My Quarantine Project

Shelter in place has many people improving their homes. After cleaning out closets, I decided to fix one of the many areas of my house which was not done properly by a contractor.

Quarantine Project in progress. Left side of built-ins receive first coat of Benjamin Moore Advance in Edgecomb Gray. The right side has primer coat of Kilz on front and primer of Stix on shelves.
Photo Credit: Claudia Jacobs

The existing fireplace was a box in the living area. Before moving in, I added a stone front fireplace with built in shelves on each side. The contractor painted it white. Over time, I noticed knots bleeding through on the front of the built-ins and everything stuck to the shelves. Obviously, the wrong paint was used.

One thing I am not is handy, but those knots started looking like water stains. I reached out to Corinne Courtney, owner of Nailed It! Hardware in Washingtonville. After sending her photos, she offered instructions and delivery. Courtney made it clear, this process takes time to do properly. Calling this my quarantine project, time was plentiful.

Nailed It! Instructions and Product List

For shelves:

Benjamin Moore Stix by Insl-X primer for shelves
Kilz primer for front of built-in
Paint: Advance by Benjamin Moore in Edgecomb Gray, semi-gloss finish.
Simple Green for cleaning
Fine grit sandpaper, Tack cloth, roller kit, paintbrush

Note: The STIX is a bonding primer. The KILZ oil primer is for knots and water stains. Due to the condition of the wood, I had an extra product step.

Learning as I go to paint corners first then roll away to make project less tedious. Photo Credit: Claudia Jacobs

Wash surface with Simple Green. Let dry.

Shelves: Apply a coat of Stix primer. Only one coat is needed. Note: It is thick. The product has a 4-6 hour recoat, but let it set overnight. The curing process starts to happen for a good bond. The coat of Stix does not need to be perfect; it will likely have a mottled appearance particularly if you are covering wood or a dark color, that’s ok, it just needs to be covered.

Next day, paint a coat of the Advance paint. It has excellent leveling properties. Note: make sure you have enough paint on the roller or brush. Don’t fight it. If you see brush strokes, give it a second, it will level off. Don’t ‘brush it out’, it will frustrate you and thin your coat. Advance has a 16 hour recoat, so you need to wait another day for the second coat if needed. (I did 2 coats). When you are ready for the second coat, rub a fine grit sandpaper to remove any air bubbles. Wipe with a tack cloth. Apply the second coat. Time is important to allow for curing as paint dries on the top first and starts to cure (harden in layers) underneath.

Be easy on the shelves for a month. You can use them, but the curing process actually takes a month.

Front of Built-ins: Prime with oil based Kilz primer. The Advance paints bonds to the Kilz.

The finished project thanks to instruction from Corinne Courtney of Nailed It! Hardware. Built-Ins painted Benjamin Moore Advance in Edgecomb Gray in a semi-gloss finish. Photo Credit: Claudia Jacobs

Love the results!

The entire process took me took 9 day then cure time. It became quickly obvious that my step stool was going to limit my reach. I never used the tack cloth or sandpaper. I did take one day off for sanity. The second coat of paint covered all brush/roller imperfections perfectly. You need patience and time to do this properly. I waited a few days before styling my shelves. Love the results and thanks to proper guidance, my shelves will stand the test of time.

NAILED IT! Hardware Corp.

4 South Street, Washingtonville

845.496.3755

Color: Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray.

Finish: Semi-gloss