Playhouse Makeover

TAKE APART AND CLEAN

I did a little Pinterest research to see how other people had tackled the job. I read a few times to use a primer first and to be patient and let the paint dry for 24 hours before painting another coat.

The first thing I did was to take the playhouse apart. It was really simple, just a few screws held it together.

I cleaned every nook and cranny really well, the paint won't adhere to it if it's dirty.

My goal was to make it look like a little beachy cottage. I went with white/ teal/ light gray as my color scheme.

SUPPLIES

SPRAY PAINT USED FOR PLAYHOUSE MAKEOVER

• 4 cans Rust-oleum "Blossom White" in satin finish- house
• 1 can Krylon Fusion "Matte Glacier Gray"- roof and sink
• 1 can Rust-oleum "Vintage Teal" in satin finish- door and shutters
• 1 can Rust-oleum "Metallic Aluminum"- grill, faucet, doorbell
• 2 cans Rust-oleum White Primer
• 2 cans Rust-oleum Satin Clear Protective Finish

(As you can see there was a run on gray Rust-oleum spray paint at my store!!)

Do not use gloss spray paint for this project; it won’t be durable.

TIME TO PRIME & PAINT

I put down a huge tarp to work on so I could move from section to section. My Step 2 playhouse has a floor that looks like wood that I wanted to keep so I covered it with newspaper and taped in place with blue painter's tape.

I also reattached the walls of the playhouse after I was done cleaning them thoroughly to make the painting task easier.

The first step was to coat everything with the white primer and letting it dry completely before moving on to the painting.

The plastic on the door and shutters of this playhouse are a smoother texture than the rest of the house and I gave them two coats of primer.

***Looking back at my playhouse makeover project I probably wouldn't have taken off the shutters...they were such a pain to get back in afterward!! I actually ended up using a box cutter to cut a little more room on the opening and let the shutters sit in the hot sun to get a little more flexible. I had to touch up the spray paint a little afterwards because I was a little too aggressive! My advice would be if you have this particular Step 2 playhouse to leave them on and cover that side of the playhouse with newspaper and spray the shutters in place, then cover the shutters in paper and do the rest of the playhouse...live and learn!!!***

I DIDN'T USE PRIMER ON THESE PARTS AND 1 COAT OF THE ALUMINUM PAINT COVERED THEM PERFECTLY!

PAINTING THE HOUSE

The top section of the playhouse was still a slightly different shade from the bottom...even after a 3rd coat of white just to the top section. I was surprised because the bottom was so much darker than the top. It's really not that noticeable now that the playhouse is put back together.

REMEMBER TO LET EACH COAT OF PAINT DRY COMPLETELY; IT WILL HELP WITH THE DURABILITY OF THE PAINT.

After the paint was all dry I put the roof and door/shutters back on. I then did 2 coast of the clear protective top coat on all the surfaces.

ADD EXTRA DETAILS

I found a little adirondack chair at a local discount store and gave it a coat of the teal paint to match the door and shutters.I also drilled a couple of holes in the bottom of the "flower box" and added a some greenery.

I painted a wooden plaque I had in my craft bin and glued a starfish to it to make the playhouse look beachy. (I attached it to the playhouse using a monkey hook). I love the coastal, beach look in the summer time; you can take a peak at my front porch that I just decorated here.

Finished Playhouse

I found that cute rug at the dollar store last year...I knew it would come in handy someday!!

Doing a makeover to your playhouse is not a one day project; it's important to be patient and let the paint dry between coat. Also, don't use a plastic tarp for painting, the spray paint will peel off when you try and lift the piece off- stick with cloth or paper.

I do love how much better it looks now!