Metalic Paints by Martha Stewart - Review

Monday, 31 October 2011 16:59 by Kim

Last week we assembled a toddler room for a precious little girl. What better paint to use in her room than Martha Stewart's Precious Metal Collection, right? Well, you be the judge!

Because there was specialty painting involved, Samantha painted this room. Unfortunately, we didn't quite grasp how "special" the painting of the silver tinted paint needed to be. Mostly because it seemed no one else knew either. After seeing this product in action, I decided to write a review.

Our client inquired about using a gray with a little shine to it so, when Samantha and I went to gather the paint for the room, we were psyched to find this somewhat silver color by Martha Stewart at Home Depot. The color we chose was "tin."

We asked the very knowledgable paint representative at Home Depot about the paint. He informed us that they had tested the paint and that it didn't have the same effect unless you used the special $8 Martha Stewart roller head. So, we bought the roller head. That was the extent of the metal collection painting instruction. I didn't even think to look for directions online because, based on the paint swatch and the advice of our handy dandy Home Depot paint rep, it appeared to be a normal paint with just a tad of sheen that was best applied with an 8 dollar roller head.

Fast forward a week to a frantic call from Samantha telling me, "I need more of that *$%@ silver paint!!! And, quick!"

I make another run to Home Depot then hurry the paint over to find a very sloppily striped silver room. We both figured that it was just because it needed another coat. However, Samantha has decided that she is going to carefully paint the second coat so that if the nature of the paint is to stripe, it will at least be even across the room - not striped.

We assembled the room on Friday and while Samantha's careful brush strokes helped, you could still see a twinge of stiping if you looked hard in certain areas. It almost looked intentional because of her calculated brush strokes so it turned out ok. But, we definitely would have approached this project differently had we known. Hence the reason I'm sharing with you.

First, the roller that's recommended shed. This left us combing every inch of the walls and removing fragments that looked like they came from a wire brush. We would not recommend that roller for the metalic paint.

Second, we came to the conclusion that it's important not to double back over what you've already painted. When you do it makes the areas with more than one coat much darker giving that striping effect. So, if you're going to paint an entire wall as we did, do so very carefully.

The staircase picture posted here is a photo from Martha Stewart. You'll notice that they did stripes in the room, only using the metals collection in between. I think this is probably the best use of this paint.

You can definitely use this paint on full walls, but do take heed the advice to do so carefully. You might even try cutting it with a solid gray to see if that applies better.

In the end, I LOVED the look it gave. It is very different and modern. I just wished we had known the delicacy of the paint ahead of time in order to save the headache of Sam having to meticulously paint every inch.

Product Final Review: 3 out of 5 stars

Behind the Scenes How-To Hang Wallpaper

Monday, 25 April 2011 11:49 by Kim

 

Tools Needed: 

  • *Long Table
  • *Tall Ladder (if you're hanging to ceiling)
  • *Long Level (we used a 3' level)
  • *Plumb Line (see here how to make a plumb line)
  • *Wallpaper
  • *Wallpaper Paste
  • *Wallpaper Brush (to apply paste onto paper)
  • *Wallpaper Smoothing Brush
  • *Plastic Straight Edge for Smoothing
  • *Seam Roller (to roll seams into place)
  • *Utility Knife
  • *Scissors - might use if pre-cutting your wallpaper
  • *Optional:  Seam Paste

 

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Step 1:  Prepare Your Walls

  • *Make sure your walls are clean and that all nails are removed from the wall.
  • *Measure the width of your wallpaper.
  • *Choose a starting point on the wall.  Take the width of your wallpaper and mark the wall you plan to cover according to that width.  Mark both the top and the bottom of the wall.
  • *With a plumb line, create a line from every top mark down to every bottom mark to create guidelines for your room.
  • *With a level, make sure each line is level.

Option #2 for creating the guidelines for your paper:  Start in a corner making sure the wall is straight with a level. Hang your first piece of paper level and use that piece as a guide.

Step 2:  Cut Your Paper

First Method:  Pre-cut each piece

  • *Measure the height of your wall.
  • *Cut your first piece of paper as your guide according to wall height.  On the back, mark top, bottom and #1.
  • *In a large area, place your first piece of paper down design side up.  Prepare to cut your second piece by lining up the patterns.  Remember you will have excess paper at the top and bottom.  Once cut, mark top, bottom and #2.
  • *Using #2 as a guide, cut your #3 piece and mark top, bottom and #3.
  • *Continue until you have all pieces cut.

Second Method:  Cut as you go

  • *Measure and cut your first piece of wallpaper.
  • *Hang the first piece of wallpaper (see below for hanging instructions)
  • *Use the first piece as a guide for lining up the pattern of your second piec.e (remember there will be excess paper at the top and bottom).
  • *Have a buddy cut the paper at the bottom.
  • *Mark the piece top and bottom before applying glue.
  • *Hang the second piece
  • *Use the second piece as a gu.ide for cutting your third piece.
  • *Continue until your space is complete. 

Step 3:  Apply the Glue

  • *With your large wallpaper brush, brush a liberal amount of glue on the back of the paper.
  • *Make sure to apply plenty of glue to the edges.

Step 4:  Soak the Paper (DO NOT use water!)

  • *Let the paper soak in the glue.
  • *With the glue side up, fold each side into the middle so that the glue sides are touching.
  • *Leave soaking for 5 minutes.

Step 5:  Hang Your Paper

  • *Make sure to find the "top" that you marked and place the paper at the top of the wall or, if it's the 2nd + piece, line the piece up according to the pattern.
  • *Once the paper is level and exactly where you want it, smooth the paper with your wallpaper smoothing brush.
  • *After the paper is securely in place, take your straight edge and smooth any air bubbles and the edges.
  • *To further smooth the edges, use your seam roller.
  • *If you have seams that are not adhering, use the seam paste to add glue under the edge and then smooth down.

Step 6:  Cut Your Paper

  • *Start at the top and cut a straight line using your ceiling or crown molding as a guide.  If you have a gradual ceiling, use a level as a guide.
  • *Cut the bottom of the paper along the baseboard.

Sit back and enjoy your work!

Have something you would add as advice in hanging wallpaper?  Let us know:  HowTo@PeekabooDesign.com

Behind the Scenes - 3D/4D Ultra Sound with First Vu

Monday, 18 April 2011 09:54 by Kim