Painting walls is one thing, but there are a few different measures you need to take in order to make sure your furniture painting project is successful.

• We suggest you start by creating a sample on a piece of wood prior to taking on an entire piece of furniture. This allows you to see how a glaze accent will change the look of your base coat if that is the finish you are looking to create.
• It is always best to prime all painting surfaces to prevent the existing stains from bleeding through.
  Primer should match the type of paint you have chosen. For furniture it’s best to use a satin or semi-gloss finish with an oil-based primer.
• We have found that oil based primers offer better stain blocking and great adhesion.
• Always paint from the top down and smooth paint drips as you go.

The photos we have included are from a client’s home where they renovated a back porch into a heated and air conditioned sun room. Their goal was to create the feeling of a bright and cheerful Florida room. Their existing furniture was very dark and needed a transformation.

They selected a light base color with a warm glaze accent which we have found to be a very popular finish. We did all the work from start to furniture grade lacquer finish. They were so happy with the results that they are now having a custom bar built for us to finish with the same technique and color.

Stay tuned for that next piece of furniture that we will be painting to go with this TV entertainment center.

Replace the Cabinet Hardware:
Get rid of the old dingy worn out dated knobs and get some trendy brushed nickel, brushed chrome, or oil rubbed bronze. The cost can vary widely so count carefully and have a budget in mind before you head out to your local hardware store.

Add a Painted Finish to the Cabinets:
If your cabinets are starting to show signs of wear and need repainting or have an older stain finish that you want to upgrade to a more current look, be prepared for a time consuming project. Cabinets are not as easy to paint as walls and ceilings.

To really do a professional job you will need to remove the cabinet doors, hardware, and their hinges. It would also help if you could set up a work area with a work bench, empty boxes, or milk crates to allow for prepping and drying.

There are many do it yourself books and websites that can instruct you step by step or you can call Wallscapers to do it all for you.

Brighten Things Up With Lighting:
Replace the ugly mushroom looking and fluorescent light fixtures with decorative ones that coordinate with the new hardware. There are a huge variety of lighting options like ones that hug the ceiling or more modern track lighting set.

If you don’t want to do any of the work yourself then you should contact a reputable home improvement company that can show you pictures of completed projects and offer you suggestions on how to make the changes you are looking for in your home.

We usually begin the discovery process by asking our client what look they are trying to achieve.  Often times it is dictated by the existing furniture and decorative accents already in the room.

Our client wanted us to add the look of a stamped tin ceiling using the color of their antique bronze light fixture.  We found paintable styrofoam ceiling tiles and added metallic paint accents to go with their Old World room design. (See photo)

To bring in the look of nature and the outdoors we can layer colors to look like a soft setting sky or one with drifting clouds.  Warmth and dimension can be added by installing faux wood beams in a rich cherry or dark mahogany stained finish.  Outwater Plastics has a great selection.

We can always suggest the perfect way to finish off your room by accenting the most visible surface, your ceiling.

The next accent we worked on was to make the ceiling medallion look like a custom painted carved piece of wood.  This was achieved by hand painting each rosette and them adding various glaze tints to the surrounding details of the ceiling medallion.  We always pull colors that can be seen in the other wood and accents that surround the room.  This makes the plain white ceiling medallion come alive and look like it was meant for that specific room.

It is a fun pastime and something to do outside with the frozen precipitation that has recently blanketed your lawn.  The transformation can be so unique and creative that no 2 are ever alike.  We will have to bundle up next time and get out to see how unique our snow creation can be.  I challenge everyone to think outside the box.  How about a snow bunny, penguin, elephant, turtle, or whatever comes to mind.  We would love to see your favorite snow creation.

We began the process by consulting with our brand design guru, Elena Davis of Galanova.  She gave us a mission to find vehicles that caught our attention.  After a week of looking at a wide variety of graphics we decided that keeping it simple was key.  The bigger the message, the easier it would be for someone to read it.

Elena of Galanova designed the perfect color scheme and layout for us while Charlie Neal of Impact Graphics did the install.  We could not be happier.  Complete strangers often ask us about Wallscapers  in parking lots while others take our information down and call or email us.

If you are in business and want to get more exposure, we suggest you try some vehicle graphics or possibly a wrap to promote your brand and business.  Don’t forget to wave when you see us around town.

Floorcloths, also called painted canvas, oilcloths, and floor canvases, are a part of our American heritage.

It is known that at least three of our President’s have had floorcloths based on the inventories kept on their estates.  George Washington’s was purchased from Roberts and Company in 1796 at a cost of $14.82.  Thomas Jefferson had at least two and John Adams at least one.

Floorcloths became most popular around the turn of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, when many great houses ordered them for their entrance halls.  Smith and Barber of Knightsbridge England did a considerable amount of trade not only in Britain but also exporting floorcloths to America.

The patenting of linoleum by Frederick Walton in 1860 was the start of the decline in floorcloth sales.  The floorcloth industry could not recover after this new alternative to hardwood floors hit the market.

This once flourishing industry has been all but forgotten, mainly because so few examples have survived.  In 1960 artisans wanting to create one of a kind items caused a resurgence in the making of floorcloths.  Breaking away from the conservative motifs they began using bolder colors and patterns.

Today, the desire to preserve and restore the great historic homes has helped to keep this art form alive.