LittleLessUgly.com

There are so many videos, tutorials, and articles on the art of “simply” painting a room. I’ve read and watched many of them, yet I’ve still learned a bunch of things on my own that I didn’t find anywhere else.

The #1 thing you should know before you start painting. Don’t try to buy your first color without trying a sample first. Yes, you pay money up front to try a color but you save so much should you have a color you do not love. Throw it on the wall and look at it in the daytime and nighttime.

Samples are your friend. They let you know if you are making an awesome decision, or a terrible one.

Brushes. The best quality you can buy. Great brushes leave less bristle marks on your wall and more importantly do not shed all over your newly painted wall. As you can imagine, it’s not fun picking bristles off the wall as you go along. The brush in the photo is what Home Depot calls a “Better” brush, but for $8 and shedding everywhere I call it crap. Purdy has been a wonderful brush that I always trust not to do me wrong.

Rollers. The cheapest you can buy. Whether I bought cheap or expensive rollers, I really didn’t see a difference. It is true that the “fatter” ones have more surface area to hold more paint, thus letting you paint a little faster. Other than that, the “quality” of the expensive rollers didn’t impress me.

Paint, cheap vs expensive? What brand of paint? So far I’ve used Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore paints, both have been good. Once you jump into painting and start trying it out for yourself you will develop a favor over one brand or the other. It may just wind down to “which paint shop is the closest?”. As far as I’ve seen there’s no terrible paint brand that will slide off your wall once it’s up, so it’s pretty safe to try any trusted brands.

Aura vs Ben Paint (Benjamin Moore line)
When I originally started using their paints I was talked into the “oh so fabulous” Aura paint. Later on when my money was tighter I opted to try out Ben instead. I thought there was going to be a difference, and there was! The cheaper paint was better. What?! To me, it’s true. Ben smells a little less than Aura paint does, and it’s thicker. Aura seems thinner which I personally don’t like, it makes it more runny which makes you put on thinner coats. So yes, I could have saved myself a big fat $100 should I had just tried Ben first.
The “Aura only needs one coat” line they will throw you, also seemed to not always be true. After painting multiple rooms using multiple colors there was only one room that looks decent with one coat. There was only one benefit I found of Aura, and that’s the satin finish it offers is very pretty.
Just try different things, and see what you think before always following the “more expensive the better it is” rule.

Finishes? Different brands will have different names for their finishes. For the most part it boils down to what you look you want to achieve. I always suggest to use the high gloss or “most shiny” for your trim and doors. For imperfect walls, use a more flat or matte finish. This helps to not accentuate the flaws. Should you want walls that reflect more light they usually have a medium gloss or satin finish. Check with your local paint store for they will suggest what will work best for you.

About Oil Based Paints. Oil based paints seem to cover things better for a more uniform finish without “working” as much, however, they’re much more harsh. Don’t even think about painting a full size master bedroom in one go, unless you have a very airy room it’s not a good idea. Oil based paint is also great when using a primer coat to hide flaws. I went this route and then put latex paint over it. Also if you’re using oil based paint you may opt to use cheaper brushes, since it’s really hard to keep the nice brushes staying nice when oil based paint grabs onto the bristles and holds on for dear life.

About Latex Based Paints. These paints are much more flexible when it comes to spilling them, breathing in the fumes, and all around are more forgiving. It’s easier to wash this type of paint out of the high quality brushes and also easier to remove it from your skin. In general if you aren’t covering something or dealing with a difficult adhesion project, use latex paint.

NEVER FORGET: Find an old outfit or buy a jumpsuit that is *just* for painting! Even if it’s just a little job where “you’re sure you will not spill anything” it’s better than ruining some clothing since getting paint off of it is near impossible, whether it be oil or latex based.

Painters tape is you’re friend. Tape it off if you don’t want it painted!

And the best tip I can give you, is just dive in! You won’t learn unless you start somewhere. I’ll be posting more in depth information on painting in the future. A mix of things I’ve learned from the professionals, online, and just learning along the way.

I knew the small downside of Soycrete before I purchased it. It is the fact that it “lays on” the concrete and does not penetrate the pours like actual acid stain. However I also weighed the fact I did not want to deal with acid products with concern of getting it on my skin, disposing of it, and so forth. Not to mention I have a feeling it’s probably easier to remove as needed than the acid stain would be.

So what I haven’t shown pictures of (yet) is how I’ve made the bedroom my office now, so there’s more wear and tear on the floor with my rolling chair. As if nothing bad would happen I put my desk over the most difficult area we had in the bedroom, that was my first mistake. So here’s the damage…

It’s maybe a 3×3″ spot that came up where my chair rolls over it all day long. So here’s what I did wrong and in a way caused this to happen.

