A few years ago, when asked to describe my home style in three words, I came up with MODERN. GRAPHIC. FAMILY. While “family” isn’t a style in the traditional sense, to me it means creating a home that tells my family’s unique story. As a result, our decor reflects our shared love of art, music, travel, and fun!

The “family” aspects of our decor typically aren’t things that can just be purchased at the store – they are things that we have designed, DIY’d, or customized to be perfectly “us.”

I talk often on the blog about how I use my Cricut Explore Air machine to organize and label all the things, but I think sometimes Cricut gets overlooked as the perfect tool for creating custom home decor projects. With the ability to cut 100 different materials – including everything from paper and iron-on to cork and bonded fabric – the options are really endless, but my material of choice is almost always vinyl!

I’ve used adhesive vinyl to add a modern detail to an inexpensive bookshelf, to add a “Dressing Room” label to the barn door leading to our closet, and to create a large wood sign in our garage workshop, just to name a few. [See all of my Ciruct home decor projects here.]

But the vinyl projects I get asked about the very most often are the wall words in our kitchen and guest bathroom. Creating wall words is actually one of the simplest home decor projects to make with Cricut, but, because of their large scale, I think it can seem intimidating. Today I want to show you just how easy it actually is, and I’ve got a full, step by step tutorial at the end of this post!

Sure you can buy lots of wall quotes at the store, but they are typically generic, and always smaller in size. If I’m going to put words on my walls, I want them to be meaningful to my family, and I want them to fit perfectly in my space. My Cricut Explore Air allows me to do just that!

In our kitchen dining area, I struggled for years unsure what to do with the empty wall below our high, skinny window. Finally, I came across a quote (author unknown) that perfectly sums up our love of food, travel, and adventure: “If it’s wild and exotic, we’ll either eat it or invite it to dinner.” Using my Cricut, I cut the quote to fit perfectly below our kitchen window, later adding two rows of photos from our travels.

The design of our guest bedroom was inspired by the hotels that Scott and I stayed at in the Greek Islands on our honeymoon. One of things I loved most at Mykonos Grace Hotel was a poem on the wall of the calming blue and white lounge overlooking the Aegean Sea.

I was immediately taken by both the words of the poem as well as the graphic, vertical layout words on the wall, so I add the same quote to the wall of our guest bathroom.

The poem by Gill Nono reads: “The silence of knowing, the certainty of protection, the joy of giving, the smile for no reason, the embrace that is yielding, the look that speaks volumes, the sleep that is weightless, the release of control, the trust of fate, the patience of time, the certainty of right.”

I created the wall quotes in our kitchen and guest bathroom with my Cricut, but both predated my blog so I didn’t have step by step photos and never wrote tutorials for them. I recently decided to add another quote in the boys’ play area, so it was the perfect opportunity to share the simple step by step tutorial.

This wall in corner of our basement family room is a great example of how I love to personalize our decor – with the word PLAY representing four of the things our family loves doing together. We all love going to the theater (my husband is an actor, and my boys also love doing plays at school), we love playing board games together, we love music (and both boys are learning to play instruments), and we love playing and watching sports (well, just watching for me, LOL). The orange Y is covered in paper textured like a basketball, although that’s hard to tell in the photo.

I added the quote from legendary basketball coach John Wooden, “It’s not how big you are, it’s how big you play.” While Coach Wooden was talking about leadership in basketball, I want this quote to always remind our family to keep playing, in every sense of the word.

Here are a few more fun ideas for wall words that are “hidden” throughout our house. The first is inside our guest room closet where I’ve organized all of my wrapping paper and supplies, the second is under the sink in our powder room, and the third is under my sink in the master bathroom.

Ok, now that I’ve shown you some examples of how you can use wall words to design a home that uniquely reflects you family, let me show you just how easy it is to create these large scale wall words using Cricut!

How To Create Wall Words With Cricut

Supply List

• Cricut Machine (I used my Cricut Explore Air, but you can also use Cricut Maker or the mini Cricut Joy)
• 12×24 Standard Grip Cricut Mat
• White Removable Vinyl
• Cricut Weeding Tool
• Transfer Tape
• Cricut Scraper Tool
• Level
• Pencil

How to Design & Cut Vinyl Wall Words

1. Measure Your Wall To Determine the Maximum Height or Width of Your Wall Words. In my guest bathroom, this meant measuring from the baseboard to the ceiling, in my kitchen, it meant measuring the length of the window that I wanted the words to fit below, and in the playroom, it meant measuring the distance froxpm the top of the toy box to the ceiling.

2. Choose a Font for Your Wall Words in Cricut Design Space. Open Design Space and choose the font your want. I always use Cricut Sans because I like a clean, modern font for my wall words.

3. Size of Your Quote to Fit Your Wall. Since I wanted the quote for the playroom to be in one line spanning the distance from the toy box the ceiling, I typed in the full quote in one text box. Base on my measurements, I knew that the max length of my quote was 48 inches, but I wanted to leave 1″ of extra space at each end, so I set the width of my quote to 46 inches in Design Space. Once I’d set the width, I noted that the corresponding font size was 131.18.

