did you know i used to be a painter?  during college i apprenticed as a decorative painter (while also being a nanny, waitress, and office assistant), then got hired on, and eventually started my own business after college.  while most of my time was spent on decorative finishes, distressing, glazing… i always had to make sure the base coat was done really well.  so over the years i learned a thing or 2 about painting!  because i was taught how to mix my own colors and match colors,  i have become very opinionated about colors!

8 years ago we painted the back of our bookshelves a really pretty chocolate brown.  i love the idea of a contrasting color on the back of bookshelves!  but… i was tiring of the brown and ready for a small, subtle change.

i painted it magnet by behr (in the new marquee paint), the perfect grey.  grey can be tricky to get right – i didn’t want it too purple or too green.

i love that both the brown and the grey work great with the distressed wood cover over our tv above our mantel.

the supplies were simple: paint, stir stick (which i didn’t use), 3m ScotchBlue tape, a paint can opener, and a purdy angled sash brush.  not pictured was a roll of paper towels.

because i had this paint at my home for a couple weeks (behr sent me a quart – thanks guys!) it needed to be mixed since the paint had probably settled a bit.  while i did my prep work, i turned the can upside down on its lid to start the remixing process.

i started off by taping off the perimeter of the area i wanted to paint, making sure to keep a straight line.  after i layed all the tape, i went over the edge with my nail to burnish the edge nice and tight.  finally i rolled out a strip of paper towels to cover the shelf top incase i had any drips.  the paper towel wouldn’t necessarily stop any drips from seeping through, but it was just a quick precaution.  paper or plastic would’ve been better, but this was quick and on hand!

before i started painting, i took my upside down paint can and gave it a few minutes of really vigorous shaking.  i didn’t use a paint tray since i was going to brush on the whole job, rather than using a roller.  this is because i was working in small sections and the shelf backing is all beadboard.  a roller would’ve just gotten the surface but not the deeper grooves.  and i didn’t feel like getting out the tray & roller ;)

i waited until morning to pull off the tape.  look how crisp the line is!

all in all, this was a really quick job – i started as soon as the kids went to bed and was done in a couple hours or so, prep & all.  the best part?  i only had to do 1 coat!  this marquee paint says its one coat, and it really is!  if this were regular paint, this job would’ve literally taken twice as long.

this is not a paid post.  i was sent a quart of paint from behr and given a roll of tape from 3m, but these opinions are all my own.  i know many of you like to paint – its one of the cheapest ways to transform a pice of furniture or a room.  i just wanted to give you some tips to make it easier!

come back in a couple days and i’ll show you how i styled my shelves!