Bedroom Wall Revamp: Just Add Paint!

When I posted the DIY no-sew roller shade upgrade, you got a tiny glimpse into my bedroom. In the same post, I mentioned that I had plans to repaint, and I've finally done it!

Not only that, but I've also adopted an entirely different palette and I just didn't like the heavy black frames seen below anymore.

With a few coats of paint as the only change, the same corner of the space looks totally different.

I always thought the coral color I chose when I moved in was much too pink and too dark...

...so I primed over it (this required 2 coats of primer - ugh) and then painted it Tropical Pool (Benjamin Moore Natura). I also used One Shot Letterers' Enamel in Ivory to repaint the picture frames and give them a lacquer-like shine. However, once I hung them, I decided that with the fuschia in the shade and the aqua walls, ivory simply looked too saccharine and childlike, so...

I painted them yet again, but this time, in Medium Gray - and I love them! You can see a bit of glossiness on the top frame, but in person they're quite shiny. I've been thinking of introducing some gray into the room to subdue all of the other colors a bit, and this shows me that gray is just the ticket.

A word of warning about One Shot: if you choose to use it, you absolutely must paint outside. The fumes are quite strong, as I found out when I just tried to paint near an open window. Also, you've got to use a brush with natural fiber bristles because the paint solvents will eat away at synthetics. This also means that unless you're going to trash your brush each time you do a project, you've got to use turpentine to clean it.

As you might imagine, neither the paint nor the turpentine are great for humans or for the environment; I'm actually on the lookout for a safe alternative that gives the same shine.

Here's to the power of paint!

Comments

I know your post is from quite a while ago, but I just saw when searching for diy roller shade posts. For a great shiny low odor paint, by Benjamin Moore Advance. It is no VOC, smells like playdoh, and the finish is super shiny and hard. Thanks for the great roller shade post!

Anna

Posted by: Anna Darlak | March 11, 2012 at 10:36 AM