The Awkward Bat: Painting Projects

Here you can find links to all of the before and after projects I have done. Most of them are just painting furniture, but there may be a few different projects here and there.

Since people have asked me what kind of paint I use and for tips, etc., here are your answers.

Firstly, I am not a professional and if you are not lazy like me, you should follow Brooke's Advice at All Things Thrifty.

If you ARE lazy like me, here is a basic run down.

Lazy Painting Guide

What Brand of Paint do you use?

I use Krylon. If the color I want isn't available, I will go with Valspar.

Why Krylon?

Adjustable nozzle
Long-lasting color
Variety of colors
Affordable.

It is the best quality paint I have found and Walmart sells many colors for under $4.00! (I'm not a big fan of Walmart, but spray paint is one of the few things I buy there.) If you can't find it at Walmart, get a coupon for Michael's and go there because they have a big variety.

If you still can't find the color you are looking for, I suggest Valspar (found at Lowe's). You sacrifice the awesome nozzle, but the paint quality is still good and they have more pastel/lighter choices than Krylon (in my area at least).

Here comes the part that makes people mad: I do not recommend Rust-Oleum when people ask, I realize they have a plant about 30 miles from my house. But I am not going to suggest a bad product just because it is a local job provider. In my experience (and what I hear from others). The paint chips, peels, and fades fast. You could get away with it for small, indoor jobs, but for outside projects, it is a waste. I see lots of bloggers recommend it and talk about how amazing it is, but I have not had that same experience. No matter what I paint, I have to touch it up or repaint it soon after.

Other Tips: Wear a mask. Even if it is just a basic mask like this one:

You can get a pack of 3 or 4 for less than $5 so there is no excuse not to wear it. I admit that I didn't use one for many projects, but I regret it because even if it seems that you aren't inhaling any paint you are, so wear SOMETHING.

Otherwise you will see whatever color you painted with every time you blow your nose for a week.

I recommend priming large pieces (furniture), but smaller things (decorative items) you could get away with skipping any priming and sanding.

I don't sand because, again, I'm lazy, but if you want a really good quality piece, you should sand it a little bit.

AGAIN I recommend visiting All Things Thrifty for a very good tutorial and tips. This is just my basic lazy girl's guide to quickly painting stuff.

Now onto the links!