4. Break the Quote into Sections to Fit Your Mat. With the entire quote in one text box, Design Space will likely warn you that it’s too big for your mat. In order to fit your quote to your 12″ x 24″ mat, you’ll need to separate your quote into two or more lines (using separate text boxes), with each line of text being no longer than 23.5 inches. As you add each new text box, be sure to set the correct font size for each (using the font size that you determined in step 3).

5. Preview Your Cut. Once you’re done designing your quote, click “Make It” in the top right corner of Design Space. On the preview screen, ensure that your mat size is set to 12″x24″. After reviewing your preview, click Continue.

6. Cut Out Your Wall Words. Cut a piece of removable adhesive vinyl to fit your mat, load the mat into your Cricut machine, and ensure that your material dial is set to Vinyl. Then begin the cut.

7. Weed the Vinyl. Once your cut is complete, unload the mat from your Cricut and peel away the excess vinyl from around your letters. Then use a Cricut weeding tool to remove the small pieces of vinyl inside the letters.

How to Apply Wall Words Using Transfer Tape

8. Reassemble Your Words Into One Continuous Line. Once your wall words are are weeded, you need to cut the text into strips so that your quote can be reassembled in to one continuous line.

9. Prepare Your Quote With Transfer Tape. Cut strips of transfer tape just slightly longer than your sections of letters. Peel the backing off of the first section transfer tape and apply it over the beginning of your quote, aligning the bottom of the letters with one of the guidelines on the transfer tape. Overlap the end of one strip of transfer tape with the start of the next strip of transfer tape to adhere each line of text together into one long, continuous quote.

10. Remove the Vinyl Backing. Using your Cricut scraper (a kitchen scraper or the flat edge of a butter knife also works well), firmly burnish (rub) the transfer tape to the vinyl, then flip it over and slowly peel away the blue backing, leaving the vinyl letters attached to the transfer tape.

11. Mark a Level Line on the Wall. Using a long level and a white colored pencil, mark a few lines on the wall along the distance that the quote will span. These pencil lines will easily wipe away later. If you have white walls, use a regular pencil but make your lines as light as possible.

12. Align Transfer Tape With Level Pencil Lines. Align the guideline on your transfer tape with the white level lines that you’ve marked on the wall.

13. Burnish the Vinyl Quote to On the Wall. Using a scraper tool, firmly burnish (press/rub) the vinyl to adhere it to the wall.

14. Peel Away the Transfer Tape. Slowly, peel the transfer tape away from the wall at a 45 degree angle. If the letters are sticking to the transfer tape, pause and burnish again before continuing.

15. Wipe Away Your Level Marks. Using a barely damp cloth, wipe away the light pencil lines that you drew in step 11. Then step back to admire your work! You’re all done!

I’d love to see how you’ve used wall words to personalize your decor! Comment below, or tag me in your photos on Instagram @blueistyle.

The post How to Create Wall Words Using Cricut appeared first on Blue i Style.

Now here I am, all these years later, looking to upgrade the style in my living room, and what do I decide to do? Buy some inexpensive, white furniture and add some paint. Somethings never change! Not only do I still like to save money any time I can, it’s usually easier for me to get the exact look I want by DIYing.

For my living room project, I chose six Billy Bookcases – the most basic of white laminate bookshelves. But to get the high-end, built-in look I wanted, I decided to paint the back panel of the bookshelves to match our dark gray wall color and to add Ikea Oxberg glass doors in front of the shelves.

Fortunately, this time around I’m a lot more knowledgeable, and I know how to paint Ikea laminate furniture the right way! Turns out it’s actually not hard at all as long as you don’t skip one very important step!

This post is sponsored by my friends at Rust-Oleum, whose products make almost all of my DIY projects look better! This post also contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, you’ll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

Always Prime Before Painting Laminate Furniture

The first thing you need to know is that, without proper preparation, paint won’t adhere to a laminate surface. Some paints will just bead up on the surface of the laminate. Other paints will go on with a splotchy, uneven finish and the first coat will begin peeling off as soon as you try to paint a second coat.

The good news is that painting over Ikea laminate furniture – or any laminate furniture – is as simple as a coat of right primer!

Choosing the Right Primer for Your Laminate Furniture Project

In order to choose the right primer for your furniture painting project, it’s important to also keep in the mind the kind of paint you’ll be applying over the primer.

Since I wanted the back panel of my bookshelves to match the wall color behind the furniture, I wanted to use the exact same latex paint that we used on the wall. Paired with the right primer, latex paint (which is water-based) is a great option for painting laminate furniture because it provides a durable, smooth finish.

Zinsser Primer for Laminate Furniture

When choosing primer for my laminate bookshelf project, I needed a primer that would stick to laminate and that would accept latex paint over it. I researched each of these three Zinsser primer options to determine which would be best for the job:

• Zinsser BIN Primer – This primer is shallac based and sticks to all surfaces – including laminate furniture – without sanding. This primer goes on in smooth, thin coats. It drys very quickly, and it works with any top coat, including water-based latex paint.
• Zinsser Bull’s Eye 1-2-3 Primer – This primer is great for lots of projects, and it is my first choice for most wall priming projects {as I talk about in this post}. However, like latex paint, 1-2-3 Primer is water-based, so it won’t adhere as well to laminate furniture without first sanding, and a longer cure time is also recommended when painting laminate.
• Zinsser Cover-Stain Primer – This is an oil-based primer. Oil-based primers provide great adhesion. I’ve always been taught that, as a general rule of thumb, you shouldn’t paint latex over oil-based paint or primer. However, this Cover-Stain Primer accepts both oil-based and water-based topcoats.

