Can I Paint My Shower Door Surround? - Experiment Results..dun, dun, dun

Disclaimer: This post is for everyone who has asked about spray painting shower door surrounds. I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s a little boring. So if you don’t give a flying fig about shower door surrounds I apologize…really :).

Remember a few weeks ago when I published a post about how I was going to do an experiment to see if it would work to spray paint your shower door surround? Well, I did spray paint my shower caddy and it has held up well…but shortly after I published my post I realized a little, itty bitty, teeny tiny snag in my experimental plan….it could take YEARS to get the full results. Ha! Oops, minor detail (slapping forehead with hand).

Now, I’m willing to wait a few years to see how well the paint on my shower caddy holds up, but I doubt you are. Sooooo, one of my lovely readers (who probably realized my dilemma before I did) sent me a link to blog where a lady actually painted her shower door surround a little over a year ago (you can see her post here). I contacted said shower door painter (Jan) and told her enquiring minds wanted to know how well the paint on the shower door had held up. Here’s her response:

"When I scrubbed the inside of the shower with a scrub brush
at first, the finish did come off in spots. I switched to using a rag, and it
has been fine since, and the rest of the finish looks as good as it did the
first day. "

Thanks so much for your help Jan. Oh, and it turns out she has a lovely Etsy Store by the way (I thought it was the least I could do to give her a shout out).

Many of you lovely readers also left helpful comments to my experiment post, and it looks like the overall consensus is that if your spray paint your shower door surround it’s likely to hold up for 2-4 years.

CONCLUSION:

So in conclusion, if I had an awful shiny 80’s brass shower surround that I couldn’t stand to look at another day….I would paint it…in a heartbeat. If it ended up peeling a little bit in a few years, I’d just paint it again. But that’s me…I’m the same girl that painted her laminate countertops because she couldn’t stare at burgundy Formica for one more day. To me the peace of mind is worth the risk...and work.

Again, I’d recommend priming first (any spray primer should be fine), doing at least 2 coats of your spray color, and then a topcoat of spray polyurethane. Not everyone has recommended those extra steps, and they may not be necessary…but if I were painting my shower surround I’d do it just to be safe…but again, that’s just me. I’d also be careful not to scrub it too harshly.

So that’s it. Experiment over. Lab coat coming off…cardigan and canvas sneakers going on (ahh, I miss Mr. Rogers...get it? Cardigan and sneakers?...nevermind).

Experiment: Can I Spray Paint My Shower Door Surround?

I can't tell you how many emails and comments I get asking this question....and I haven't responded yet (I feel really guilty about that btw...I'm so sorry), because I simply don't know the answer. Can you do it? Of course! Will it hold up?....I honestly don't know.



So, here's what I will do for you (because I love all of you BFF, suburbanite, squeezies so much), I am going to spray paint my metal shampoo holder thingy that hangs in my shower just to see how well it holds up. I will then report back to you with the results (like the good scientist I am...even though I'm not really a scientist...I just play one in bloggerland).



Why am I painting my hangy thingy instead of my surround?: A) You smarty party pants guessed it....I'm too cheap to take replace it if it ends up being a horrible mistake; and B) If it works on the metal hangy thingy it will work on the surround, right?

The (highly technical, superly scientifical) Methodology?

Step 1: Prime

Step 2: Paint (2 coats)

Step 3: Spray a Clear Coat of Polyurethane

Step 4: Keep Fingers Crossed :)

Stay tuned for the results!

ORB Spray Paint "Taste Test"

I can't tell you how many new people I've had visit my blog recently and say, "I found you when I was doing a Google search on ORB spray paint", or "My friend said I should come over and read your posts about ORB spray paint." So apparently I've become the Oil-Rubbed-Bronze-Spray-Paint-Girl. Well...okay...I can deal with that. I guess this sprung from my love of Rustoleum's American Accents ORB spray paint (which is now hard to find), and trying to find a good replacement.

So I've decided to embrace my new title and go that extra mile by doing an ORB spray paint "taste test" (although I do not recommend actually tasting paint...I'm just sayin').

