10 Things in Your House That You Should Just Paint

Despite the incredible flexibility and usefulness of paint, we tend to be limited in our evaluation of the material. Most of us think of paint as something that gets applied to our walls, our cars, and (perhaps) the occasional piece of wood furniture. Perhaps you have decided to paint the wall tiles or the bathtub. But paint is so effective that you can use it to decorate, update, and protect your belongings in many other ways.

Here are at least 10 things you could draw and why you should probably do it.

Cushioned furniture

If you’re tired of your upholstered furniture, you might think you need to either completely replace it or re-upholster it to give it a new look. But it might be a lot easier to draw it instead , and it’s actually not that hard. Almost any upholstery can be painted with specialty fabric paint , latex paint, or chalk paint, depending on the finish and desired effect. It’s not hard to do – clean the upholstery thoroughly, tape the parts you don’t paint, dampen the fabric with water, and then paint, using a sanding sponge if necessary. Boom: A brand new look.

window screens

There are several reasons why you might want to paint screens in your windows or front doors. First, you watch this video and realize that painting your screen black can make it almost invisible, which is a cool effect. Secondly, you realize that you can create incredible art on your window bars, turning a practical and rather ugly part of your home into a source of beauty and creativity. Whether you want to hide your screens or draw attention to them, paint is the answer.

Lampshades

Lampshades provide a much-needed service: they turn the harsh bright light of a bare light bulb into diffused, mood-creating lighting. And you have more control over that mood than you might think, because just about any lampshade can be dyed to change the color, tone, and intensity of light in your room. This project also has a double design load because when the lamp is off, the painted lampshade can still be the center of attention.

Carpet and other floor coverings

One place that many people don’t think of in terms of paint is the floor. But old wood floors, cheap vinyl floors, or carpet that needs to be repaired can be easily touched up with paint.

Well, relatively easy. Successful carpet painting is all about preparation and careful work. A carpet with a longer pile will be more difficult because it will absorb a lot of paint and it will be difficult to get paint into lower pile depths, which can result in the original color being exposed every time you walk on it. If you’re using spray paint, you’ll also find that overspray is a real problem, so be very careful when sticking your patterns on – you may even need to stick paper swatches on areas you’re not painting to avoid this problem. . You’ll want to choose a fabric or upholstery paint for the project so that the carpet is pleasant to walk on after you’re done. But if you prepare the rug carefully and plan carefully, it’s not a difficult project and can turn a dirty old rug into a vibrant piece of decor.

We often treat hardwood floors as an inviolable part of our homes, but if your hardwood floors are scratched, scuffed or otherwise weathered, a coat of durable porch paint will cover up all of these issues and make it possible to completely change the look and feel of the floor. room. In addition, painting old wood floors will extend their lifespan, so this is ideal for an old floor that you plan to replace in the near future.

Similarly, if your home has old vinyl or linoleum floors that have seen better days (and may have lost their protective coating and become dull and uncleanable), you can remove the sheen from them and paint them to make them look amazing. .

Curtains

Curtains can add a touch of elegance to a room by keeping nosy neighbors and hot sunlight out where they belong. But if your curtains are a bit dull, a little fabric paint (regular latex paint will work in a pinch ) and a little creativity will make all the difference. You don’t even have to make it terribly complicated: create some stripes with masking tape and use a small foam roller to add vertical or horizontal stripes.

Technique

If you’re stuck in the kitchen or laundry room with basic white appliances, why not paint them ? A little sanding to remove the shine, a little primer and a glossy paint of your choice can transform a cheap refrigerator or stove into a dazzling bright color. Or consider using chalkboard paint to transform your refrigerator into a message center and artistic flourish. Heck, you can even paint your cheap appliances to give them a stainless steel look . (This is also a possible solution if you have mismatched appliances or a range hood that doesn’t fit the stove.)

Countertops

If your kitchen countertops look shabby (or were never particularly beautiful to begin with), you could be missing out on thousands of dollars of investment and all the hassle of removing and replacing them by spending hours on a countertop paint kit or can of paint. a paint suitable for the material (generally speaking, water-based acrylic paints work well on laminate while epoxy paint is better on tile and stone). This is a simple project : clean, sand, seal, prime and paint. The results will largely depend on how much time and attention you put into the work, especially if you use a paint set that will give your countertops the look of natural stone. But for just a few bucks, you can get a whole new kitchen, especially if you complement it with painted appliances. (And wardrobes.) (And…floors?)

Radiators

If old radiators are heating your home, you may have gone to some effort to hide them using a variety of methods. Instead, why not color them in ? While you should check any existing paint on a radiator for lead before sanding and stripping, that’s the only hurdle to deal with – the rest is just preparing the radiator and choosing the right high temperature paint for the metal . And just like that, an eyesore in your living room becomes a dramatic accent.

fan blades

Ceiling fans are life savers when it comes to heating and cooling costs, but they can get a little boring (and dirty , so dirty). Sure, your fan blades can be replaced , but that also means they can be painted because you can remove them for easier work. Once you’ve taken them off the fan, you can either paint them in a bold and dramatic color, or get something cool on them with a stencil. For extra points, why not draw a pattern that will do something cool when the fan is running?

your roof

You probably don’t think about your roof when it’s not actively leaking, but painting a flat roof with a reflective or rubberized paint finish will extend its life, reduce cooling costs, and improve the roof’s leak resistance. This doesn’t mean you have to take the leftover paint you have in the garage and go there to throw on your coat – you need to do some research and choose a finish that’s right for your roofing material. But once you do, roofing is essentially like painting a floor, with the added thrill of deadly danger if you don’t take the proper precautions.