sherwin-Williams colors:

• Dovetail
• Classic French Gray
• Peppercorn
• Gauntlet Gray
• Westchester Gray

Home Exterior Painting Decisions: A Gray Area (Part II)

Has anyone else ever tried the Sherwin Williams ColorSnap Visualizer? (No, this isn't an ad for it... just a recent discovery.) Last week I bought a sample of Gauntlet Gray and Dovetail and painted them on the side of our house to test them out. 

The Dovetail, while a nice color in general, was way too light for what we want. So of those two samples, Gauntlet Gray won out. But I still struggled with wanting to try out some more gray colors before settling on it. 

Gauntlet Gray... winner of Round 1

Rather than making another trip to the SW store right away (where I would inevitably spend forever debating between swatches), I decided to try this Visualizer tool first to see if it would clear up any of my gray confusion. I'm not sure if it made the situation better or worse... and the more I look at these mock-ups, the more they all start to look the same. 

Home Exterior Painting Decisions: A Gray Area

Okay, February. You almost got me. You almost slipped by before I could get a blog post in. But I refuse to let that happen! Surely I can handle at least one post per month this year, right? 

Here's the thing. I have no progress to report on any of our DIY renovations (which primarily involves the kitchen). Although I'm pleased to announce that we finally got around to ordering a new KitchenAid dishwasher this past week — we've been without one ever since ours went kaput about, oh, a year ago. It'll take a few days to get here (via Lowe's free home delivery), but I'm looking forward to the end of my hand-washing days soon!

Also, the unseasonably warm weather this week is making me realize I should get the ball rolling on another project. If nothing else happens this entire year, we desperately need to get the exterior of our house painted. It's been 10 years since we moved in, and she's looking pretty shabby when you get up close (aren't we all). Plus, I'm tired of the nondescript, blah beige color. 

Having had plenty of experience with the world of grays during interior painting projects, we've picked out two Sherwin Williams colors that feel like pretty solid contenders: Dovetail (SW 7018) and Gauntlet Gray (SW 7019). These have brown undertones, so shouldn't end up looking bluish or greenish or any other -ish hue. 

Probably leaning toward the darker Gauntlet Gray for some extra "oomph" and contrast with the white trim. Either of them should hopefully look good with the red brick we have. It's supposed to be really nice this weekend, so I might end up testing these samples out on the side of the house for real-life comparison.

Since we've never had our house painted before — and I've always done my own painting when it comes to the interior — I have no idea what to expect for the cost once I start getting some quotes. All I know is this is one project I'm not DIY-ing!

Which shade of gray would you pick?? Have you used either of these colors before? Any other pointers or recommendations when it comes to hiring someone to paint your house?

NOTE: Little House on the Corner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

New Year, New [Old] Table: A Shabby Chic Chalk Paint Makeover

On a whim this weekend, I decided to tackle another chalk paint project, albeit a small one. That's the great thing about chalk paint -- once you make up your mind on what you want to do, you can just get right to it (as long as you have the paint and brushes, of course). No prep work required, other than maybe a little cleaning of whatever surface you want to paint! 

For those of you out there who like immediate gratification, this Before & After is just for you. Keep reading on for all the details!

So the subject of this latest transformation is a little end table we've had forever (I'm pretty sure it was a hand-me-down from my sister). In fact, it already underwent a basic black makeover several years ago. But the gloss black just wasn't doing it for me anymore, especially since most of our furniture is now matte and distressed. 

Front Door Makeover: Long Overdue, But Probably Not The Last One

I have some good news for you (and me). This is going to be one of my shorter blog posts as of late! For once I have a quick and easy project to share rather than a painfully long, drawn-out transformation.

I've been wanting to give our front door a makeover for quite some time, but just haven't gotten around to it with so many other things taking priority. In fact, in looking back through my blog history, it's been seven years since I last painted the front door. (Okay, so that's actually super depressing, but anyway...)

Above photo circa 2010... 

This was also before we installed a screen door.

Last weekend, pre-painting

With the extra couple days off this past Thanksgiving weekend, plus some unseasonably warm weather, the timing (and motivation) was finally right. After a long internal debate between a few paint swatches at Sherwin Williams, I decided on Copen Blue, which is part of their HGTV Home Rustic Refined collection. 

The prep work and taping was pretty minimal compared to other painting projects. 

I was able to do one coat in the afternoon, and then a second coat in the evening. I need more immediate gratification projects like this in my life. A bit of patience was still required since I had to wait until the next morning to see it in daylight.

This color is like a breath of fresh air for our porch, which was feeling awfully dark to me. The best way I can describe it is a pale minty/aqua color (even though it says "blue" in the name). Though I do love it, I'm still wondering if it's a touch too pale... maybe it should contrast a bit more with the white trim? Gah, this blue/green color family is almost trickier than grays! I like the more muted tone, and don't want it to get too bright or saturated. 

So Copen Blue is the color it shall remain, unless I decide to try a different shade later down the road. (I was also eyeing the SW colors Watery, Waterscape, and Tidewater... yeesh.)

What color is your front door? I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the color I chose, or any other recommendations!

NOTE: Little House on the Corner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Dining Table Chalk Paint Transformation: Part I

We've had our dining room table ever since we moved into our house, which has been about 9 years now. It's nothing too special really, but a solid piece of furniture nonetheless. The finish is black with a bit of subtle distressing, and it has a hidden butterfly leaf allowing it to expand to 54x54" (although we usually keep it to the smaller 36x54"). 

