Guest Bedroom Makeover!

Memorial Day weekend, before I started in on Kristen's bathroom re-do,  I tackled my guest bedroom.

I'd taken up the carpet way back when I did my bedroom, so I just needed to finish this thing!

I started by scraping the ceiling and painting it. Like I did  in my master bedroom.

Then, I painted the walls a silvery gray color to match the black, white, and red color scheme. The trim got a fresh coat of bright white paint- my favorite!

The drapes I bought several years ago at Target were way too short, so I used fusible hem tape and some red cotton broadcloth to add a banding at the bottom.


Then I painted the floors the same chocolate brown. This time, I took the lazy girl route. I didn't wash, I didn't prime, I didn't even cut in. I just started rolling that paint on.

Alex, my best helper, refuses to let me trim his nails, so he's made some gouges in the polyurethane on my bedroom floor. I wanted the guestroom to have a fix-able finish, so I decided to try floor wax. Like in Karate Kid, " wax on, wax off".

And here's the finished product!

Bedroom Makeover: Floors

 

The carpet in my bedroom is in rough shape. Has been since I moved in. And I keep meaning to do something about it.

So while we were doing the makeover,  I decided to rip out the carpet and paint my subfloors.

I can’t afford to put in hardwood flooring like I so dearly want yet, but this is a good temporary solution.

First step was to remove the carpet. I cut it into sections with a utility knife so I could get it downstairs by myself.

Then, pull up all the tack strip, pad, and staples.

Once you have a smooth floor, you can fill in any imperfections with wood filler and sand. Or not.  I chose not.

Sweep, Vacuum, and Wash the floor really well to get a good clean surface to paint on.

 

Following the method I used for the walls, I cut in around the edges with my favorite Zinsser 123 primer, which seals the bare wood.

I then rolled on a thin and even coat. Let it dry!

Next were two coats of chocolate brown flat paint. The color is Sherwin Williams Turkish Coffee, mixed into Valspar flat paint.

Then came three coats of water-based polyurethane. Follow the directions on the can! DO NOT SHAKE THE CAN, or you will have air bubbles everywhere, ruining your pretty floors.

I used a synthetic pad applicator, overlapping the wet edge to ensure a smooth finish. Let dry for two hours, or until not tacky. Then sand with the grain using 220 grit sandpaper. Get all the dust up and make sure the floor is clean before you put on the second coat. Repeat for a total of three coats. 

The hardest part is letting the final coat dry for 72 hours before putting furniture back in!

Bedroom Makeover: Paint

 

After we scraped the ceiling free from the popcorn, Mom and I set about to paint.

The ceiling was first up, getting good ol’ Ceiling White.  I’m debating putting a fun color or stencil up there, but I wanted to live with white for a while first.

While the ceiling was drying, we washed all the dust and popcorn stuff off the walls and let them dry.

Then it was time to paint the walls. I’m a big fan of Valspar paint from Lowe’s,  and had picked their color Romano for the bedroom. It’s lighter and warmer than the Desert Fortress color of the bathroom.

Normally, I use Zinsser 123 primer, with two coats of paint on top.  I love the high hide as well as its ability to seal and cover oil based paint, which I seem to have quite a bit of in this house.

This time, I let Mom and the paint desk gal talk me into the Valspar Signature Paint and Primer in one.   I don’t know that it’s worth the extra money, but it covered nicely in two coats.  I guess two is better than three. But maybe it would have only needed two coats with a tinted primer.  (Which I haven’t bothered with before)

While we were painting, mom shared a tip with me.  She wet her brush and roller before painting- you want them damp, not dripping.  That way, the paint goes on more smoothly, and less is trapped in the bristles- saving paint!

I don’t always remember to do it- but it does help!

The other tip she shared was to get the extra fuzz off your roller covers with tape before you use them.  Just take a piece of tape and use it like a lint roller to get all that fuzz. You want it on the tape, not in your paint, right?

I’m so excited about how the room is shaping up!

Front porch improvement

The planter my pumpkins were resting on got moved to actually hold flowers. I know, a concept. But mums were three for $10 at the orange store, which was too good a deal to pass up. And I only had two planters.

So the pumpkins were sitting on the ground, looking a little lonely.

 I have two Cafe chairs that were a gift from an Ex-Prince Charming for my back patio table. They're not really designed for sitting exposed, and are definitely a project for the to-do list. Way down the list. I also have to decide what color to paint them. Maybe something bright and funky.

Anyways, the front porch is covered, so I took one chair and brought it out to the front porch.

My pumpkins now have more drama.

 I needed  a holder for all things gardeny like my watering can and hand trowel to clean up the porch. So while at Ikea on Sunday, I picked up this white pot to put hand tools in.

Then I found a white pumpkin at a yard sale, so I moved things around and now the tools are hidden.