Tuesday, April 19, 2011

How To: Add a Little Spice to Your Living Room

I love my light green walls but I needed a pop of color in my front room so I decided to paint my piano red.


And here is how I did it...


My piano is over sixty years old now. We bought it about seven years ago from a neighbor who had purchased it from a local college. It looked like this....




Not pretty.


So the first step is to sand the heck out of it. (I took the above picture after I sanded it) I thought I did a pretty good job getting all the varnish off. I used 120 grit. Since I was not re-staining it, a good sanding is all it needed. But now looking back, I would have given it a little more sanding love.


Next you need to get some tack cloth and rub all the sanding residue off. 


Do not skip this step.






This is what it looked like after the first coat. It is supposed to look this bad. You want a light coat. I think I over did it a little and would have gone even lighter than this. * the lighting is horrible so the color looks a little off*






You wait a couple hours until dry and then sand. I used 120 grit again. Use tack cloth to get residue off. Apply second coat.








Then sand and tack cloth again before applying third coat.






This is the point I decided to take the front of my piano off. This is what I discovered...




...those would be canning tops. Hmmmm....I wonder who put those in there? No wonder it was sounding funny!







This is also the point I decided that the color I had chosen was to pinky red so I went and got another color.






So I sanded, tack clothed and applied paint two more times. Yes, that would be five coats and random touch ups. But it was so worth it, because this is exactly the spice my living room needed. (These pictures aren't doing it justice. It is not as shadowy as it looks in these pictures)







Those knobs belonged to a cupboard that my great grandma had. Now I get to have a little piece of her in my room and my girls love that they get to touch something that their Abuelita Tina touched everyday. It's their favorite part of the piano...and mine too.








So there you have it, a piano painting tutorial because I know you have all been dying to do this! I have to say that I have done a TON of projects in my life...sewing, painting, building, crafting, redecorating, etc...but this was definitely one of my most favorite projects...EVER!


BTW...I used 2qrts behr paint plus primer. The first color was red velvet...the color I ended up with is "BARN" a Martha Stewart color, I had Home Depot make it in Behr paint because I prefer it... I also recommend using a small foam roller and a small sponge brush. I normally tell people to stay away from the sponge brushes unless you are doing a pre-school project, but in this case they were definitely helpful.




24 comments:

Donna said...

I love color and your piano turned out beautiful!

calibosmom said...

I absolutely LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!! The finished product is stunning. The floors look great too!

Lauren in GA said...

Jessica, the piano looks STUNNING! What a conversation piece. I love that you used the knobs from a cupboard of your Abuelita Tina. They look great and are sentimental, too.

What is tack cloth? Do I find it in the painting section of the hardware store? It's pitiful that I don't know that.

Lauren in GA said...

Oh, and I got a chuckle out of the canning tops. Perhaps someone thought they would add interesting sound quality.

Christie said...

It looks amazing! I love it. The knobs are such a cool touch, and so much more meaningful because they were your grandmother's. Way to be brave. It looks so good.

the wrath of khandrea said...

i have to refinish my piano, and was planning to do it this summer. thank you for confirming for me the need to hire somebody.

...interested???

Mrs Ana said...

Beautiful! We all need a little Abuelita in our homes. Got any of those knobs left?

Anonymous said...

wrath of khandrea, you always make me laugh. loved that comment:)!

jess, amazing job! I was getting worried with the pinky red but the final product is per.fect. love it!!! now, come help me finish (ahem...start) major's room:).

Angie said...

I love it! We have an older piano that I've been dying to paint a different color! Thanks for the inspiration... :)

Jenny Erazo said...

LOVE IT!

Ashley C said...

I love it, Jessica! That's awesome!

Shirley said...

THANK YOU! I have only attempted doing an old dresser so far but would love to change up our "piano room" since we just got a few "new to us" pieces of furniture in there. You are amazing!

crystal said...

Really? Canning lids?

The piano looks amazing! I love the Barn Red color. I've been debating painting a round accent table blue, now I think I will do it.

Unless you live in my area and want to come teach me.....

....


....... Please? :)

Rochelleht said...

That is seriously AMAZING!! I'm so impressed with that. I would be way too scared to do something like that, so I'm going to live vicariously through you. Amazing.

heidiram said...

Can I tell you I am hyperventilating after reading your post? I would never in a million years dare to repaint my piano. I will also live vicariously through you. It does look amazing.

kthom said...

I knew I really liked you! That piano of yours looks fanTAStic! I have tried for years to get the go ahead from the husband to paint my piano and it's just not happening. Maybe looking at your amazing work will inspire him to just let me do it! I too have an old/used/crusty piano that would love to be smothered in some gorgeous pop of red paint! Seriously so impressed!

Suzanne said...

It's beautiful! I love it, and it looks great in your living room. I think I might brave the world of painted furniture one of these days. Heck, I've already got yard sales down, so now I need to work on fixing up stuff I get. =) (I actually pass stuff up because I'm not a fixer upper, but now maybe I'll be willing to buy project pieces).

Cares and Mimi said...

OH I love your piano soooo much! It is gorgeous! What an amazing job. And you're so patient - I don't think I could have sanded, tack clothed and painted again and again and again. So lovely - Cares

Elena said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Elena said...

You did an excellent job Jess. I definitely like the 2nd red best. What a great idea to use the knobs on the piano. I think you just created an heirloom! I would like to have the left over knobs back. I worked hard to get those knobs, so I don't want them to disappear.

Julie said...

Oh my. I love it! Very nice job. =)

Unknown said...

Ha. I made a rule in my house that you can't ask what's for dinner. If someone forgets and asks me anyway, the standard response is, "yummy food."

Christy said...

AH-MA-ZING JOB! All that's missing is a pint of frozen yogurt and Nat and me engaged in a soulful sing-a-long around *Big Red.

*what I have nicknamed your piano :)

Danielle said...

My friend Tanya sent me a link to your blog when she found out I was repainting my piano. Mine is sanded and primed and ready to go- but I'm on hold with the paint color. What kind of paint did you use? I saw the color at the bottom of the post- but was it oil based? I have read some tutorials that recommend oil based paint. Also- how long did you let it dry between coats? Thanks so much!