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Time: 2 Weeks

Difficulty: Advanced

Overview:

The foyer is the first thing your guests see when they enter your home and it is the first opportunity you have to create a welcoming atmosphere and showcase your style. If you feel that your foyer doesn’t do either, there are several things you can try to achieve the look you want.

 

Materials:

• Emerald Interior Paint – Flat Sheen
• Emerald Trim Enamel – Semi-Gloss Sheen
• Minwax Gel Stain
• Simple Green Ready-To-Use Surface Prep Cleaner
• Purdy Ultra Finish Roller
• Purdy Extension Pole
• Purdy Standard Paint Tray Liner
• ScotchBlue Pre-Taped Painter’s Plastic
• ScotchBlue Painters Tape
• 3M Pro Grade No-Slip Grip Advanced Sandpaper 180 GRIT – 1pk
• 3M Pro Grade No-Slip Grip Advanced Sandpaper 220 GRIT – 1pk
• Sherwin-Williams Shrink Free Spackling
• Xtend & Climb 15-1/2′ Aluminum Telescoping Extension Ladder
• Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane
• ProVal Semi-Oval Angle Brush
• Paint Thinner
• HANDy Paint Pail
• HANDy Paint Pail Liners
• Sponges (cleaning)
• Gloves (cleaning & staining)
• Drill
• Wood filler

 

Colors used:

• Repose Gray SW 7015 – walls
• Pussywillow SW 7643 – door
• Extra White SW 7006 – trim
• Walnut Stain – railings

As you saw in my previous post, our foyer was pretty dull and beige. I knew I wanted something more updated and a bit more elegant so here is what we did step by step in order to update our foyer. We kept it simple, but it still made a HUGE difference and I share our tips along the way.

STEP 1:

The first step is to decide which color you wish to use. If you have a 2-story foyer, the best thing to do is keep it a neutral color, this way you can change out accessories and colorful décor without having to repaint 2-story walls to change your look.

Purchase paint samples and apply them on your foyer walls to see how the colors look in your space.

Tip: Place the samples in different areas –in shade, direct sunlight etc. By doing this you can see what the colors look like in different types of lighting.

STEP 2:

Prepare the space for painting. Remove all furniture, wall décor and switch plates from walls. Use a drill if necessary. Fill in any holes or indentations in the walls with spackle and sand down with a fine grit sandpaper until smooth. Clean your walls, then add painter’s tape and drop clothes or plastic covers to protect your floors.

STEP 3:

Cut in trim and other areas first and then paint your walls. For 2-story foyers, use an expandable ladder that can be easily adjusted to the height of your ceiling in order to reach the top trim. Expandable painting poles are also great at allowing your roller to reach farther up on high walls.

Even if you are using paint with primer, always apply two coats of paint for an even finish. For high traffic areas, make sure to use a washable paint so that walls can be easily wiped down. I used Emerald Flat.

Tip: Paint an additional coat to the area surrounding light switches, since these areas get a lot of action and need to get wiped down more often due to fingerprints.

In addition, if your foyer has any unsightly but necessary features like large returns or doorbells, you can paint them the same color as the walls to minimize their appearance.

STEP 4:

To add a little bit of drama, paint the inside of the front door a color other than white. You can use this opportunity to use a bold color or you can simply use a color several shades darker than the wall color in order to add dimension.

Make sure to go with the grain of the door panels. You can also use painter’s tape to prevent from going against the grain in some areas.

Start with the recessed areas. Use a brush and paint in a clockwise motion to keep a consistent look.

Then, with a small roller, go over the vertical raised panels. After applying paint with a small roller, smooth over with a brush and remember to go with the grain.

Continue this process in small sections.

Repeat the process until the door is complete. Then apply a second coat using the same steps.

STEP 5:

Another way to update the look of your foyer is by changing the stair railing color. Oak is a popular builder’s grade finish and it is also found in older homes.

By applying gel stain in a darker shade, you can create a more custom and higher end look to your staircase without a ton of work.

