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 If you
are looking to change the look of your child’s bedroom or
playroom and need creative ideas for color combinations,
themes, and wallpaper....don’t fret! This type of project
can be fun, done with the children, and quite affordable.
You really do not have to go out and hunt for the perfect
color for a kid’s room, nor do you have to hire a
professional to paint those walls. Lets walk step by step
on a easier way to get paint on the walls. Then we will
further dig into what else can go on the walls as well.
PREPARING THE
ROOM FOR THE FACE LIFT:
First,
buy painter's tape, plastic drop cloth, ½ inch paint
brushes (2), 1 inch paint brushes (2), a paint roller and
tray with extension stick for rolling paint on the ceiling
(2), paint stirrers (5). Things from the house will
include: old wash cloths, bowl of warm soapy water, step
ladders or stools, music, and plenty of members to help
get the painting done faster.
Second,
take painter's tape and tape the molding around doors,
door handles, windows, outlets & light switch covers,
ceiling, and floor molding. This keeps the paint from
getting on those areas. If you are mechanically inclined
you can use a screw driver to remove door handles, outlet
and light switch covers but if children are helping it is
best to use the tape for protection. Use the drop cloth to
cover the floor after you place the tape the floor
molding.
Third,
get ready to have fun...
DECIDING WHAT
WILL GO ON THE WALLS:
This is
the part that begins to frustrate most who are 100% ready
to paint. What goes on the walls? Remember one
thing.....this is a kid’s room. Start with asking your
children (if they can articulate what they like). You will
find that they will give you something outlandish
like....” I want trucks and the colors brown and blue and
I want stars on the walls that glow in the dark and a
sun”. At this point you say...” Ok dear but we are going
to just use white.” Well, from the answer of junior, you
got tons of ideas to begin with. All rooms can begin with
just white. Then the paint job is simple. He wants trucks,
throw a border 4 feet from the floor up with a
construction scene on it. The colors brown and blue can be
incorporated this way.
Blue
ceiling or brown under the construction border. You may
say ewe, but there are lighter shades of blue and brown
out there. Or you just may want junior to settle on
picking one color and use it under the border only.
Your little girl wants pink ponies & ballet slippers,
yellow sunflowers, purple hearts, and pictures of her
favorite TV show character. And you think...”How in the
world???” Relax. Pink, purple, yellow and the “Power
Rangers” can all go together.
Choose a
very light pink for the whole room. You can hand draw
flowers to grow from the bottom of the floor to about 6 or
7 inches up. Now realistically you may not want to do this
to the whole room but make patches of the same pattern in
4 areas of the room. If you are not an artist, then grab
magazines for visual ideas and copy pictures from there.
This does not have to be perfect. It can be painted over.
Now come the ponies and ballet slippers. Pictures on the
wall can satisfy that desire. Do not go out and spend more
that 10 bucks on this. Remember, your child will grow up.
I had a friend take a poster she found of a ballet scene
and she cut it out and put that on the wall as a center
picture over her child’s bed. Almost like putting up
sections cut out from wall paper.
Other Tricks
and Ideas
Wall
paper is a great tool for putting up a new look with out
paint. Cutting pieces of wall paper and placing it on the
wall in arrangements can be rewarding and new too. For
children who love to draw on the walls try putting up a
hearty border and under that border, white washable wall
paper. This allows the artist to come out in junior and
only allowed in his/her room.
Rubber
stamps are another tool too. You can manipulate any color
ink on a white background or a white border set aside for
designing. You can decorate with rubber stamps around
light switches, outlets, door handles, doors, any where.
Textured
walls and ceilings. Tired of using paint brushes? Use
sponges, old rags balled up, bath sqooshies, or pre-made
textured rollers at local craft/hardware stores. You can
use these as borders too. Paint the textured look think
and white, then when it dries, go over it again with a
paint brush in another color.
3D
objects. Making a child’s favorite scene come alive on his
walls is exciting too. Have a kite flying on the wall.
Have clouds made from quilting batting floating on a blue
background. I have even seen on television where a father
took a white picket fence and used that as a border in his
daughter’s room and painted a yellow sun and the rays
coming through the slats.
Eventually the ideas will flow and you will find that you
will have fun planning and more fun putting the ideas to
reality. If you are still stumped then resort to
magazines. Get ideas from many and put them all together.
When using paint please make sure the fumes are being
circulated out. This is especially important if your
little ones are helping too. And remember, have fun!
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