#1 – Do not strain the smooth “difficult” areas where you put down the product and sealant. This product works best on textured or rough areas, my chair is sitting on the smoothest concrete on the whole floor. BAD IDEA. Silly me!

#2 – The clear sealant products need laid using the large squeegee push broom or something that is NOT a roller. Because I used a roller on the bedroom (now office) the floor is not as sealed as the studio was. I put down an extra coat of it in the studio not to mention the squeegee worked a LOT better than the roller did. (The finish is smoother, looks better, feels better, and likely just plain “works better”.)

So don’t make those mistakes and I’m sure you will not run into my mistake. I should have never put my rolling chair where it is. Whenever I get a chance I’ll post my “patching job” of fixing this little spot. But for now I’m taking the easy way out with a rug that is going to cover this little boo boo.

I’m going to start with the “completed thus far” photos since I’m terrible at starting new projects. I *should* be working on the bathroom in our bedroom, instead I’m building new furniture with Ana’s wood plans from Knock Off Wood. See the bottom of this post for a sneak peek.

The simple coffee table was $5 at a second hand street shop, it was wagon red. I spray painted it white in an hour and put her in the studio. It’s not a perfect piece, as you can see from this next photo it’s slightly warped. You can barely tell though, and for $5 you just can’t go wrong.

The concrete floor has been holding up very well! Last night when I went to sleep my pillow managed to slid over to my nightstand and knock off a soda. It rolled entirely underneath our king size bed, and since I was half asleep I wasn’t cleaning it up! I went back to bed and cleaned it up this morning, I couldn’t do that on the carpet in the rest of the house.

Concrete floor tip: Try not to “drag” things like heavy furniture across the floor. So far we haven’t made any permanent damage, but that can leave scratches you have to buff out. I imagine if the object is sharp enough they will not simply rub away.

My pottery barn knock off desk sneak peek.

One of the bookcases here, there’s 2 and then a counter top with 2 drawers. So far I’m finding that getting a “nice” counter is more difficult than I originally imagined. I tried MDF, and oh boy do I have a long horror story to share about that.

But isn’t this so pretty? Just by itself. I should ditch the counter and just have 2 pretty bookshelves!

And *I* built it. Let’s put it this way, it was the first time I’ve used a drill, or dealt with wood. I’ve learned a lot so far! I’m going to share all my tips for the beginner since I wish someone shoved them in my face so I wouldn’t have wasted so much time.

Whew! I do believe I fell off the face of the earth for a couple months there. Now that I’m finished going out of town for business reasons and completely remaking parts of my life, let’s get back to my goals and what I’ve been up to house-wise. (Notice that it’s not “home-wise” just yet, lol!) It’s getting much closer though.

So we have a street here that’s basically a normal residential street with a bunch of antique / refurbished / reused shops that I love to visit. Here’s my most recent pieces, which are part of my last 2 furniture pieces on my goal list.

#1: This hideous beast was in a corner with a “SALE $5″ tag on it covered up with a pile of stuff on it that they wanted to sell more. I see potential… I’m not sure exactly how it’ll turn out but I’m seeing some paint in it’s future. If I can move it, considering it weighs 60 1/2 lbs… or something around there.

#2: The best find ever. This little guy was found at Waterfront Rescue Mission. I fell in love with the shape of the item at first… of course my immediate reaction was to sit on him. (Bad idea!) It’s missing a screw and some TLC.

I knew I really wanted it but there was no price tag on it. I found an employee to ask but she left with the item mumbling that she needed to find the person who priced it. Upon her return she said they didn’t know and she put a $1 sticker on it. One dolla?! Woohoo! *dance*

Total: $6 and a bunch of sanding ahead of me.

Since then I have returned to Waterfront Rescue Mission only to find signs everywhere that say “Price checks will not be made on the floor. Item will be removed and put out the next day with the price on it.” Aww, but I will still visit in hope to find treasures.

So going back to my “a BUNCH of projects for $500 or less” goal, I found a $13 chair. So what’s the problem, you ask? I then ignored the “bargain bins” of fabric and purchased $70 worth of fabric for this chair. (Crud!) But, I was smiling ear to ear because I love the fabric and I’m sure even if I mess this all up (since I don’t know what I’m doing) it’ll still look semi-good. This will have to be the splurge of my list so far.

