- This makeover is considered an intermediate level project, due to the stenciling of the lettering and the paint treatment of the armoire.
- On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 indicating the highest degree of difficulty, this makeover rates a solid 2.
- The project took nine hours to complete, with a helper, over the course of two days.
- The cost to renovate the room was $900.
After creating a computerized room plan, Golden did the prep work earlier in the week. She painted the walls Raspberry Truffle, a bold shade of red. Stencils featuring French words and quotes were purchased from a craft store. The room and the windows were measured and the old dressers were base-coated.
Painting the Walls
Project time: 2 hours.
Materials (general)
Paint and brushes
Paint tray
Paint rollers
Painter's tape
Tape measure
Level
Ladder
Materials (wall treatment)
Stencils
Acrylic metal paint
Stenciling brushes
Painter's tape
French Script
Well-chosen French words and phrases add a touch of whimsy to brilliant-red walls (figure A).
Tip: If you want to make your own stencils but your Français isn't exactly très bon, check at your local library (or on the Internet) for words you can use, as well as for the correct spelling and punctuation. Then get ready to write on the walls!
Steps
1. Tape the stencils to the focal wall in a random pattern.
2. Dip a stenciling brush in acrylic metal paint, then blot on a cloth to remove most of the paint. Remember, you can always add more, but it's next to impossible to remove extra paint.
3. Stipple the paint over the stencil. Stippling is a means of applying paint by repeated small taps. You want to fill in the stencil spaces without the paint sliding under the stencil.
4. Move from one stencil to the next, allowing the paint to dry before removing the stencil.
5. Continue applying the lettering in a random fashion to the wall.
6. Make sure the paint isn't too runny or it will leak under the stencil.
Time spent so far: 2 hours.
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2004/12/01/wdc310_seg1_stencil2_e.jpg",350,450))
