Reverse Stenciling

So a couple years ago, when I was feeling drawn to tree imagery, I'd repainted my room.



At the same time, I was working on refinishing an old desk (which had been my mother's ... I love that legacy stuff :) ).



I left it a little distressed on top, because I didn't want to erase its whole past, but I smoothed out the major scratching on the surface, and of course added some blue flair to the edges and legs.

I also (to my knowledge) invented for the First Time Ever the Most Gloriously Cool Technique for a Reverse Stencil Art on a Wood Surface!
Woo hoo!

Here's what I did.

First I stripped the top of the desk, and sanded it to my heart's content but did NOT finish it yet (how-to posted here.)

Then I made two tree stencils. I just sketched the trees onto the backs of old cereal boxes, and cut them out with my trusty Exacto knife.

I placed the stencils where I wanted them, and then with the foam brush I painted the varnish on within the stencil.

Once the stenciled varnish dried, I poured some regular acrylic paint onto the varnished part, and then using a dry cloth rubbed it over the varnished surface - the paint stays on the raw wood, but wipes off of the varnish easily, creating a halo effect that illuminates the tree shapes!

After that had dried, I finished varnishing the surface as I normally would, sealing in the trees at the same time!






(Sorry the photos aren't very clear ... it's hard to get the light paint color to show up properly)

Simple Mural Making

It's flashback time ...
It was the year 2007, and I was a
young(er) lady moving to the big city.





In the two-level loft I was to share with 4 lovely yoga instructors, all of our 5 bedrooms came equipped with homemade lofts.









When I arrived, my room was a bit dreary.



But it was nothing a little dab of paint couldn't fix!

First, I decided I'd make life easy and only paint the bottom portion of the 18' walls.
I chose a calm blue color ...



It's easy to get a clean paint edge across the top.

- Just mark off the height you want in pencil, grab a leveler and trace a line at that height around the room.







- Then, carefully run a strip of BLUE painter's tape (the blue kind is the type meant for these jobs: it will stick enough to allow a clean painting edge, but won't pull up the paint underneath when you remove it).

- Roll 'er on. This job took three coats.

Voila! A two-level effect.
It was nice, but lacked oomph. So I decided to go around the border (with a step ladder) and free-hand some trees, using the same color (but a smaller brush) ...
(I was terribly lazy and didn't tape up those cracks ... but I was young, we must forgive me.)

Free-handing trees is EASY.
It helps to have look at some reference images.

I drew out a rough sketch of my (really simple) technique:
- Start from the bottom and pull the brush up; let the trunk split off into branches that taper.

- Just repeat that type of stroke until the branches look full. The most important thing is to vary it, and keep adding more smaller branches.

In this type, the branches don't overlap, for a more stencil-y feel.






Meanwhile, upstairs was now looking stark.


So I went for a simple tree-house look; with a darker blue in the same family, and with a larger brush.

I loved my tree house! From the loft level, just the light blue tree border showed, and the darker branches around me completed a calm, wintry scene.

Other murals I've done in the past, for fun & practise (I'm definitely not a mural-expert (like our friend, the Mural Maker!)):
An island scene

Picasso-inspired guitar player

Just a hole in the wall


Cheers and happy painting!

Silver Paint (Platinum Is a Girl's Best Friend)

Don't be afraid to revamp your home with some simple touches of paint ...


Modern Masters Metallic Paint










I discovered this amazing metallic silver paint last summer, when I used it to repaint a 1960's MiG-23 fighter plane which decorates the architecture office where I was interning (Kushner Studios.):



But since then, I've found a gazillion new uses around the house, for rejuvenation and hip-ization ...

For one, when I moved in the bathroom cabinet was a distressed-looking fake wood ... which I promptly silverized and have enjoyed ever since:


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The tricky thing about this paint is rooted in its metallic nature: as the company representative patiently explained to me, the metallic specks in it need to all be brushed in the same direction, or every brush stroke will be visible. The paint doesn't do terribly well with rolling, and even brushing must be done very carefully -- keep it unidirectional, and as parallel as possible.
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For the plane, we sprayed it on with a big compressor machine (which was really fun, but not so practical for home use!).

Other things I've gone crazy and silverized:

The bamboo blinds that were here when I moved in and which I considered depressingly drab:



My doorknobs, which were all ugly, worn brass & stained with white paint:





My bedside lamp (it was orig a matte brown/black, ick):




This Paint:

IS water based, but WILL ruin your clothes.

Usually only needs one thin coat.

Is actually very reasonably priced - other companies that offer metallic house paint generally offer them as 'glazes'. This means you have to buy a base coat plus the glaze, and the end result is more sheer/slightly glittery than it is 'metallic'.