The table is also counter-height (36"), which worked out really well back when we had a wall separating our dining and living room as seen above. We had initially cut out this window opening in the wall in order to connect the two spaces a bit more (and let's be honest, in order to be able to watch TV while we ate). Anyway, the counter-height table allowed us to easily see through the window into the living room and have conversations with anyone else sitting in there.

Bathroom Vanity Chalk Paint Makeover: Part II

[NOTE: Missed out on Part I? Check it out!]

Between finishing our basement and the ongoing renovations on our main floor, I live for mini-victories like this one to keep me motivated (read: sane). It reminds me of the way I felt after my coffee table makeover and kitchen cabinet makeover. The common thread running through these projects? Chalk paint!

Yes, once again, I turned to my trusty can of Annie Sloan chalk paint to transform this vanity in our guest bathroom.

Before: Boring, blah, builder-grade.

Much like all of our other cabinetry and trim (which has since been painted), it featured an Oompa Loompa-esque stain.

Bathroom Vanity Chalk Paint Makeover: Part I

I am hereby naming our main floor renovation "The Snowball Project." What began as replacing floors turned into removing walls turned into painting trim turned into re-doing the kitchen turned into replacing light fixtures (not necessarily in that order)... Well, you get the point. 

The reason this renovation snowballed to include our hall bathroom is that the bathroom tile needed to be removed in order to install the new luxury vinyl plank floor. And that meant taking out the vanity and toilet. And that meant it was a prime opportunity to give the entire bathroom a makeover (except for painting, which I had done a few years ago and still really like the wall color). 

Still with me? Good.

Here's a look at our original builder grade vanity. 

Main Floor Renovation: The Walls Come Tumbling Down

Where do I even start... Somehow, it's already been more than three months since my last post. But really, is anyone surprised by that? It's kind of been my track record for the past couple years.

By golly though, I'm determined to get this blog caught back up with all our ongoing home remodeling projects. Let's backtrack to something I've skipped over until now, but it's actually been one of the most integral parts of our entire main floor renovation.

It actually started last May. As in, May of 2016. This is when we took down some [non-load-bearing] walls. Actually, my husband and my father-in-law did most of this demo work one weekend while I was out of town (and I was okay with that). 

First, here are a few before pictures of the space with walls. As you can see, our living room and dining room were disjointed and a bit claustrophobic. (Although, we did do our best to improve the situation by creating this window opening when we moved into the house.)

Farmhouse Kitchen Sink Update (Part I)

It's been awhile since I posted last about our kitchen, so I figured an update is long overdue. With that said, my piecemeal blogging efforts lately are pretty representative of how this whole renovation process is going!

While we did get the butcher block countertops installed on one side of our kitchen, the counters for the other side have been on hold until we get the new farmhouse sink in.  And that was on hold until we got a new base cabinet built to hold it. 

Let me rewind, as this tends to get confusing quickly. Here's a look at our old setup with the standard stainless steel sink (say that five times fast!) and the higher countertop. 

So we pretty much torn out the entire thing, with the plan of creating a single-level breakfast bar that extends out beyond the sink toward our open living space. The framework for the new base cabinet was also re-oriented at a different angle in order to line up better with our two new pendant fixtures.

Our Stairwell Makeover: An Evolution over the Years

You may recall that, during the process of all our renovations, I've been gradually painting pretty much all of our woodwork white. Last week, I finally painted the stair ledge, which was one of the few remaining pieces still stained Colonial Maple (i.e. "orange oak"). 

As I was going up and down the stairs for laundry this past weekend, I stopped myself and decided to take a few pictures of our stairwell. The transformation over the years has been pretty major, so I thought it would be fun to share. And also because sometimes I need to remind myself of how far we've come and how much we've accomplished -- especially when it seems like the renovations will never end.

But first... in order to really appreciate the end result, let's start with a look at the stairwell from when we first bought the house. The rest of our walls were a warm gold color, but the hallway/stairwell was a dark reddish color, maybe brick red? I admit that I liked these colors at first, but that was way back in 2008, so it just goes to show how times and tastes have changed.

Wow... warm tone overload!

(You'll notice that some of the woodwork in the hallway and stairs was already white, while the rest of the woodwork throughout the house was Colonial Maple. A precursor to the eventual identity crisis...)

Painting Interior Doors: From Outdated Orange to Updated Gray

In the process of our kitchen renovation, we came across a minor dilemma recently. What to do about our pantry door and garage door? I had already painted all the surrounding woodwork white, but the doors were still that orange-y Colonial Maple stain.

It's worth noting that these are your average flat panel doors with no detail or interest whatsoever. Painting them white just seemed like it would be too much white, since the two doors are right next to each other. And I didn't want them to detract from or compete with my newly white upper cabinets. 

(Old picture before the cabinets were painted and the floor was removed.)

But buying some fancy new doors was not an option, so the solution had to be found in a paint can. After much debating, we finally came to our conclusion: the door to the garage would be painted to match the wall color, and the pantry door would be painted to match our dark gray lower cabinets. In my mind, it was somewhat of a bold move since all the other doors in our house are white (but they're also six-panel doors instead of completely flat). 

Tips and Tools for Painting Trim White

So you wanna paint all your woodwork white? 

DON'T DO IT!

I kid, I kid.  

In all reality, if you don't have hundreds of dollars to spend replacing all of the woodwork in your house, painting it white is a very cost-effective (albeit time-consuming) way to make a major transformation. And if you don't have 3,618 other DIY projects going on at the same time, it's probably seems much more of a surmountable task.