Mark & Aimee’s adventure continues on House of Monarch with their next project in Doncaster. With Mark’s painting skills and Aimee’s inspirational vision, they transform an awkward space into a luxurious lounge area by adding a flare of the dado rail.
With a little bit of vision and some bold, bright colours, you can transform your space into a modern, functional living room.
Always start by planning your vision, ideally by drawing it on a piece of paper. Then, prepare your room by removing all the furniture and fittings from the space you intend to transform. Once the room is cleared out, cover the floors with a Monarch Leak-Proof Canvas drop sheet.
Clean the walls before measuring up the area where you plan to add the dado rail. We decided on a waist high rail with evenly spaced vertical boards to help elongate the room. With your measurements on head, visit your local hardware store and get pine moulding cut to size. Buy boards that have already been primed to save time.
Once you have all the material at home it’s a breeze to install it. With the help of measuring tape and spirit level, apply Monarch Mini Construction Adhesive to the back of each board and hold it in place stuck in place. Always refer to the product packaging for bond and cure times.
Dado Rail: Since we have decided to use a lush, dark green on the wall, it is recommended to use a dark undercoat such as a dark grey to avoid any topcoat transparency and make the final colour pop.
Start applying the base coat by cutting in around the edges of the walls and around doors and windows with a Monarch Expertech Paint Brush.
While the cutting in is still wet, use a Monarch SmartLock 10mm microfibre mini roller to apply paint to the walls in smooth strokes.
Buffet Table: While you wait for the undercoat to dry on the wall, you can start restoring the buffet table. Prepare the buffet by sanding it before applying a pure white base coat.
TIP: Moistening your painting tools in water before painting will help them absorb paint evenly to then release it in a smooth and consistent stream, giving you the best finish.
Buffet Table: Once your undercoat is dry, it’s time for your topcoat. We are using Taubmans Water-based enamel to apply a bright white colour to our buffet. Use at least two coats to bring the brightest white colour for your space.
Dado Rail: While your buffet table is drying, apply a top coat on the dado rail. Cut in the edges of the rail and underneath the lip with a paint brush before using the mini roller to paint between the boards. You’ll need to apply at least two coats using the same process until you have smooth, even coverage.
Use the latest Monarch Expertech paint brush with X-tech filament, which picks up and release 25% more paint than your ordinary paint brush. It also has an ultra-tapered filament which provides complete control for a job like this.
To bring the room to life we’ve added two brown leather chairs and some sheer curtains as well as the restored buffet table. Add some personal touches to the buffet table with decorative items and books.
