Click Here Looking for a home improvement project you can finish in a weekend or even an afternoon? Here are five, all of them pulled straight from our recent Inside Man program with Valspar Paint, where we used color to transform one room in the homes of five guys across the country.

Dresser Upgrade

In David's Brooklyn browstone, we created a stylish nook by upgrading a thrift store dresser and mirror with a couple coats of paint.

Materials
Instructions
  • Give the dresser a quick once-over with sandpaper.
  • Clean and prep the dresser.
  • Remove the drawers.
  • Use a screwdriver to remove the drawer pulls.
  • Use a dropcloth to protect your floors.
  • Cover the dresser and drawers with one coat of primer.
  • Leave the sides of drawers and inside of the dresser unpainted.
  • Allow primer to dry.
  • Using the roller and/or brush, coat the body of the dresser with Dove White.
  • Using the roller and/or brush, coat the face of the drawers with Modest Silver.
  • Allow paint to dry, and then repeat with a second coat.
  • Allow second coat to dry.
  • Use a screwdriver to install new drawer pulls.
  • Finished!

Inspiration Board

Michael in Dallas is an avid collector, and he had a lot of clippings that inspired this super simple project.

Materials
  • Valspar Spraypaint Gloss Gray 64010
  • "Ung Drill" frame from IKEA
  • Newspaper, mask to cover your nose and mouth
  • Matte medium and brush from an art supply store
  • Inspirational paper clippings

Instructions
  • Take the frame back off and remove the glass.
  • Lightly sand the frame, then clean it.
  • Work outside in a well ventilated area.
  • Lay down newspaper and put on the mask.
  • Coat the frame and its backboard in a thin layer of spraypaint.
  • Allow the first coat to dry, then repeat until you have an even, solid coating.
  • Allow frame and backboard to fully dry.
  • Use the spraypainted backboard as a "canvas" for your collage.
  • Using a brush, apply a thin layer of matte medium to the back of a paper clipping.
  • Adhere the clipping to the board.
  • Repeat this step until you're satisfied with your collage.
  • Reassemble the frame, backboard, and glass.
  • Hang your finished artwork!

Spectrum Shelves

Barney's loft in Los Angeles needed some bookshelves, so we dressed up a pair of basic IKEA shelves with a few stripes of paint.

Materials

Instructions
  • Lightly sand the front-facing edges of the Lack shelf.
  • Clean and prep the shelf.
  • Use painters tape to cover everything except for the front-facing edges of the shelf.
  • Using a brush, give each shelf edge a coat of primer and allow to dry.
  • Apply a thin coat of paint to each shelf egde.
  • You can mix colors up, with a different tone on each shelf, or paint all edges the same.
  • Allow your first coat to dry, then paint a second coat on each shelf edge.
  • Once it's dry, you're done!

Trophy Case

Jarrett's basement bar came with an amazing built-in trophy case that we filled with spraypainted thrift store finds.

Materials
Instructions
  • Clean and prep the trophies.
  • Work outside in a well ventilated area.
  • Lay down newspaper and put on the mask.
  • Select half of your trophy collection and lay it out on the newspaper.
  • Coat the trophies in a thin layer of your first color spraypaint.
  • Allow the first coat to dry, then repeat until you have an even, solid coating.
  • Now select the second half of your trophy collection and lay it out on the newspaper.
  • Coat the trophies in a thin layer of your second color spraypaint.
  • Allow the first coat to dry, then repeat until you have an even, solid coating.
  • Arrange the trophies on a shelf or mantel, and you've got a bold focal point!

Painted Headboard

This project comes from James' home in Atlanta, where we were going for a restful, calm aesthetic in the bedroom.

Materials
Instructions
  • Clean and prep the wall.
  • Lay down a drop cloth to protect your floors.
  • Paint a coat of primer and allow to dry.
  • Paint the wall white with two coats. Allow to dry overnight.
  • Measure the width of your bed and add 6 inches.
  • With a pencil, mark two lines of measurements on your wall.
  • Use a level to draw the lines in pencil.
  • Adhere painter's tape along the pencil line and press firmly.
  • Along the tape line, use a very lightly coated roller to paint the walls lilac.
  • Fill in the rest of the walls on either side of your "headboard" with lilac.
  • Use two coats of lilac, but don't pull up the tape until the paint is dry.
  • Once dry, remove tape and use a brush to correct any bleeding along the edges.
  • Finished!

04292010valsparfooter.jpg Photos: Jim Franco