Decorating with Plaster Stenciling

Old Becomes New Again!

Yes indeedy, Fay Forsythe, our resident "fix it" expert, is on the scene taking common problems and showing us that we too can accomplish what seems to be near impossible with fabulous products on the market and just a little bit of "Fay Forsythe" nerve!

Growing up with this fabulous lady (incase you don't know it, she's my all knowing Mother!), taught me that by golly,.....yes, I could sure do it myself. Why hire a professional if there was a way!

In her home in Albuquerque, she has had to look at this disgusting tub for the past 3 plus years as she has tackled more important repair and decorating chores in her home.

The old tub had a scratched and worn surface that made all of her decorating in that bath seem "shabby" despite it's colorful elegance. She kept the shower curtain closed just to hide the ugly thing!

She decided that since bringing in a professional to re-paint it for her was going to cost more than she wanted to spend, with a little research, she found a product that allowed her to give it a brilliant, fresh finish for just $15.00

Here's what she said:
   "The tub refinisher I got is from Lowe's in the paint section.  It hardens like tile, but you can't use bleach to clean it when cured.  The product is from Homax Products and you can look them up on line at http://www.homaxproducts.com.  This is a two day project as it requires 2 coats.  It's self leveling and looks like a brand new tub!

It is called "Tough as Tile", Tub and Tile.  You paint it on with a natural bristle brush.  I THINK it cost $15.00".

After visiting the website, I also found that they have a "spray on" finish as well! So you might want to check that out.

My biggest recommendation when re-finishing tubs, tile, counter tops, etc is to tape, tape, TAPE!!!! You need to protect surrounding areas to prevent product from being applied to those areas as well by mistake.

When taping off an area, I apply blue painters tape and then "burnish" it with a tablespoon from the kitchen. This helps to "seal" the tape edges so that product or paint doesn't slip up underneath (a problem we have ALL experienced before).

The thing about being a "do it yourself-er" is that you MUST be willing to have patience and to do it right, not rushing through the project or the outcome will be less than what you had hoped for, which is not only a waste of money, but of your precious time as well.

We CAN do these projects and we CAN get spectacular, professional results!

In my younger days, I used to rush through projects like this, thinking I could speed the process along by skipping bits of the instructions that didn't seem important, or not taking the time to pre-prep or tape surrounding areas effectively.

After years of being disappointed with my own "do it yourself" projects, I finally learned.

So do take your time, relax and don't worry if a project "takes two coats" or it takes a few days to cure and harden. That's a small price to pay for a project you will be completely delighted with and will last you for years to come.

Check out Victoria's new "Decorating With Class" Blog!