Caulk it Up (Part II)

Now, for the Fun Part!


To open the caulk, most professionals use a utility knife.

Hold the caulk with the tip facing away from you. Place the blade of the knife less than .5" away from the end of the tip, angling it away from you as well. With one strong motion, push down and out -- the tip of the caulk should go flying off, leaving behind a perfectly angled end.
This is the way the Real Deal guys do it, and may take some practise. You can manage the same thing using tough scissors or wire cutters. Just keep in mind that the tip should be cut off very close to the end, and at an angle.


Next, the gun.
The end of the gun has a metal hook on it: this hook needs to be pulled all the way out, and as you work, it will move forward. Push down on the metal lever while pulling the hook end all the way.
There is a little metal piece on a hinge on the handle. The sole purpose of this part is to finish opening the caulk. Pull it out, and stick it into the hole in the tip you've just cut. You'll feel the resistance; break it.

Now push the caulk into the gun, tip-side first.

There are two parts to the handle. Squeezing these together is how you push the caulk forward. Unless the pressure is released the caulk will keep oozing out messily; to release the pressure, just push the metal lever you used to pull the hook out.
(At this point, you'll want to have some paper towels or cloths nearby.)

Actual Application
Position the tip against the crack you're filling. Squeeze the handle gently, and begin moving along the edge as soon as caulk begins to come out.



Remember: Caulk is not icing. Use very little.





After it's applied around the edges, put the gun aside (remember to release the pressure).
To finish it off, I personally don't mind getting a little messy; some might want gloves. I wet a finger and press it hard against the corner, then move along the crack, wiping the caulk off the finger and rewetting as I go.

What you want is a concave bead inside the corner. *Less is more.*
And that's it!

Leave the area alone for however long the label says; overnight is a good start. Do NOT get it wet, or it'll make a big freaking mess.

Because I lived with the 4 other people, who hadn't asked me to take on this job, I had to work something out so they could shower. I rigged a plastic tent involving Saran wrap and (white) duct tape ... it was OK in the end, but it's technically naughty caulking behavior ... so you didn't read it here.

Cheers!

Caulking the Caulk

Three years ago I lived in a cool two-story converted factory loft with 4 lovely roommates. We divided up the household tasks, and, unfortunately, I was on bathroom detail.

Now, it wasn't part of my official duty, but when I saw the state of the tub, I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy a shower (and certainly not a bath) until I fixed the caulk situation:

It was loose in many areas, and moldy beyond bleaching just about everywhere. It had to go.

Supplies
You'll want to wear some gloves -- regular dishwashing ones will do.

Next, you need a tool to pry out the old caulk before you can apply the new. I used a very sharp razor scraper , which looks a lot like the one to the left.

(Basically, removing caulk is an awful job. In the past, I've attacked it with a combination of the scraper-razor, a flat-head screwdriver, and a knife/box cutter.)

For the caulk, I swear by GE Silicone II, for Bath and Tub. (The silicone-based varieties work better with the tips in this article, and are better suited to bathrooms than latex.)

You will also need a caulking gun. These can be purchased for cheap at most hardware stores. Instructions on opening the caulk and loading the gun are below.

Removing the Old Caulk

When using the scraper, knife, etc., remember to:

1. Be very careful. When you're wearing rubber gloves, sweating, cursing and hacking away ... just be aware of where your fingers are.

2. Avoid damaging the porcelain of the tub or tiles. This is very easy to do. Any blade employed for this job should be kept parallel to the surface: it's like scraping ice off of a windshield. You want to remove the stuff stuck on top, without hurting what will remain.

3. Try to get all of it. Any bits of old caulk that remain will either show up as ugly lumps under your new caulk, or will actually make it impossible for the fresh caulk to adhere. Don't be surprised if some grout (the hard stuff holding the tiles onto the wall) comes loose. A little bit is normal.

Surface Prep

After you've got that ripped out, you'll need to clean up the surface you just unearthed. A decent scrub with bleach -- I use a heavy duty scrub brush with a handle -- followed by a careful wipe down is important. To finish, I strongly recommend wiping everything down with rubbing alcohol (remember to open a window while all of this is going on!). The alcohol will both help to clean the area and will evaporate as it drys; it is *crucial* that the surfaces be very well dried before going on the next step. Wipe it down with a dry towel and leave it for at least an hour.
The nature of caulk is that it repels water. Therefore, it would obviously make your job a lot harder to try to apply it to a damp surface (trust me :/).

The Fun Part
Look for part II tomorrow!