After researching these three primer options, I narrowed it down to the BIN and Cover-Stain Primers for my bookshelves, since both would provide good adhesion to the laminate surface. Further research indicated that the oil-based Cover-Stain primer is much thicker and might require some light-sanding before painting the top coat in order to get a really smooth finish.

The Best Primer for Laminate Furniture

Since I’m all about making projects as simple as possible, the shellac-based BIN Primer was the winner for my project. It provided the best combination of good adhesion, quick dry-time, and the ability to paint latex over it with no sanding needed.

How to Paint Ikea Laminate Furniture in Two Easy Steps

Once you’ve picked the best primer for your project, painting Ikea laminate furniture is a simple two step process that can easily be completed in an afternoon!

SUPPLY LIST

• Zinsser BIN Primer
• Latex Paint (or other top coat paint)
• Paint Tray
• Paint Tray Liners
• 6″ Foam Rollers
• Mini Roller Frames
• Drop Cloth or Cardboard

STEP 1: How to Prime Laminate Furniture

For my bookshelf project, I used 1 quart of Zinsser BIN Primer to prime the back panel of 3 wide Ikea Billy Bookcases, 3 narrow Billy Bookcases, as well as 12 total Billy Bookcase height extension units.

We began by unboxing all of the bookshelves and separating the back panels from the other pieces. After unboxing and sorting the various pieces, we flattened several of the cardboard boxes to cover the floor and kitchen table instead of using a drop cloth.

Once we had all the back panels laid out, we were ready to start priming. We poured the Zinsser BIN Primer into a paint tray.

The BIN Primer is very thin. We found that using a foam roller gave us a very smooth, even coat while also minimizing splattering. With two of us working together, it took us about 25 minutes to prime all of the bookshelf sections.

This primer dries very quickly, so later that same afternoon, we were ready to start painting.

STEP 2: How to Paint Laminate Furniture

After allowing the primer to dry, we were ready to start applying the first coat of paint to these Billy Bookcase sections. We used the leftover latex paint from painting the dark gray walls in our living room.

The latex paint went on very nicely, and we could immediately see that it was adhering well to the coat of BIN Primer. I always recommend applying two thin coats of paint, rather than one thick coat. This will give you the smoothest, most even finish.

Once again, with both of us working together, it took less than half an hour for us to paint each of the bookshelf sections dark gray. A few hours later, we applied our second coat of paint to complete the job. You can see that, thanks to the base coat of primer, the paint looks great!

Ikea Billy Bookcase Makeover

The following day, after allowing plenty of time for the latex paint to cure, we were ready to start assembling the Billy Bookcases. The painted back panels went in last.

With the bookshelves fully assembled, you can see how the dark back panels, combined with the glass doors, elevate the style of these inexpensive Ikea bookcases and give them a more built-in look wrapping the corner of our living room.

I had a lot of fun filling the shelves with our books and lots of souvenirs from our travels.

I really love the contrast of the dark gray against the white! Adding a little paint to the back of the shelves is a simple Ikea Billy Bookcase hack with a big impact! Now that you know how easy it is to paint Ikea laminate furniture with the right primer, would you give this look a try?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PAINTING LAMINATE FURNITURE

Q: Do you need to sand laminate furniture before painting?

A: You’ll find some people who recommend that you sand laminate furniture before painting. The idea of sanding to scuff up the surface to give it a little bit of grit for the paint to stick to, but this won’t yield the best results.

Laminate finishes are very thin, and you can easily sand through to the engineered wood below. If you do sand, you need to do so lightly by hand – don’t use an electric sander. And even if you do sand lightly, you’ll still use primer in order to ensure the paint will adhere properly.

Using the Zinsser BIN Primer that I recommend above, you can paint laminate furniture without sanding, saving you the extra time and effort! Don’t create more work for yourself!

Q: Is there any way to paint laminate furniture without sanding or priming?

A: Like most rules, there’s always an exception, so YES, you can paint laminate furniture without sanding or priming IF you use the right kind of paint. You can skip the primer if you are painting laminate furniture with chalk paint. I’ve had good luck using Rust-Oleum Chalked on several furniture projects, and it comes in about 25 color options and has an ultra matte finish.

I opted not to use chalk paint on my bookshelf project, because I wanted to use the exact same color paint as our walls. But if you’re interested in trying chalk paint for your laminate furniture project, see how I used Rust-Oleum Chalked to turn a laminate printer stand into a stylish bar cart with no sanding or priming. I’ve also got tips for painting an Ikea dresser with chalk paint.

Q: Can you stain laminate furniture?

A: It’s important to understand the difference between laminate furniture and wood veneer. Laminate is a man-made, plastic-like finish. Laminate can NOT be stained. Wood veneer furniture, on the other hand, has a thin layer of real wood that is bonded to a less expensive surface (like MDF of particle board).

Because wood veneer does have a layer of real wood, it can be sanded and stained. However the veneer is usually very thin – often an 1/8th inch or less – be very careful not to sand too aggressively, and always sand with the grain of the wood.

Q: I’m painting something different. How do I know if I need to use primer?

A: This is a great question, and one I get asked a lot. Primer can make your paint projects easier and provide better finished results. Primers make painting easier by promoting topcoat adhesion, providing better coverage, blocking stains, blocking odors, and more. I wrote a post titled When and Why to Prime Before Painting that should tell you everything you need to know.

The post How to Paint Laminate Furniture the Right Way appeared first on Blue i Style.

This post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, you’ll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

The post How to Make Old Wood Drawers Slide More Easily appeared first on Blue i Style.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, you’ll pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission.

HOW TO ORGANIZE A MESSY GARAGE:
START WITH THE RIGHT SHELVING SYSTEM

I knew that in order to come up with an organizing system that we could keep up with in the garage, we we needed to clear the floor space to make shelving accessible. In order to clear the floor, I needed to employ my organizing mantra – use every available space! In the garage, that meant thinking more creatively about how to use the vertical wall space, and even the ceiling.

GARAGE ORGANIZATION PLANS: WALL STORAGE

I started by making a list of everything in the garage. Then I identified what should stay and what should go. Some items I categorized for donation or recycling, others I determine would be bettered stored elsewhere. Next I took stock of all the things inside the house that I would prefer to store in the garage. I even added a few wish list items, like an extra fridge and freezer for the garage.

Once I had a complete list of what I needed to organize in the garage, I began to create a plan with a focus on utilizing all the wall space. I decided to use the front wall of the garage as a workshop, with our saw horses hanging above the workbench. On the other side of the front wall I planned to hang our bikes above a storage box for all of our seasonal patio cushions and decor.

Getting our saw horses, step ladder, and bikes up on the front wall of the garage was certainly going to help, but the side wall – where the old shelves were – needed the most help! I knew that ditching the metal shelf units was going to be the key to our success. They originally seemed like a great solution, but over time their flaws became obvious. They didn’t allow us to take full advantage of the height of the garage, and because they sat on the floor, we ended up stacking all of the larger items in front of them.

I realized that no amount of organization was going to make our garage work for us until we could figure out a way to keep the floor space under the shelves clear for larger items, like our rolling cooler, the kids trikes and wagons, and our over sized tools.

HANGING DRYWALL IN THE GARAGE

After researching lots of hanging shelving systems from a variety of stores, I realized that the unfinished walls of our detached garage were going to be a bit limiting. Most of the hanging shelf systems I found needed to anchored or screwed to the wall at fixed increments that didn’t match up exactly with the distance between the wall studs.

Finally I realized that installing drywall would be the best solution to provide us flexibility to install the system that best fit our needs, without being confined by the distance between the studs. Fortunately, my dad had hung drywall before so he taught Scott this valuable DIY skill, which turned out to be pretty easy. Since we were working in the garage, we decided it wasn’t necessary to tape and mud the drywall, but we did add insulation which also made it feasible for us to add a fridge and freezer along this same wall.

CHOOSING A GARAGE WALL SHELVING SYSTEM

There are a lot of wall-mounted garage shelving options out there, but after weighing my options, I decided I liked the Elfa system from The Container Store best. I like that it’s flexible (allowing us to change the configuration in the future if our needs changed), but mostly it was the hanging drawers that won me over!

Bins on shelves work great for storing some things, but these large drawers are so much more convenient for many of the items that we need access to on a regular basis {like car washing sponges and towels}. The drawers are strong and durable, and they have lids keep out the dust and dirt. At the end of the post, I’ll provide a full list of what we store in each drawer.

Since I really wanted to be able to maximize every bit of space on the garage wall, I took my measurements with me to The Container Store and asked one of their Elfa designers to help me come up with the best configuration. This is the plan we came up with:

Determining the Drawer Height. When deciding how many drawers to use and how high to hang them, I started by measuring the tallest item I wanted to store beneath the drawers {our rolling beverage cooler} and determined that I wanted to leave about 32 inches of space below the handing drawers.

Next, I considered the highest level of drawer that I would be able to easily see and reach inside. I’m pretty short {only 5’2″} and determined the top of the highest drawer shouldn’t be higher than about 55 inches off the ground.

GARAGE WALL-MOUNTED SHELVING COMPONENTS

We purchased our Elfa garage shelving and drawer system in October of 2016 during a 25% of sale, which brought the total cost of our entire system down to about $1,050. If we had opted for wall-mounted shelves alone, without the drawers, our cost would have been about half. But for me, the drawers were well worth the added price because of their ease of use! They make our new garage storage system much more functional than our old system of shelves and bins alone.

