Sunday, February 17, 2013

Amazing Mantel Makeover :: Paint It & Trim It


I have a thing for mantels. Ask my husband. Not a week goes by that I don't come home with some sort of trinket, bauble or chatchkie that I think "would look so great on the mantel!" Lately, however, I've been itching to do something a little different. 

A little white paint, natural pine trim and an awesome mirror find from TJMaxx (for only $25.00!) was all that I needed to transform my once "blah" mantel into a chic, classy "new" mantel. It goes without saying but I absolutely love it!



First you'll want to measure out the area above your mantel that you're looking to trim out. Once you have these numbers, you can head out to procure your necessary tools! 

1. Natural Pine Trim (The decorative pieces I chose were $3.96/pc)
2. Primer + Paint (Because the wood is natural, you'll want to both prime and paint your pieces. I chose Behr paint and primer in one and painted the trim with 2 coats of white semi-gloss finish)
3. Miter saw
4. Nail gun
5. Nails

Once you have your trim and you know your measurements, use your miter saw to the cut the pieces on an angle so that they'll fit together at the corners. 



Prime and paint your trim. 

Use your nail gun to affix the trim to the wall. If necessary, use complimentary colored caulk to fill the nail holes. 

And then my most favorite part... Decorate! If you're anything like me, you'll notice that your once-white mantel could use a fresh coat of white paint and since the paint is already out.. and you're kind of covered in it.. you might as well put a fresh coat on mantel too. Not to mention most of the other trim in your house. Sometimes I can't help myself.



This project was finished in just a day and a half. At first I thought I wanted to paint the square space inside the trim white also for added depth but now that I've gone ahead and staged it all, I love the contrast between the clean, crisp white and the standing "Wheat Bread" by Behr that is currently on the walls. 

Can we take a moment to talk about that mirror? $25.00. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. For weeks I had been scouring places like Target, Ballard Designs, Wayfair, Overstock and World Market for mirrors large enough to fill that space. Each mirror that I came across was at least $189.00 if not more. I knew my husband would absolutely faint if I brought one of those suckers home and even my local Goodwill stores were lacking. 

And then I had some time to myself one morning and found myself wandering around a TJMaxx that was well over an hour from my house. When I came across this mirror, I'm pretty sure there were angels singing. I scooped that baby up so fast, someone probably thought I was about to make a run for it. Somehow, about 24 other things also happened to make their way into my cart. Darn kidless mornings! 

What a difference a little paint and trim can make. 

Don't forget to come back here tomorrow to check out all of the projects that will be linking up for this week's "Dog Days (of Winter) Are Over" Project Challenge. This week's challenge is "Paint It!" As always, if you link up on one of our blogs, your project will be seen on ALL NINE! Happy Painting!

Linking up here with The Better Mom.

10 comments :

  1. The trim looks so pretty and fresh! I'm always tweaking our mantle too!

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  2. I love what a big difference the trim made to your mantel look! Just wonderful!!!
    :o)
    Jaime

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  3. Wow that trim really makes it stand out, I love it! This makes me want to hurry up and buy a house so I can get started decorated

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  4. That trim looks amazing! Such a difference! I love it!!

    Ramblings of a Suburban Mom

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  5. This turned out FABULOUS!! It looks great AP!! I LOVE it!! I wish I had a beautiful mantel like that to decorate! :)

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  6. Jealous that you have a mantel! Love your spring decor! Great job!! xx Liz

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  7. Awesome transformation - love it! And I NEED that mint/turquoise pitcher in my life in a bad way.

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  8. I love your colour combo. The flowers are amazing! Thanks again for hosting. And thanks for stopping by my blog. Until next time my blogger friend.

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  9. I love the fresh, Spring-y colors! Now if Spring would just hurry up and get here...

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