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05.22.2020

How to Choose Flooring

We recently had new flooring installed, so today I’m going to share tips for how to choose flooring (and share how we thought through the selection process).

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of STAINMASTER®. All opinions are 100% mine.

Flooring is a big investment, both in terms of time and money. We all want floors that will last and continue to look good for many years to come. When determining your budget, you will need to consider the cost of the floor material as well as the cost of underlayment, delivery and installation. You will also need to include removal and disposal of your previous flooring as well as and additional materials such as baseboards, stains, and adhesives.

There are four obvious choices when it comes to flooring:

Carpet
Vinyl (I’ll be discussing LVP luxury vinyl planks)
Wood
Tile

I looked at only STAINMASTER® products for their incredible durability and visited Miller’s Flooring America in Lafayette, Indiana. I received fantastic customer service and was able to view a huge selection of STAINMASTER® carpet and LVP (luxury vinyl planks).

Carpet

Carpet cuts down on noise which is why we selected it for the majority of our second floor. It can hide problems with irregular floors and offer a soft spot to lounge on the floor. Carpet must be vacuumed regularly and professionally cleaned to ensure a quality floor covering.

We selected STAINMASTER® carpet for our home:

Upstairs Carpet: Power Point in White Dove
Stairway Carpet: Bora Bora in Harbor Lights
Master Bedroom: Braided Opulence in Flannel

The upstairs carpet (Power Point in White Dove) brightens up the space and we can rest easy knowing all STAINMASTER® carpets include a lifetime warranty on stain, soil, static shock and pet urine.

On our stairway, we used Bora Bora in Harbor lights. Here is a before of the stairway:

And here’s the after:

I painted the stair railings knowing the cherry wood wouldn’t work well with the new LVP (which I’ll talk more about later).

We added Braided Opulence in Flannel to our master bedroom, and the subtle pattern is just perfect.

Vinyl

Vinyl has come a long way, and I am a huge fan of LVP – luxury vinyl planks. It can give you the look of wood without the headache of wood (I ruined our wood floors last year when I overflowed my farmhouse sink). Vinyl has come a long way. Today, they offer all the look of wood with superior durability to real wood floors. They are water-resistant, making them ideal for bathrooms and kitchens and resist scratching or damage from dropped objects. If your home has children, they’re as close to an “accident-proof” type of flooring as you can get.

In our front entryway, we had large white tile that showed every spec of dirt (not to mention the grout was permanently dirty).

A few years ago, I tried painting the same tile that was also in our laundry room, but it wasn’t holding up well.

We selected STAINMASTER® LVP (Phenix natural) which provides the look of beautifully realistic wood, plus STAINMASTER durability and easy maintenance.

We love the new look in our back entryway:

And in our laundry room:

Wood Floors

Wood flooring is a popular choice – probably for its timelessness. Wood floors come in natural styles, are fairly durable and, when properly sealed and finished. Woods such as oak, cherry, or fir don’t dent as easily as pine, and most gouges can be restained to hide the damage.

We have wood floors throughout much of our main floor. It is beautiful, but it definitely isn’t waterproof (as I learned the hard way in our kitchen).

Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tile has decorated floors for thousands of years. Because it is non-porous, ceramic tile withstands moisture and is well suited for bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens. Installing ceramic tile is a major undertaking, however, even in a small area such as a front or rear entryway.

We have ceramic tiles in a few of our bathrooms and like it. I just would not recommend white tile in high traffic areas like in our previous back entryway.

When considering what type of flooring for each space, think about how you use the room and factor in kids and/or pets. Your floors need to be able to stand up to the wear and tear your family will bring.

We absolutely love our new STAINMASTER® flooring and can’t say enough good things about it and how smoothly the installation process went with Miller’s Flooring America.

Lena talked us into two kittens for her birthday (this is what happens when your daughter has a quarantine birthday), and you’ll notice they made several appearances in the photos.

