Making things beautiful – Upcycling with Everlong Paint from Eliza Rose
Anyone who knows me – my husband especially – knows that I just love rooting around for bits and pieces for our home in local auctions, bric-a-brac shops, antique shops, boot fairs. You name it, I will be there, having a good old look for things I can take home and put in our home just as they are, and other bits I can get home and upcycle.
Earlier this Summer, whilst at a local farm auction, I noticed two rather garish and tatty children’s benches. I knew that they would be perfect for my daughter’s playhouse and felt that they were crying out for a little TLC. With no other bids, we took them home having paid £5 for them both. I thought about using an old tub of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint I had lying around, but the colour wasn’t right, and then I remembered that I had been contacted by Simone from Eliza Rose a few months earlier about a fabulous paint they stock called Everlong Paint.
Eliza Rose is a family run business, who aim to offer the best in home furniture and accessories. Eliza Rose stock a wide range of shabby chic, retro and vintage style items not usually available on the high street. They upcycle all furniture and some of their home accessories using Everlong Paint paint and one-coat sealer to give old pieces a new lease of life.
As well as being environmentally friendly, Everlong Paint is safe to use on children’s toys, with virtually no smell and is safe to use indoors. Unlike many other chalk paint brands, Everlong Paint needs no wax finish, so not only does it look great, it also means there is less work involved in a upcycling project, now I’m not afraid of putting the time in, but anything that can save me a little time and money, is definitely worth a try in my opinion!
For me, one of the hardest parts about any upcycling project is picking the colour. With a light interior in the playhouse, I knew I wanted to keep both the outdoor and indoor bench fairly light, however, as anyone who has a child knows, light colours aren’t exactly practical for little people, so I asked Simone about mixing two Everlong Paint colours would be possible.
I chose Everlong Paint ‘Vintage’ and Everlong Paint ‘Sophia’, I knew with a light enough pink, it wouldn’t be too garish, it would wear well, as well as sticking with the interior colour palette of the playhouse.
During a sunny (child-free) day, I set about mixing the colours; the Everlong Paint mixed well and it wasn’t long before I created exactly the colour I was after. The first coat went on like a dream, however, it was incredibly hot that day, so whilst ideal for drying, it did dry a little too fast on this particular day.
Once painted, I wanted a fairly smooth modern finish with no chalky bits, so I used a fine grit sandpaper and removed some of the brush marks. To finish, I buffed the the bench with the smooth side of a sponge to bring out the in-built wax.
I was so pleased with the result and my little girl was thrilled too, with one bench finished for the inside of her playhouse, I just need to finish the second bench for her little deck area. Everlong Paint is perfect for outdoor use on garden furniture, I would just need to get too more sample pots of Everlong Paint from Eliza Rose and finish with an oil based sealer for durability.
If you have an upcycling project or you need home furniture and accessories, do visit Eliza Rose.
Please Note: I have not been paid for this post, I did receive two tester pots of Everlong Paint for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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