Painting Tongue and Groove Pine

I know that painting over wood can be a topic of debate for many people. There are purists that will tell you to never paint over any wood, ever! Then there are people that will tell you to paint anything and everything.  

I probably fall somewhere in the middle. If I lived in a historic home with original woodwork, I would probably leave it as it. But I don't. And that's why I painted this wall white:

I did take before and in-progress photos, but I seemed to have deleted them all. Oops! Here's a little photo of what the wood looked like before.

It's the real-deal tongue and groove pine. There's a whole lot of wood going on in this tiny house and they're all different types and colors of wood.  Yellow pine, gray barn wood, dark ceilings, cherry stained cabinets, etc. It's a very busy look for a very small house. 

Time to brighten and simplify this space. Paint to the rescue! 

First, wipe down the wood. You want a clean surface to start with. You could lightly sand, but I didn't. My wood is pretty smooth.

Paint your brass chandelier white!

My mom purchased this brass chandelier for the dining room in the seventies. I know she paid hundreds of dollars for it back then - it's the real deal, folks. However, I'm not a fan of brass and I thought it was a bit gaudy in our tiny house. Bring on the spray paint!!

Ooh, look at all the brass!

Brass swing-arm lamp re-do

The brass, swing-arm lamps that flank our bed were here when we moved in. I'm sure my mom found these while thrifting years ago. While I haven't always been a fan of them (mostly because of the brass and the lampshades that catch dust like crazy), I have been grateful for bedroom lighting that doesn't take up any extra nightstand space. We're cramped in there, to say the least! 

The Before:

I had never really pictured swing-arm lamps as a permanent lighting solution in our bedroom, but when I saw this lamp from Pottery Barn I changed my mind.

Pottery Barn Chelsea Swing-Arm Sconce

The Pottery Barn lamps are great, but they're $99 each. Not in the budget. What is in the budget? Spray paint!

First, I washed the lamps with soap and water and then with alcohol. I decided to skip sanding since I'm applying a primer. Tape off any areas you do not want to paint.