Playing With Paint
When you want to update the look of your home on a tight budget, paint can be your best solution.
Dated or tired cupboards and vanities can be transformed easily with paint, saving the expense of replacement. Splashy colours and unique motifs can add life to a powder room and spice to a kitchen. A little elbow grease and a few coats of paint will do wonders. Melamine paint works best and provides a hard, durable finish.
Preparation: Fill any cracks or holes with filler. When dry, sand all the surfaces lightly (any fine sandpaper will do) and wipe the surface to make sure it is dust-free. You are now ready to paint. Made with a built-in primer, melamine paint can be applied directly with a foam roller for a professional finish. Two to three coats are recommended, with at least 12 hours drying time between each application.
By Alice Wright and Nancy Machel – Fall 1997
As melamine paint requires about two weeks to completely cure, be sure to avoid nicks and scratches until it hardens completely.
TIPS:
Changing the hardware can also enhance the look of a room. Old spoons or forks can be used as handles and drawer pulls simply by drilling a small hole in either end of the utensils. Bend them slightly in the centre to allow hands to fit in easily and then screw them on.
PAINT THE FLOOR TOO:
Is your kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room covered in old vinyl or linoleum flooring? Yuk! Here is an easy, inexpensive method to brighten up the look of your room, and give it a tiled look, simply with the use of paint.
First clean the floor with soap and water. Make sure to clean up all the dust and dirt so the paint will not buckle. Using a latex paint, begin by applying two coats of a light colour on the floor and letting it completely dry for two or three hours. Next, place l-inch wide masking tape do in vertical lines, then place the tape in horizontal lines on the floor, to create approximately 12-inch by 12-inch squares. The squares need not be exact.
Then take a darker colour of your choice and paint over the floor tape. Leave the paint for two or three hours until it is completely dry, then lift up the tape to reveal a beautiful painted tile floor. Cover your new floor with two coats of polyurethane, which provides the same endurance as vinyl or linoleum flooring and also allows it to be easily cleaned. It’s a creative method to add interest to a boring floor covering.
NEW LIFE FOR OLD COUNTERTOPS:
What can you do to spruce up old countertops? Use melamine paint and save on expensive replacements. A few coats will do the trick. Jazz up a kid’s bathroom by painting dots or stripes in their favourite colours.
A faux tile mosaic effect in warm colours will enhance kitchen countertops. A little imagination can transform an ordinary countertop into the extraordinary!
The method is simple: sand the entire surface lightly with a fine grit sandpaper and make sure it is dust-free. Apply two to three coats of melamine paint with a foam roller, allowing at least 12 hours of drying time in between each coat. Melamine paint needs about two weeks to dry entirely but will then provide a durable hard finish.
