Painting doors black

I saw a blog by Emily Hewitt where she painted her interior doors. I had seen many blogs about this but she did not use black. She used a dark espresso grayish color. This gave the doors a much more elegant look than the plain black. I am a Home Depot freak and spend so much time there that everyone knows me, has my cell phone number, and greets me asking "what are you working on now?" I used Behr Stealth Jet. I believe it is pretty close to Emily's color.

WHAT A CHANGE IT MAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the look before:

 

 

I really liked the light doors but I was skeptical about the enormity of this project. I have 26 doors.

 

Since I was working on the hallway (which has 7 doors), I thought this was a good place to start. I started with the end door to see what an impact it would make. I have to say that this is probably the single most thing in updating my home that will make the most and best impact.

 

This is the end hall door when I was making the decision:

 

 

As you can see, this is phenomenal!

 

BTW while I'm mentioning Emily Hewitt, everyone HAS to visit her blog. It wasn't until I found her blog through pinterest that I developed a vision for the look of my home. She does eboards for anyone who wants her to decorate their homes. I plan to use her in one particular room in my home when I get to it.

 

I also got a surprise when redoing the knobs, but that's another post.

 

Have a great weekend!



 



 



Painting Grasscloth Tutorial

I painted my grasscloth! And it turned out beautiful! I once lived in a house that had the grasscloth in the hallway painted before we moved in. So now that I am updating the hall I decided to paint my own grasscloth.

Here is the before picture:

The grass cloth had darkened. I didn't know this until I removed the pictures and had lighter grasscloth under them.

If you want to do this just be warned that the grass cloth soaks up the paint but it is well worth it. I love the texture of the grasscloth but wanted to update my hallway.

Step 1: Repair any edges that have loosened. I used Seam Repair from Home Depot.

Step 2: Cut in or paint all the edges around molding and doors just as you would if you were painting a room. It will take 2 coats.

Steps 3: Roll the paper with a roller designed for rough surfaces. This will also require 2 coats and you my have to do little touch ups to make sure all areas are well covered. I recommend doing the touch ups during the day and at night. You will find areas not covered well in one or the other lighting.

In my house, I always do the cut in and my husband does the rolling.

You can see a hugh difference in the color of the grasscloth and the new color. It really brightened up the hall and I can't wait to rehang my pictures.

Here is a closeup after painting:

 



You can see that the texture is still there.

I have not rehung the pictures yet. I plan to redo some of the frames and add more pictures. Here is the after:

The next thing I did to update the hallway is paint the doors (as you can see in this picture) and redo the knobs. I will post about this later.

If you have grasscloth and are unhappy with the color but love the texture, this is a great way to update. My hallway is long and it took 3 1/2 gallons of paint. I used Behr Coastal Beige on the walls in satin and SW Pure White on the trim in semi-gloss.

Right now my hall is carpeted but later this year we are going to replace the carpet in the bedrooms and I plan to lay hardwood in the hall at that time.

Looking forward to showing you my doors and knobs. I had a pleasant surprise that I can't wait to share.

In the beginning . . . . . .

In the beginning. . . . .

I am starting my blog to have others follow me on my journey to reclaim my empty nest. I am a wife and mother of two daughters, a son in law and now a beautiful baby granddaughter. I am an orthopedic nurse practitioner by day but a self proclaimed DIYer by night. I love sewing, painting, crocheting, and home projects. For the last twenty six years my life has revolved around my family. Now is my time.

My empty nest is more than having my daughters grow up and leave to make their own life. My empty nest is also the lose of my parents and my in laws. I am truly alone with my husband who is the love of my life. I want to make my home comfortable, updated, and homey. We moved into this house in 2000. At that time, I decorated it to fit my furniture and completely repainted and changed it to fit me.

Fast forward 12 years. . . . .

I now live in a home that is outdated, has worn out furniture, dirty carpet, and appliances that are slowly dying. My parents and in laws have left my with a 3 car garage full of their stuff, which I see as a treasure trove. My daughters have left me with an attic full of high school and college things, which need to be dealt with.

While growing up my grandmother was a big part of my life. She taught my how to sew and crochet as a preschooler. I made my own Barbie clothes by choice. I loved it. My husband is a Mr. FixIt. He worked as an appliance installer and repairman in high school through the DECA program and I am proud to say we have never had an appliance repairman in my home. All that money we have saved though the years! He loves to work on the house and is not afraid of any project yet he knows his limits and knows when to call in the pros (yes, that's right).

I will include pictures, olioboards, DIY projects with tutorials. I am going to find treasures and repurpose so many things.  Mostly, I want to encourage others to see their diamond in the rough, excited about their homes, and loving their empty nests.

I am excited about this journey!

Follow me as I update my home, organize, purge, and make my home a showcase of me.