This post was sponsored by KILZ® Paint & Primer as part of an Ambassador program for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in our post are our own.
Remember our post a few weeks ago, when we introduced Murphy the Piano?
We were thrilled to give him a new look with some fresh paint for a whole lot of personality!
A friend came to our home for dinner the other night and when she spied Murphy, she thought we’d spray painted him. She even asked, how on earth we’d gotten such a beautiful finish on him without hauling him out our door and back again. She was amazed when I told her I hadn’t even moved him at all to give him such a gorgeous finish.
His surface is so smooth, we were thrilled to tell her it only took us a few hours and some KILZ® Complete Coat™ Paint. Winning.
It couldn’t have been an easier process, really.
I’ll be honest, we’ve painted a piano before with a paint that’s known for furniture… and it just didn’t work so well.
Like, painted for a friend, started panicking when we were on coat six, didn’t work so well.
I was fighting with the stain that kept seeping through the paint, the entire time. It was probably the most frustrating process. So to have something in the bad experience section to compare this current experience to, was priceless.
We couldn’t be more pleased with the final product and bringing Murphy back to life!
So here’s what we did:
Murphy wasn’t a true wood piano, so much as made of those laminate panels from the good ‘old days.
The problem was, I was a bit hesitant because of the problems we’ve had in the past with bleeding stain coming through the underneath of each coat. No matter how many coats I added, it just seemed to keep recurring over and over again until there was a gross blotchiness to it.
So for starters, grab some KILZ® Complete Coat™ Paint from your local Walmart. You’re already making the right choice.
No, seriously. People ask us what we recommend for furniture all the time. I was never one to buy into the latest trend, and always stuck with good old latex. But now this is our go to. This is it. No sanding. No priming. THIS. All the heart eyes.
We initially debated over the colors that we wanted, but ended up going with their Estuary shade, for a nice, grey-blue finish.
You’ll need a tray and roller, {we like the smooth finish ones you can grab – specifically for furniture and cabinets} along with a few other sizes of brushes for those hard to reach spots. I used a variety of sizes from the craft section of Walmart.
You’ll also need some plastic baggies and painter’s tape for covering the most important part, the keyboard. And a drop cloth.
And coffee. Coffee is always a must.
Here’s the part that’s going to blow your mind: like I said above, there was no moving Murphy. We didn’t have to hire piano movers to place him outside. He wasn’t exposed to the elements while I gave him a new lease on life. He just sat there, and I brought my supplies to him. A few hours later, I was gloriously finito.
We started in the big areas with one coat on the roller to knock it out, and it went a lot faster than my last experience with all things paint.
Then while that was drying, I went over the smaller areas, with my smaller brushes.
While some people may prefer to tape it all off, {and we do recommend covering the keyboard when you’re working on those larger areas as seen in the photo above} I simply used a steady hand and smaller brush to save time. Especially around the letters.
The best part? The entire piano only needed two coats.
As you can see above, I used really thin amounts to get in around the keyboard, because the last thing I wanted to do, was mess it up. The KILZ Complete Coat Paint dried beautifully and has given us zero troubles.
As always, we really recommend waiting a month for your paint to cure completely on the newly painted surface before placing anything on top. This is the standard amount of time for any paint to adhere correctly to a surface and we’ve found that it works the best for all furniture.
But I’m proud to say that this gorgeous blue is holding up beautifully!
Isn’t Murphy oh so gorgeous?
We think he brought so much into our home!
Even better is the music he brings. Even if it is all of us playing randomly on his keys.
We added this sweet little poster with a stained, handmade frame for contrast, along with a new bench to dress him up a little and bring some more interest.
And TADA! We were finito!
Such a great, expressive space in the home.
Bring on the piano lessons, because when in Nashville… {the boys are already taking guitar, so I think we’ll start a family band!}
As always, let us know if you have any questions at all! We’d love to help.
Have an inspired day!
Diane Henkler says
Love your styling piano. It looks fantastic in the room. I get many readers who ask me how to paint a piano. I have never done it, but will point them to this post from now on. Pinned!
Amanda says
You put out amazing content. This piano is so pretty now. I love the artwork you chose. Please start a family band 😘🙌
Bonnie says
I love the color of blue that you chose for the piano. It’s beautiful. Thanks so much for the tutorial!! The framed picture above the piano is fantastic. Is that one that you and Jamin sell in your shop?
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Bonnie! Thank you so much! No – I literally researched vintage-esque posters and found this one here. ;} I knew I wanted a nice, classic old print to go over the piano. I hope that helps! http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Singin-In-The-Rain-Posters_i8038074_.htm?UPI=F4SA7U0
Deanna Rabe says
I’m going to have to check out the Kilz paint for my kitchen cabinets!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Yes – do!
Danielle says
You guys rocked this!!! I have a very similar piano but I haven’t been brave enough to try painting it… Maybe now I will. Seriously looks awesome and I love your color choice!!
ROSE LEFEBVRE says
Only two coats and it turned out great! That is good to know!!
Trish says
I love this. I used Kiltz primer on my table, but the wood knots eventually bled through. Wondering if you’ve tried the Kiltz paint on heavy grain furniture like oak? I’d love to do this project, but I had a bad experience too.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey! I’m currently having this problem with another paint project we’re working on, and I’m about to hit it with Kilz. I’ll let you know how it goes, but I hope you can find a solution as well!
Trish says
Great! I’ll keep checking back to see how it goes.
Brooke says
love it! So fun! Can you share the source of the piano bench that you have?
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey! It’s from West Elm ;}
Meggen says
Piano looks great! What finish did you choose on the paint?
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey! I believe it was something similar to eggshell. I hope that helps!
Kaylee says
would this paint be a good option for kitchen cabinets?
Jamin Mills says
Hey Kaylee.
I’d go with a Sherwin Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel.