Before I begin this post, let me just say that I know there will be people who will hate what I did with the Mainline desk I revealed to you last week. I know that there are mid-century and wood purists who will say I ruined it and should’ve left it the way it was. After spending a few days with it, I decided I was OK with that, and I LOVE the after, whereas I only LIKED the before. So here goes nothing:
I initially planned to paint it white, but because I have other pieces in the room that are more of an “off white,” and I wanted a little more color in the space to complement the orange, my husband and I decided to paint it light blue. The color is difficult to see in the daytime, but I’ll post more pics of it once I put the computer back on it an redecorate the area. But can I just say that I LOVE it? Really. I can’t say that enough. The new chrome and white ceramic hardware really makes a statement against the blue.
The first step was sanding, and I left the heavy lifting to my husband. Thankfully, we recently invested in an electric sander, so the job took about an hour rather than days. After wiping it down thoroughly, we primed it with the new KILZ Clean Start zero-VOC, low-odor primer. Let me just say that this stuff is THICK. While we didn’t have any stains to cover, we did have a lot of wood to prime. Even with the thickness, it took about two and a half coats (the last was very light) to get the even coverage we wanted before starting with the blue. You can see how it looked after one coat in the photo below. I admit that I was a little peeved by this at first, since I was hopeful that a single coat of such a thick primer would be enough. My disappointment, however, was short-lived.
Scatterbrain that I am sometimes, we primed and began to paint the entire desk before realizing that we had forgotten to prime the drawers. And the lazy person that I am sometimes, I decided to paint the drawers sans primer. It was then that I truly realized the value of a good primer. The body of the desk took just two coats of blue for me to achieve the color I wanted. The drawers? Five coats of blue to match the color on the rest of the desk.
Just so you have an accurate picture, here’s one last before…
And after…
This may not have been the best project on which to test the power of KILZ, but I definitely plan to use it again when we paint our dining room, which has fallen victim to a summer full of kids’ careless hands and grubby fingers. I will say, however, that it had almost NO smell — even when I sniffed just inches from the paint tray. Assuming it covers odors and stains as well as every other KILZ primer on the market, which I have used in the past, I will definitely be switching to this version.
Want to try it?
The folks at KILZ are graciously giving one of my readers the opportunity to win a gallon of Clean Start primer to help with your next painting project. The winner will also receive a $100 Home Depot gift card. So how do you enter? Tell me how you’d use the primer and gift card if you won. Would you paint a piece of hand-me-down furniture? Give a room a quick makeover? Spill the beans for a chance to win!
Do this by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 2010, to enter.
Want to enter more than once? Boost your chances of winning by completing one or more of the tasks on this list. Please leave a separate comment for each entry:
- If you haven’t already, sign up for Green Your Decor’s email updates by 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, Friday, July 30, 2010. You must verify your email subscription to be eligible. Current subscribers must leave a comment saying that you are a subscriber to be entered.
- If you’d prefer to receive your updates via RSS, sign up for the GYD feed. Then please leave a comment letting me know that you’ve done so, and be sure to include your email address.
- “Like” Green Your Decor on Facebook and leave a comment on the wall. Then leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
- Follow Green Your Decor on Twitter. Then tweet about GYD or this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.
- Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to your post.
You have until 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, July 30, 2010, to enter. A winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via email. Good luck everyone!
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I’m Jennae Petersen, and I’m a lot of things. A mother, a graphic artist, a connosieur of beautiful interiors and a purveyor of all things design. Green Your Decor was borne of frustration in my attempts to find eco-friendly housewares that were also beautiful, and inspiration to do something to reduce my own carbon footprint and help others do the same in a beautiful way.
{ 118 comments… read them below or add one }
The desk looks fabulous! I gotta go thrifting!
We have 2 vintage dressers that I found on the side of the road. I’d prime those. I think I want to paint them yellow. I’m feeling the yellow/grey color combo. There’s still much to be done in the house. I need to put up a heck of a lot more shelves in the kitchen (I’m canning this year!) and we could use some in our upstairs bathroom too.
We inherited an old tool bench from the previous owners of our house. I’d like to sand it down, prime it, paint it, and maybe tile the top and use it in the backyard as a serving station for when we BBQ!
I would use that primer and gift card to paint our kitchen cabinets!! They are painfully dated and dark at the moment.
Oh and I LOVE the desk makeover! I also Signed up for the RSS with the email alaughlin06@yahoo.com oh and I wanted to ask if your husband liked the sander you bought and what kind it was. We definitely need to invest in one!
You did a fab job just as I knew you (and your husband) would! I love it too though look forward to seeing the real blue.
