Bookshelf Gets an Upgrade

We bought a small bookshelf for Charlotte's room from IKEA a few weeks ago.  It was the perfect size, but I immediately knew that I wanted to change the color.  Since she has white wainscoting, the bookshelf got lost in the room.

The problem here is that much of IKEA's furniture is laminate, and you can't paint over laminate.  The paint just doesn't stick.  Enter Zinsser Cover Stain.  This stuff is a primer that sticks to the laminate, and then the paint sticks to the cover stain.  You with me?

I usually use it in a can with a brush for bigger pieces (like Gavin's IKEA Billy bookshelves), but for Charlotte's little bookshelf I decided to try the primer in a spray can.  It coated well, and was dry in about an hour.  When it was dry, I went over the bookshelf with some Rustoleum Leafy Green.

And now, it looks so much better!

Let's look at it again before:

And after:

I bought this adorable little girl planter at the thrift store for $3.  I love her.  You can read about my "Some Kid" custom piece of artwork here.

Charlotte thinks the flowers are real, and is always trying to smell them.

The bookshelf even got Nathan's attention immediately.

It was definitely the punch of color this room needed!

Linking Up To: