Paint – Page 3 – Jenna Burger Design LLC – Interior Design & Architectural Consulting

DIY: Framed Chalkboard Medicine Cabinet

Written by Jenna on May 5, 2011. Posted in DIY, Paint.

When recently working on my kids bathroom makeover on a budget, I questioned what to do with the mirrored medicine cabinet ~

Leave it? Or take it out?

The mirrored front medicine cabinet is positioned on the side wall, and since there is already a mirror over the sink, there really wasn’t a need for it. BUT, I didn’t want to leave a huge hole in the wall AND I wasn’t interested in taking the time to patch it up either. What to do?? WELL, I decided to create a new framed chalkboard medicine cabinet!

This was actually quite an easy project to tackle, but before we start, here is how the bathroom looked before.

Supplies needed:
Chalkboard Paint
Wood Frame
Liquid Nails
Sandpaper

Start off by roughing up the existing mirror with sandpaper. This will help the paint absorb better since the mirror surface is not porous.

Then it was time to add the chalkboard paint. I’ve used the same can of chalkboard paint for many of my projects {take a look ~ here & here} and it’s still half full…it definitely goes a long way!

I used a small roller brush to apply the chalkboard paint…

…and used the Valspar tray that came with my free paint sample.

Once the painting is complete, the medicine cabinet is ready to be framed. The overall dimension of my medicine cabinet is 16″ x 22″, so I needed to find something to cover and overlap the mirror. After much searching, I found a wood frame that was made for a 14″ x 18″ picture with an overall outside dimension of 18″ x 23″….it worked perfectly to cover the existing mirror.

Using liquid nails, I applied a good amount to the back of the frame and adhered it to the newly painted “mirror”.

Once the frame is in place, it’s very important to use a level to make sure it’s plumb!

I’m sure you’re wondering why I have a box of Lincoln Logs and 15+ books on the countertop… I have a good explanation for that ~ Liquid Nails is great, but it doesn’t instantly dry…it takes about 30 minutes. When I first adhered the frame, it actually started to sliiiiide down, SO with a little improv (ie: Lincoln Logs & books), it stayed right in place.

TIP: Chalkboard paint isn’t a must for this project. In my master bath, I had another frameless medicine cabinet, that I simply added a similar wood frame to. The medicine cabinet was instantly updated within minutes for less than $20.

My new framed chalkboard medicine cabinet is COMPLETE! Now I have a stylish new medicine cabinet…

…to write my kids to-do’s for their morning/night routine

I’m so happy with how this turned out! I just LOVE chalkboard paint!! Have you ever used chalkboard paint on a project?

DIY: Turning an Old Rug into a Chevron Beauty!

Written by Jenna on March 11, 2011. Posted in DIY, Paint, Patterns, rugs.

In yesterday’s post, I shared with you how the classic chevron pattern is back and better than ever with a new twist making a modern and BOLD statement. I wanted to add the stylish chevron pattern in my own home, so I took the worn and blah sisal rug from my front foyer and vamped it up with some color and pizzaz! Inspired by the nursery rug that Miggy of This Little Miggy Stayed Home, I set off to add some chevron into my life!

Here is a before shot of my old, ugly sisal rug that I’ve had for years ~

Let’s start the REVAMP! First, you need your tools. Using the right tools ALWAYS makes the project SO MUCH easier. Figuring out the pattern was a little tricky and I had to do some calculations to make sure the pattern was centered on the rug. (Even with using my handy-dandy calculator and drawing, I STILL made mistakes)…no biggie…it’s handmade, right? That’s the beauty of it….Are you asking yourself what the clear “thing” is with the yellow on it (at the bottom of the pic)? That’s an adjustable triangle. It adjusts to the angle that you are working with. Most standard architectural triangles are on a 45 degree angle or a 30, 60, 90 degree angle, but this magical instrument lets YOU adjust the angle to whatever you need. It’s actually from my college days in Architecture school and even though I never thought I’d use this tool again, it REALLY came in handy for this project. SIDETRACK, let’s move on…

I found the center mark with two measuring tapes and using Painter’s Tape started making my zig zag line from that point ~

Once you’ve got the center point and first line complete (which is the most difficult part of the project), you are smooth sailing… I chose a zig zag width of 5″ thick and it made sense for this 5′ x 8′ rug size. Thinner or thicker stripes could also work.