I chose 3 different types of spray paint to compare, and sprayed 3 decorative orbs from Walmart.

Here are the contenders:

Contender 1) Rustoleum American Accents ORB Spray Paint (From my secret - and quickly diminishing - stash)


Contender 2) Rustoleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish Spray Paint in "dark bronze"

Contender 3) Krylon Brushed Metallic ORB Spray Paint

The results?

Numbers 1 and 3 are pretty darn similar...and number is (like the old Sesame Street song says)...not like the others.

The Krylon Brushed Metallics ORB paint (on the right) is very similar to my fave Rustoleum American Accents ORB paint (on the left). My fave is a smidge warmer, but really, there's not much difference.
The Rustoleum Metallic Dark Bronze (in the middle) is kind of pretty, but it's not a replacement for my fave. It's lighter than the other two, and more brown. If you're looking for an ORB paint that has more brown in it, though, it could be a good option.

In summary? If you can't find Rustoleum's American Accents ORB paint, you should opt for Krylon's Brushed Metallics ORB paint (I found mine at Walmart for less than $3).

Happy painting!

Paint That Bad Brass

Thanks for your nice comments yesterday on my painted light fixture. I think it's just further proof at what a can of spray paint can do! I had several of you ask how I painted the light fixture to transform it

from this (sorry I don't have a better before picture):

To this:

Basically, I didn't want to remove the entire lighting fixture ('cause I'm lazy like that) so I covered the wall and the counter below with paper bags so I could spray it in the room. I also covered the light sockets with tape so that paint wouldn't interfere with the fixture working correctly.

I didn't prime first because...well, again, I'm lazy like that. And really, it's not going to get a whole lotta wear so I felt okay about skipping this step.

I applied 2 or 3 coats of Rustoleum American Accents spray paint in oil rubbed bronze. This spray paint is now hard to find, but you can read about other options and where to find this one here.

I also replaced the glass shades on the fixture. They were that ribbed glass which feels a little dated to me.

And I felt like a more current looking glass shade would make a big difference. They were pretty inexpensive at Lowe's (I want to say $5 or $6) and I chose simple marbled alabaster shades.

A couple of you also asked about painting door knobs. I haven't done this yet myself, but I have spoken with several people that have, and they've all told me that they hold up very well. I would definitely recommend that you prime first and then apply 3 light coats (with plenty of dry time in between and before use) for optimal durablity (yes...I said "optimal durability"...can you tell I'm in "work mode"? I'll get back to human speak later.).

Happy painting! Let me know if you have additional questions.

Good Brass vs. Bad Brass

There’s good brass and then there’s bad brass. Good brass has been making a bit of a comeback lately. For instance, "Cutie-Pie" Nate Berkus (as his BFF Oprah calls him….and really, we all know it’s true...sigh), used brass hooks on the kitchen cabinet doors in his New York apartment. (You have to look reeeaaaally close to see them, but I promise I’m telling the truth).

And if you look really, really close you can see that he also opted for brass door knobs and hinges.

Here's anothe example of good brass:

Source: Ebay

And then there’s bad brass….Ahhh, brings back memories doesn't it?

(I actually have this faucet in my powder bath)

Can you see the difference? In one word “patina”. Good brass is worn and has a unique, vintagey character. Bad brass is polished to the point that you can see your fluffy, shellacked bangs from the 1980’s in its reflection.

Still have bad brass in your house? No problem. If you can't replace it, just pull out the spray paint and give it an instant update, like I did to the light fixture in our powder bath.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

See? Easy peasy.

P.S. Thanks for all of your supportive comments about my new pillows. I definitely know who to turn to if I want permission to splurge :-).

The Quest is Over

I'm following up about last Wednesday's post (....also known as the most boring post I've ever written). I asked you what your favorite oil rubbed bronze spray paint is and I promised you I'd post the results today. Well...I don't know that I found the magic (ORB spray paint) bullet, but here's what I found...well, more accurately, what you wonderful, intelligent readers found.


