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February 20, 2013

A DIY Blogger's Guide to Paint Products That Work!

When it comes to paint, I've tried tons of different products. In our recent kitchen makeover, I got to try out some products that were new to me, so today I thought I would share which ones ended up being my favorite.

A DIY Blogger's Guide to Paint Products That Work! Great info to read before you buy!



So, let's get started with the paint colors and the product breakdown.


In yesterday's post, I talked about how I painted my kitchen cabinets a pretty white. 



How To Paint a Kitchen: Paint Colors | LiveLoveDIY

Here's the info for my cabinet color:


White Kitchens: What color to paint kitchen cabinets | LiveLoveDIY


Since the insides of my cabinets looked like this when we moved in,




I decided to get creative, and I painted the insides of each door with  chalkboard paint (seen here).



For the chalkboard doors, I used chalkboard paint, which has quickly become one of my faves. You just paint it on pretty much any surface and you instantly have a chalkboard!

A DIY Blogger's Guide to Paint Products That Work! Great info to read before you buy!

I used the same chalkboard paint on my chalkboard accent wall in the corner of the kitchen.


I wanted to make a permanent menu on our chalkboard, so instead of regular chalk, I used a bistro chalk pen (Amazon Affiliate link).  It writes just like a pen. The only thing is that it doesn't erase all the way, so whatever you write stays there. I used it to write the Monday through Friday, and then I use regular chalk for the rest of the board. 


Let's talk chairs. I decided to make my white thrift store chairs look like metal industrial chairs.



 I used Rust-Oleum titanium silver, one of my favorite silver spray paints. I love the finish the paint creates and it's super durable.



I also used the titanium silver spray paint on this mirror. 
Tip: Use a small brush to paint black paint in the grooves of any ornate mirror and let dry. Then spray with the silver spray paint. After the spray paint is dry, go back in and add a little more black paint in a few areas. You'll be left with a really great dimensional finish.



Now, let's talk wall paint and trim paint. 




I've painted my entire 1970's house full of trim. 

See all of the before and afters AND a really easy tutorial here.
 When I paint my trim, I usually use Behr Ultra Pure White in a semi gloss finish.




Here's a picture of the look-through bar in my kitchen. You can see the white trim. I love the ultra-pure white because it has zero amounts of any other color. That way when you paint your walls, the color really pops against the pure white.


See how gorgeous the wall color looks against the trim? I love it. That's a brand new paint job in our kitchen, too. It's my new favorite greige paint, a perfect blend of beige and gray.

The kitchen used to be a warm beige, and after awhile it started to wear on me. Here is a picture of the original wallcolor right after I brushed some of the new paint color on. You can really see the difference when they're right next to each other.


The new paint color I used is called Behr Mineral.

A DIY Blogger's Guide to Paint Products That Work! Great info to read before you buy!

I've tried so many different beiges and grays, and this is handsdown my fave. 
I had it mixed in Glidden (just because it's cheaper). Here's a pic of the exact specifications. You can take the below info to any paint store, and they should be able to mix it for you there.


A DIY Blogger's Guide to Paint Products That Work! Great info to read before you buy!

Here's the next awesome product that I use. When I first shared it in this post, the questions came pouring in.
Basically, I have tile floors in my kitchen and all 3 bathrooms. The tile is in great condition, but the grout was disgusting. So, I did some research online and discovered that you could paint your grout. 
Not with just any old paint....you have to use grout paint.


I used Polyblend Grout renew and a toothbrush as an applicator. For more details you can go here.


This next product was a total gamechanger for me. I've been annoyed by the outdated tile on my bar area for nearly 3 years. It drove me nuts. 


It screamed 1980's every time I walked by it.
So, I painted it.


It's durable, beautiful, and looks like porcelain tile now. 



I love it.
You can see all the details about how I painted my tile in this post


So, that's all for today! Thanks so much for stopping by!









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31 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Yay!! Thanks so much Kristin! Glad you stopped by! xo

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  2. Okay love the colors, love the tips, love that you are sharing the exact names, love that you used a million cans of silver spray paint, LOVE your kitchen!!!!

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  3. Such an awesome post...your tips are great! And I'm totally cracking me up because your chalkboard paint can looks totally like mine! :)

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  4. Love your blog!!! Thanks for the exact paint colors! Will be painting my kitchen cabs (yikes) very soon! ......and using your idea on the cab doors, as well.....fabulous!!!

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  5. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for mentioning the sink refinisher!!! That has just saved us a ton of money. Our white builder's grade sink is metal, scratched, discolored, and incredibly gross looking- even Comet isn't taking out the stains anymore.

    Do you have any experience or thoughts regarding painting counter tops? Ours are once again builder's grade and disgusting. :)

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  6. great list!!! I've used the tub and tile finishing stuff...it is fantastic!