First, you must clean and prep the railings. You will need to sand them down to remove the finish, if you get to bare wood that’s even better. To remove any clear coat remaining you can use Simple Green Ready-To-Use Surface Prep Cleaner and the coarse side of a dishwashing sponge.

Wipe them down with a damp cloth and let dry. Then tape up all surrounding areas and balusters.

Lay down plastic to protect carpet and wood.

Mix the gel stain very well with a stir stick; you will notice it is a thick and gelatinous consistency so stir until the lumps go away.

Make sure to wear gloves and apply the gel stain with an old soft cotton rag.

Tip: Apply baby powder all over your hands in order to prevent excessive sweating and be able to easily remove and put gloves back on. 

Make sure to move along with the grain of the wood when applying the gel stain and remove excess stain as you go. Work in long strokes in order to apply as evenly as possible.

Let dry per the instructions and apply second and third coats until you get the look you desire.

Finally apply a polyurethane coat to seal the gel stain and let it set.

Once dry remove all painter’s tape and protection.

STEP 6:

Lastly, in order to pull everything together and finish up the space, repaint all trim and molding. Make sure to touch up all corners and crevices and any areas that might have had bleed-over from any stain or wall paint.

STEP 7:

Bring back furnishings and décor to complete your transformation.

I love how the front door looks now with the darker color.

I added an area rug with the colors of both the front door and the entry cabinet to pull it together.

The stairs look so much better now (except for the carpet, but I must be patient, it will happen!)

It feels so fresh and airy now.

That hideous yellow doorbell is not as loud anymore since I painted it the same color as the walls. And I love how the french doors look. I still need to update the hardware, but it’s such an improvement already.

Next up is finding a light fixture I like, cause that one has to go!

And finally I need to add artwork to the walls.

If you like this, don’t forget to pin it on Pinterest!

Be back with more stuff soon!

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Hi there! As you know I have been working with Sherwin Williams this year in order to bring you some great inspiration on how to transform your home with the power of paint.

I have shared my kitchen makeover and already have my next project that I will be revealing for you tomorrow.

Okay, so you may already know, we purchased our home back in 2013 and by that time our home was almost 12 years old. It’s in a beautiful neighborhood where the homes all still have pretty good sized yards, but suffer from lots of beige walls and brass door handles. Slowly we have been trying to update it and give it more a personal touch… or simply put, just make it prettier!

It definitely needed some help! We had green bean walls in the kitchen! Who does that?

So anyways, I felt that the next project that would be perfect to transform would be my foyer. It’s a 2 story foyer that’s actually pretty narrow.

It has the ugliest shaggy dog carpet (that’s what I like to call it) that I wish to eventually replace. The stairs have oak finished railings which screams “my grandma lives here!”

I like the fact that it’s not completely closed off and you can see through and into the formal dining room, but the oak finish clashes with the darker furniture in the dining area.

Ugh! Do you see the shaggy dog??? 

To the right of it I have pretty french doors that lead into my office/craft/kids play room… The doors are pretty but boring.

And then here’s the view from the top landing. The brown tones are blinding and that light fixture is hideous. It doesn’t even light up because the light bulbs burned out and we have not been able to figure out how to replace them! Terrible I know… but that is on the to do list further down the road.

Baby steps, people! 😂

The rest just leads to all of the bedrooms….

You can see all of my sample colors and my spackle work already up. 

So, for my color inspiration I went straight Fixer Upper style and used The Gormon House, Episode o1, Season 1 as the look I was going for.

While their hand railing was curved it was still that classic style very much like mine, however, theirs is dark giving it a more modern and formal feel.

I also like the gray the walls and how it is a cooler and lighter gray. Since my space is narrow I want it to feel larger.

I also wish to change the colors of the french doors to give it more interest and finally clean up all the old trim by giving it a fresh coat of paint.

Things are coming together beautifully and while there are many things I still wish to do to my foyer, I will have the first phase ready to share with you tomorrow! So stay tuned and I will be back in your inbox for the after pictures and step-by-step instructions!

 

 

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