My Monday Makeover

I follow quite a few DIY/home/decorating blogs, and am constantly reading lines like "give fresh life with a coat of paint" or "transform your thrift store find with paint."

yeah, yeah, yeah...

Well, turns out it's true.

I've had this stool (found in the neighbor's trash pile; hence the strange holes on the seat) for quite some time.  It's always been white.  I thought I liked it white.

Before

But then I had this crazy idea that I wanted to paint it red.  Like bright, obnoxious, fire engine red.  So I set off for Home Depot, where I came back with this paint for around $3

And this paint/primer in one for about $7.  I chose the paint/primer in white because I have a couple other projects I will use it on...

Following the instructions in this article, I wiped down the surface of my stool.  I opted not to sand it, since I would be using the primer spray.  I did two coats of primer, and several coats of red (several thin, even coats are better than one thick, drippy one).  I also allowed plenty of drying time between coats and before bringing it back inside (which, impatient personality that I am, was not easy).

And I ended up with this beauty:

After

I couldn't be happier with it.  It adds a terrific pop of color to my room.  I would say a much-needed pop of color, but my house already has so much color that I'm not sure that's true...what can I say? I'm a color addict! At any rate, it definitely brightens the place up!

The stool is also really functional: it provides an extra sitting spot when I have people over, I use it as a stepladder, and also as a little computer table while sitting at my couch...

My new piece in action!

Coincidentally, here's what that corner of the room looked like before I took that last picture:

Its own little makeover, no?

Anyway, I am a paint-can-be-transforming believer now.  And now I have the urge to spray anything I can get my hands on... watch out world!