I have to admit I was a Kilz fan long before I ever met Green Your Decor! I was so sad when I realized it was packed with VOCs and other yuckies. The cans I still own have been sitting unused for the last few years because of this.
So I’m very anxious to try the new, enlightened version.
How would I use it? I have a couple of thoughts. My desk is a folding banquet table with a dark brown top. I’ve always thought about painting it and have some fun ideas for that. Also, I have cut up several large pieces of canvas to make floor cloths. That’s as far as I’ve gotten. It would be great to try Kilz on these instead of using up some other paint for the background.
Thanks!
Lynn
I love the look. I try not to think too hard about purists – it\’s my house!
I found an old chest of drawers, sans drawers on the side of the road, and I want to strip it down and paint it and put shelves where the drawers used to be. I want it for my office. I teach at a local university but share an office there, so I don\’t keep any of my materials there. I just need a little extra funding to get the project started. I\’m crossing my fingers! Thanks.
I have an old vanity that I would like to repaint to go with the room it is in now. THat’s one of my next projects.
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I would use the Kilz to prime my stairway. I spilled cranberry juice and the wall when I slipped on the steps and it stained the wall!
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I follow you and tweeted about the contest https://twitter.com/condoblues/status/18731394263
I\’ld use the primer to cover the old discolored dresser in my bedroom it was white at one point now its just ugly. i bought it 7 years ago at a yard sale for $5. I\’ld also use the Clean Start to prime some drawer bottoms I salvaged for art projects. I\’ld use the gift card to buy some orange or turquoise fusion paint for my patio table and chairs. Right now they are a dull gray green and look horrible. Also I\’ld buy paint to respray my wicker chairs. And the rest I\’ld use for 2×4\’s to fix my back porch. I fell thru it 3 times and the land lord won\’t repair it.
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Hi Jennae – great post and loved what you did with that desk. I’ve actually used Kilz on several projects and have recommended Kils to come of my “House Therapy” clients who usually end up doing the work themselves. I’m working on a couple of projects – an old dresser which I’m hoping to transform and sell and a couple of old windows which I’m transforming into mirrors. I follow you on Twitter, and have Liked you on Facebook and we’re also friends on Facebook. Have been following your blog for awhile and enjoy your fresh perspective! Thank you!
I would use the Kilz on my currently ugly kitchen cabinets that I am going to paint!
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Hi (and good luck to everyone)!..we’re also in the process of renovating..one full bath, one half bath, one laundry area and part of a bedroom (they’re all in the same basic area).
I am an email subscriber and would love to win this giveaway to help with all of the above!
Regards,
Shelley
I would fix up an old desk I have in the guest room. It definitely needs some TLC. Thanks for the giveaway and the great blog
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I understand what you mean about people saying you ruined the desk by painting. I just purchased an antique cedar wardrobe and I’m planning on painting and distressing it, but my dad was shrieked at that idea.
My husband of almost 1 year and I also just purchased our first home! I would use the Kilz to cover the horrible existing paint colors in the bedrooms. And since we’re kinda poor now that we’re buying a house, the gift card would be a blessing to help buy paint!
I’m also your new fan on facebook and left a comment!
I got a headboard and footboard at a garage sale. I want to paint it green for my daughter’s room, but not only do I need to sand and prime, I have to take molds of some of the woodwork and pour plaster and glue in some missing rose lattice work. The would help me so much!
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I love your painted desk!!! It looks GREAT Jenna!!
If I won, I would use the KILZ to primer on my existing bedroom furniture and then paint them black. My bedroom is in desperate need of a makeover and that’s what I need to tackle next. My dresser and two nightstands are currently a light honey stain and they’re outdated. Rather than going out and buying a new set of furniture, I would like to give them a makeover with KILZ, fresh coats of paint and modern hardware (drawer pulls) to give them a totally new look. If I won, that’s exactly what I’d do (and I’d take before & after pics too)!
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I\’d start first with our living room.
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I would definitely paint my bedroom. We bought a house that was painted a creamsicle color and burgundy in every single room. We can’t afford to repaint everything yet but we’re definitely going to tackle our bedroom asap.
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I would use it to refinish an old wooden fold-down step stool. The shape is really neat, but the finish needs some serious help.
We recently inherited a blue hutch that needs some work so I would use the Kilz on it!
We need to prime and paint the really ugly paneling that is in the living and dining room areas of our new house. It will really brighten up those rooms and look so much better.
Thanks for the chance to win!
I’m an email subscriber!
I’d love to win the gallon of Kilz, let a lone the $100 gc to Home Depot! Awesome! Just took an old shelf from my parents house that is painted red white and blue…I would use the Kilz on that, and get it ready to use in my bathroom!
Ohh I like the desk!
