Greetings, Friends! Have you ever wanted to tackle a project but dreaded it? Yet knowing it will make a huge difference when you are done? Yesterday I finally tackled that project which is painting a range hood. Yeehah!
The range hood over our cooktop is massive. It takes up the better part of the entire wall and is painted the same color as the walls. The trim at the bottom of the hood is the same semi-gloss color as the rest of the house trim. Ever since we moved in I thought how much brighter and lighter the kitchen area would be if only I painted the range hood to match the trim. Here is the range hood in its present state. Note the trim and corbels are painted a lighter semi-gloss color and the base of the hood is the same flat color as the walls and ceiling.
After much thought and procrastination, I found the right color paint in the basement and made a plan. Because the paint was in a five gallon pail and obviously several years old, I decided to take it to Lowe’s and have them shake it up. (Don’t skip this step.) While I was there I picked up a new paint brush, some drop cloths, a new roller and a roller pan. I saved some money buy purchasing a set of three paint brushes. However, note the 2″ brush is not angled. Boo. I’m not a fan of flat edged paint brushes so I used the 1.5″ angled brush which is much better for trimming out a project. ( Pack of 3 Purdy Paint Brushes here )
Drop cloths are the necessary evil in a painting project. A pain to put out but a savior if you have a spill or dribbles. ( Pack of 3 Drop Clothes here )
And this extra long paint roller is a life saver. It saved me several steps up and down the ladder. ( 6 inch Paint Roller here )
And don’t forget a disposable roller tray. No, it’s not ecologically friendly, but oh so handy. ( Disposable Roller Trays here )
I wiped down the surface with a clean cloth and vacuumed out the crevices around the trim. Then I was good to go! This is how the paint looked going on. Quite the contrast right? I thought to myself, “this is going to be such a dramatic change!!!”
Because the old paint was significantly darker than the trim color, it took 4 coats of paint! Luckily it’s a small area so it only took me a few hours start to finish. And this is the finished product. Sadly, not quite the “dramatic” results I was hoping for. It is lighter but it was a lot of work for not that much change. Isn’t that the way it goes sometimes?
For me the newly painted range hood makes the room look brighter, but I admit it didn’t have as big an impact as I’d anticipated. You never know until you try, right? After the paint dried I put the sign back up. Previously it nestled in between some boards and was secure but this time as soon as I walked away, it fell. Kudos to Ballard Designs for a well made plaque. It tumbled all the way to the floor and didn’t break or make a scratch. Or make a dent in the floor. Whew! Roughly translated the sign means, “Flandres Sweet Shop” and sadly is no longer available.
So, I ended up using my handy 3M Command Small Wire Hooks. They are clear plastic and adhere to the wall nicely. I hooked the metal hooks on the D-rings on the back of the plaque. Now it is secure and hopefully won’t fall and hit me on the head while I”m cooking. Bonus: The backs of the hooks are clear, so you can’t see them. Safety first. Then appearances. ( 3M Command hooks here )
Honestly, most people probably won’t notice the change but it makes me happy that the paint color is lighter and matches the trim on the range hood. Silly me, I’m obsessive like that. Now that the project is complete, I can stop thinking about it. Hmmm. It does look lighter from this angle. I also like the paint on the range hood is now a semi-gloss like the trim and corbels.
After I finished painting and started cleaning up my mess, I poured the excess paint from my rolling pan into one of these Touch Up Cups and labeled it. The cups come in a pack of 6 for $19.99 plus shipping via Amazon.
The cups have a metal shaker ball inside so it makes it a snap to shake it up and paint right from the cup. Simply write on the label the color, date and room for easy identification.
As we move from room to room touching up the walls and repaint, I’ll do the same. Then rather than lug around a 5 gallon bucket of paint I can use one of the hand held size cups instead! Easy peasy! ( Touch Up Cups here )
Well, not all home improvement projects turn out quite like we hope or expect. However, because I did the painting myself I was only out the cost of a few supplies. I’d really be ticked if I paid someone to do this and with no better results! Lesson: Do what you can do yourself and hire out the tricky stuff or things above your pay grade. The before and after below. At the very least the range hood stands out a bit more with the lighter paint. Please tell me you can see the difference!
Well, one more project off of my list with many more to go. Is a house ever really finished? Still lots to do here and at our lake house aka Happy Hill. Once the weather cools down a bit we hope to tackle a few more of our bigger projects! Meanwhile, I hope you have a lovely day! xoxo Dell
