Friday, June 30, 2017

How to Paint an Ombre Wall

How to Paint an Ombre Wall

This ombre wall painting project is fairly simple, but it results in a gorgeous, eye-catching accent wall. It’s great for a living room, dining room, or just about any place in your home that needs a little extra visual appeal.

We teamed up with Amy Osaba of Amy Osaba Design to create this simple guide to creating a three-tone ombre wall.

Ombre Wall Paint Project

Materials needed for ombre wall paint project

Materials

Step 1: Prep the Wall

Using a patch kit to repair nail holes in a wall

Patching imperfections in a wall

Before you start painting, you’ll want to patch any nail holes and wall imperfections using the patch repair kit.

Taping off crown moulding before painting a wall

Then, use painter’s tape to tape off baseboards, crown molding, window sills and doorways.

Place drop cloths on your floor to protect it from paint drips and spills.


Step 2: Pour Three Shades of Paint

Preparing paint for an ombre wall project

To create the ombre effect, use three Behr paint colors: a dark color, a transitional color, and the base color (the lightest color).

How to Paint an Ombre Wall.


Step 3: Paint the Base Color (the Lightest Paint Color)

Pour the base color into a roller tray with a liner.

Paint the base color along the trim using an angled brush. Then use a roller to paint the base color over the entire wall.

Once the paint has dried, use painter’s trim tape to make two straight horizontal lines to mark of the ombre sections.


Step 4: Paint the Ombre Effect

Mix paint extender in with the two ombre colors. This will increase amount of time you have to blend the paint colors on the wall.

Pour these colors into two paint trays with liners. Then, use a roller to paint the transition and dark paint colors within their respective taped-off areas.

You’ll want to do this fairly rapidly because you want the paint to be wet when you blend them for the ombre effect.

How to Paint an Ombre Wall

Before the ombre paint has dried, pull off the painter’s tape. Use two brushes– one for each of the ombre colors–to brush the paint into a rough gradient.

There’s no secret trick to this. Just brush the ombre colors into their adjacent sections of the wall. You don’t have to be perfect with this. In fact, the imperfections in the blending make it look more interesting.

You can find everything you need to paint your ombre wall, or take on any painting project in The Home Depot’s paint section.

Watch this video of painting interiors for some valuable painting tips . Follow our All About Paintboard on Pinterest for more painting ideas and projects. And check out more DIY projects here on The Home Depot Blog.

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A Simple Guide to Painting a Stone Fireplace

A Simple Guide to Painting a Stone Fireplace

Painting the textured surface of a stone fireplace requires a little more planning than your average painting project. But it’s not hard if you use a paint sprayer and you know how to prep for the job. We teamed up with Amy Osaba of Amy Osaba Design to show you what to do in this simple guide.

How to Spray Paint a Stone Fireplace

Materials needed to paint a stone fireplace

Materials

Step 1: Prep the Room

Preparations for painting a stone fireplace

Prep the stone fireplace and the rest of the room for painting. You’ll want to tape the edges of the fireplace with the pre-taped painter’s plastic to secure wall around the fireplace.

Move furniture away from the fireplace area, and cover your furniture and flooring with drop cloths.


Step 2: Paint with the Paint Sprayer

Using an elastic top strainer, pour paint into a bucket and strain before loading it into the spray gun.

Using a spray painter on a stone fireplace

Fill the paint sprayer with BEHR paint. Put on your safety goggles and begin spraying about 6-8 inches away from the fireplace stones in horizontal back and forth motions.

This will give fast and easy coverage of the textured surface of your fireplace.

Spray painting a stone surface


Step 3: Paint the Edges and Touch Up

Painting the edge of a stone fireplace

Use your angled brush to paint the trim edges of the fireplace.

Also, touch up any areas of the stone that the paint sprayer might have missed.

And you’re done.

You can find everything you need to paint your stone fireplace, or take on any painting project in The Home Depot’s paint section.

Watch this video of painting interiors for some valuable painting tips . Follow our All About Paint board on Pinterest for more painting ideas and projects. And check out more DIY projects here on The Home Depot Blog.

