I ordered Amy Howard One Step Paint for this project months and months ago but I just finally got around to using it. I don’t know if you remember the post I wrote about projects I wanted to get done during the quarantine, but this was number one on the list. That was just shy of a year ago.

I have been dying to try this paint forever. I fell in love with her lacquer spray when I painted our side tables, but until now that was all I had tried! Well, I have to say I am a big fan!

On bigger projects like my kitchen, I am fine with doing the hard work of sanding and priming, but with a cheap piece of furniture like our TV cabinet, I did NOT want to spend all that time. Not to mention that it is freezing out right now and I did not want to hang in the garage all day! That is the best part of this paint – you can skip those steps.

THE SUPPLIES

• Amy Howard One Step Paint
• A cleaner – I used Amy Howard Clean Slate, but Simple Green will work
• Cleaning rags
• A decent paintbrush (I prefer an angled one)
• Drop cloth

HOW TO

1. Lay down a drop cloth and gather your supplies. A bonus of this paint is that the smell is not bad and it is non-toxic so you can do it inside.
2. Clean it! Spend some time really cleaning it to get all the grease and grime off. This is important for a nice finish!
3. Let dry for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove all the hardware. Ok this is a step I always want to skip, but it drives my husband crazy – and he is right! Don’t skip this step!
5. Start painting! This paint is pretty easy to work with. I used two coats for this project. Just watch for drips (this goes for any paint).
6. Let dry fully – about an hour or two.
7. Put back together.

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TIP: You can add a coat of gloss or wax if you want. I was going to add a coat of Bright Idea clear lacquer, but I didn’t want to move it outside or into the garage to spray (it’s February in Boston)!

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SO EASY

That’s it! It really was an easy project that made a huge difference. Even Tommy was excited about the difference! You can even find Amy Howard’s paints at some of your local hardware stores if you just can’t wait to get started!

I am dying to add some wallpaper to the panels to make it a little more fun. I was inspired by the cabinets that Kate from Kate Decorates did in her living room. Stay tuned for that – I just have to find the paper I want to use!