Tips & Trends by: KathodeRay Media

Painting your child’s bedroom can be a lot of fun. Whether you’re preparing a nursery or supporting your child’s wish for a new look, here are eleven style ideas to consider:

There’s Value in Simplicity

1. Pastel Colors

Sometimes simple is best. Choosing to paint the whole room one solid color is quick, easy, and versatile. The walls are just a background; if you want the focus on posters, furniture, or other content in the room, why make them compete?

Get your painting project started!

Using pastel colors will fade the walls out of notice even further, and allow for extensive style changes as your child grows, without the need to repaint. Consider pale yellows, blues, greens, and tans. Just a hint of friendly color, to last an entire childhood.

2. Bright Colors

Pastel sound too boring? Go bold! Keep the simplicity of one solid color, but add a bit of personality. Bright yellow, orange, blue, purple, pink… what kid wouldn’t love a bedroom painted their favorite color?

3. Accent Wall

Add interest to the room by breaking away from the idea of a single, solid color.

Painting a single wall in a second color doesn’t take much extra work. Just be sure to let the first, lighter color dry before taping the corners and adding the second color.

4. Chalkboard Paint

Best used as an accent wall, chalkboard paint will extend the fun long past the initial paint job. If your kid likes to write on the walls, now you can let them!

Alternatively, an entire room can be painted in chalkboard paint. Just be aware that the end result of this is black walls. Think carefully about how dark or bright the overall effect on a room will be before committing to dark-colored walls.

Fun for the Whole Family

5. Personal Touch

Allow your child to help paint their bedroom. With a drop cloth on the floor and tape or plastic over everything you don’t want painted, even a five-year-old can be allowed to help. Dress your child in an oversized shirt you don’t mind getting messy, and let the fun begin!

The image of your child with a paint roller a little too scary for you? Give them a smaller project: the light switches. Light switch covers can be removed from the wall – you may even have done so already, to more easily paint around them. Set your child up with the switch covers and their own paints, and they can design them however they want. Once finished, make sure the paint is dry and the switch openings clear, then screw them back in.

6. Sponge Painting

Another great way to get the kids involved is by sponge painting. Prepare the wall with a base coat, then let your children join the fun of sponge painting.

Natural sponges work best, though you can use any porous sponge. Mix the paint color of your choice with glaze – usually one part paint to four parts glaze – and begin dabbing the paint over the base color.

Experiment first on a piece of cardboard, but when you’re happy with the effect it’s time to start the walls.

For the best results, start in an upper corner of the wall, but if your child can’t reach let them start where they want. The best part of sponge painting is how easy it is to redo – just go back over an area with a different color. If only using two colors, this means mixing a little of your base color with glaze as well, to allow sponging over areas where your second color is too thick.

7. Stenciling

You don’t have to be an artist to add images to the walls of your kid’s bedroom. Use stencils, which can be bought or homemade. For homemade stencils, cut a shape out of paper or cardboard. For smaller images, you don’t have to draw anything: you can print from your computer and then just cut along the outline.

Attach the stencils firmly to the wall before painting. For larger images, you can even trace the edges and let your child fill in the rest.

An alternative to stenciling – if you have a steady hand – is projection. Project the image you want onto the wall, and trace the outline. Then turn off the projector, and fill in within the lines. Kids can help here too; you’ll have turned the whole room into a coloring book.

A variant of using a projector is to use shadows. Turn off the main light for the room, and turn on a bright lamp or flashlight pointed at the wall. Then ask your child to pose in front of it, perhaps pretending to do their favorite activity and trace their shadow! You can get as creative as you want for this, even bringing in props.

A Work of Art

8. Accent Image

A kid’s bedroom can also be a chance to enjoy a real work of art. If you, your child, or another family member or friend has artistic talent, consider the opportunities for a truly unique bedroom. It doesn’t have to be too time-consuming. A single accent piece can add a lot of interest, without taking weeks to finish or making you reluctant to cover the walls with furniture.

An accent image or design can be as unique as the child whose room it appears in, but some possibilities to consider are a tree in one corner, vines around a window, or a spaceship on one wall.