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Thursday, June 29, 2017

A Simple Guide to Prepping and Painting a Front Door

A Simple Guide to Prepping and Painting a Front Door

Painting a front door the right way often involves as much prep work as actual painting. It’s a pretty easy job, though, as Amy Osaba of Amy Osaba Design shows us.

How to Prep and Paint a Front Door

Materials needed to prep and paint a front door

Materials

Step 1: Tape Windows and Hardware

Taping edges before painting a front door

Start prepping your front door by taping up glass windows, door hardware, trim and anything else you don’t want painted. Go ahead and tape a little over the edges.

Then use a razor blade to trim off the edges to be straight.

Take your time with this step, and make sure you get the taping just right. The effort you spend doing this will result in an easier job of applying paint, and you’ll get much better results.


Step 2: Sand the Door

Sanding before painting a front door

Once you have the taping done, smooth out imperfections in the surface of the door using sand paper.

This is just a light sanding, though, just to prep the surface for even painting.


Step 3: Apply the Paint

Painting a front door

Now it’s time to paint.

Put a drop cloth down to keep paint spills off your front porch of entryway.

Use different sizes of brushes depending on the size of the area you’re painting. Obviously, the wider brush would be for the wider parts of the door, and the smaller brushes are for the smaller parts. An angled brush is very helpful in getting paint into the corners.

I used BEHR Marquee Exterior paint for durability and color longevity.

You can find everything you need to paint your front door, or take on any painting project in The Home Depot’s paint section.

Watch this video about How to Make Exterior Paint Updates for more on painting a front door. Follow our All About Paint board on Pinterest for more painting ideas and projects. And check out more curb appeal ideas here on The Home Depot Blog.

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Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

These Fourth of July wooden star decorations are a great way to dress up your front door, backyard deck or fireplace mantel.

Alexi Politis of Seeking Alexi takes you through the project, step by step, and offers a few tips to make the wooden star project go smoothly.

I made three wooden star decorations for my porch– one for my door, and two for either side of my door. They look great with the American flag, flowers, outdoor pillows and doormat that are all red, white or blue. (Those items can be found at The Home Depot, by the way.)

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July
This project is a little technical, I won’t lie. I messed up a few times on it by cutting wood at the wrong angles or incorrect lengths.

But I made the mistakes so you don’t have to! You have a LOT of step-by-step instructions below with photos. If you follow these steps carefully, then you will walk away with a gorgeous, technical and impressive wood star that you made by yourself!

Fourth of July Wooden Star Decorations

Tools

You can rent some of these tools from The Home Depot.

Materials

  • (1) 1 x 3 x 8 select pine board (this length will make one 15¾-inch star, this is also the length you need for a 22-inch star)
  • Scrap wood, one at roughly 1 x 12 x 2, one at roughly 1 x 2 x 6 and one at 1 x 3 x 4
  • Wood glue
  • Wood filler
  • Paint or stain

Making the Jig

First thing’s first, you need to make a “jig” to get your miter saw to 54 degrees. To do so, take a clean scrap board around 1 x 12 in.– mine was about 2-feet wide– and cut it in half at a 30-degree angle.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Then, with a good ol’ protractor, mark a long straight line at 36 degrees as shown above.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Attach a 1 x 2 to this angle using a nail gun, it should overlap on the corner. Move your saw back to 0 degrees, then cut off the excess 1 x 2.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Add a short 1 x 3 without going over any edges. This will ensure the boards you’re cutting won’t run into the back edge of your saw when cutting.

Making the Wooden Star

Now that you have a jig, it’s time to cut all the pieces for your star! This is the tricky part where I messed up a few times. It’s not complicated; there are just a lot of moving parts as you cut all of your pieces.

Just remember to measure three times, then check the angle twice, and cut once.

Stick with these step-by-steps and you will do awesome!

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Set your miter saw to 30 degrees, then securely clamp your new jig to your miter saw. Cut off the end of your long 1 x 3 as shown above so you can start with the correct angle.

Tip: These instructions don’t require you to ever flip your wood. That means the steepness of the actual angle will change, but the angles will always originate from the upper right corner and down to the bottom left.

The instructions below will create a finished star that is 15¾-in. wide. I created two at this size then one big star at 22-in. wide.

