DIY Paint Projects for Your Home
Have the itch to paint? Get inspired and try one of these paint project ideas to personalize your home and update your decor.
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Tap into the chevron trend and apply the pattern to your walls or another surface. Creating a precise chevron pattern requires a bit of math. Click the link below to learn how to measure and map out a chevron design.
Dip into the dipping trend with this easy technique. Watch and learn how it's done.
This simple faux finish technique adds depth and pattern to plain wood floors and works best on light woods. Start with unfinished wood or flooring that has been sanded to remove all of the existing finish.
Add this pattern to your walls for a statement that is both timeless and trendy. Houndstooth is a classic design, while the oversize scale and bright colors of this application keeps it fresh.
Give a piece of wood furniture a distressed finish. This simple technique uses paint, sandpaper, and a few basic supplies.
Stenciling brings pattern to walls and an interesting break from solid hues. Download this free stencil pattern, and follow the link below to see how to stencil a wall.
Brighten a basic solid-color lamp base with delicate motifs. A white oil-paint marker is the perfect tool to put your sketches in the spotlight. Draw simple spirals and interlocking paisley or flower patterns for an intricate look. Start at the top and work your way down for the best results.
Put pattern underfoot by stenciling your floor. Click the link below to see how to stencil a floor and get the free pattern used in this project.
Give furniture a subtle lift with color-washing, a technique using watered-down paint to apply color in a whisper-soft finish.
A few coats of paint can transform an old mirror frame, and the fresh effect is amplified when the look is multiplied. While one mirror would have been impactful, a trio of mirrors ups the wow factor. Simply mask off the mirrors and paint the frames a hue that matches your decor.
Go geometric with a simple makeover. Paint a dresser your base color and let it dry. Mark off squares with painter's tape, and paint the entire dresser with a desired color. (We used white as the base color and blue as the top color.) When the top color is dry, peel off the paint and let your design come to life.
Easy paint projects aren't just for your home's interior. Brush a little color on your home's exterior for quick curb appeal. Try painting the front door—a simple, done-in-a-weekend project—a favorite shade that coordinates with other exterior elements and the surrounding landscape.
Organize in style with a painted metal caddy. To get this look, choose two colors, one for the base and one for the honeycomb pattern, plus a third color to paint a few sections at random as whimsical accents. Complete this project with our free stencil pattern and step-by-step instructions.
Dress up a wooden headboard with paint and a stencil. First, paint the headboard with your desired base color. Once dry, position a stencil on the headboard and tape in place, and fill in the pattern with a contrasting paint color.
Use fabric and paint to update a past-its-prime chair. Sand and paint the wooden chair frame, then re-cover it with desired fabric. Add a monogram to personalize the piece by centering a stencil on the chair back and using fabric paint or latex wall paint to apply the design.
A plain lampshade is the perfect venue for painted motifs. This one, embellished with zinnias, is easily re-created with the help of a rubber stamp, a sheet of clear acetate, and a soft palette of sunshine-and-shadow green hues.
This standard dining set received a crisp update with white paint. When revamping furniture, don't be afraid to remove decorative elements that don't suit your style. (Just make sure they aren't integral to the function or structure of the piece.)
Dated medallions were removed from the table legs to give this set a more current aesthetic. The holes were filled with wood filler and given a light sanding. Then the entire set was primed and painted. Covering the seats with a graphic fabric completes the fresh, cheery look.
Give a piece of furniture dimension with paintable textured wallpaper. This design, which looks like tooled metal, decorates the drawer fronts and top of this chest. To achieve this look, remove the drawers and any hardware. To align the patterns of the wallpaper, stack the drawers in the order they are arranged in the dresser. Dry-fit the wallpaper by measuring the door fronts and cutting the paper to size, aligning the patterns to create a seamless look. Apply a decoupage medium to both the drawer front and the back of the paper, and adhere the paper to the drawer. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for recommended dry time, and then paint over the paper. Here, a base coat of silver paint was antiqued with pewter glaze to finish the look. Brush another coat of decoupage medium onto the surface to seal it.
Transform inexpensive solid-color sailcloth curtains into designer-worthy draperies using a stencil and acrylic paint. This elegant arabesque motif repeats at staggering intervals to create an eye-pleasing design. Lay the panel flat and plan your arrangement before you start painting. Be sure to have a protective layer such as newspapers beneath the panel so the paint doesn't leak through the fabric and onto your work surface.
Bring signature style to a basic white dresser with a few coats of dry-brushed paint and a set of antique handles. Milk paint provides this dresser with a rich-looking finish, and narrow trim on the drawers gives the once-flat structure dimension. Antiquing glaze rubbed over the entire surface completes the transformation.
Anchor a kitchen island by painting it a darker shade than the rest of your cabinets and selecting a countertop made of a contrasting material, such as wood. These doors and drawer fronts were spray-painted, but you can also get a smooth finish with a self-leveling paint.
A scrap of sheet vinyl flooring flipped upside down makes the perfect canvas for creative paint projects. Prime the surface, then cover it in two layers of latex paint. Mask off a border for the dot pattern, and create pattern guidelines using painter's tape. Dapple a foam stencil brush and one end of a sponge on the vinyl surface to create this graphic pattern.
Pick a palette of bold paint colors and fun patterns to personalize a dining space. An oversize cane pattern painted on one wall offers a bold background for bright hues throughout the room. After painting the wall's base coat, use painter's tape to make a grid pattern (for best results, add any angled lines last), and then paint over the design with your desired background color. Let the paint dry completely, and then remove the tape.
A single leafy stem stenciled onto a basic pillow adds graphic punch. To make it simple, start with a beige or cream-color linen or cotton pillow. Create a large foliage stencil from contact paper, and attach it to the material using tape and straight pins. Spray bright green fabric paint over the surface of the pillow, let it dry, then peel back the stencil to reveal the design.
Bring an ordinary dresser to life with an oversize floral stencil. To keep the look graphic and the cost low, use leftover wall paint to apply the stencil to the dresser, and then repeat the pattern up the wall using white paint. For complementary DIY artwork, cut the stencil apart and paint the sections onto the wall. For delicate stencils like this one, a medium-size stencil brush works best.
Transform an ordinary outdoor rug from blah to beautiful with this simple stencil project. Make your own stencil by tracing a shape onto poster board. Cut out the stencil, then place it on the rug using painter's tape. Using good-quality outdoor paint and a small roller, roll paint over the rug. Remove the stencil, reposition, and repeat until you're satisfied with the look.
Craft a conversation piece by adding a large-scale floral pattern to the top of a colorful barstool. After painting the stool to match your color scheme, freehand-draw a fun design on top or use a stencil.
