A 3 day Master Bathroom Refresh with Tips from the Pros #DIYwithBen

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My husband and I had our house built 21 years ago within 3 months and at the same time that we were planning our wedding. The contractor gave us the keys to our house the night before we got married. There was definitely lots of planning involved in such a short period including purchasing supplies and materials, scheduling inspections, and shopping for the perfect decorative items. It seems that all I was doing shopping, shopping, and more shopping! I purchased the ceramic tiles for our master bathroom in a light grey tone. I wanted a neutral tile colour as I knew that we would most likely live here the rest of our lives and also be able to match any colour with it. Was I ever wrong! What I had not realized was that the grey tile I choose had an undertone of purple. “We are not painting the bathroom purple!” said my husband, but this is ideally the best paint colour for the walls. I could never find the perfect colour shade that makes you say ‘WOW’ without it being purple. Our master bedroom is painted in a light sand colour, so we decided to go with a similar colour that had grey undertone to it for the master bathroom. It was fine, but no ‘pizzazz’.

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After 3 years, we were tired of looking at the colour and decided to repaint again. This time around, we went to a Benjamin Moore Century Paint Signature store in Orleans for advice on choosing the right colour for the bathroom. We brought in a ceramic tile to match with some paint chits. Yes, definitely still no purple allowed! Debbie, the store Manager, showed us a few chits she thought would look great with the tile and we eventually went with a grey colour that the undertone is purple called Elephant Grey. The best part is that my husband only sees the grey and not really the purple. We got the ‘Ben in a Bag’ paint bag as part of Benjamin Moore fall promotion to help create that “I can’t believe I did it myself’ room. The ‘ben & ME Bag’ promotion is only available until October 5th, 2014 at a Benjamin Moore participating retailers. The best part is that the ‘ben & ME’ bags are only $109* at a value of $169!

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The ‘ben & ME’ bag contains the following items:

• 2 gallons of premium paint with 1 quart for trim
• Sleeve roller, paintbrush, paint tray, drop cloth, paint can opener, and green painters tape
• How-To Guide with tips that will help make your room look fabulous and even a playlist for your listening pleasure!

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My husband has painted our entire house from top to bottom, so he picked up a few tricks along the way; however, the How-t0-guide was extremely helpful. There were some new tips he learned and applied while painting the bathroom. I will share some of the ‘ben & ME’ How-To Guide tips below by numbering them accordingly to the guide. Also, the bag has everything that you need to paint a room, so no need to make a list and search for all the products. I found the ‘ben & ME’ bag to be really convenient and well priced. Whether you are painting for the first time or a DIY enthusiast, the ‘ben & ME’ bag is worth purchasing!

We managed to the give the master bathroom a full refresh in 3 days during the labour day weekend and this is how we did it.

THE PREP

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If you have any holes on the walls or ceiling that need to be covered with spackling, you should apply 1 coat daily for 3 days then sand it down. Use a slightly dampened sponge to wipe the dust away on the walls, ceiling and trim, and let it dry. Afterwards, apply a 1 coat of primer and let it dry (if needed apply a second coat) and you are ready to paint. My husband had already applied spackling on a few holes in the ceiling a few weeks prior, so we were ready to paint.

DAY 1

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1. I stored all of the items that were in the bathroom then comes the cleaning of the tiles, tub, ceiling, walls, trim, mirror, vanity, toilet, etc..

2. The hubby covered the floor with the plastic drop cloth provided in the kit. As he was painting, he moved it around to cover and protect the tub, toilet, vanity, etc.. Always a good idea to protect your furniture, so move it or cover it. Tip #2 

3. He applied the green painters tape around the edge of the baseboards, ceramic, lights, vanity and trim of doors. A neat master taping secret: heat-seal the tape’s edge by running your finger, a spoon, or a paint stick along the edge to help it form a stronger seal against paint seepage. Tip #4

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4. Up next, painting with a paintbrush the contour of the walls, lights, door, tub, shower and vanity, followed by the walls with a sleeve roller and a 10mm paint roller. Another great tip is to rub a lint brush over your paint roller to get rid of the pesky excess fuzz so they don’t end up painted on your wall. If you don’t have a lint brush, just use the green tape around the roller. Tip #5

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5. Sometimes, a stray drop ends up on an uncovered area, just use a damp cloth you keep nearby to wipe it ride away. If you miss it and it dries, use a pimple pad that contains alcohol to clean it. Tip #8