The 22-in. star requires pieces that are 8½-in. wide and 6¾-in. wide. Read the instructions for the 15¾-inch star. If you’re making a 22-inch star, replace the below instructions saying 6 in. with 8½ in., and the below instructions of 4¼ in. with 6¾ in.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Next, move your miter saw to 36 degrees. Measure from the top right corner of the wood over 6 in., secure your wood, then cut.

Tip: Only mark one short strip of wood at a time. You cannot mark all of your lengths then cut all at once, because you must account for the width of the blade.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Move your miter saw angle back to 30 degrees and attach your jig as you did before.

Mark at 4¼ in. from the upper right corner like you did before. Then cut.

Tip: Don’t cut away any of your jig. Pull your blade down without turning the saw on a few times to be sure it will clear the jig when you actually cut.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Now you have one of each length that you need!

Repeat this until you have five of each length.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

As a dry test, lay out your pieces as you see above.

Your star is going to turn out great!

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Take the inside angles and glue them together. You’ll be gluing one 6-inch piece at the 36-degree angles to the 4¼-inch piece at the 36-degree angle as pictured above.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

When it’s dry enough to handle, attach one staple between the two pieces.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July
Then nail gun your pieces as shown. I laid my nail gun on the ground and held the wood on the ground for some stability.

Tip: Be careful using your nail gun, sometimes the nails will shoot out of your wood unexpectedly and can puncture your fingers. (This may or may not have happened to me from experience on a different project. Luckily, it was extremely minor, but I learned my lesson the hard way. Ouch!)

To prevent this hold your wood beyond any possible reach from the nails.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Flip your wood over, and nail a second time so your angles are secure.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Lay your wooden star out, and glue the remaining angles as best you can. (This step is not pictured, but glue your pieces everywhere they touch the neighboring wood.) Once all the angles are positioned perfectly, add a little more glue as pictured on the top, then wipe off the access.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July
When the glue is dry, add two nails with your nail gun like you previously did. Before you nail them, be sure that your nails will not poke through the outside of the star or show on the inside of the angle.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Sand your star everywhere to smooth out all the edges and the rougher connections.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Use wood filler, if needed, to fill in some gaps. Then lightly sand the excess when dry.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Trace your stars, good side up, on thin ¼-in. sanded plywood, then use a jig saw to cut it out.

Cut inside of the line you drew so your background won’t show from behind.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Paint your project as desired!

Tip: You could also stain, instead. Just be sure you’ve sanded away all the glue, since glue doesn’t stain.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

When the paint is all dry, attach the back piece using your nail gun.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Then attach some hooks wire to hang your star! Repeat all the steps until you’re finished with your other stars if you’re making more.

Wooden Star Decoration for the Fourth of July

Shop The Home Depot’s lumber section for the materials you’ll need for this wooden star project.

Follow our Easy DIY Projects board on Pinterest for more DIY projects. Also, check out more DIY projects here on The Home Depot Blog.

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Tuesday, June 13, 2017

DIH Workshop: Concrete Serving Tray

DIH Workshop: Concrete Tray

Spruce up your home this summer with a concrete tray! Use it to serve afternoon snacks or turn it into a decorative shelf, the options are endless. Learn how to make your own customized concrete tray on Thursday, June 15, 2017 at our Do-It-Herself Workshop. Register for your local DIH Workshop on our workshops registration page.

Be sure to check out the creative concrete trays our Workshop blogger partners created:

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Friday, June 9, 2017

3 Mailbox Curb Appeal Projects You Can Complete in a Weekend

A curb side mailbox has two jobs to do. First and foremost, it’s there to collect your mail. But, your mailbox also has a big role to play in the curb appeal of your home.

We asked three talented lifestyle and design bloggers to show what replacing an old mailbox, and then sprucing the mailbox up a little can do for curb appeal. Here’s a quick round up of their three mailbox curb appeal ideas, along with links to their new mailbox tutorials.

These are all fairly simple DIY projects you can complete in a weekend without spending a ton of money.

Installing a New Mailbox

Curb Appeal Mailbox Project by Shonee Smith of Hawthorne and Main

Of course, installing a new mailbox might be the first step in your quest for good mailbox curb appeal.

