November 14, 2007
As the holidays approach, You may be preparing for lots of company. That means you want your home to look its best. I’ve heard many groans about old outdated furniture and tired looking walls. This doesn’t seem to be a bother as you go about your daily chores on the weekends or buzz in and out of the house during the week, but the minute you learn that the family has chosen you to host Thanksgiving dinner, it’s an entirely different matter! Suddenly the peach colored walls that you liked five years ago make you gag and the upholstered furniture, well, it’s downright disgusting!
Here are a couple things you can do fairly quickly that will liven your room and your mood.
1. Slip cover those sofas, couches and chairs! It really is as simple as finding a slip cover that you like and tucking it over and around your couch! You can find just what your looking for by clicking here
2. Use a faux finish on the walls. This creates incredible depth and character to the room. It is also terrific for covering up minor flaws in the plaster or drywall. One of my favorites is the old world plaster look. Here’s how it’s done.
If you need help choosing colors click here
2. Before using an old world faux finish, paint walls with the base coat color.
3. Start at the top corner and roll the plaster in 2’x 2’ sections, cutting in with a brush at the corners. 4. Take a spatula or trowel and lightly scrape off the plaster in a criss cross motion. Wipe off the trowel in between to prevent build up.
5. Repeat these steps over the entire wall, overlapping sections slightly to prevent hard lines. Let dry for 4 hours. It is normal for the first coat to dry lighter than the desired results. Take the spatula and gently scrape off ridges in a criss cross motion all over the wall.
6. Apply a small amount of plaster to the spatula and apply a thin layer in 2’x 2’ sections to rewet the surface. After each pass, hold the spatula at a high angle to remove the excess plaster. This is called burnishing the surface. Each time you do this it gives the wall more of a sheen.
Stand back and let the results WOW you! You will be pleasantly pleased with the fact that you created this yourself and your friends and family will be impressed too!