Welcome to week 2 of the fall 2017 One Room Challenge! Over the next four weeks I will transform my downstairs half bathroom from a brown disaster to a room that is light and bright.
PROJECT RECAP
In week one I presented my design plan. In week two I painted the trim and window. In week three I painted the walls. In week four I painted the bathroom cabinet. In week 5 my husband and I installed a new toilet and I sewed curtains for the window. In week 6 I began adding decor elements to the room.
Want to read more? You can catch up clicking the links below:
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4| Week 5| Week 6
THE PROJECT PLAN
I will finish this project over the course of the next five weeks. This week I am starting with all of the trim in the room, including the window. I chose to start with the trim because of the amount of brown paint currently on the trim. I have a steady hand so it is easy for me to cut in when painting a room. The crown molding in the room isn’t very thick. Therefore, I am likely to get a considerable amount of the white trim paint on the wall while trying to cover up all of the brown spillover. Working in this order will allow me to slop on the white trim paint without worrying about the walls.
The project plan by week is as follows:
- Week two – sand, prime, and paint trim and window
- Week three – prime and paint walls
- Week four – sand, prime, and paint cabinet
- Week five – remove existing toilet and add a new toilet
- Week six – sew new curtain and add decorative elements to the space
WEEK TWO | GETTING STARTED
Our bathroom is dark from a brown paint that just is not right for the space. Also, it includes wall paper that has been partially removed/repaired and then painted over. This is a product of the previous owners. This was by no means my doing. The goal of this project is to make the room bearable. I intend to complete an entire overhaul at a later date. Unfortunately, I don’t have the money to make it what I really want. That will just have to come later. Here is a look at the space that I am starting with:
PROJECT TOOLS
On the plan for this week is to sand, prime, and paint all trim in the room. In order to make this happen, I needed a few great tools.
I am a huge fan of sanding blocks. We have an electric sander, but it doesn’t get into the grooves of moldings very well. I have learned from the previous rooms that we have painted that using sanding blocks is the way to go. Our room is on the smaller side, but I still recommend picking up a few. The first sanding block is rougher; I picked up the roughest that was available. This gets the job done that much faster and with less effort.
I also picked up a fine sanding block. This one is 220 grit. This is a finishing block. I will get to that one in a few minutes.
We have been painting all of our moldings white. They were cream when we moved in. Slowly but surely, the cream is disappearing. We have been using Valspar’s Ultra 4000 semi-gloss interior paint in color High Hide White. We had most of a can left over from another room. This was a major win because that means we didn’t have to spend $30 on paint for trim.
When it comes to getting a smooth finish, use a good brush. I only buy Purdy brushes. The one shown is my current favorite. It is 2 inch angled brush. It has quite a bit of paint on the handle. This just shows you how much it is loved. Invest in a good brush and you will have fewer issues with rough finishes and bristles will fall out less often. If you take good care of cleaning your brushes between uses, they will last you a life time. It makes them well worth the $12 price tag.
The last tool that I use is my Lilly Pulitzer Bluetooth speaker. I blast my Churches Pandora station and just let go mentally. Painting is very meditative for me, however, music just makes it that much more relaxing.
THE PROCESS
This week was all about painting the trim and the window in the half bathroom. I sanded, cleaned, painted, sanded, cleaned, and painted some more.
Step 1: Sand all trim and the window.
Step 2: Clean all the debris from sanding. Use soap and water. Real cleaning. Not the faux stuff my husband tries to get away with.
Step 3: Paint trim. I am not a big fan of taping because I have a steady hand. If you are new at painting or feel more confident with tape, by all means tape first.
Step 4: Allow paint to dry for at least an hour, if not longer. Lightly sand any brush marks with a light grit sandpaper or sanding block. A light grit is 220 or greater.
Step 5: Clean all the debris from sanding.
Step 6: Paint a second coat. Repeat steps 4 and 5, if necessary.
The previous owners left a considerable amount of paint on the window hardware. I removed the hardware to make it easier to paint the window. I put a small amount of Goof Off in a painters tray. I then used a small paint brush to brush on small amounts, allowing it to work its magic. After a few minutes, I was able to wipe the surface clean. The process looked a little like this:
THE RESULTS
Although I spent the entire weekend in my tiny bathroom, the photos make it look as though nothing has changed. I blame the terrible reflection from the brown paint still on the walls.
A few of thee door. You can see where I was testing the wall color next to the trim. That is a glimpse of what the wall will look like next week. I am so incredibly excited. Just that one section is making the room look so much better.
Here is a view of the window. This is a shot in the day light. It was not quite finished at the time, but I was afraid this might be my last good shot before the sun went down. This thing took me forever to paint, mostly because of the continuous rework. The previous owners had so much paint on the window. As I was getting the paint off the glass and off of the glider between the top and bottom glass, it was striping the paint from other aspects of the frame. I would sand, repaint, sand, repaint, etc. It is going to be amazing when it is completely finished. I am going to be amazing when I can stop messing up what I have already painted!
Here is a shot of the crown molding….and a lovely shot of the wall paper edge. You can see that there is wall paper under that ugly brown paint.
Here is a shot of the base board. You can see from this shot that the wall paper was mostly removed, but not completely. It almost gives the wall a stuccoed look. Almost.
I’m so excited for this process and hope that you’ll check in every Wednesday for the latest updates!
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