Shonee Smith of Hawthorne and Main had an old post-mount mail box that was in such bad shape, installing a new mailbox was pretty much a no-brainer.

Check out her tutorial for how to install a mailbox post. Then note how easy was it was for Shonee to add some gravel around the post and create a simple container garden to dress up her mailbox. So simple, yet so effective!


Two Posts Double the Curb Appeal

Mailbox Curb Appeal Project by Cami Graham of Tidbits

Cami Graham of Tidbits also was dealing with a mailbox that was badly weathered and “wonky,” as she says. It was time to do something special with her mailbox.

Her home’s curb appeal got a huge boost with her mailbox makeover. She had the terrific idea of setting up not one, but two posts– one for the new white mailbox, and one for the house numbers and to support a hanging basket of flowers. She added white stones around the posts and solar-powered cap lights on each post to really dress up the look.

Take a look at her tutorial for all the details.


Mailbox With a Statement Screen

Mailbox Curb Appeal Idea by Ursula Camona of HomeMade by Carmona

Ursula Camona of HomeMade by Carmona was starting with a pretty rough looking mailbox situation, too. She lives off a quiet country road, and guests arriving at her property were greeted by rusty, bent and sad looking mailboxes.

She needs two mailboxes, one for her home, and one for a guest home she has on her property, so she set up a post with a cross piece to hold both the mailboxes. That right there did a lot to make her drive more orderly and attractive.

But the real bit of curb appeal (or drive appeal?) came with the “statement screen” she added as a backdrop to her mailboxes. It’s pretty simple, actually. The screen is basically just some stained lumber attached to a frame that sunk into the ground behind the mailboxes. She added some low-maintenance flowers around the mailbox post as the final touch.

Take a look at her mailbox curb appeal project to get all the details.

These mailbox curb appeal projects all feature Gibraltar mailboxes available from The Home Depot.

Follow our Curb Appeal board on Pinterest for more curb appeal ideas. And take a look at more curb appeal ideas here on The Home Depot Blog.

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Wednesday, June 7, 2017

DIY Workshop: Bottle Opener Game Round Up

A DIY Workshop for Father’s Day

The Bottle Opener Game is the perfect Father’s Day gift or entertainment piece for your next summer get-together! Join us as we demonstrate how to build a bottle opener that also functions as a fun-filled game on Saturday, June 10, 2017 at this month’s Do-It-Yourself Workshop at The Home Depot. Register for your local DIY Workshop on our workshop registration page.

Check out some of the amazing Bottle Opener Games our Workshop blogger partners created:

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Tuesday, June 6, 2017

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

Sometimes you need to tear what you have down and start over. That’s the case for this backyard deck rebuild by Andrew Bacon of Field Treasure Designs. His deck had seen its best years, it wasn’t really suitable for his needs, and it turns out it wasn’t even well-constructed in the first place.

He totally rebuild his backyard deck, with proper drainage, more space and better construction. As you’ll see, it looks fabulous, too. Follow along as Andrew explains the steps to his backyard deck rebuild.

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

After remodeling nearly my entire house over the last year, I finally tackled the challenge of renovating our backyard deck. Full confession: I thought it would take me about two weeks to complete, but rather it took me two months! I had never built a deck before and was committed to doing it right from beginning to end. Hopefully my project helps you plan your deck project if you should ever decide to remodel one or build one brand-new.

First, why did I decide to do this? Well I think from the photos you can see that we inherited a very outdated deck. We wanted to update the aesthetics and looks of our backyard and make sure it was safe because we have three little children. We also wanted to expand the deck and make it more functional for gatherings or family hang time.

Before the Deck Rebuild

As you can see from the before photos, it was old, unsafe and small.

An old, poorly constructed backyard deck

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

Here is the full view of the old deck from the backyard.

Small backyard deck before being torn down and rebuilt

Let’s Tear This Thing Out!

My good friend Tim came and helped me take down the deck. We discovered that this deck had not been properly made, and we confirmed even more that it was a good decision to update it. It took an entire day just to tear the whole thing out, and another day to load it all in a dumpster and haul it away.

Tearing out an old backyard deck

Removing an old backyard deck

Prepping for the New Deck

Now with the old deck completely cleared away, it was a lot easier to lay out the plan and start the prep. A lot of people think decks are just that – decks. But there is more to it if you want to do it right.