HOW TO INSTALL GARAGE WALL SHELVES

One of the great things about Elfa shelving systems is that you can choose to DIY the installation, or you can pay The Container Store’s installers to do it for you. We have Elfa systems in both of our boys’ bedroom closets, and paid for the installation in those spaces, but after seeing how those systems went in, we were pretty confident that we could install the wall of garage shelving and drawers on our own. DIY’ing the installation saved us approximately $260, and it only took us about 2 hours to install the full wall of Elfa shelves and drawers.

To install the garage hanging shelves and drawers, start by screwing the Easy Hang Top Tracks horizontally to the top of the wall, or in the position of the highest shelf. Then attach the Easy Hang Standard Rails the Top Track so that they hang down vertically on the wall. Space the Hang Standard Rails two feet apart if you are using the same 2′ wide drawers that I used.

Once we confirmed that the first drawer was positioned correctly, we installed the rest of the lower row of drawers at the same height. We then began positioning the brackets for the next row of drawer frames.

 

 

After all the drawers were in place, we used shelf brackets to position the lowest shelf just above the top row of drawers.

 

 

With the bottom row of shelves in place, we sat one of the White Lidded Totes on the shelf to determine the correct height for the next row of shelves. We did the same to determine the placement of the top shelf.

Without a doubt, the drawers are my favorite part of our garage storage wall because they provide us with easy, eye-level access to many of the things that we use on a regular basis. The translucent plastic drawers with snap on lids keep everything inside clean and free from dust and bugs.

 

 

Regardless of whether drawers are the right option for your needs, definitely opt for adjustable hanging shelves that allow you to clear the floor space and adjust the spacing between the shelves as your future needs change. Unlike free standing shelf units, hanging the shelves on the wall also

allow you to take full advantage of the height of the garage.

 

 

 

 

In our garage, extending the shelving all the way up to the ceiling allowed us to free up additional wall space for other things {like the extra fridge and freezer we had been wanting}.

 

 

Choosing matching white lidded totes for the shelves helps keep the garage looking fresh and clean. Adding labels to the front of each bin and drawer makes it easy for everyone to find what they need, and to know where to put thing away {which is the real key to maintaining our organized garage}. The DIY Paint Chip Labels also add a fun touch of color to the wall of white bins and drawers.

 

 

So what did we put in all the bins and drawers?

• UPPER SHELF BINS: Holiday and seasonal decor that’s only accessed a couple of times a year
• LOWER SHELF BINS: Tarps; Moving blankets; Beverage dispensers for entertaining; Shop lights; Shop vac accessories
• DRAWERS: Reusable shopping bags; BBQ tools; Picnic backpack & blanket; Gardening gloves & tools; Extra trash bags; Car wash tools & towels; Ropes & cords; Shop rags; Extra light bulbs; Small balls and sporting equipment

 

Moving everything up onto the walls cleared the floor space and provided room for us to tuck a lot of the bulky and heavy stuff underneath, including our rolling beverage cooler, wagon, trike, scooter, shop vac and air compressor.

 

 

Now that the kids have outgrown the trike and wagon, their two wheeled bikes fit nicely in this space. Someday, when they have full sized bikes, we’ll hang them with the bike pulley system that we use for my husband’s and my bike, but for now, it works perfectly to have their small bikes right under the drawers.

 

 

 

 

 

WANT TO SEE THE REST OF THE GARAGE?

This post is focused on how we installed and utilize the wall-mounted shelves and drawers in our garage, but you can read tons of other garage storage ideas and see the details of the rest of our garage makeover in the posts below.

 

OTHER GARAGE PROJECTS

 

Brilliant Ways to Organize the Garage	Metallic Garage Floor Finish
Nails & Screw Organization	Paint Chip Labels
Framed Paint Brushes	DIY Wood Sign
Paint Chip Fridge – Coming Soon	Better Homes & Gardens Photo Shoot

 

The post How to Install a Wall of Garage Shelving and Drawers appeared first on Blue i Style.

A while back I wrote a post about how to use a Rust-Oleum Countertop Transformations Kit to DIY granite look countertops, but my tutorial was buried in the middle of a post about my upcycled bar cart, where you would probably never find it. The recent reader questions about kitchen updates made me realize that it was finally time to create a separate post about how to paint laminate countertops to look like granite.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, I may receive a small commission, but you’ll pay the same price.

I’d seen the Rustoleum Countertop Transformations Kit at my local hardware store, and I was super curious to try painting laminate countertops. It’s a multi-step process that creates the look of real granite, which sounded like a DIY dream come true! But I don’t have any laminate counters in my house, and I was hesitant to offer to try kitchen countertop paint in a friends house until I knew what kind of results I would get.

When I was asked to do some furniture makeovers for a display at the Denver Home Show, I realized it was a perfect opportunity to try some of the DIY products I’d had my eye on, including the Rustoleum countertop paint and dry erase paint.

At my local Habitat ReStore I found a laminate printer stand and decided to turn it into a rolling bar cart, complete with a granite-look countertop. I consulted with my friends at Rust-Oleum, and they confirmed that this laminate furniture surface would accept the paint just like a laminate kitchen counter. It was the perfect test case!

HOW MANY COUNTERTOP TRANSFORMATION KITS DO I NEED?

