We seem to have Makeover Madness here.
When the new mirror went up last week, both the husband and I decided that we needed to change the look of the mantelpiece as the dark wood didn't look right underneath the pale mirror.
We had two choices. To either buy a new surround or paint it ourselves. We chose the latter. Earlier on today, we bought some suitable paint with a crackle effect, then took the mantelpiece out into the front garden to paint. My husband seemed quite keen to do it, and I happily let him - good thing it was done earlier today as now it's pouring with rain. This is NOT a job to be done in a confined space.
I took a few photos to show the changes. A dark base coat was sprayed on, left to dry, then the crackle effect top coat sprayed on.
As always with paint projects it takes a bit of nerve, because when you start it really does look horrible and you wonder what on earth you've done. But, have a bit of faith if you try something like this (though admittedly it's not really for the faint hearted, and you must make sure you get suitable and safe paint), because the end result is worth it.
It looks so much better. In an ideal world we'd change the marble back and base to something paler, but it would be too much expense and work for something that really isn't vital. I think that now the Husband understands why I love changing things with paint. Quick and easy to do, and pretty inexpensive. Much cheaper than buying a replacement.
It's going to look lovely this December with my vintage Christmas look.