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Home

05.05.2020

Cleaning Tips

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Babble Boxx. All opinions are 100% mine.

Like many of you, I’ve been cleaning and organizing my house – something about spring helps boost the urgency. Today I’m sharing some great cleaning tips (did you know there is a filter in your dishwasher that needs cleaning) and products – some great oldies and some new products!

Here are the products I tested:

Eureka NES510 Flash Corded Stick Vacuum Cleaner
Lemi Shine Auto Dish Detergent
Lemi Shine Dish Detergent Booster
Magic Eraser from Mr. Clean
ONE Clean Home from Scott’s Liquid Gold

Eureka Flash Vacuum

The Eureka Flash Corded Stick Vacuum Cleaner is perfect for cleaning so many spaces in our home, and it is equipped with LED headlights, large removable dust cup, and swivel steering.

This corded stick is great for portable cleaning on both hardwood floors and carpets and ideal for hard-to-reach spots. In can convert into small vacuum which is perfect for stairways.

The Eureka can also convert into a hand-held vacuum with powerful suction.

You can save 15% off your own Eureka Flash for a limited time using code: 15OFFNES510Q

Lemi Shine Detergent and Booster

The Lemi Shine Auto Dish Detergent and Lemi Shine Dish Detergent Booster are non-toxic cleaning products that clean with citric acids. Lemi Shine makes everything look like new with zero gross chemicals.

I recently discovered that dishwashers have filters that need cleaned, and it is SO easy to do. You can see more details on how to clean a dishwasher filter here.

One Clean Home

ONE Clean Home from Scott’s Liquid Gold is a multi-surface foaming cleaner made for wood and more. It smells absolutely amazing and can be used inside and out. It is safe for people, pets, and the planet.

Magic Eraser

I have been using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for years, and it will remove your home’s toughest messes like magic. It is made with Durafoam which has a 2x stronger cleaning performance than the leading all-purpose bleach spray. There are so many uses for the magic eraser, and here are just a few of my favorites:

Best Uses for Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Clean walls and baseboards
Clean shoes
Remove soap scum (tubs, showers, shower curtain)
Clean dry erase boards
Clean ink from hands
Clean computer keyboards
Clean inside of microwave
Clean buildup on curling irons/hot tools
Clean glass cooktops
Clean grout
Remove lime and hard water buildup (faucets, sinks)
Clean oven door
Remove grease (pans)

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DIY

05.02.2020

Kitchen Remodeling Tips

When we remodeled our kitchen, we balanced what would add value to our home while designing a space that functioned well for our family (and fit within our budget). In partnership with Samsung, I’m sharing kitchen remodeling tips.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Samsung. All opinions are 100% mine.

We lived with our kitchen for several years before we remodeled it, so we knew exactly how we could make it better. Here is a before photo of the space:

We brightened up the space by painting the cabinets and added glass to a couple doors. I was even crazy enough to paint the floor (which was in terrible shape). The appliance were original to the home and old. The layout was terrible (it was impossible to stand at the kitchen sink while the dishwasher was open and the fridge had a similar situation), and we needed a better flow through the space.

Appliances

Although it is fun to add pretty hardware and a gorgeous kitchen faucet, appliances are extremely important – you will use them more than other features in your kitchen. Look for energy-efficient appliances with warranties and be sure to maintain a balance between what you spend on appliances and cabinets. If you choose appliances first without considering cabinets/hardware, countertops or other features, you can box yourself into a floor plan and end up without enough money to spend on other features.

We selected all Samsung appliances for our kitchen and have no regrets over two and a half years later. Our appliance choice was driven by how much we loved all the Samsung Family Hub has to offer. Here’s what we have in our kitchen:

I talk more in detail HERE about our appliance selection. I still can’t say enough our our Samsung Family Hub refrigerator. We can search for recipes, check the weather, keep our family organized with the calendar, and stream music while keeping our food organized and cool.