A) You can still buy cans of my favorite Rustoleum American Accents ORB spray paint on Amazon, but it's $11.49 a can (cough...cough, can anyone say "highway robbery"?). Another reader said that she found this paint at Joann's for $8 a can, which is still a lot, but much better than $11.49 plus shipping.



B) Several of you recommended Krylon Brushed Metallic spray paint in ORB and said that you were able to find it at Walmart.



So, thanks for indulging my quest for ORB spray paint. And thanks to all of you who added comments. I really appreciate it.


Thus ends the saga of the most boring post ever :-). I promise I'll post some (hopefully) more interesting posts later this week.

What's Your Fave ORB Spray Paint?

Read about another great option for ORB spray paint here.

I did a post a while back telling you about my favorite oil rubbed bronze spray paint (Rustoleum American Accents Metallic spray paint). Well, as many of you have already discovered, Rustoleum (in an act of shear madness) decided to discontinue this paint...what's up with that Rustoleum people?! I've actually half considered starting a petition...that's how much I liked that darn paint.



So, short of a political uprising, I've decided to ask you what your favorite oil rubbed bronze spray paint is so that we can all move on with our lives with a new paint...and hold hands, and drink a Coke. I'll post the results Monday (to give you all time to respond). I look forward to reading your comments!

MY FAVORITE OIL RUBBED BRONZE SPRAY PAINT

NOTE: Unfortunately Rustoleum in an act of shear madness has

discontinued this spray paint. You can read about a better paint option here.

I didn't love oil rubbed bronze until I moved into the cottage. I usually veered towards silver or brushed nickel, but this house already had some oil rubbed bronze light fixtures that I quite liked and the house had a warmer feel overall that I thought I ought to stay true to.

So when I wanted to save money by painting bathroom fixtures instead of buying new ones I went on a search for the best paint. This is what I found:

It's almost black, but a little warmer. It has some sheen, but not too much. It's also very durable. What more could you ask for?

OOPS! I guess the potty training never ends. Even when they're 14.

$28 POWDER BATH MAKEOVER

I recently updated our little powder bath downstairs, and I was determined to do it using things I already owned. When that wasn't possible I spent as little money as I could. The powder bath was okay, but it was definitely stuck in the early 90's with BRASS hardware and tan walls that had a pinky-lavendery tint to them. I honestly couldn't stand the room, and I knew it wouldn't take much to bring it into the 21st Century.

Here are a couple before photos (sorry, I sometimes get so eager to start a project that I don't take before photos until I've already started the makeover...I promise I'll find some restraint in the future).

See..pinky-lavendery walls

Brass light fixture (the pink grocery bags are taped up so I can spray paint the light fixture without removing it from the wall...lazy yes...did it work? yes)

So I first came up with a game plan. I love using FD Flickr Toys Mosaic Maker . I'm so visual I have to see how all the elements are going to work together before I can jump into the project...."Oh yeah?" you say?. "You have time for that but not quality before photos?" Sorry...I PROMISE I'll be better in the future.

Here was my mosaic for this room. It included a dark framed mirror, light green walls, a topiary, Amy Ruppel bird prints I already owned (P.S. I LOVE her work and you can find prints like these on art.com or ebay...I think I bought 8 prints for $20 on ebay and then found inexpensive frames at Hobby Lobby and mounted them on cut burlap), oil rubbed bronze hardware, and a birdcage or lantern of some sort.

And the after photos:

Using what I already had I hung a small oval mirror over the existing mirror (cost: FREE...well I spent $2 for ribbon), I used a topiary I already owned (cost: FREE), again...Amy Ruppel prints I already owned (cost: FREE). I also used paint I had left over from an old project (Sherwin Williams Svelte Sage). Had I purchased paint it would have brought the grand total to around $50, still not bad in my opinion.

I did spend $12 for new glass light shades, $6 for a can of oil rubbed bronze spray paint that I used on the brass light fixture, towel ring, tp holder and cabinet hardware, and $8 for a sisal rug as Ross.

$28 for making a room feel like part of our home...priceless :).