Furniture painting and refinishing takes a a few tools and supplies in addition to paint, stain and topcoat. One of the "bare necessities" is something to smooth your wood surfaces - sandpaper or sponge, and possibly an electric sander.

​But there are so many questions: What type and what grit of sandpaper should you use? Is all sandpaper the same? What about steel wool? How many grades of sandpaper do you need for your project? Should you use an orbital or palm sander, or should you hand-sand everything? And what is wet-sanding? The good news is, once you understand the basics, the world of sanding and sandpaper will be much less confusing.

There's something about fall. It conjures up the combinations of cooler temperatures and warm blankets and bonfires, and a blaze of color washing over the landscape. While Mother Nature changes her wardrobe outside, we instinctively start to change things around inside our homes, too...bringing in hints (or armfuls) of the vibrant, rich tones we see outdoors.

Now that fall break is over, it's officially time to say goodbye to summer. Is your table or mantel in need of a seasonal adjustment? We've got all the ingredients to help you make your home feel pretty and special all season long!

My dining room chairs are about to get a serious makeover - paint and new cushions, and I thought I'd share some pointers on how to successfully (and easily) reupholster vintage dining or kitchen chairs. 

While reupholstering large furniture is more than a little daunting for most of us, updating seat cushions for your dining room chairs is a great beginner project. These chairs were one of the first sets we reupholstered and sold, but they definitely weren't the last. Here are our favorite tools and tips you'll need to successfully update your own chairs.

We're almost at the end of white shoe season. But white painted furniture has stood the test of time as a year-round favorite. It will always be a breezy beach-house base color. White paint launched the shabby chic trend, stayed strong during the farmhouse decade, and looks equally fabulous with MCM and cottage pieces. It always looks fresh and crisp, and it unifies furniture pieces in a room, and makes your room look airy and large.

But if you've painted a piece with white paint, you probably know the struggles of achieving a true white finish. Here are a few do's and don'ts we've learned along the way.

I've been sanding and staining furniture for over 30 years. Back to the days when the only stain available to DIYers was runny oil-based, came in a yellow can, and only had a handful of shades to choose from.

Nowadays, there are a lot more options - more brands, and a lot more colors and types of stain including water-based stains, water/oil blends, and thick gel stains. They each have their place, but for refinishing older pieces, my go-to is gel stain from General Finishes. Here are a few tips and tricks to using it successfully.

When you tackle a project like painting a piece of furniture or your cabinets, the costs can quickly add up - not just paint, but sandpaper, cleaner, gloves, rags, tack cloths, brushes and applicators.

Sometimes you'll have the necessary tools and supplies on hand, but if you're starting from scratch, purchasing all these supplies will quickly exceed the cost of your paint. (Side note: that's why painted furniture is worth more than just the pint of paint it took to refinish it.) Projects are an investment of your time and money.  So how do you protect your investment in brushes and applicators?

We have offered barn quilt paint classes since we opened. Over the years, students have painted everything from Christmas trees to Tennessee tri stars, flowers and hummingbirds to snowflakes, and everything in between.

​But no matter how many of these classes we hold, we still get quizzical looks from some people when we mention the term "barn quilt."

A brick fireplace surround can be tailored and timeless or drab, dated and dingy. The good news is, a little white wash can make a world of difference as you're about to see in this before-and-after we just finished in a fixer-upper we're working on. But before you pick up a paint brush, here are some things you should consider before you start.

As Murfreesboro's favorite place to buy paint, we get a TON of questions about painting furniture. Often the question is, "Should I paint this piece?" - which is subject we covered here. 

But the question we get most often, is "What color should I paint this piece?"

It's a great question, and it deserves a thoughtful answer. Ultimately the choice is yours, but here are three questions that will guide you to the perfect color....for you. And keep reading, because at the end, we'll reveal one of our fresh-painted new arrivals this week. If you caught our recent Instagram or Facebook stories, you saw the before and during the updating process.

Do you love summer like I do?

I'm not a winter-lover AT ALL. In fact, while I do love the warm days of spring and fall, I think I could live with the monotony of 80 degrees and sunny every day, with only the occasional rain to cool things down a bit.

​But whether you're a four-seasons lover, or a sun-seeker like me, the fact is our outdoor furniture and decor can only take so much sun and rain. How do you protect and preserve it for life outdoors? Here are a few tips and products that can help.