A large Rust-Oleum Countertop Transformations Kit is enough to cover 50 square feet, and a small kit covers up to 30 square feet. Since the top of my tiny bar cart was only a whopping 4 square feet, I didn’t come close to using the full kit. That being the case, I obviously can’t say that this is the most affordable solution for such a tiny countertop, but Rust-Oleum was kind enough to send me a kit to test it out.

While I wouldn’t recommend you buy the kit just for a small project like mine, it is a fantastic option to give an outdated kitchen or bathroom a brand new look! And then any leftovers are perfect for dressing up the laminate top of a bar cart, a portable kitchen island, or even a inexpensive laminate dresser.

The large Countertop Transformations Kit currently comes in four color options: charcoal {this is the one I used, and it’s black with gray and white flecks}, java stone (brown), dessert sand (tan with a few dark flecks), and onyx (black with dark gray flecks). The smaller kit currently only comes in charcoal and dessert sand. I haven’t seen all of the colors on finishes surfaces, but I can say that the charcoal, in person, looks very similar to the dark granite counters I had in my previous home.

I received my Countertop Transformations Kit for free, but was not paid for this post. All opinions are my own and based on my personal experience.

HOW TO USE A RUST-OLEUM COUNTERTOP TRANSFORMATIONS KIT

The Countertop Transformations Kit comes with lots of supplies, and it is a very specific, multi-step process. It comes with an instruction guide, as well as a short DVD tutorial.

It’s not difficult at all – but it’s very important to follow all of the instructions carefully! Below I share a step by step overview of the process to help you understand what is involved and to show you my results, but be sure to also read and follow all of the instructions from Rust-Oleum.

STEP 1: Repair and Clean

STEP 2: Rough Up the Surface

Start by roughing up the laminate surface using the diamond embedded sanding block that comes with the kit. Use both hands to press down on the sanding block, and sand in a fast, circular motion. Don’t forget to sand the front and side edges of the countertop as well.

This process creates a lot of very fine dust, so wearing protective eyewear and a dust mask is a good safety precaution.

STEP 3: Prep for Painting

Before moving on to the painting step, use painters tape to tape of any areas that won’t be painted. In a kitchen or bathroom, this would include around the edges of the sink and along the walls. Make sure to also cover up any drains to keep out the decorative chips that you’ll apply in step 6.

Use a plastic drop cloth and painter’s tape to cover the cabinet(s) below the countertop, and also cover any adjacent walls or backsplash tile. Layout a drop cloth on the floor below the counter as well.

STEP 4: Prepare the Decorative Paint Chips

STEP 5: Paint Adhesive Base Coat

Stir to mix the adhesive base coat, then pour some into a paint tray. Working in small, manageable sections, use a synthetic paint brush to paint the edges and backsplash of the counter, and use a dense foam roller to coat the larger surface areas of the countertop with the black adhesive base coat. Apply a thick, smooth coat, ensuring that none of the laminate surface shows through..

STEP 6: Spread the Decorative Color Chips

Spray the wetting agent over the adhesive painted surface to help keep the base coat wet and tacky longer. Get a nice, even coverage of the wetting agent, without making the surface too wet or creating any pools or puddles.

Working quickly, while the adhesive base coat remains wet, use the dispenser tool to spread the decorative color chips, heavily coating the entire counter surface.

The dispenser tool works like a fertilizer spreader – you just pull the trigger on the inside of the handle and turn the crank clockwise to make the decorative color chips shoot out of the front. This is definitely the most fun {and messiest} part of the process, but covering the floor in a large drop cloth makes cleanup much easier.

Start by applying the decorative chips to the backsplash and front edge of the countertop, and then to the flat surface area. More is more when it comes to applying the chips, so apply a thick coating and ensure that none of the adhesive base coat remains visible.

If the chips don’t stick to an area, simply use a sponge to dab on more adhesive base coat in that spot, and then immediately cover the spot with the decorative color chips.

STEP 7: Remove Excess Chips and Smooth

Let the countertop dry for at least 12, but not more than 24 hours, then use a shop vac with a brush attachment or a small hand broom to brush away all the loose, excess decorative chips.

STEP 8: Sand Until Smooth

Using the diamond embedded sanding block that came with the kit, sand the counter until it is extremely smooth, but be careful not too sand through all the chips. If you do wind up with any bare spots or gouges in the surface, again use a sponge to dab on more adhesive base coat in that spot, and then immediately cover the spot with the decorative color chips, allow it to dry and then repeat steps 7 and 8.

STEP 9: Apply the Protective Top Coat

Once the counter is totally smooth, you’re ready to apply the protective top coat, which is a two part formula. The instructions call for mixing all of the activator {part A} into the base {part B}. However, once mixed, the protective top coat must be used within 4 hours.

Since I had only used a small portion of the total Countertop Transformations Kit, I wanted to save the rest for another project in the future. That meant I couldn’t mix the entire protective coat all at once. Instead I calculated the ratio of Part A to Part B, and used a syringe to measure and mix just enough for sealing my small bar cart countertop.

Once the protective top coat is mixed, use a synthetic paint brush to paint the edges and backsplash of the counter, and use a dense foam roller to coat the larger surface areas of the countertop. Apply a thick, smooth coat. Once the entire counter is covered, lightly reroll the entire counter in one direction to ensure a smooth, even finish.