6. Also, always paint the edges of the wall first, but only in a small section at a time, so that you apply wet paint over wet paint. You shouldn’t let an area dry around the edges before you paint the middle or you may see the different layers of paint in your finished job. Tip # 9

7. My hubby found out many years ago about painting in a W pattern! This is the best painting technique. Make long and tall W’s with your roller, then go back over them to fill in without picking up the roller. This pattern is perfect for hiding your roller trails on a dried wall. Tip #10

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8. When you are finished for the day or waiting for the 1st coat to dry, don’t leave your paint, roller or paintbrush uncovered. Cover or clean the roller tray and put the lid back on your paint can to prevent it from drying. Cover paint brushes and rollers with a plastic wrap or foil and seal all edges to keep the air from them and put them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them again. Tip #13

DAY 2

5. I go shopping all day for a new decor! Come on, it’s hard work!

6. In the morning, apply the 2nd coat of paint-Repeat Day 1 number 4. You can paint the 2nd coat after about 4-6 hours of painting the first coat, so you can easily do it in a day. My husband just enjoys taking a day break in between.

7. Remove the green tape. Ideally while the paint is still wet, downward and at a 45 degree angle to help with not pulling some paint off the wall. If this happens just run a sharp blade like an acto knife across the painted edge of the tape before pulling. Tip #12

8. In the afternoon, apply green painters tape on the walls around the trim of the windows, doors, baseboards, etc..

9. Paint the trim with the paintbrush and the 1 quart of paint provided with your kit. Let dry. If a 2nd coat is needed, let dry for 4 hours and in the evening apply 2nd coat.

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10. Once you are finished, clean your brushes right away in hot and soapy water. If they are really messy, you can let them sit in hot vinegar for 30 minutes first. Tip # 14

11. Remove the green tape. Ideally while the paint is still wet, downward and at a 45 degree angle to help with not pulling some paint off the wall. If this happens just run a sharp blade like an acto knife across the painted edge of the tape before pulling. Tip #12

DAY 3

Time to decorate and apply new canvas, shelves, baskets, vases, lighting fixture, frame art, candles for a spa theme bathroom!

The results, see for yourself!

BEFORE

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AFTER

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I really have no idea how come we did not purchase Benjamin Moore paint and products before this painting project, but we are definitely sold! My husband mentioned that the ben paint has a rich texture, applies very easily, and dries fast. He also liked the 10mm roller that was supplied in the kit, so much that I went back to purchase a few more, and the paint can opener does a better job than using a screwdriver. A big bonus is that there are hardly any paint fumes, which usually give me a headache and can even make me nauseated, but no symptoms this time! My husband and I also enjoyed visiting a Benjamin Moore Signature Store to get professional advice, tips and ideas on our painting project, and having knowledgeable staff that took the time to answer all of our questions. Painting a room is an inexpensive way to completely change the look of the space by spreading a new splash of colour and creating a new theme like our spa bathroom. Up next is painting the master bedroom and the hallway to the bedrooms, so you can be assured that we will use Benjamin Moore paint and take advantage of purchasing the ben & ME bag at a super deal price of $109*!

After many attempts over the years to get the proper paint colour to match,

I can finally say that I really love our master bedroom ensuite bathroom!

ben & Me Twitter Party!

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Sheblogs Canada is hosting the….ben & ME Twitter Party!

on September 18, 2014 from 7pm-8pm EST

Follow @sheblogsmedia and the hasthag #DIYWithBen

RSVP here: http://bit.ly/TwitRSVP

Although this post has been generously sponsored by Benjamin Moore, the opinions and language are all my own, and in no way do they reflect Benjamin Moore. 

 * With a qualifying purchase of two cans of 3.79 l ben® interior flat K625, eggshell K626 or semi-gloss K627 and one can of 946 ml ben® interior semi-gloss K627 for $109.00 suggested retail price, receive a FREE ben® & Me tote and painting kit at participating dealers. Limit one (1) per customer. While supplies last. No substitutions. Qualifying purchases must be made in single transaction. Actual price will be determined by dealer at checkout. Offer cannot be combined with other offers, discounts or promotions, or applied toward prior purchases. Offer valid August 25, 2014 – October 5, 2014. See your local participating dealer for details. Void where prohibited.