Backspash

Keep the style and color scheme simple with a backsplash. You can add your personality through accent pieces and other decor. I used classic subway tile on ours installed in myself for around $100.

Countertops

I really wanted marble countertops, but I couldn’t justify the cost or maintenance with three kids. Think through your family needs and budget. We went with quartz because it was within our price range, provided the look of marble, and is very durable.

Cabinets

Cabinetry is expensive, but there are ways to save. We opted to go the RTA (ready-to-assemble) cabinet route. It took a lot of time and energy, but it was worth it for us financially. You can see more about our RTA cabinets HERE. Generally we’re fairly happy with them, but we have noticed the drawers aren’t perfectly straight and that’s probably due to our assembly.

Hardware

We splurged on our cabinet hardware mainly because it was one of the only hardware I could find that had a soft gold finish that would go well with our stainless steel appliances. Although I still like our choice, I do fear that we’ll be left with two unusually sized holes in our cabinets if we ever change our mind in the future.

Flooring

As I mentioned earlier, our floor was in poor shape. However, the wood flooring extends to all areas of our first floor. It wasn’t in our budget to install new flooring, so we had it all finished.

We did open up our kitchen by shortening the wall but didn’t go as short with it as we originally planned due to the plumbing we found. We added a kitchen island, but included the sink to avoid changing the plumbing. Try to avoid structure changes as much as possible to avoid additional costs.

With thoughtful planning, you can create the perfect kitchen for your home and family.

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Paint

04.29.2020

Exterior Paint and Trim Colors

I am often asked about our exterior paint and trim colors. Unfortunately I don’t have a brand and paint colors for you. However, I did have them color-matched, so you can get the same colors if you’re looking for similar exterior paint and trim colors!

Exterior Paint and Trim Colors

Painted Brick

The brick is painted a soft creamy white. I do love the color – especially in the summertime against the green foliage and blue skies. I don’t love how it looks against white snow, but I would have it painted the same color today regardless.

I had it color-matched using BEHR Marquee Paint – Base 4450 in exterior flat:

CLRNT: 384
BL: 35
CL: 132
LL: 220

Painted Trim

The Trim is all painted in a greige color.

It was also color matched using BEHR Marquee Paint – Base 4450 in exterior flat:

CLRNT: 384
DL: 310
FL: 258
YL: 164

Last summer I replaced most of the landscaping which was original to our home, and you can see more on that HERE. It was a DIY project which made a huge difference and added so much curb appeal.

I added lots of black accent pieces to contrast the lighter paint colors of our home.

I share the sources for all our exterior decor pieces in this post. I also share in detail the plants I used in our exterior makeover.

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Decor

04.22.2020

Patio Decor Ideas

I LOVE when the weather begins warming up because when warmer temps appear in Indiana, I live outside. I have begun decorating our back patio, and today I am sharing some patio decor ideas for how to create your own outdoor sanctuary .

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Joss & Main. All opinions are 100% mine.

Patio Decor Ideas

When creating an outdoor space, make it an extended living area with these three things:

Comfy Seating

If you don’t have comfortable seating, you won’t want to hang outside for very long. I found these amazing chairs with matching ottomans for a fantastic price from Joss & Main. The Lyall Patio Chair with Cushion and Ottoman is a comfortable chair perfect for conversation and reading. My kids helped with the assembly, and I added a little oil to protect the wood against our harsh midwest weather. The chair color and style work well with almost any space.

Greenery

It is an outdoor space, so make it feel more like an oasis with greenery and flowers. I have lots of potted topiaries and arborvitae all around our home. They last through all the seasons and add charm. I also love adding ferns and potted flowers during the warmer months,

Accessories

Outdoor pillows are the perfect way to add a little extra color to your outdoor area. I found my pillows from Joss & Main, and they are the Edmond Corded Indoor/Outdoor Lumbar Pillow (Set of 2). I love the bold pattern and the fun they bring to the space. Try adding throw blankets to your outdoor space for the cooler mornings or evenings.