Allow to Dry Before Resuming Use

Be sure to keep the counters free from dust and dirt while the top coat is drying. Keep the widows in the room closed and ceiling fans off. Allow the top coat to dry for 4-6 hours (dry times will vary depending on your climate), then gently remove the painters tape, scoring along the edges before peeling the tape away to ensure that it doesn’t peel away any of the painted surface.

Then let the countertop dry for about 48 hours before resuming light use, such as sitting items on the counter that weigh less than 5 pounds. Allow the counters to dry for a full week before resuming regular use. Apply silicone caulk around the edges of the sink for a waterproof seal.

How to Clean Painted Countertops

Once your Countertop Transformations painted countertops have fully cured, you can clean them with a soft cloth and soapy water or gentle, non-abrasive cleaners. Avoid staining by cleaning up spills promptly, and use cutting boards and trivets to avoid scratching and the surface, just like you would with real stone.

Rust-Oleum also has an instructional video that you can watch online here.

The post Update Laminate Countertops With Paint Using Rustoleum Countertop Transformations appeared first on Blue i Style.

Thank you First Alert Onelink for sponsoring this post. Onelink Safe & Sound – Meet Your Family’s New Best Friend. #ONELINKSTORY

SAFETY FIRST

When we bought our house before having kids, many of our parent friends warned us that having the master bedroom on a different floor than the kids rooms would someday be a problem. But thanks to a home security system that gives me peace of mind, and video monitors that allow us to hear the kids if they need us, having the master bedroom a floor above the kids has really never been an issue for our family.

SIMPLE INSTALLATION

The boys were both eager to help dad install the new alarm. Cooper put on his yellow hard hat, and studied the “constructions” as he calls them. We gathered the few tools the instructions said we might need: a Philips head screwdriver, needle nose pliers, and wire strippers.

Scott started by removing our old smoke alarm and its mounting bracket.

The kids were on the ready as daddy’s helpers, but the whole installation process only took about five minutes and ended up only requiring a nothing more than a screwdriver.

HAPPY PARENTS! HAPPY KIDS!

The post Making the Kids’ Room Safer and More Fun With Onelink Safe & Sound appeared first on Blue i Style.

Do you ever ask yourself, do I need to prime before paining this or is primer really necessary? I know I do! Back in law school I spent many hours painting a laminate bookshelf for my apartment, only to have the paint peel right off because I didn’t prime it first. I’m a much savvier DIYer now than I was back then, but I still find myself questioning when I need to use primer for projects around my house.

I asked my friends over at Rust-Oleum to recommend the right type of primer to use on new drywall and drywall compound in my bathroom, and they recommended Zinsser Bull’s Eye 1-2-3.

I used a brush to prime the small area of wall above the door and shower, and then used a roller to prime the ceiling.

Once the ceiling paint was dry, I used painters tape to prep the section of wall before touching up the charcoal gray paint. Some people have a steady enough hand to cut-in without tape, but I always spend the extra few minutes to tape before painting in order to get a nice, crisp paint line.

I’ve always found this bathroom to be a calming and relaxing space, and I’m so relieved that it’s finally been returned to its spa-like state. Future guests, start making your reservations now.

• applying too much paint that then runs and sags
• applying paint that starts to peel when you brush back over it
• having to put on 3-4 coats to cover stains
• being able to tell you put on 3-4 coats with a thick, uneven finish
• finished look is not the true color you were going for

So what about using a “paint with primer in one” product? These work best if you are painting the walls the same color, keeping the same paint sheen, and if the walls and existing paint are in good condition. But in most other situations, starting with primer will give you better results the first time. While paint and primers in one can seem to save you time, skipping the step of priming can lead to many DIY mishaps.

• Use primer to seal porous surfaces such as: 
  • builder’s flat paint, bare drywall, and spackled areas
  • stucco, concrete and masonry
  • raw wood
  • weathered aluminum
• Permanently block out odors and stains, preventing bleed through the topcoat: 
  • Tannin bleed, food and beverage stains
  • Knots and sap streaks
  • Graffiti, ink and crayon
• Hide dark colors and surfaces: 
  • Decorative colors and faux finishes
  • Panelling, wallcovering and borders
  • Stained cabinets

• Create a layer to which paint will adhere, such as glossy, hard-to-paint surfaces, without sanding: 
  • Finished woodwork, shelving
  • Old glossy paints, varnished trim
  • Laminate furniture
  • Glass, ceramic tile, decorative tile, formica
  • Vinyl siding, shutters
  • PVC piping, finished metals

• Best Tips & Tricks for Painting Any Space
• Spray Paint Organization
• Utility Room Paint Supply Storage & Organization
• Tips for Proper Paint Storage, Recycling, and Disposal
• How to Install Temporary, Removable Wallpaper

The post When and Why to Prime Before Painting appeared first on Blue i Style.

The post DIY Home Projects in Red, White, and Blue appeared first on Blue i Style.