Continue your zig zag stripes to create your beautiful chevron patterned rug ~

It’s time to start painting! I chose the colors of chocolate and burnt orange. Both colors I already had from other painting projects in the house. At this point, I’ve spent nothing for this project (I even had the painters tape from our recent basement renovation).

Because the rug had a worn look from years of foot traffic, I wanted to create a distressed, non-perfect chevron look. Using a dry brush method, I applied one coat of paint in a stipple style. Chocolate is FINITO ~ on to the Burnt Orange…

And it’s done! Looks a little weird with the blue, but just wait…

Beauty! (it doesn’t look amazing against the existing blue tile, but that’s another project for another day…it’s all a work in progress…)

I love how the rug looks with the vibrant colored striped fabric on the bench. It also works wonderfully with the rug designs in the two adjacent rooms. (The scale of the jacket on the hook looks a little odd ~ guess I should have taken it off, O well…I still love the rug)!

Another view…

I’m in LOVE! With the added pattern in the room, the foyer looks completely different. I hope you’ve enjoyed my chevron tutorial. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Do you have any chevron pattern in your home?

DIY: Turning an Old Rug into a Chevron Beauty!

Written by Jenna on March 11, 2011. Posted in DIY, Paint, Patterns, rugs. 26 Comments on DIY: Turning an Old Rug into a Chevron Beauty!

Here is a before shot of my old, ugly sisal rug that I’ve had for years ~

I found the center mark with two measuring tapes and using Painter’s Tape started making my zig zag line from that point ~

Continue your zig zag stripes to create your beautiful chevron patterned rug ~

And it’s done! Looks a little weird with the blue, but just wait…

Beauty! (it doesn’t look amazing against the existing blue tile, but that’s another project for another day…it’s all a work in progress…)

Another view…

DIY: Creating a Framed Chalkboard Wall

Written by Jenna on February 9, 2011. Posted in Chalkboard, DIY, Paint, Tutorial.

My son doing his best ‘Vanna White”

As you know from a few previous posts, I have been feverishly working on my basement revamp! One of the many projects included creating a new Chalkboard Wall for the kids. They just love using chalk on the driveway, but in these winter months that’s unfeasible. So I thought… let’s bring the LOVE of CHALK indoors!

Supplies

MDF Boards (cut to size)
Chalkboard Paint
White Paint (preferably semi-gloss)
Screws
Hammer / Screw gun
Measuring Tape
Pencil
Level

This Chalkboard Wall creation actually cost $0, because all the materials were leftovers from other recent projects. If you were to start from scratch, the project would cost you approximately $20.

{Step By Step}

1. Tape off the area where you’d like to apply the chalkboard paint (from the picture, you can see the old paint in the center and the freshly painted wall around).

NOTE: Your chalkboard wall can be as big or small as you’d like. I also created a recessed panel below to work with the existing outlet placement ~ you don’t have to do this.(Obviously, I don’t want the kids drawing with chalk on the outlet)

2. Once you’ve painted the chalkboard on the wall, cut your lumber to the appropriate size. The lumber will cover the line of where the wall paint color meets the chalkboard paint. Start with the top rail. Make sure that it’s level.

NOTE: We used MDF (medium density fiberboard)…it’s the easiest and cleanest to work with. I had leftover pieces from creating my craft area and had the rails cut to the exact size at HD.

3. Install the two side rails, but ONLY put in the top screw.

4. Install the middle and bottom rail. Again, check that they are plumb. Then return to the side rails, and screw them into place.

Lastly, fill in all your screw holes with spackle. Once dry, retouch any spots with paint. It is best to wait a few days before using chalk, see the back of the can for more details.

This is the chalkboard paint that I used:

This is a picture taken when using the chalkboard paint for another project, found {here}

{Ready to USE}

Your chalkboard is done and ready for endless hours of FUN. This is a fairly straight-forward and easy project that will be a sure hit for the cold winter months (and hot summer days).

