Part 5 of Operation She Shed is all about painting the interior.
I said from the start that these posts weren’t going to be that sexy — and I wasn’t kidding — but in order to see the butterfly, you have to begin with a dull old chrysalis.
Or something like that.
Anyway. Just to put this post into context, we’d already boarded and insulated the shed — you can read about that here.
Because my She Shed is — as it’s name would suggest — a shed (and not a room in an actual house) we decided against having the walls professionally plastered.
But in order to tidy up the joins and all the screw holes in the plasterboard — and make it look half decent — I used plasterboard tape.
It’s like a wide mesh self-adhesive tape — perfect for reinforcing joints and repairing cracks in plasterboard. You stick it over the fissures and then can use a filler to smooth over the mesh.
This is the perfect solution if you’re not going to skim over the walls with plaster.
Once you’ve sanded it you can barely see where the joins once were, then you’re ready to paint.
I filled with my favourite filler. It’s called Toupret and is available from most trade centres; of all the fillers I’ve used over the years, this is the best I’ve come across. It was a recommendation from a professional painter and decorator — who used to live next door to us— and it’s amazing stuff. Once sanded back, you can get a really fantastic, smooth finish and when it’s painted it’s totally invisible.
Once this had been done, we gave the entire inside of the shed a lick of paint with Valspar Trade Matt Emulsion for Walls and Ceilings; would highly recommend this — it was amazing quality — really thick — and the coverage was fantastic. Super opaque with barely the need for a second coat.
A good thing when you’ve got such a lot to do!
A Little Snapshot Of What We Did
Platerboard tape over the joins.
Mr TD getting stuck in with the filler
The filled plaster joins, before sanding
The first coats of paint going on!
Best paint we’ve used in a long time! Valspar Matt Trade Emulsion
Starting to resemble a real room — rather than a garden shed
From Dreams to Reality
Incredible how different it looked once it had been painted.
No longer a shed but an actual solid room.
Needless to say, there was mucho celebrating once this part had been completed. After years of plotting and planning, in my head, I could really see what my She Shed was finally going to be like.
In real life.
I made a little film of our progress — pop and have a look if you’ve a spare coupe of minutes. It certainly shows a bit more of the scale of the building.
Enormous thanks to the fab team at B&Q for working with me on our ‘She-Shed’ project — and being so incredibly patient! Most of the supplies that we used to complete the shed build can be bought either online or in your local B&Q store.
This is a collaborative post but all thoughts, words and images — as ever — are entirely my own.
Caro Davies art directed fashion and interiors before leaving the world of design to pursue a career in social media. She can now be found chasing the light — and two small twin boys.
Really is starting to look brilliant! Can’t wait to see the finished product, I need me a she shed x
Author
Thanks lovely — and YES! Every girl needs a she-shed!!! :)
It’s looking fab Caro, can’t wait to see the full reveal xx #homeetc
Author
Thanks so much Caroline — I can’t wait to show you!!
I love it!!!!! Need to go and have a cold shower now ;)
Love the vlog! You have the cutest child labourer in the world :)
Can’t wait for the next instalment. #HOMEETC
Author
Haha!! Bless the boys — they were good as gold all last summer when we were working on the shed :)
Ooh I can see I am lagging behind a little in this series. I need to go back to the beginning – cannot possibly come in at No 5!!! #HomeEtc
Author
Haha!! It’s the slowest series ever!! You’ve probably seen them — but it was SO long ago, you’ve forgotten!! LOL!
It’s really taking shape, so exciting! We used a valspar Pantone paint for part of our kitchen and it covered so well. Can’t wait to see the next stage of your she shed! Xx #HomeEtc
Author
I’m so pleased with how it’s looking now — can’t wait to share it!!
Oh my word it’s such a great space for you to work in! I have heard the Valspar paint is brilliant, must try it soon x #HomeEtc
Author
SO good — am totally sold on the Valspar — it gives such a great finish x
The She-Shed is really coming along, you are so nearly at the finish line! Bet you can’t wait haha! xx
#HomeEtc
Author
Almost finished!!!! I can’t wait to share what it looks like now :)
Ooh it’s really starting to come together, and it’s a much bigger space than I thought- I am super-envious! I love reading posts that show the process of a build/renovation even if they’re not deemed sexy, as it’s good to see what really goes into a project. Can’t wait to see the next stage! x
Author
It’s the same size as the boys room (take a couple of feet either side). I filled that space when it was my office so it made sense to get something that was around the same size. I’ve got so much stuff — so happy we’ve got a big enough garden to accommodate it!! LOL!! xx
I really admire both of your DIY skills, I would be so useless! I was watching your insta stories about your house renovations, so exciting.
#HomeEtc
http://www.hellonancy.co.uk/
Author
Aah I bet you wouldn’t!! It’s something I’ve done ever since I was a teen — I’ve always done painting and decorating. So nice to be able to make and do things yourself! :)
woohoooo Caro looking good!
I have a present for your shed just haven’t got around to posting it yet (as usual)
bestest Ashley xx
Author
Aaah bless you Ashley!!! That’s so kind of you!! I’m so chuffed with my little shed — it’s a bit of a mess at the mo — I can’t wait to sort it all out!!
I am now fully up to date on all ‘she-shed’ progress. Well done you guys. That’s a huge project and you have an equally huge space there. How wonderful to see it coming together. Do we have a design in mind yet? #HomeEtc
Author
Thanks Nicky!! It’s been a HUGE task — at times I wish we’d just got someone in but it’s been such a fun project. And yes and no — I think it will evolve over time!!
Looks like you guys are making good progress! And it’s impressive you are tackling this yourselves. Can’t wait to see the finished space.
Author
Thanks so much Sian. It’s almost done — just got to try and collate all my film and pictures for my blog updates!!
Yay! Now I want a she shed of my own. Totally with you on the quaility of Valspar paint too. I love their scrubbable ones xxx
Author
Aaah it literally the best thing ever!! And YES! The Valspar is brilliant. I’m a convert.
Love seeing your she shed coming together Caro! x
Author
I wish I had more time to put together the films and posts! This is the longest drawn out blog series EVER!! LOL!! xx