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When we were little, my mom created several dollhouses for my sister and me. She bought them unfinished, and then meticulously decorated and furnished them, using real carpet, tile, and linoleum remnants on the floors, and using fabric to create wallpaper for the walls. Those dollhouses were our prized possessions and I always envisioned creating a similar dollhouse for my own daughter someday.

• Dollhouse
• Stain
• Acrylic Paint (black and various colors)
• Left over latex wall paint (optional)
• Paint Brushes
• Paint Sealer
• Adhesive Vinyl
• Inkjet Printable Adhesive Vinyl
• Woodgrain Contact Paper
• Furniture (specifics listed below)
• Felt (various colors)
• Colored Sharpies

I used some left over black acrylic paint and a wide paint brush to make the roof’s paint job quick and easy.

CREATE FAUX STONE FOR DOLLHOUSE EXTERIOR

To complete the look of the exterior of the house, I downloaded an image of the stacked stone on our home from the manufacturers website, and I printed the image onto more sheets of inkjet printable adhesive vinyl. In addition to covering the two non-window sections of the back of the house in stone, I also covered the bright green bushes next to the front door with stone as well.

ADD HOUSE NUMBERS

After seeing the dollhouse put together, my husband suggested that I add the house number, and label the mail slot in the door similar to our mailbox. I used a scrap of teal vinyl and cut the numbers and letters on my Cricut electronic cutting machine.

Then I decided to take it one step further by painting the “toy box” that came with one of the furniture sets black and labeling it like the milk box on our front porch.

I was so thrilled with how the dollhouse makeover turned out, and the side by side before and after is pretty drastic – especially considering that it only took me a few hours to make all the changes! The original was very fun and colorful, but the after… well, now it looks like home!

Once the house was complete, I was ready to focus on the furniture. From watching my boys play with the dollhouse at the toy store, I knew that moving the furniture around would be one of their favorite parts, so I wanted to give them plenty of furniture options. After doing my research, I learned that the furniture and dolls from Hape, Plan Toys and Melissa & Doug are all very close in size, making them interchangeable. I picked my favorites from among all three furniture lines and ordered the following:

Ready for a closer look inside?! Come on in!

Just like our home, the lowest level of the dollhouse is the “basement,” the kitchen is to the right of the front door, the kids rooms are on the next level up, and the master bedroom and bathroom are on the third floor.

 

 

Since I wanted the kids to have lots of options, I made two sets of furniture for each of the lower level rooms. The basement can be set up as our family room, or as the kids play area, the kitchen can be swapped out to become our living room. Of course, the kids don’t really set the rooms up like this on their own – you’re more likely to find the toilet next to the kitchen table, and the couch on top of the bed!

TURNING A DOLLHOUSE INTO OUR HOME’S MINI-ME

The kids immediately recognized that the walls, rugs, furniture look like things in our home, and they love talking about it! Let me show you some comparisons…

Our basement family room has a grey couch, orange pillows, white chair, grey number rug, and fireplace…so does the dollhouse family room.

At the other end of our basement is the kids play area with a fun letter rug and a white play table with orange chairs. Here’s the real thing, and the dollhouse version…

On the other side of the dollhouse, the room with the teal wall doubles as our kitchen and our living room. Like our kitchen, the dollhouse has stainless appliances, black chairs, and an ombre rug in shades of teal and blue.

The dollhouse kitchen can also be set up as a mini version of our living room, with teal walls, a teal rug, and black and white tweed couch, black chairs, and a silver table.

Now let’s head upstairs…

Finally, at the top of the house is the bathroom, complete with a toilet with a lid that lifts – one of the boys’ very favorite parts! Since the time I created the dollhouse, our real life bathroom received a stylish makeover with graphic black and white cement tile. I’m thinking I might make a little update to the dollhouse bathroom to add some graphic glam style.

I had so much fun putting this dollhouse together for the boys, and I’m thrilled that three years later they are still enjoying it just as much as they did the very first day!

Here are some photos I snapped of them playing with the house a couple of years ago! It was snowing outside that day, so of course they flipped the roof around to the snowy side!

Since not all of the furniture can fit in the house at one, I put all the extra pieces in a plastic lidded bin that we keep in the toy cabinet. The boys love having options and spend a lot of time sorting through the furniture to find just the right pieces.

• Stained dollhouse frame using left over stain
• Painted the green side of the roof black using acrylic paint
• Painted the windowed walls {interior and exterior} using paint left over from our walls
• Painted the front door and deck
• Sprayed a sealer over all the painted and stained areas to protect them
• Printed “wallpaper” and stone onto printable adhesive vinyl
• Cut the printed wallpaper and stone to fit the non-windowed walls and stuck them in place
• Covered some of the floors in wood-grain contact paper
• Assembled the dollhouse
• Added house numbers and labeled the mail slot and milk box using adhesive vinyl
• Painted and sealed select portions of the furniture to coordinate with furniture in our house
• Recovered the cushions, pillows, and bedspread using fabric swatches and scraps
• Created rugs using felt and Sharpie markers

Everyone loves a good before and after, right?! Here’s one more look at the completed transformation! And don’t forget to pin this post for any dollhouse renovations that might be in your future!

The post DIY Dollhouse Makeover appeared first on Blue i Style.