A few before and after's of a living room I did this year. The house wasn't in great repair, the floors were badly scuffed and worn down, the electrical had to be re-done which meant all new lighting, and the room needed to be painted. ...
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ASK DEB NELSON: PAINTED BUILT-IN CABINETS
In my 'Ask Deb Nelson' column I was asked about painting built-in cabinets. We're used to seeing built-in's in a warm white, cream or ivory colour, like in the room above. Typically it's done to coordinate with the trim and other accents in the room ...
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BEFORE & AFTER: PAINTED KITCHEN CABINETS
I've been a fan of painting kitchen cabinets for many years. I first painted an entire kitchen for a design segment on CBC back many years ago. Since then I've painted a few of my own kitchens too. In the kitchen above, I bought store bought cabinets ...
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BEFORE & AFTER: AFFORDABLE, DIY KITCHEN
In this kitchen update, the only material I used was paint and that was the only cost involved! This is what I would call a true paint makeover. Here are a few BEFORE pictures:
And a few more of the AFTER pictures. I painted 8 different surfaces in this kitchen, can you spot the changes?
Painted surfaces included:
1. The fridge: in black chalkboard paint, probably my favourite part of this transformation and was so easy to do!
2. Upper Cabinets: white
3. Lower Cabinets: F & B, mouses back
4. Counter
5. Backsplash: you might be able to see in the 'before' the backsplash had a dated flower motif throughout the tiles
6. Hardware: spray painted all the old hardware silve
7. Range hood: it was an 'almond' colour before and didn't match the white stove
8. Dishwasher front: painted in lower cabinet colour to blend in
ASK DEB NELSON: SHOULD I PAINT AN ANTIQUE?
A question I get asked a lot, is whether or not I think it's okay for people to paint an antique piece of furniture. The answer to this is a definite: It Depends! It depends on many factors about the antique. Starting off with the type of wood, the style and value of the piece. There are some formal, traditional styles of wooden antiques that just don't lend themselves to a painted look. I think the paint gives an antique a more casual, sometimes quaint, look – so it just doesn't suit some formal styles. For example, I have some beautiful family antiques I would never paint, I like the colour and style of the piece the way it is. But there are other pieces, that I have no problem painting. The ones I paint tend to fall into one of these categories: it was already painted, or I will use it because if it's painted it works in my house or it was really inexpensive and I don't think a coat of paint will diminish it's value. For example the hall table in entry (shown above) was already painted, so a fresh coat of white paint on it doesn't really alter the piece.
Each case is very different, but if you think a coat of paint will mean you love the piece and will use it – I say go for it. The idea is to enjoy the antique, so if it's sitting in the basement, maybe a coat of paint is the answer!
Here are some tables that have been painted white – I think these all look fabulous and highlight how great a coat of paint can look.
