How to create 'Stress! Shabby Painting Tips from someone who doesn't Paint.

So, like I said yesterday, I don't paint.  When I was a kid, I helped my parents rehab a house or two, but other than that, everyone close to me could best categorize me as the person that gets to help clean up, or prep something to be painted.  Now that I'm an adult, and actually responsible for decorating, I'd rather not go into a store and pay someone to tear up my jeans, or throw an old table in the back of a pick up truck and let it bounce around for a while to make it a $200 table.  I can do the same job myself, thank you, and for 1/10 the price.

On Monday I posted some cute stuff I painted and Re-purposed, and here's a little info on it.

First, let's check out my Tools.

Supplies?

1.  RustOleum: Check. RustOleum is the nectar of the DIY Gods.  Check out their website here for some great inspiration.  

2.  Project.  Make sure you have the item you want to work on set up on a level table/surface, and with a drop cloth.  We used left over carpet squares from a previous project.  Brush it off, or wipe it down, but don't wipe it down with a lot of cleaners (though sometimes this can add interesting results).

3.  Brushes.  

This is a $4.99-$6.00 paint brush, and a $0.89-$1.80 paintbrush.  Both are 2 inch wide brushes.  Every Craft, Restoration, and Fancy show on TV is going to tell you to invest in a GOOD or Quality Paintbrush.  Well, I honestly don't believe that a craftsmen is "as good as his tools".  Work with what you got and what you know, and don't ever bee ashamed to do otherwise.   The Art, Soul, and Skill are in the Artist/Crafter.  That's why some of the most amazing things were crafted by hand using simple tools hundreds of years ago, and why some of my favorite needlework (doilies, sweaters, quilts) were made with simple Cotton yarn, not high end Yarn Shop yarn.

Plus, you want your work to look shabby?  Use shabby Tools.  The Paintbrush on the top would best be used for Staining or other work.  The Paint Brush on the bottom, plain, nothing fancy bristles, great for making something look weathered and Barn style.

I also used a paint roller today, but more on that later on in the blog post.

4.  Painter's Tape.  This is the only thing my BF and I will not go cheap on.  Disastrous experiences working on other projects have taught my BF the hard way.  Spending the extra $2 on good tape can save you time, money, and alleviate heart ache.

5.  A Rag or Paper Towels.  Keeps Paint off me, my dog, and in a pinch, can clean up a mess, or you can rub a mess out to add a textured appearance.  You can also use it to blot on some White paint onto an already painted surface!

6.  Clearance Paint.  Clearance paint at the back of the hardware store can be full of surprises.  Even if you end up spending 3.00 on a can thinking it's going to be French Cottage Pink, and it turns out to be Hunter Green, you'll find yourself using that Hunter Green sometime soon for something neato.  Plus, you can find really high end paint for a fantastic price, and enough for a Small or Big project.

7.  Paint Stick:  A clean, random stick from your garage can work to stir up paint that's been sitting for a while, or even mix a little white in.  This is the Clearance Paint I bought that was supposed to be Robin's Egg blue, and mixed out okay.  However, it's kinda shocking when you open the lid:

Oh, speaking of Paint!  Check out this cool photo I took of the paint.  You can totally see the Tree in my Back Yard!

Awesome.

And here's my first little Cheap Geek Tip of the Day for painting!

Save a little money, and get some cute results.

Video Help and Web Help care of the Cheap Geek at CheapGeek.net

Thanks guys! I hope you got a little bit of Help and some decent tips from me, I know I'm happy with my little nutshell of wisdom, and I got some great results from it.

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