9. Literary Touch

When painting a kid’s bedroom, you’re not limited to colors and images for accents. You can also use words. Consider a favorite poem or saying, or the opening lines of a favorite story. Letters can be stenciled or hand-drawn; for more stylized fonts you can even use a projector.

10. Themed Room

Feeling ambitious? You’re certainly not limited to a few accents. Many kids enjoy having a themed room. What does your child enjoy the most? Can you create a bedroom that reflects this theme?

A kid who loves mermaids could have a room with sponge-painted walls in blues and greens, with stenciled fish scattered over the walls and a mermaid painted on one wall. A kid who loves soccer could have a soccer net painted around a window, and the outline of themselves kicking a soccer ball traced onto the wall.

11. Mural

Are you all in? Imagine your kid’s bedroom as a sprawling mural that covers all four walls and maybe even the ceiling. If you have the time and talent to do this yourself, go for it! If not, it may be possible to hire someone to help.

Chalkboard paint is gaining popularity due to its eccentric yet practical traits.  Who doesn’t love the idea of writing a quick note on the walls without ruining them?  Kids love it because they can go crazy drawing and doodling indoors, and adults love it because it helps them create and revise lists the easy way, or better manage household chores. It’s fun, original, and overall a cool concept! Which is why homeowners are using this paint everywhere from bedrooms to playrooms, and from offices to kitchens.

Are you a chalkboard paint rookie? Don’t worry! It’s easy to apply. The process for applying chalk paint is similar to that of regular wall paint – with a few key differences. It’s important to apply this specialized paint correctly so that it will function as a durable writing surface for years to come.

So, are you ready to get started on your custom-made chalkboard?

Get your painting project started!

Here is the supply list you will need to bring to your local GNH:

• Rust-Oleum Chalk Board Paint (in your choice of color)
• Paint rollers/brushes
• Painter’s tape
• Paint tray
• Drywall filler or wood putty
• Putty knife
• Sandpaper, fine
• Damp rag
• Drop cloth

And here’s how to properly apply chalk paint in your home:

1. Buy Enough Paint. Make sure you know how much chalkboard paint you need before you go to your local GNH. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating how much paint your project will require. The complete surface of the chalkboard has to be painted at the same time to keep the color and tint consistent. If you run out of paint and have to purchase and apply a new batch, you will see a difference in the way the two paints appear after drying.
2. Clean & Sand. Whether you’re painting a large or small area, you must clean the surface thoroughly before applying any paint. Use a damp rag to remove dirt and dust. It’s also very important to lightly sand the surface with a fine sandpaper, so that it’s smooth to the touch. Use a damp rag to remove dust from sanding.
3. Fill Cracks & Holes. Next, you finish preparing the surface by filling in any cracks or small holes. This can be accomplished with drywall filler, wood putty (or another filler depending on the surface you are painting) and a putty knife.  Wait until the filler dries before sanding it down and wiping away dust.
4. Stir GENTLY. This step is very important – so pay attention! Chalkboard paint is very susceptible to breaking down if stirred too hard. Use your paintbrush and gently move the paint around in the can. When stirred too hard, the properties that allow you to write on the finished surface can break down, so be careful!
5. Start in the Middle. Place a drop cloth on the floor below the surface you are painting to protect it from spills and drips. When applying the chalkboard paint, you want to start in the middle of the surface you are painting, and work outward. Use a roller for large areas, and brushes for smaller areas. Maintain a consistent stroke, overlap all brush marks, and clean up any drips as they occur to ensure a smooth finish.
6. Allow 3 Days to Dry. Regular paint usually dries within a day, but not this paint! Chalkboard paint takes about 3 days to dry. This is very important as the agents inside the paint need to harden completely before you will be able to write on it.
7. Prepare for Chalk. The last step is to prepare your new chalkboard surface. How? With none other than chalk, of course! Once the chalkboard is fully dried, prepare the surface by rubbing chalk over the entire area. Leave the chalk on for a few seconds, and then erase it. Now your homemade chalkboard is ready to be used and enjoyed!

Chalkboard paint is a ton of fun for both kids and adults. Not only can you use it to paint your walls, but you can also apply it to glass, cabinets, clay pots, and many other surfaces. This allows you really get creative and use your imagination. Have fun!