As the weather begins to warm up, you will find us enjoying our outdoor patio space more and more.

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Home

04.17.2020

The Best Farmhouse Sink

We remodeled our kitchen a few years ago and installed IKON 33″ 1-3/4 Farmhouse Kitchen Sink with Low Divide sink in white. It has been the best farmhouse sink for us because it is beautiful, durable, and easy to clean.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of BLANCO. All opinions are 100% mine.

As a decor blogger, I consider both form and function when designing a space. BLANCO’s farmhouse provides both and is definitely the centerpiece of our home.

Besides a sink that is capable of cleaning lots of dishes, it also is the perfect sink for a bouquet of flowers – every decor lovers dream (I know it doesn’t make much sense, but it sure is beautiful)!

Since many of us are currently under stay-at-home orders, I thought it would be fun to share how to decorate the kitchen using items found around home.

How to decorate the kitchen using items found around home:

Add greenery

Greenery adds life to any space. Look outside for something to bring inside. Our neighbor has a beautiful flowering tree, so I cut some branches for a bouquet.

Add fruit

I found a woven basket and arranged some pears in it. It looks natural and adds some color to the space.

Use a glass soap dispenser

Remember me mentioning the importance of form and function? I love pretty soap dispensers that you don’t have to hide when guests come. Glass dispensers are great because they last and can be refilled.

With some fresh greenery (or flowers), a bowl of fruit, and a pretty glass soap dispenser, your kitchen will look beautiful and fresh and hopefully provide you with some happiness during this strange time.

Want tips for installing your BLANCO IKON apron sink? GO HERE for the full tutorial!

Besides our BLANCO farmhouse sink, we also have a BLANCO LIVEN Sink and the BLANCO ARTONA faucet – both in Anthracite.

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Seasonal Decor

04.13.2020

Ideas to Celebrate Mother’s Day at Home

There are still ways to make mom feels special without going out – check out theses ideas to celebrate Mother’s Day at Home.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Samsung. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ideas to Celebrate Mother’s Day at Home:

Movie Night

Gift mom with cute handmade movie tickets and then watch a DVD or stream a movie of her choosing. Dim the lights, pop some popcorn, and don’t forgot chocolate! Prop up her feet and be ready to do all the cleanup afterwards.

If you aren’t up for making your own movie tickets, I found a free printable you can download HERE.

We love the ease of our Samsung Flex Duo Electric Range and my kids can use it to make everything from frozen pizza to popcorn for movie night.

Day of Solitude

She loves you, but let’s be honest, she needs a break from you (especially after the craziness of this year). Gift her a day of solitude – allow her a day ALL to herself. If it’s nice, she may want to read a book outside or give her the remote to binge watch Netflix (and then you need to disappear).

Mom Substitute

Give mom a day off – do her jobs for the day and be ready to notice details. You will have to make beds, do laundry and plenty of picking up and cleaning. She will feel refreshed from the break, and you will have a new appreciation for her.

Afternoon of Shopping

Give mom an afternoon of shopping. Gift her with gift cards, her favorite drink, and some peace and quiet so she can scroll the internet.

Spa Day

Give mom a day at the spa. Gift her with bath salts, nail polish, slippers, candle, lotion, and even chocolate.

I discovered some free spa day printables HERE to add to your gift.

Flowers

Flowers are a great way to kick off the day. Whether you pick some from your backyard or have some delivered, they will be noticed and appreciated.

Breakfast in Bed

Breakfast in Bed is an oldie but goodie. Gift mom with homemade cards and breakfast – even a bowl of cheerios taste better when poured with love.

Our family loves our Samsung Family Hub Fridge. The kids can search for recipes, stream music while they work, and access food and drinks easily.

Fun ideas to celebrate Mother's Day at home

One of our personal (easy) breakfast favorites is Baked Oatmeal.

