DIY Trend: Paint it Out! How to Upcycle in Style

It’s no surprise that we love seeing paint in unexpected places. We get especially excited about the creative ways color is used to transform existing materials.

Painting floors and furniture is a trend that’s been around for centuries. In fact, early American homes were full of color. Not only was much of the furniture painted, but the walls were often covered in bright colors and patterns.

Painted furniture dates back all the way back to the beginning of organized societies. The first recognized society is the Egyptians who really perfected gilding and the art of painting. The art was significant as part of their rituals and preparation for the afterlife.

The method they used was to paint wooden pieces with a white undercoat and then apply color and gilding. The method of painting has not changed much since then!

See how some creative paint applications can transform your room!

PAINTED FLOORS

There’s a lot of fun that can happen under your feet! Adding color gives your floors an artistic element that can completely change the look of wood and make a major design statement!

According to this year’sPinterest 100 report, a yearly rundown of the most-searched terms, “painted floor tiles” have seen a +1276% spike. And, no, people aren’t just painting their existing floor tiles: They’re creating faux mosaic scenes, mimicking herringbone, stenciling illusions, and more. And honestly, some of these DIY solutions have left us completely floored. 

Geometric Shapes

Gloss Finish

Color Blocking (on the bottom of a pool!)

Stencils

Try using wall stencils like thesefrom Etsy to create unique designs down below.

Check out this weekend warrior project from Megan Pflug from Weekend Decorator for One King’s Lane.

PAINTED FURNITURE

Another perfect way to easily update a room is to refurbish or “upcycle” a piece of furniture. The purpose of upcycling is to reduce waste by turning old items into new and useful items that serve a different purpose.

Upcycling – reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.

Now that’s a DIY project that you can feel good about!. The first step is to choose your furniture, either an existing piece or a vintage item that needs some love. 

“Know where the furniture piece is going to be used and determine your colours from there. Is it intended to stand out and be more dramatic and bold or more sedate and classic? Think about changing hardware or even painting over the hardware for a monochromatic look.” - Philippa Radon

Here are a few more ideas to make your painted furniture extra special:

• Add a coat of tinted wax to give your painted piece extra dimension
• Pair contrasting colors 
• Paint the top in an alternate, complementary color 
• Paint the inside a bright accent color.

C2 Cabinet & Trim Paint is the perfect medium for furniture and floors. It applies easily, powder sands with quick recoat and is incredibly durable! Bonus: It's one of the most eco-friendly products on the market.

How to use Cab and Trim Paint

SHOP SOME OF OUR FAVORITE FURNITURE COLORS

Chargreen, C2-694

Espionage, C2-742

Churchill, C2-730

Canadian Flag, (C2-521) - Try with a gloss finish!

Milk Moustache, C2-692

Aperture, C2-981

Torch, C2-618

 cover image via domino.com