Tutorial for painting ceramic floors

Friday, February 5, 2021



How to paint ceramic tiles







Supplies 

2 boxes of Floor coating, two different colors with glaze Here

Paint tray

2 Mini foam rollers for smooth surfaces link Here

Painters Tape

Paint trim brush

Stencils in the size of your floor tile link Here

Polycrylic here




Prep your floor first.

 Clean your floors really well and dry, make sure there is no hairs or dust left on your tiles. This is really important because they will show up in your paint. 

Tape all your trim and cabinets in the room were you are painting the flooring. Give it one more vacuum or dry swifter to make sure there is no lint or debris.



Start painting your tiles. 


Mix your paint well. Start in sections, I did a 3x4 area first, this way You can keep cleaning the tiles to remove dust or debris  as you work in sections. 






Apply your base coat color using a paint brush around the edges, trimming the outside of your floor and your grout lines.

Next you start rolling the tiles with your base color. Make sure you do two coats so the tiles are completely covered. 

Repeat with your next section.

Let dry. 


It took about 6 hours for the paint to not be tacky. Once I had the entire floor painted with the base color it was time to stencil.



The stencil pack comes with two stencils. Use one at a time that way if you stop you can use the clean one to finish your project, they aren’t really easy to clean once they get full of paint.


Get your second color ready for your stencil.

Lay your stencil on the tile using your grout line as a guide to keep your stencils straight and uniform.

Do not tape your stencil down. You will just run the risk of pulling up the base paint since it hasn’t quite cured yet.

Roll your paint roller into the paint, but makes sure you don’t have too much paint on your roller or it will smudge and leak thru your stencil.

This is a good time to practice on a piece of card board, in a closet or behind your appliances before you try your first tile.



I did my practice behind the washer and dryer. First few too much paint. 

Once you have the right technique with rolling your stencil you can’t start on your actual tiles.



It’s always better to use less paint, you can always replace your stencil and match up the design on a tile to redo if you need to darken the stencil pattern then it is to take off paint.

Work first your 3x4 area, doing every other tile, (this way your not touching the freshly painted tile)

They dry pretty quick, so just keep moving along the pattern.


One you have finished the area go back and do the stencils on the unpainted tiles.

Repeat in sections until your floor is finished.

Now since this is stencils they won’t be perfect or all the same but that it’s what makes them look so unique



Once you have finished stenciling all the full tiles you will have have tiles around your trim and cabinets. This is the tricky part. I let the paint dry completely for 6 hours.  The stencil doesn't bend well to get a clean finish. I cut  the stencil in different edges and corners to finish all the edges in the room. With your two stencils you can used all 4 sides to cut them to fit into the edges of the room. 


Let your paint dry a couple of hours make sure it’s not tacky. Dry swifter the area again to make sure it’s dry and free of any debris. 

Now you add the glaze that came with the kit.

We did apply polyurethane after we applied the glaze and it had dried. This is our exit to the garage and only way to the basement.

We let the glaze set overnight. Then applied the poly. If you are using a light color make sure to use Polycrylic, Polyurathane will yellow.


This picture was taken before we applied the poly. So the finish with the glaze still has a nice gloss to it.

I have heard that Polyurethane can be slippery when wet, so I would just do the glaze if you get a lot of water traffic. Do not use Polyurethane if your base color is white, it will turn yellow. Instead use Polycrylic.




I am very happy with the finished results. They are all perfect. But they definitely gave my laundry room a more luxurious feel and my tiles don't look dirty anymore.

Thank you for stopping by, I hope this post will inspire you to try something new in your home.


 I hope this helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.

Don't let fear of trying something hold you back. It's okay to make mistakes along the way, that's how we learn what we don't like.


When I use a product I do try to link it for you and if you decide to purchase the product I am affiliated with some of those companies. Its the only way to offset the time it takes building my how tos for decorating and DIY.

I am in no way asking you to click and purchase any items but it makes it easier for all the info to be on one site. Many different stores carry the products I use. But the links I provide is where I had purchased.


I hope that helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.


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Gallery walls

Thursday, January 28, 2021

 Gallery walls are a good way to group items you love and display your family photos.

Here you can get matching frames to get started 


Make sure you start out with similar frames and do all your images in the same color. If you want black and white do them all in black in white.




Its pretty easy now with Walgreens website you can just send them to the store in the color and size you want printed and pick them up when they are finished.