A BUNCH of Projects – $500 to spend.
• Make new curtains for the bedroom, living room, and studio. This will include the curtain rods as well.
• Buy lamps, decor, and at least 3 furniture pieces all used and make them gorgeous.
• Create my own art for the office.
• Purchase blinds for the office.
• Purchase new light fixture for the bedroom bathroom.
• New cabinet hardware for the vanity.

Furniture: 1/3 $83 chair.

This is looking super difficult so far! Thankfully, I already have the paint. Here’s the chair:

It’s in pretty rough shape eh? Hopefully I’ll be able to make it look fantastic!

Over this past week I finishing painting the walls, finished putting down the stain, painted all the trim (just about), and just yesterday I put down the primer over it. Here’s what happened, and some of the “issues” that got in the way.

Here’s a shot of 2 coats still, the very left corner in the shot is where I just started with the 3rd.

Here’s a better shot to show you how dark it was in comparison, the 3rd coat is closest to me.

It ended up we needed this final coat because I used acrylic paint on the edges to cover up our repair spots. It worked, but in turn made the outside of the floor too dark. They would probably tell us not to use 3 coats, but we did anyway. I figured lets not ask and just see if something bad happens. (That often gets me in trouble, too.)

Then I painted the trim. When we painted the trim in the bedroom I waited until after we put the primer down, and taped around the edges of the floor. Guess what? That can pull up the primer, and the stain. So we have some repairs needed in the bedroom after that incident, but I learned. This time I put old paper scraps all around the room, and it worked like a charm. I know they have a painters tool that will make this easier, but I did not research it.

In this shot you can really see the yellow color I was coming from above it. (And the terrible repair they did to the window trim.)

Here’s a dried example of what the primer coat will make the color look like. It really brings out more brown in our floor, even with it being so dark.

And primer coat done. (Don’t mind the trim tape.) So far, so good! We’re putting on the high traffic coats today or tomorrow. It’s been really rainy and I believe it’s better to do it in dry conditions.

As I mentioned before, I plan on purchasing some used pieces and making them mine. I plan on starting small with some type of buffet, small wardrobe, or perhaps a dresser. I really want to make it unique and I’ve taken some inspiration pieces to hopefully follow.

I adore these buffets, and plan on making something like this.

How beautiful would silver velvet on this couch look? Ah possibilities…

I want this, but maybe on smaller scale. Then again, maybe just as it is.

Yes most of my inspiration comes from $1,000+ pieces, obviously. Haha. We’ll see how well my project of making something similar will go.

First off I’d like to say that normally I’m a very level headed person when it comes to spending money and using credit cards. In the past none of my credit cards had a balance carried over. That was, until I bought a house.

I never have been one to strictly follow a budget and I’m very bad at making them. I do well with my business tracking but not so well with following my personal spending. Since we purchased the house I’ve been bad about wanting a bunch of projects done ASAP, which has cost me more than I have realized. I’ve learned a lot of ways to save money AND get what I want in the past months just by looking around and I plan on putting a lot of these new projects into action come February. And just so I stick to it, I’m sharing my list and my tips. (Otherwise I might sneak off to West Elm and be lost in a world of already made beauty.)

Here is my major budget lock down for the rest of my “right now” projects.

A BUNCH of Projects – $500 to spend.
• Make new curtains for the bedroom, living room, and studio. This will include the curtain rods as well.
• Buy lamps, decor, and at least 3 furniture pieces all used and make them gorgeous.
• Create my own art for the office.
• Purchase blinds for the office.
• Purchase new light fixture for the bedroom bathroom.
• New cabinet hardware for the vanity.
My budget for all of this will be $500, no matter what. I’m sticking to it. I’m going to prove that it is possible! One way or another.

I’ll be sharing some of my save money tips very soon. My first jaw dropper on expenses was how expensive it is if you’re doing nearly an entire house. I could have saved a bundle if I knew then what I knew now. Oy vey!

Our bed has finally been moved back into the bedroom! We finished moving everything last night and when I woke up this morning I expected to be staring at a fireplace, but I was happily staring at my beautiful “Smoke” colored walls and chocolate floor.

It’s such a wonderful feeling to have the floors done but when I stop and look around it feels like I’ve barely touched the bedroom to-do list! We still have curtains to buy, pendant lights to buy, a vanity to paint, new cabinet hardware to pick, mirrors to put back up, 2 doors to paint and then put back on. Hey that’s not even touching my decor desires like artwork above the bed, lamps, a chest, and desk with a chair for the corner. Yeah, I’d say I am done thinking about the bedroom for now and it’s officially stamped as “good enough for the moment!”.