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  7. Great post, Virginia! I love the Greige color - lol, i had never heard the term. :)

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  8. We've used Kilz in our bathroom and the stuff works great! And I love your tip for giving frames an aged look, thank you! :)

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  9. Great amazing tips. I actually just went out and got the Poly Blend, cant wait to try it.
    I have a question about the silver spray paint. I have found that the silver and gold sprays
    Very often rub off on my fingers when handled. Any ideas about that.
    Hope you can help.
    Love following your blog
    libby

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  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. Omg! I just found you! Where have been all my life?!!

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  12. Thanks so much for sharing!! I love this greige paint color! can't wait to get try it!!! :)

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  13. I really like the silver paint, I would love to do my make-up room like that ^^

    Melanie ♥ ~ www.shabby-memories.blogspot.fr

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  14. I love the color of your wall paint! I went to look it up on the Behr website and can't find it. I even tried putting in the code. So sad if they discontinued this color!

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  15. I have been glued to my laptop for the last three days reading through your entire blog. You do such amazing projects and I love your writing style. Thank you for putting together such an awesome blog!

    Out of curiosity, do you ever use spray enamel, polycrylic or other sealers when you paint furniture? I just started my first few projects and particularly on laminate, the paint tends to "dent" or scratch very easily, even after curing for a week or so. I know this can be the result of the type of material that's painted, and the primer and all that. But I'm wondering if I should coat it with spray enamel or just clear gloss paint to seal it. Do you have any favorite sealers? If so, how long do you wait after painting before applying?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much!!! Yes, I use polycrylic on tons of projects I do! Nowadays, I almost always seal with polycrylic after allowing the paint to cure for a day or two. I've never tried spray enamel though! Thanks again for your sweet comment!! xo

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    2. Thank you for the quick reply, you're awesome! One more follow-up question: have you ever decided to re-paint a piece after sealing it with polycrylic? If so, do you have to sand off the sealer and prime from scratch, or do you just use a primer that adheres to the polycrylic and then paint right over it? Sorry for all the questions, I'm a beginner!

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    3. Yes, I've done that before. I usually will sand it a little, just to smooth it out if it's taken any wear, and to clean up the surface. Then, I just prime and paint again. If it's heirloom quality, you might want to take the time to strip it or sand it all the way down, but if it's kinda-junk (like ALL my stuff!), then I just do it the easy way. And the results last long enough for me. :)

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  16. I just found out about your blog and I am obsessed! I'm at work and can't stop reading it :)
    I'm thinking about painting a laminate particleboard end table and bookshelf that I've had forever...do you have any tips or tricks? Do I have to sand it down or can I just prime it?
    Thanks so much!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Carley!! Actually, I wrote an entire post about how to paint laminate stuff! This should hopefully answer your questions! Glad to have you as a reader! Here is the post: http://www.livelovediy.com/2013/06/how-to-paint-laminate-furniture.html

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  17. Hi! Love your site and your makeovers! Such an inspiration! I have a question for you... Did you happen to use polycrylic over the metallic spray paint? If so, did you lose any of the metallic luster? I've just sprayed an end table gold and am thinking it will need some more protection. I have a can of minwax satin polycrylic that I can use but I don't want the table to lose its sparkle. Your tips and advice would be oh so appreciated. Thanks! Keep up the awesome work!

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  18. Love your site girl!! You have awesome tips and tricks!! I will definitely be using some of them when I find the time to squeeze in my DIY projects! ;)

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  19. Hello! Love this site! I have black mirrored frames that I want to paint with the titanium silver spray paint and add the black accent color. Can you please suggest what's the best way to tape the mirrored section so I don't spray them by accident and also what black paint should I buy since I don't need much of it?

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  20. Hello Virginia, Besides a toothbrush, what other tool can I use? My kitchen floors are NOT even at all and it's hard the spread the grout evenly. Thank you so much for this tutorial!

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  21. i went last night to Home Depot and buy paint for the grout. I just did the guest bathroom and it came out pretty good! Now 3 bedrooms to go, yhe kitchen family room and the living room, you wanna come and help? thanks for the tips!!!!

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  22. I love your house & blog! I'm trying to convince my husband that we neeeeed to paint our trim & kitchen. :)
    Sticking to walls for now. I'm trying to decide on a bedroom wall color. I see you have used Behr Mineral and Glidden Smooth Stone. Which would be your pick? Thanks!!

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  23. You are a wealth of information. Love the greige.........thanks

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  24. Wonderful post and thank you so much for all the tips.

    Re the Behr formula for your greige paint; hope you do not mind me adding the following codes for those who may even want to tweak it more to their liking -- BL = black / CL = yellow oxide / LL = raw umber. (Other codes include: VL = magneta / JL = carbazole purple / EL = green / TL = medium yellow / FL = red iron oxide / KXL = white / AXL = permanent yellow / CLRNT = is the base colour which can vary.) -Brenda-

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  25. Thank you so much for sharing all of these tips. Got to get to work on my 70's house.

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment!! I do the hammer dance every time I read one.

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