DIY: Bathroom Door Paint Job
January 4, 2012 When we moved into our house the tiny downstairs bathroom was partially unfinished. Two years later and the downstairs bathroom is still partially unfinished. However, I felt inspired when I saw Martha Stewart Living
After much contemplation I decided to do a variation of the painted shapes project. I loved the paint color Rainforest by Martha Stewart, but for my room I thought a slightly more teal color would be better and settled on Mermaid Harbor by Behr. For the gold accent I used Metallic Gold by Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch.
I struggled with laying out my pattern on the door, it was the most difficult part of the project and I had to do it over two days because I was so frustrated. If I did this again I would probably just buy a stencil to use for the corners.
Step 1:
Sand and paint your door the base color of your choice. I chose a satin finish, which is easy to wipe clean when needed, but not as shiny as a semi-gloss or gloss.
Step 2:
After the base coat is dried, use tape (see below for more info) to first lay out your pattern (as seen in red here). Then, use more tape to border your pattern on both sides (as seen in blue here). Finally, remove your tape pattern to show paint.
Step 3:
Use a primer to paint your pattern. After it is dried begin painting the pattern with your accent color.
Step 4:
Remove all the tape and touch up edges with a small sponge brush.
Learn from my mistakes:
- Japanese paper tape worked best for me when laying out my pattern. Blue painters tape allowed the paint to bleed. I didn't try, but have a feeling that FrogTape also would have worked well.
- After laying out your tape first paint your pattern with primer. Once the primer dries you can paint with your accent color.
Reader Comments (2)
Great job on the door. What are the "shelf-less" book shelves on the right side of the door?? Do they work out well?
I bought the Sapien Bookshelf from The Container Store a few years ago. It works well, but it's super heavy and needs to be secured to the wall.