LITTLE TIKES PLAYHOUSE MAKEOVER

Pick paint coloursI used Rustoleum Universal all-surface paint and I bought it in satin black and satin white. It’s branded as paint and primer in one and does have the consistency and feel of a primer. The plastic on the playhouse was really rough so I didn’t feel I needed to roughen the surface with sandpaper before applying the paint.

Spray panelsFirst I sprayed all the side panels white. I was fortunate that this particular style of house has two large openings which meant less surface area to paint. Because it was a light grey colour I did not need to paint the interior, however I knew that I needed to paint it white on the exterior to achieve the look I wanted. Using a paint sprayer to apply the paint meant that I needed to thin the paint down slightly to get it to the right consistency for the sprayer. This took a little bit of practice as at times I did have issues with the paint running. To correct any runs I applied paint thinner with a small brush and using a gentle swirling motion spread out the semi dry paint which helped even out any large run marks.

Spray roofTo paint the roof I mixed the white and black paint together to create a slate grey. The paint in grey was not available when I was ordering so I made up my own shade instead. Two coats of paint were required for all the pieces and the paint was touch dry in an hour but not hard dry for about 8 days. It was essential to let the paint cure to avoid any marks when moving the pieces or turning over to work on the reverse side.

As the roof was a bright green I also sprayed the underside as that would have been visible from outside the house.

Paint the detailsWhile most of the pieces came apart there was this section of the roof that I was unable to remove and also the top section of the door. So I had to carefully paint these pieces while they were attached to the front panel.

I sprayed the shutters using the satin black paint.

For the door I mixed a teal toy/furniture paint with the white Rustoleum universal paint, and again applied two coats. The exact shade I wanted for the door was unavailable to buy in a spray can so I mixed the colour as best as I could with the paint available and applied by hand with a medium sized brush. I removed the door handle and painted it gold.