If I won the giveaway, I would use the primer & gift card for a dining room table I\’ll be making as a wedding gift for a friend.
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I would use the primer and gift card to fix-up and paint the wall in front of my house.
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I just subscribed yo your RSS!!
Love what you did with the desk. It’s a very pretty blue and the paint made it a much improved version. Hubby did a great sanding job.
Please enter me in your giveaway. I’m already a subscriber to your newsletter.
Thanks!
I would totally use it in my kitchen. I recently painted the cabinets and then my husband realized that I didn’t sand or prime them. Uh oh! Have to redo the whole project now!
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I would redo my kids’ nursery!!
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I could use the primer on a child’s dresser we purchased years ago. We actually bought it at a yard sale with every intention of painting it, but it’s become “one of those projects” that hasn’t been started yet. I would love to use the gift card on a closet organization kit!
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We just rearranged our bedrooms and I need to paint both our new bedroom and my son’s room. Since our new room is dark green and blue, I was already planning to buy the paint with the primer in it, but it is not in our budget right now. Winning this would solve a major problem right now.
I have a dresser i picked up at the Salvation Army that could use a sand down and painting! I would use the primer on the dresser and the gift card to get a gallon of paint and a new energy star hall light!
I’m rebuilding the stairs to my son’s room, this would be perfect. Thanks!
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I have a dresser that my grandmother gave me and it could use some sanding and painting. The gift card would come in handy for buying materials for our master bathroom remodel.
We definitely need to refresh the paint in our rooms.
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I’m expecting my second child and will need to paint another nursery soon – this would help a lot! Thanks!
Our downstairs bathroom desperately needs a re-model. I would use the Kilz in that room; and put the $100.00 gc towards a new shower.
i would use it on an old hutch in our garage that we plan on repainting.
i follow you on twitter @1589m and tweeted
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I’d finally get around to painting my son’s bedroom. We have paint, but really need a good primer first since the previous owner (we assume it was them) painted the walls with ceiling paint (very thirsty ceiling paint, too, I might add…)
I’m following you via Twitter as @PinchingAbe.
I would use the primer for my dresser. It was given to me by my husbands aunt and I would redo it for my son for when we get his room finished. I would probably get a new toilet with the gift card because mine is about ready to quit working.
I would finish painting my bedroom, its halfway done now and my husband is being deployed for 15 months starting Wed so it would be great for him to come back to out bedroom painted and new light fixtures with a real fan to stave off this southern heat!!
That is gorgeous! I love the lines of the desk, and the color you chose is so pretty.
I’ve been wanting to repaint our living room since we moved here in 2006. I have a color in mind, but would definitely use the gift card towards painting supplies. We probably would need 5 gallons for our room, including primer and brushes.
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Kathleen W.
Tweet and I\’m following you
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My bathroom is in desperate need of some new paint!
The primer would cover the awful purple and the $$ would cover the new periwinkle color I\’m itching to have
I have been wanting to paint my bedroom, so I would spend the gift card on paint for my walls. Thank you for the giveaway!
I would give our kitchen a makeover! It\’s currently RED so we\’ll definitely need that primer before we choose a much lighter paint color!
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Would paint our utility room and get some new items for our bath.
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I would so use it to do a quick makeover of my kitchen which is in desperate need of some help!!
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I have the perfect thing! I got a dresser from my brother. Handed down from his wife’s grandma. It’s one of those tall skinny numbers and has about 40 layers of paint on it. I’m going to strip it down and repaint it. Kilz, help me out!
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I’d use the Kilz for the stains on my ceilings. Then I’d use the gift card for tape, paint, and other supplies.
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I would love to use this to redo one of our bedrooms!
Thanks for a great giveaway!
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I’d use the primer to cover the disgusting puce shade my daughter just had to have in her bedroom 5 years ago that she now hates. I’d use the gift card to get painting supplies.
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Our kids have scratched up the walls with their toys, so we really want to paint over the walls in our family room.
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My husband said he would repaint our kitchen cabinets and get some new flooring
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I like you on Facebook and also wrote on your wall. Love the desk!
I would use the primer and gift card on our new place. We are moving in about 2 weeks and we have to prime the walls and paint, paint, paint, the previous tenants weren’t too kind to the poor things!
I would use it on an old desk that is sitting in my garage. It needs to be refinished. I would use the GC towards a new vacuum.
Leigh Bright
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I would love to use the Kilz to redo my daughter’s dresser. It was originally my grandmothers and was given to me as a child. My daughter has been using it since she was born and after 13 years in her room it really needs repainting and a little love!
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I have an old like chest I would redo for my daughters room into a princess box, I would also use the gift card to get paint to redo her room thanks for the chance
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