Got some spare time? Upgrade dated furniture with fresh, fun colors of paint.
Stencils, stamps, stripes, and sunny colors turn plain pieces into pretty patterned ones.
Formerly stained wood, this refreshed dresser gets its ombre style from drawers brushed with three graduated shades of blue paint. Get a similar effect by tinting blue paint with increasing amounts of white. New hardware upgrades the look.
What You Need
- Chest of drawers
- Medium and fine-grit sandpaper
- Tack cloth
- Household trim brush
- Stain blocking brush-on primer
- Sherwin Williams satin sheen latex paint: Alabaster #SW7008, Swimming #SW 6764, Spa #SW 6765, and Mariner #SW6766
- Finish sealer
Sand all surfaces of the chest and wipe thoroughly with a tack cloth. Using a household trim brush, apply stain blocking primer onto the entire chest; let dry.
Basecoat the entire case of the chest with Alabaster; let dry. Apply two coats of Swimming to the top drawer, then two coats of Spa to the middle drawer, and finally two coats of Mariner to the bottom drawer, letting dry between coats.
Apply two or three coats of finish sealer, letting dry between coats.
Stamped squares of blue, orange, and pink paint transform a plain white lampshade into a celebration of color. Our ceramic lamp base came with an orange finish, but you can spray paint most bases to match paint colors you’re using on the shade.
What You Need
- White lamp shade with smooth surface
- Sticky-back crafts foam
- Scissors
- 3 plexiglass blocks approximately 2 inches square
- Low-tack painter’s tape
- Disposable plate
- Acrylic crafts paints: light and medium tones of blue, pink, and orange
- Foam sponge
To make three stamps (one each for the blue, pink, and orange tones) measure and mark six 1 ½ inch squares on the crafts foam and cut out. Peel the paper backing off the crafts foam and stick to the plexiglass blocks, stacking two squares on each block.
Use low-tack painter’s tape to mask off the top and bottom edges of the shade.
Working with one color at a time, pour a small amount of paint onto a disposable plate. Using the foam sponge, apply paint to the surface of the stamp. Press the stamp onto the lamp shade using firm pressure. Remove the stamp without sliding it. Stamp each block shape using the photo as a guide for color placement; let dry.
Once a dingy red, this coffee table gained its garden-fresh personality from a coat of white latex paint and lush blooms stenciled with acrylic paint in light orange and two shades of pink. Get the free pattern at the bottom of the post!
What You Need
- Table
- Medium and fine-grit sandpaper
- Tack cloth
- Household trim brush
- Sherwin Williams satin sheen latex paint: Alabaster #SW7008
- Acrylic crafts paint: light pink, dark pink, and yellow
- Absorbent paper towels
- Disposable plate
- Stencil plastic
- Fine-tip permanent marker
- Self-healing cutting mat
- Masking tape
- Stencil brush
- Stencil adhesive spray
- Finish sealer
Sand all surfaces of the table and wipe thoroughly with a tack cloth. Using a household trim brush, basecoat the entire table with Alabaster; let dry.
Use a fine-tip permanent marker to transfer small, medium, and large mum shapes to the stencil plastic. Tape the plastic in place onto the self-healing cutting mat. Use the crafts knife to cut out each shape.
Spray the back of the large mum stencil with the stencil adhesive. Apply the stencil to the table top. Gently pat and smooth the stencil in place to ensure that all areas have adhered well.
Pour a small amount of dark pink onto the disposable plate. Pick up a scant amount of paint on the stencil brush. Tap the loaded brush onto a stack of absorbent paper towels. Too much paint on the brush can cause the paint to bleed under the stencil. Using light pressure, apply the paint to the stencil. Check to make sure all stencil openings have been covered and fill in where necessary. Remove the stencil; let dry. Repeat for the medium mum stencil using light pink. Finally, stencil the small mum shape using orange.
Apply two or three coats of finish sealer, letting dry between coats.
Splash a little sunshine beneath your feet by adding varying widths of yellow and orange stripes to a primed vinyl flooring remnant.
What You Need
- Vinyl flooring remnant, measuring 4′ X 6′
- Paint roller
- Household paintbrush
- Sponge brushes
- Painter’s tape for delicate surfaces
- White latex primer
- Sherwin Williams satin sheen latex paint: Daffodil #SW 6901, Cheerful #SW 6903, and Forceful Orange #SW6894
- Yardstick
- Long straightedge
- Pencil
- Finish sealer
Use a paint roller to apply two coats of primer letting dry between coats.
Use the yardstick to mark off stripes of varying widths and draw straight lines across the floorcloth using a long straightedge.
Use painter’s tape to tape off every other stripe and paint with colors of choice; let dry. Use painter’s tape to tape off remaining stripes adjacent to the stripes already painted. Paint the second set of stripes; let dry.
Apply two or three coats of finish sealer for protection.
Get our free Stencil and Stamp Patterns for these easy furniture projects.
Projects painted by Pat Garrington
Photography by Cameron Sadeghpour
© Caruth Studio