First make sure to lay out your frames on the floor in the design you like the best. Make sure your four corner pictures of your gallery line up in a straight line. You can place any metal pieces, shelves or whatever else you want to add to your gallery on the floor as well.

Your finished product will be one big piece of art. 

At this point I take a sheet of paper and make a template of each picture, making sure to mark where the hanging clip is. This way you can hang the paper on the wall and nail right threw the paper.

I then will tape each sheet to the wall, so I can play with the different sizes to make sure its the grouping that works for me.


Just make sure each sheet of paper lines up and is level with the next one, hammer your nail wear the hanging clip would be.

Once you take each sheet down you can now replace it with the actual framed picture. 

The biggest mistake in decorating is hanging your pictures too high. Make sure the middle of your gallery is at eye level. 



I did shelves in our new home and just lean the photos against the wall. This way I can change them up as the seasons change. Or add Santa, Halloween, Easter, or which ever fun signs you like.

These shelves are perfect in the hallway. 
I am able to change them out as I please.
Here you can order white ones in 60 inches
or
Here you can order black ones in 48 inches





 I hope this helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.

Don't let fear of trying something hold you back. It's okay to make mistakes along the way, that's how we learn what we don't like.


When I use a product I do try to link it for you and if you decide to purchase the product I am affiliated with some of those companies. Its the only way to offset the time it takes building my how tos for decorating and DIY.

I am in no way asking you to click and purchase any items but it makes it easier for all the info to be on one site. Many different stores carry the products I use. But the links I provide is where I had purchased.


I hope that helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.



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Vinegar stain. Best aged wood look ever.

Monday, January 25, 2021

Supplies

  • 1-quart Mason jar and lid 
  • Extra-fine steel wool 
  • Distilled white vinegar 
  • Fine strainer 
  • Paintbrush 


Making your vinegar stain

  • Put the steel wool pad into a Mason jar then add vinegar, fill about 3/4 full.  I prefer to not cover the mixture (the mixture will give off gases), set aside for at least 3 days. The longer it sits, the darker the stain will become.
  • Stir and then strain the mixture  through a fine-meshed strainer, some people also use a coffee filter to get any left over particles. I have not. 
  • Now stain your pieces as you normally would. You can sand the wood first to get a stronger grained effect. (Always do a test piece first before staining)  
  • As the stain dries it will darken. Once the stain has fully dried, seal with a wax or polyurethane finish. They say you can keep the stain for a few months, but I always dispose of any leftover, because I am not sure of the reaction of its shelf life, 



Here is a before and after of vinegar stain on new common wood.



You brush on the vinegar stain and watch it change colors and bring out all the grain and detail as it dries.


I am a big fan of aged wood and this is the best finish I have found for turning new wood into reclaimed looking wood. 
One you brush the wood And cover the entire section you will see it starts changing colors, keep moving with the stain to make sure it blends evenly.  Once you have brushed the entire piece with the stain. give it a good wipe down with a cotton cloth to remove any excess stain. Let completely dry before you wax or polyurethane.



If your ever dare to strip a piece, I prefer to sand it. It is way less messy and for some reason therapeutic to me.
I did use a furniture stripper on this one. 
What a mess. But I’m sure there are better techniques it was just my first time. I always just hit furniture with my orbit sander.


Once you get all the original color off and your down to the raw wood. You will then apply the steel wool and vinegar. You have to make it up a few days before, there are lots of different recipes out there. But I just add a fine grit steel wool pad and fill a jar with vinegar. Mason jars work the best. I don’t cover it but I know some do. I will build up gases, I just did a mixture in Tupperware and within an hour it blew the top off. Leave it for a few days and you'll have the perfect grey stain.
I love the finish more than when I have used the stains with the grey color added to them. This stain is a more natural aged look.



The stain will look different on different woods. As you can see the table I applied it to was made from 3 different types of wood, so I had to apply more on certain parts. I didn’t mind the uneven look on this project. But remember each wood type will take differently just like any other stain.

Steel wool and vinegar stain gives your wood a natural weathered or aged grey finish.

Depending on the type of wood you are staining, steel wool and vinegar stain can produce anywhere from warm reds to an aged grey finish 


This sofa table had three different types of wood, so in some spots I purposefully went heavy. Stain takes differently on different woods. So make sure and test a spot to see the color you will achieve. Once the wood was completely dry I then applied white wax over the entire piece. I wanted to have the restoration hardware type of finish with layers. You can achieve this with applying either white wax or dark wax, depending on your preference.  You can seal it with polyurethane as well. 
There are all sorts of waxes on the market. This is the one I choose to use. The link below has info on how to apply the wax and how to purchase.
Also to apply the wax you need a stiff brush which you can find here

Here is  a close up of the finished sofa table. You can see the wax in the corners, the wax brings out any details and grains in the wood. 

