A few years ago I had the brilliant ideas to faux finish the walls in the breakfast nook. This was the perfect solution because the walls didn’t have a lot of texture on them so this would be a fantastic way to add dimension to the room. I really wanted a stucco look. I just decided to jump in. I didn’t need a fancy sea sponge. I’d figure it out as I went along, how hard could it be?
Honestly, I’ve never really liked the research part that comes along with DIY projects. Since I didn’t read up about the project I used paint instead of glaze. I didn’t want to bother with a primer or base coat. I didn’t know to use two similar colors. I also never figured out that I should blend the colors together. So I basically slapped dark green paint on top of taupe paint using a plastic bag. It took a very long time. The result was that the walls looked moldy. That paint treatment lasted for less than a week before I painted over it. I’ve been scared of faux finshes ever since because I just don’t think that I can do them correctly.
This is why doityourself.com is such a great site. They have tips on everything from outdoor woodworking to decorative painting. It’s really one of the most extensive DIY sites that I’ve seen. There are even helpful DVD’s that really could’ve saved several of my home project disasters. I especially like the fact that the site even has forums with categories such as auto, plumbing, gardening & everything in between. The site is easy to use & even makes the research aspect of DIY projects painless & fun. So my advice to anyone embarking on a DIY project is knowledge is power. Learn as much as you can before you ever start because if you’re like me, you won’t just pick it up as you go along.