As you can see, my son couldn’t wait to start drawing.

Thanks for taking a look at my most recent basement project.
Check back soon for more updates and tutorials!

DIY: Creating a Framed Chalkboard Wall

Written by Jenna on February 9, 2011. Posted in Chalkboard, DIY, Paint, Tutorial. 12 Comments on DIY: Creating a Framed Chalkboard Wall

My son doing his best ‘Vanna White”

Supplies

MDF Boards (cut to size)
Chalkboard Paint
White Paint (preferably semi-gloss)
Screws
Hammer / Screw gun
Measuring Tape
Pencil
Level

This Chalkboard Wall creation actually cost $0, because all the materials were leftovers from other recent projects. If you were to start from scratch, the project would cost you approximately $20.

{Step By Step}

1. Tape off the area where you’d like to apply the chalkboard paint (from the picture, you can see the old paint in the center and the freshly painted wall around).

NOTE: We used MDF (medium density fiberboard)…it’s the easiest and cleanest to work with. I had leftover pieces from creating my craft area and had the rails cut to the exact size at HD.

3. Install the two side rails, but ONLY put in the top screw.

4. Install the middle and bottom rail. Again, check that they are plumb. Then return to the side rails, and screw them into place.

Lastly, fill in all your screw holes with spackle. Once dry, retouch any spots with paint. It is best to wait a few days before using chalk, see the back of the can for more details.

This is the chalkboard paint that I used:

This is a picture taken when using the chalkboard paint for another project, found {here}

{Ready to USE}

Your chalkboard is done and ready for endless hours of FUN. This is a fairly straight-forward and easy project that will be a sure hit for the cold winter months (and hot summer days).

As you can see, my son couldn’t wait to start drawing.

Thanks for taking a look at my most recent basement project.
Check back soon for more updates and tutorials!

DIY: Chalkboard Platter

Written by Jenna on February 2, 2011. Posted in DIY, Paint.

Happy Groundhog Day… The pivotal point of the year when we await Famous Phil’s emerging from underground to see if Spring will be here soon or if winter will be sticking around for another 6 weeks. With all the snow we’re having in the Northeast, was Phil even able to make his grand entrance from the hole this morning??

I recently picked up a can of chalkboard paint and it’s been a blast to work with. I’ve used it for several projects and my most recent was to update a simple platter that I purchased from TJ Maxx for $5!

{The Completed Chalkboard Platter Makeover}

{The Before}

This is a before picture of the platter &

proof of my $5 {AMAZING FIND}

Step by Step Transformation:

Once you find the perfect piece that you want to don with chalkboard paint, mask out the area to be painted.

Start spreading it {ON}! Apply THIN coats of the chalkboard paint. The can says it’ll need 2 coats, but I used 3. It also says to use a roller or a foam brush. Due to the shape of this platter, a roller would have been impossible, so I went with the foam brush. IMPORTANT NOTE: Once the paint is applied to the entire surface, make continuous strokes from side to side without stopping. This will make for a smoother (non-bumpy) finish.

This is the product I used…it’s about $10-$12 and can be found in the paint section of most major hardware stores.

Once you’ve applied your 2-3 coats, it’s time of the {REVEAL}. I pulled off the tape, and was left with a bit of a mess…UGH! Because of the platter shape, the tape wasn’t applied perfectly, and some paint spread onto the surface that I DIDN’T want painted. No problemo… I used ~~my thumb nail~~ an Xacto blade and a little bit of patience (ya, right) to scrape it off, and good as new!

{Finito…}

Now you can use your platter for so many places around the house…

let’s take a peak at all the ways I’ve used mine:

What’s for Dinner?

Let’s Celebrate a Special Occasion!

What’s Today’s Date?

O, right…it’s February 2 ~ Groundhog Day! Please tell me Phil didn’t see his shadow. Maybe if he can’t get out of the hole because of all the snow, Spring will be here sooner than 6 weeks??? Please, O, Please!