 
 I hope this helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.

Don't let fear of trying something hold you back. It's okay to make mistakes along the way, that's how we learn what we don't like.


When I use a product I do try to link it for you and if you decide to purchase the product I am affiliated with some of those companies. Its the only way to offset the time it takes building my how tos for decorating and DIY.

I am in no way asking you to click and purchase any items but it makes it easier for all the info to be on one site. Many different stores carry the products I use. But the links I provide is where I had purchased.


I hope that helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.

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Before and after round table

Sunday, January 24, 2021

I found this little farmhouse table a few years back at good will for 4.99. I think it must of been one of the old K-mart tables with the green legs and the maple top. So at that point I painted the entire thing black.



Fast forward to 2020. I stripped the entire thing and vinegar stained it! Love the finish and matches so much of my current decor. I will do the chair legs once spring hits. 


You can find out how to achieve this look Here
 


Read More

Painted utility tub



 So this isn’t really what this product is for and I have no idea if it will last....but my sink was stained with rust water and I thought why not! You can get the paint I used here 

I did not remove the sink or faucet to paint. I just taped around the entire sink and faucet.


First I cleaned and dried the entire sink. 

Then take a plastic bag and wrap it around the faucet, use a rubber band wrapping it around the faucet to make it tight.





Tape around the sink and faucet.
Then added a thin layer of paint with a foam roller here 

It took two coats and I did use the glaze that came with the kit over it. I Just used a foam roller and applied it. No polyurethane at this point.



It really is an amazing transformation. I figured if the paint is made to stick to ceramic tiles, that get wet. Why wouldn't it work on a sink?



Apply the glaze with a mini roller. It goes on thin and you don't need a lot. 

I left it to cure for 3 days before I attempted to use it. So far so good! no chipping the finish is hard and I'm really happy with the look.
I hope this easy and inexpensive project inspires you to do something new. Don't let fear stop you. It's really just paint. If we mess up we can paint over it!

 I hope this helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.

Don't let fear of trying something hold you back. It's okay to make mistakes along the way, that's how we learn what we don't like.


When I use a product I do try to link it for you and if you decide to purchase the product I am affiliated with some of those companies. Its the only way to offset the time it takes building my how tos for decorating and DIY.

I am in no way asking you to click and purchase any items but it makes it easier for all the info to be on one site. Many different stores carry the products I use. But the links I provide is where I had purchased.


I hope that helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.


Read More

Master bedroom

Saturday, January 23, 2021

 After months of waiting we finally got our new furniture from Ashley! Everything has been delayed because of covid. But it’s finally all here!















Read More

New laundry room, painted floors, cabinets and even the sink.

Friday, January 22, 2021

Before and After Painted Laundry room....

We painted the cabinets, floors, and our sink. 😍

My Laundry room was okay before, but it really needed something. The cabinets were just plain laminate white with no real detail. Once we finished painting the cabinets we added these pulls.
We added the pulls in 8 inch you can get them here



The lady at home depot convinced me to purchase this paint. She said it was the strongest finish out there. So I figured I would give it a try! The paint is very thick and It took a lot to cover the white laminate , it went on much faster on the wood cabinets I also painted in our basement. 

the color wasn't quite black but dark secret from Behr. 
The link for the handles are here

My sink was stained from our hard water so I was really being brave here.
I used the floor paint on the utility tub, so far so good!

You can see the process here 






We painted the floor, for more on that you can view it here 


I love my new laundry room. It was super easy and inexpensive to transform it with paint.
Hope this inspires you to do the same with yours. Laundry isn't so bad anymore.

 I hope this helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.

Don't let fear of trying something hold you back. It's okay to make mistakes along the way, that's how we learn what we don't like.


When I use a product I do try to link it for you and if you decide to purchase the product I am affiliated with some of those companies. Its the only way to offset the time it takes building my how tos for decorating and DIY.

I am in no way asking you to click and purchase any items but it makes it easier for all the info to be on one site. Many different stores carry the products I use. But the links I provide is where I had purchased.


I hope that helps you make your home more personal and gives you the confidence to try something new.


 

Read More