Mastering the Art of Painting: Tips for Tackling Different Surfaces

Week 3 of the One Room Challenge

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Since Week 2 was pretty packed, I decided to slow things down a bit on Week 3 and just get the painting done. Since my walls will be all wallpaper + tile, I actually had zero walls to paint (unless you count... the 5th wall).

The areas to be painted are the vanity cabinets and doors, window and door casing, and the ceiling. I have not decided if I am going to paint the baseboards or not because I want to see how they look with the tile before I decide if they are staying or going.

Early on Sunday morning I started with the vanity. When painting, and especially when using my sprayer, I prefer to try to get it all done in one day, which sometimes means an early start. Cabinet paint usually has a longer recoat time too, so when planning your project be sure to take that into account.

Last week we playing around with some paint samples and compared it against the wallpaper and voted. The vote was tied, so I made the executive decision to go with Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams. I've used this color several times before and it's always a show stopper. It can look blue or green depending on the space, but it is also warm with a bit of depth to it, unlike some of the other light greens/blues.

Choice of Paint Formula

I have a long and happy history with Sherwin Williams Emerald Line, so you will almost always find me grabbing their Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel for cabinets, doors, and trim. This is an alkyd paint, which is sort of like a non-oily oil-based? The new oil-based? That is to say, it is durable like oil-based but does not actually contain any oil. This is different from a traditional latex that you might use for a wall. It is going to last longer, chip less, and stand up to use and abuse like cabinets, door, and trim need to. You can still get it in a variety of sheens from flat to glossy. I chose a semi-gloss, which is generally good for bathrooms and spaces with kids.

Other brands have similar paint formulas. You can usually fine it by looking for words like "cabinet," "trim," "door," "enamel" or "alkyd."

I'll use this formula and sheen for the cabinets, trim, and doors. For the ceiling, I got the same color in Sherwin Williams Emerald Acrylic Latex in Satin. This formula is more suitable for walls and ceilings, and I chose satin because I did not want to go too flat in a bathroom where there will be moisture.

Painting Cabinetry

Follow these steps when painting cabinets, cabinet doors, or even wood furniture and you will get a flawless finish every time:

1. Scuff sand with a coarse sandpaper (~60-80). Scuff just means you're scuffing it up and making a previously shiny surface a bit rough, not sanding off previous paint or finish, per se. Just a quick scuffy sand, ya? After every sand, wipe clean with a tack cloth, or when I'm in a jam I use baby wipes!

2. Prime, preferably with a shellac primer; oil-based is usually fine too. I love Zinsser Cover Stain and always have quarts and spray cans of this around the house. It's great for covering dark colors, like this darker wood vanity, but also at making sure your paint adheres well and will hold up over time.

3. Sand with fine-medium grit sandpaper (~120-240) once your primer is dry. Feel with your hand to ensure all areas are smooth. You will feel the difference!

4. Time to apply the first coat! For the drawers and doors, which I removed, I sprayed with my HomeRight Finish Max sprayer out in my driveway. For the cabinetry, I applied the paint with a brush, did my edging, and then followed with a 3/8 nap roller to smooth out brush strokes. I also like foam rollers for this, either work great. Make sure you allow to dry the full time based on the can's instructions. For me that was 4 hours.

5. Sand AGAIN with fine-medium grit sandpaper (~120-240). Once again you'll feel the difference. Obviously you don't want to sand so hard you are removing your paint layer, but just a light touch will help produce a smooth, flawless finish.

6. Finally, do your second coat (and repeat steps 4-5 if doing additional coats).

A quick tip for when you are removing doors and drawers: put the hardware for each door/drawer in it's own baggie and label it, assigning it to the door/drawer by number or whatever system you want to use. When it's time to put the doors and drawers back on, it'll be easier to use the same hinges as before, since it is likely they were adjusted at some point. Or if you are using new hinges, spring for the pricier 3-way adjustable hinges like these. Don't forget that hinges are classified by the type of door AND the type of cabinet you have -- mine are full overlay, so they get screwed into the face frame of the cabinet. It will be different if you have a cabinet without a face frame (more common in Europe) or if you are installing inset doors.

Painting Trim & Casing

Use the same paint formula to paint doors, trim, and casing (the alkyd). You can use a different sheen if you like, but I just used the same semi-gloss. The quart got me through the cabinets, casing, and the door (which I have not done yet but I am pretty sure there will be enough haha). Once again, unless using a sprayer, I apply with the brush and then follow with a foam or 3/8" roller to go over the brush strokes.

Painting Ceilings

For ceilings, you usually use the same kind of paint at walls, an interior acrylic latex. I decided on a satin sheen. Again, sheen is a lot up to preference, but ceilings are usually flat. However, for two reasons I went a bit higher in sheen up to satin. First, there are no lights on the ceiling and only one window (i.e. generally not well lit), andd a shinier paint sheen helps reflect light. Two, in a bathroom there is more moisture and a satin will repel moisture a bit more than a flat.

Just like on wall, trim with your brush and then follow with your roller to cover brush strokes. My ceiling is very minimally textured, so I went with a 3/4" nap roller. Purdy Colossus is the bomb! I like that they have 2 colors on the threads so you can tell if the paint is loaded when you are using a white paint. A longer nap you need to load less, and when you are painting above your head, this is worth it to me! And don't forget your paint pole.

Here's another painting tip for ceilings or walls. If you would rather tape off than edge, you can paint your whole area without a brush and using only 2 rollers. If I am taping, I use a mini 4" roller at the edges up against the tape, and the larger one on the surface of the wall or ceiling. It goes so fast!

Installing Knobs and Pulls

My favorite part of every project is picking out the knobs, pulls, handles, and hooks. They have a way of really defining a project and style, like jewelry in an outfit. I chose these marble & brass knobs from CB2 for the doors and drawers. It was just a 1-1 switch out. For the false drawers, I am switching from a single knob to these pulls. There was no "matching" marble & brass handle, but I thought this would coordinate well.

I've often noticed that the screws that come with your hardware, even when the company provides 2 screws, like a short and long one, I still find myself needing to go out to buy something different...longer, shorter, whatever. Is that just a me thing? This time, the longer screw actually fit through the entire drawer and face frame but it would not tighten down, which led me to believe it was actually TOO long?? I don't know it was weird. So I just got some flat washers and put those just under the screw head so the knob would tighten.

A tip for when you need to do this, or something similar. Take your screw to the store with you; you can use the device at the hardware store to determine exactly what kind of screw it is. Then it's easier to find matching screws, bolts, washers, etc. I sometimes will even poke through the little baggie to make sure my screw fits. So you don't need to look it up later, CB2 hardware always uses M4-.7 screws.

checking the size of my screw

confirming the washer will fit

washer on screw

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