Amy Howard Paint Hack

I really loved how my little table turned out using Amy Howard's furniture paint.  You can see that post here.  The paint was thick and creamy, and went on like a dream.  However, the one thing I did not like about this paint was that it was soo expensive.  A tiny jar of 8 oz costs $15.00.  This jar barely finished the little table I painted, including two coats.  Not a bad price if you are painting something very small, but if you have a large project, it gets very pricey, with a quart of her paint costing $35.00.

I had another area in my home that desperately needed something different. It was in my kitchen. As we were downsizing, we bought a tiny home, and this is what the kitchen looked like when the home arrived to our property... barren!  A sink and countertop was all that we had to work with, plus a difficult floor plan.

First we painted the whole home, as well as the kitchen cabinets that were just sitting in the corner. They were pretty sad looking. We also added flooring and beadboard to the bar area.

Before we moved in, this is how the kitchen/dining room/living room looked

There was no pantry in this kitchen whatsoever. In our efforts to keep from any more expenses than necessary, I made do with what I had.  

This was the area in question that I wanted to improve upon.  Better shelving in this area would open up more storage, which is needed quite badly enough in this tiny kitchen/dining room area.

I found this old worn out shelf at a thrift store for ten dollars.  I knew that trying to paint this shelf would get quite expensive with the Amy Howard paint, no doubt taking at least a quart of paint to finish it with two coats.

I mentioned that I wanted to refinish this shelf to the owner of the thrift store, and told her my dilemma with not wanting to spend so much money on the Amy Howard paint.  She told me that she paints and refinishes furniture all the time with her own concoction, and after a bit of talking with her, she shared her "recipe" with me!  How excited I was to try it out!



A container of the dry wall mud (or joint compound) cost me $6.49, and a quart of paint (on sale at the hardware store for $2.99!) and I was set to try this "hack" out!

I wish Annie could tell me what information she picked up as she inspected the shelf... she sniffed it all down before I got started!  I wonder what stories it's life held before it met me ... lol!

The top of the shelf had this peeling laquered layer that had to come off.

Annie stayed patiently with me as I worked.  Such wonderful companions our furry friends are to me!

First coat on!

And now the second coat! Wow!  I was really impressed with the quality of my paint "hack" mixture!

It went on every bit as smoothly as the Amy Howard paint, covered up all the imperfections of the shelf, and had a gentle shine to it.

Here is the finished shelf... $10.00 for the shelf, I used about 1/16 of the drywall compound (about $0.43), and all of the quart of paint ($2.99) for a total cost of $13.42!  I don't know where you could get such a pretty useful shelf for $13.00... but I am quite happy with the finished result!

This space is not complete, this is just phase one!  I hope to find a cabinet something like this one to set on top of the shelf, and finish them both with an antique wax finish.

Credit

Stay tuned for the part two.  But for now, I have much more organized storage, without such a cluttered feel to it, and that makes me happy.  I will have fun yard-saling this summer in my hopes to find the perfect piece of furniture to complete this little spot in my kitchen.  I'm all about bargains, and thrifting, and people in the area we live love to have yard sales, it is a big event all summer, and so I have hopes that I will find what I am looking for.   {smiles}  Plus... I always pray about these things too, and the Lord helps me out, I do believe!

AMY HOWARD PAINT HACK RECIPE

I can hear some of you now saying.... what is the recipe for the paint hack? I'll be glad to share... it is so simple.  Pour your paint into a larger painting container.  (I used a large coffee can).  Then scoop out enough of the drywall compound into a larger paint container and mix with the wooden stir stick until you get a thick consistency to the paint.  The thrift shop lady did not have an exact measurement, but said to get it to a thick consistency.  So that is what I did.  I was familiar with the consistency of the Amy Howard paint, and I added drywall compound until the paint was thick and did not drip from the stick as I lifted it up.  I think I probably added at least half a cup to perhaps 3/4 cup of drywall compound to one quart of paint.  It really does not take very much!  You will need at least two coats of paint.  If your paint does not have a sealer mixed in with it, you may paint the sealer on after you are finished.

One thing about the Amy Howard paint is that all of these steps are done for you - the mixing of the paint, thickener and sealer, so that you don't have to do it.  But, if you are a thrifty soul like me... this paint hack will work just fine for you :)

 My kitchen now that the shelf is in place.  It is not complete ... yet... as I am still looking for the shelf to complete the vintage look, and so be looking for a part-2 to this post... soon :)

I just had to share this picture of the lovely flowers gracing my kitchen right now.  My family bought me some very special flowers for Easter, and they bring joy to my heart to see them!

Do you have any fun "hacks" to share... please do share... my thrifty heart is always looking for ways to save $$ and enjoy the benefits, without the price!

Have a blessed day my friends!