Things You Didn't Know You Could Paint (But You Totally Should)

ECOS 03/05/2024

You’re probably used to looking at your walls and knowing that you can transform a room by changing the color, but what about the floors, or the curtains, or the lampshade? Did you know almost everything around you can be painted? Here are some things you didn’t know you could paint, but you totally should! Let us know in the comments which of these you've tried (or would like to try) to be entered in this month's giveaway of $200 for ECOS Paints!

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How to Paint Over Linoleum Floors

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How to Paint a Wood Floor

Wood and Vinyl Floors -

The secret to getting a good finish that will last on almost any surface is prep work. Whether it’s wood or vinyl flooring, it needs to be lightly sanded, cleaned thoroughly, and free of dust. ECOS Universal Primer is a very versatile bonding and stain blocking primer to use for your first coat. If you see any yellowing or discoloration coming through, apply another coat. Two light coats of paint should be sufficient to finish the job. It’s very important to allow for sufficient dry time between all coats of primer and paint. Trust us - You should not try to paint floors in a rush. Let the paint cure for a few days before walking on the floors.

Upholstery -

There are great examples of success using paint on upholstery, but it’s going to require some experimentation on your part. ECOS doesn’t make a fabric specific paint, but if you have an old chair that you really love that’s in desperate need of some help (or headed for the thrift store), then why not give it a try? We recommend spraying the fabric with some water before applying the paint with either a brush or a sprayer. Thinning the paint with some water will help it to soak into the fabric as well.  Test it on some old fabric that you don’t mind ruining until you get  a finish that looks good.

Rugs -

Painting a natural fiber rug is a great idea because you can make it the exact color that bests compliments the room. You don't have to look at every single store for the rug that you want. You can make it in just a few hours! The natural fibers soak up the paint well and since it isn't shaggy it's easy to distribute the paint evenly. If you were to paint a shaggier rug we would recommend diluting the paint with water by an equal amount of each and then applying the paint with a sprayer. This should ensure a nice even coat.

Curtains -

Same as with the rug - why try to hunt down curtains that are exactly the colors you want when you can simply design them yourself? This short video shows them using craft paint which is not a very high-quality paint so we would recommend using ECOS Paints to get better pigments and a richer more vibrant color. We shared this video, though because we love this simple contemporary design and think it would be very easy to customize. If you don't like this pattern you could do stripes, or find a round sponge and do large dots of color. Practice on some old sheets to get the hang of it and find a pattern you love. You will have 100% unique curtains!

Tile -

We're pretty sure this wouldn’t work well on flooring or very damp areas, but it’s a good option for tiled walls or backsplashes that need a quick facelift. This video gives a nice step by step walk-through that should work well for you on nearly any kind of tiled surface. Follow these steps and we think you will have outstanding results.  And painting, rather than replacing the existing tile will save you A LOT of money and time! We recommend using ECOS Universal Primer because of its excellent adhesion and superior coverage. Use less product and cover more area!

Appliances -

Appliances are expensive to replace and many new homeowners are stuck with a less than desirable looking refrigerator. We wanted to show you how to paint a fridge, and then we found this remarkable video of someone who made their fridge into a wonderful art piece. We love it, but know that not all of us have the artistic skills of this amazing mom, so we recommend painting your fridge with chalkboard paint. This creates an appliance that you can change the way it looks anytime you want while also writing down your grocery lists, so you get creativity and utility from something that you used to wish you could get rid of! Just scuff it up with sandpaper, use ECOS Universal Primer, and paint with two coats of super durable ECOS Chalkboard Paints.

Lampshades -

A fabric lampshade will take paint very well so this is a super easy way to update a thrift store find! The woman in this video has taken painting lampshades to a higher level than we ever expected to see. We are super impressed by her work, but we think a single color applied with a mini-roller will look awesome too!

With so many possibilities, there’s going to be some trial and error on your part to achieve the best results. The great thing about these projects, though, is that paint is very forgiving – most of these items can be repainted if you’re not in love with your first attempt. Also, these projects are about using creativity and artistry to transform something old into something new without spending much money, so just have fun experimenting. Be proud of yourself that you’re keeping something old out of the landfill and using your unique vision to make something beautiful!

Feeling inspired? Enter to win a $200 gift card for ECOS Paints, so you can get started on your next painting project!

Here’s how:

UPDATE: Congratulations to Deborah F. for being our lucky winner! Thank you to everyone for participating -- watch our blog for January's giveaway launching soon!

REQUIRED:

Let us know in the comments below which of these you've tried before (or would like to try in the future).

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

For each additional entry, leave a separate comment letting us know what you’ve done (and what your profile name is where relevant). You can enter up to 7 times by taking all of the actions listed above and the more entries you make, the more chances you have at winning!

One random winner will be selected on December 31, 2016!

Good luck!!!

No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Participants must be 18 years of age or older and must be U.S. residents. Click through for full sweepstakes rules.

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