Dear Marc:
I bought an older home I plan to fix up myself. I have a door in my kitchen that leads to my basement. This door is in the dead centre of my kitchen, so it looks kind of funny. I have cabinetry that starts and ends on both sides of the door. Any suggestions on how I can get rid of my eyesore? -- Marla
Dear Marla:
Eliminating or changing the location of these doors would be a big and very expensive endeavour. Therefore, why not trick the eye instead? If we can't get rid of something on our tight budgets, let's face it and camouflage it! The best way to camouflage those pesky doors is to paint them the same colour as the wall. The trick is to paint the casing the same colour, as well, so as not to draw attention to our unpleasant design feature.
To start your design project, you will need the following: old newspaper, sandpaper, a metal scraper, primer, paint (same colour as your wall paint), and a paint brush. All these supplies are available at your local paint or hardware store.
First, you'll want to sand the door. Each paint project starts with proper prepping. Why are you wasting time sanding? you ask. The answer is simple: If the area isn't properly sanded, the new paint will not stick, and will peel. If the door has paint that's peeling, while sanding the door, use the metal scraper to remove the excess dry paint.
Once you have completely sanded the door, door frame and casing, take out the old newspaper. Lay it under the door you are about to paint so that paint will not drip on the floor during the painting process. Include multiple layers of newspaper as paint will seep through the paper. Be sure not to lay down the newspaper where you are reading these instructions as the next part could get complicated. Once the newspaper has been set in place, now comes the fun part. Pry open your paint can of primer. Using your paint brush, brush the primer up and down, being sure to cover every crevice and crack.
Make sure the primer has dried completely before you apply the first coat of paint. Be sure to also paint the door casing and frame the same colour. Everything has to be the same colour for this camouflaging effect to work. Once the first coat of paint is finished and dry, apply a second coat of paint to finalize your design project.
In design, it's not always what is present in the room, but rather, what the eye sees.
Marc Atiyolil is the editor-in-chief of Canadian Home Trends -- Canada's Home Decor & Lifestyle Magazine. To submit a question for Marc Atiyolil, visit CanadianHomeTrends.ca.