First, I made sure to grade (or adjust the dirt) to the right level. I brought in a mini loader, and we scraped some dirt away to make room for drainage stone and enough room for the joists (boards running under your deck) to fit.

After a day’s work, we had fabric laid down and ¾-in. crushed stone (drainage rock) laid down where the deck was going to go. The reasons for this step are very important. It prevents animals from moving in under your deck, it prevents plant growth, and it promotes good drainage without erosion problems, which if unchecked, can affect the stability of your deck over a long period of time.

Creating a crushed stone foundation for a new backyard deck

Planning a deck should take a good amount of time as you want to calculate all your materials and work accordingly.  I used simple graph paper to sketch out the design and worked with my local Home Depot to schedule delivery of my materials.

Materials

*All wood is pressure treated

  • 2 x 12 x 16’s (for beams, joists, and ledger)
  • 2 x 8 x 8’s (for beams joists on shallow side)
  • 6 x 6 posts (for all posts)
  • 2 x 4’s (for ledger on shallow side under the windows)
  • Premium deck boards in 16-, 12-, 10- and 8-feet lengths
  • Joist hangers (saves so much time!)
  • Galvanized joist hanger nails
  • Galvanized 16 gauge nails
  • Quickcrete Concrete (for post footings)
  • ¾-in. Crushed stone, aka #57 wash stone (for underlayment)
  • Fabric (over red dirt and under the crushed stone)
  • Drainage piping (for redirecting gutter downspouts under the deck to other side of the yard)
  • Kreg Deck screws

Tools

Framing the New Deck

After laying out all the footings and letting them set for a few days, I was able to start framing out the deck. I used a ledger on the hose side drilled in and used joist hangers to come out and lay on top of a beam. My Ryobi Impact Driver and a Paslode nailer were both perfect tools.

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

As you can see, the plan was to extend the deck over the windows where it used to be an old flowerbed and dirt as well as a huge water trap. You can also see in this picture that we had the gutters re-done to catch more water. I redirected all the water into piping under the ground to allow it to run out on the other side of the yard. The last thing I wanted to do was have the deck dump water into the house.

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

Tips for a Backyard Deck Rebuild

  • Plan. Plan. Plan!  (There is nothing worse than not thinking through something and stopping all of your progress mid work.)
  • Always be thinking of where water will want to go with your deck.
  • Have the next stage of materials delivered so that you are always ready to go to the next stage without having to wait.
  • A good portable circular saw is an invaluable tool in deck building. I ended up using my Ryobi Cordless Circular Saw for almost every cut on the project.
  • With a big outdoor project such as this, always be prepared for rain with the ability to protect your tools and materials.
  • Nail guns are a lot more efficient than your elbows. Either rent a nail gun, or invest in one.

Laying the Deck Boards

Next, I started laying out my decking boards. I bought them in 16-, 12-, 10- and 8-foot lengths so the pattern would be randomized, like a wood floor in a home. And like I mentioned earlier, the circular saw was my best friend through this process.

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

Thanks to Kreg Tool I used the Kreg Deck Jig, which allowed me to hide all the deck screws and ensure a clean look. You can see how the jig helps you drill a pilot hole and then using their special deck screws, pop them in and you are good to go. Although this takes a lot longer than traditional deck screws that are put through the top of the wood, I liked this method because I never split a board, and I never had to worry about my deck screw pattern being off or not in a straight line.

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

The Finished Deck

Finally! After two months, the deck is finished! It’s so fun to look back and see the before and after shots.

Before

Old backyard deck before being rebuilt

After

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

Before

Backyard space before rebuilding a deck

After

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

Before

Backyard before a deck rebuild

After

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

Looking Toward the Second Phase

While there are still a few things I want to do to it such as add grass around it and begin the second phase of the deck. There will be another 100 square feet added to the other side. But for now, it is ready for some hangs. It has made such a difference in our backyard and our ability to spend more time outside enjoying the South Carolina spring.

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

DIY Backyard Deck Rebuild

If you liked this backyard deck rebuild, see more DIY projects here o07n The Home Depot Blog and on our Easy DIY Projects board on Pinterest.

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