Time needed: 35 minutes

EASY BAKED OATMEAL
-2 Eggs (beaten)
-1 Cup Milk
-1/2 Cup Canola Oil
-3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
-2 tsp Baking Powder
-1/2 tsp Salt
-3 Cups of Oatmeal (Rolled or Quick)

Mix the eggs and milk. Add in the rest dry ingredients and beat again (add the oatmeal last).
One everything is well-mixed, pour mixture into a 9×9 inch greased pan.
Cook for 25 minutes at 350 degrees
Enjoy – add milk and fruit if desired!

I’d love to hear your creative ideas to celebrate Mother’s Day at home – leave a comment!

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Fun Ways to Celebrate Mother's Day at home

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Decor

04.10.2020

Favorite Art Source

For years, I have been a huge fan of Lindsay Letters. Her site is a favorite art source of mine, and my very first piece of hers was a gorgeous, hand-lettered Christmas canvas that I still bring out year after year.

Besides creating beautiful hand-lettered pieces, Lindsay also creates stunning artwork. Her spring line (The Wellspring Collection) was just released, and the pieces are calm and serene – pieces you want in your home.

When sharing her new spring art line, Lindsay says, “I don’t claim that I art can change the world. But I do firmly believe — now, more than ever — that what you surround yourself with MATTERS. We can’t control much of anything outside our homes. I can’t even control most of anything in my home. But I can control what goes on my walls. I can choose art that inspires and delights me, and I can hang it on wall, and then it stays there. Even when everything whirling around it feels like chaos… it’s there for me to stop and appreciate and enjoy.”

I was gifted Lindsay’s Wellspring Abstract, and it is so peaceful. I originally selected it for our dining room. There is a wall that is visible when you first walk into our home, and I felt it needed some attention.

Probably because I have too much time right now, I started trying other places for the piece like above our dining room buffet.

And then I started layering it with my pondering woman painting – which was a nice contrast.

But then I realized it may have been meant for my bedroom, and it looks so serene in the space. Basically these spaces are going to have to fight for this painting because it works so well in all of them.

Lindsay Letters also offers some photography pieces (by Laura Kackley of Lark Photography) which you can see HERE. I have the Dutch Blue Floral in our living room.

The Epic Black Floral hangs in our master bedroom.

The artwork comes in various sizes and most come with different frame options. You can find the perfect piece for you space!

What is your favorite art source? I’d love to know!

Go create something!

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Paint

04.01.2020

How to Paint a Room

With so many of us home, it is the perfect time to tackle those projects that have been on your list forever, and it is definitely time to learn how to paint a room.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of FrogTape®. All opinions are 100% mine.

Whether you have never painted a room on your own, and or you have but you need some tips and tricks, you have come to the right place.

How To Paint a Room:

PREP

Prepping the space often takes more time than painting, but it is worth it. The more time you spend on the prep, the better your finished paint job will look. Clean surfaces and repair any defects. If you need tips for patching drywall, check out this article.

PRIME

If you are painting new drywall, primer is a must. Although a coat of primer is recommended for almost all painting projects (it is a sticky, flat paint that adheres well to the wall and provides and consistent base for topocoats), it is not always necessary. Primer tip: If you are using a darker paint color, you can have the primer tinted to match.

PAINT

PAINT FROM THE TOP DOWN. If you’re painting beyond the walls (ceiling, molding, casings, and trim), paint the ceiling first. Work from the top down: begin with the crown molding, then the walls, then paint the casement molding around the windows and doors. Finish with the baseboard molding.

PAINTING TIPS

USE PAINTER’S TAPE FOR CRISP LINES

I only use FrogTape® brand painter’s tape for my projects because IT WORKS. FrogTape® is treated with patented PaintBlock® Technology, a super-absorbent polymer that reacts with the water in latex paint and instantly gels to form a micro-barrier that seals the edges of the tape, preventing paint bleed and the need for touch-ups. The results are crisp, clean paint lines the first time and it will save you the time and hassle of fixing seeping paint.

TIPS FOR SELECTING THE BEST PAINT ROLLER

If you want more texture on your wall, choose a roller with a longer nap (3/4″), which holds more paint. Use a shorter nap roller (¼” and ½”) for the smoothest finish.

AVOID LAP MARKS

To avoid stripes, keep a wet edge by painting the full height of the wall and then moving over slightly so you can overlap the last stroke with the next.

LOADING THE PAINT BRUSH

You want as much paint on the brush as you can control without dripping. To do this, dip your brush around 1-2 inches into the paint, then tap each side of the brush against the side of the can (which knocks of the drips and forces paint into the bristles).

HOW TO PAINT BASEBOARDS ON CARPET

This is one of my favorite tips because it works so well! You can read more about it in detail HERE, but you just need a roll of FrogTape, a roll of packing tape and a wallpaper smoothing tool (or a putty knife). I recently discovered the wallpaper smoothing tool works amazing well because it is SO long.

HOW TO PAINT DOORS

Painting doors aren’t as hard as you may think, and I paint them on the hinges. You can see more on how to paint interior doors HERE, but one of my favorite tips is to use Frogtape on the hinges of the doors. Place the tape down, use an exacto knife to cut around the hinge, and removed excess tape. You will protect your door hinges from paint.

TIPS FOR PAINTING BREAKS

When taking a break, be sure to cover your paint and use a plastic bag to wrap around your roller(s) and brush(es). You can even put them in the fridge or freezer if you’re taking an extended break. Colder air prevents the paint from drying.

DOUBLE-CHECK WORK

Between coats you may need to sand off any bumps before applying the next coat – check the surface for drips, roller flecks, or other imperfections.

WHEN TO USE A SPRAYER

There are some spaces where it may be easier to use a sprayer. I used one in my bonus room, and you can read more about that HERE.

Have any other paint tips or tricks to share? Comment below!

Go create something!

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Seasonal Decor

03.30.2020

Easy Easter Cake Decor

Baking (and cooking) are not my gifts, but I do appreciate pretty things. Today I’m sharing easy Easter cake decor that I promise you can do, and it begins with a box cake mix (win, win)!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Samsung. All opinions are 100% mine.

To begin, make two round cakes using a boxed cake mix. Lena and I went with classic yellow cake.

Until recently, I have been the person who buys the coordinating frosting tub. However, I tried making my own buttercream icing and was amazing at how easy it is to make AND how much of a difference it makes.

Here is a buttercream recipe I use:

1/2 cup softened butter (it is supposed to be unsalted, but I use what I have on hand)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs milk
Food coloring (if desired)

Using my mixer, I cream the butter and then add the powdered sugar. Add in the vanilla and then the milk. Beat for a while until the desired consistency. The food coloring is optional.

I often talk about our Samsung Family Hub fridge because we love it so much. It is so much more than storage for our family, and Lena and I used it to stream music while we baked.

I also used it to double check my buttercream icing recipe since I can search (and save) recipes using one of the apps.

We used our Samsung oven to bake the cakes (which is connected to our family hub). I can work on other things and through an app on my phone I’m alerted when things like my oven preheating is complete.

Lena and I had so much fun baking together, but (obviously) decorating the cake was the part I was most excited about.

For the cake decor, we used coconut and mini cadbury eggs.

We added a little green coloring to the coconut (we were trying to make it look like the classic grass we add to easter baskets), and Lena created a nest in the middle of the cake filled with the mini eggs. We added more coconut and eggs to the base of the cake.

Once it was complete, we invited the boys to sample the cake, and it was a hit.

If you’re looking for an easy dessert for Easter that will still impress, then definitely make this cake!

Thanks to Samsung for sponsoring this post and making appliances that make our life easier (and more fun)!

Go create something!

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Home

03.25.2020

Online Source for Wallpaper & Wall Murals

PhotoWall is a great online source for wallpaper & wall murals. They are custom made to fit your space, and their selection is huge!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of PhotoWall. All opinions are 100% mine.

I recently installed a mural from PhotoWall. It is their Watercolour Grey, and they offer it in several different color options.

PhotoWall is offering my readers a discount! Save 25% on your order using code sincerelysarad2020.

Online Source for Wallpaper & Wall Murals

Photowall offers quick shipping, so this is a perfect project while so many of us are stuck at home.

The wallpaper and wall murals come with their own wallpaper paste. You simply have to mix the powder with water, wait a few minutes, and your paste is ready!

Photowall offers a wallpaper kit for some additional cost. I highly recommend it and think it’s a great value for the tools you received (and can be used over and over again)!

The mural comes in strips which are numbered and make it easy to know where each panel goes. They are printed to begin on the left side of the wall and work your way over to the right side.

I found installation to be fairly easy, but I have installed wallpaper several times. I will say, actual wallpaper is much easier to install that removable wallpaper. There’s much more give such you can move the paper around whereas removable wallpaper has an adhesive that sticks with no give.

I have a full wallpaper tutorial HERE if you need help hanging paper (but keep in mind this tutorial is for prepasted paper). For PhotoWall wallpaper and murals, you simply add the paste to the wall.

I never had a seam roller until I received the wallpaper kit, and it makes a huge difference!

Here is a before of the space:

And the after:

We’re prepping for new flooring, so the brown carpet will be replaced with something that has more of a gray undertone. I also painted the cherry banister to brighten the stairway since there is no natural lighting.

I also added PhotoWall’s wallpaper to our half bath, and I love it! It is called Oh the Tulips, and it adds fun, moody elegance to the space. This room is also a work-in-progress as we’re replacing the white tile with luxury vinyl, and I’m considering painting the wall treatment – any thoughts on colors?

Besides being a fantastic source for online source for wallpaper & wall murals, Photowall also has product . They offer canvas prints, framed prints, and posters. You can even upload your own photo and create any thing from a wall mural to a framed print.

Go create something!

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Paint

03.21.2020

Best Paint Sprayers

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Wagner. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have tested a large assortment of paint sprayers over the years, and I have my thoughts on what are the best paint sprayers. For big jobs where you don’t want to mess around, I am a big fan of Wagner paint sprayers

I used their Flexio sprayer twice on my bookshelves, and the first time I painted them gray.

And the second time I went bold and painted them black.

Obviously the project wasn’t too rough (thanks to my sprayer) if I was willing to do it twice!

The flexio worked really well for the bookshelves, and the overspray wasn’t too bad. However it does leave a little bit of a texture (which wasn’t a big deal for the bookshelves).

Recently I decided to paint our bonus room (the gray is actually much darker than it looks in this photo), and I wanted a smooth finish (but I absolutely did NOT want to paint it by hand).

After some conversations and research, I opted for an HEA (high efficiency airless) paint sprayer – Wagner’s Control Pro 130 HEA.

This sprayer uses up to 55% less overspray than traditional airless paint sprayers and has a softer spray pattern for more control and a smoother finish. It is 3x faster than a standard roller – which was my motivating reason for using the sprayer.

Set up is SO simple, and Wagner has a great video on how to do that HERE.

The sprayer holds a lot of paint, so I didn’t waste a lot of time filling the sprayer.

I was happy to discover this sprayer doesn’t clog easily, and thanks to the airtight lid, the paint didn’t dry out in the sprayer.

Using the sprayer is fairly easy, and you can see the full tutorial HERE.

The spray pattern was soft and consistent. I tried to overlap by 50% (as directed) as I was spraying back and forth.

I was spraying a very large room, so I really appreciate the long electrical cord and the long spray hose.

I painted the room with two coats of paint in under three hours. The new space is brighter and better thanks to Wagner!

Want to see the sprayer in action? Watch this:

Just because I’ve had several ask about my face mask (or lack of), this project was done during the coronavirus outbreak. I used what I could find for a mask (and a water-based paint with low VOCs).

Go create something!

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