Little Tykes Playhouse Makeover!

I recently posted a photo via Facebook/Instagram showing my Little Tykes Playhouse makeover and had lots of questions on it. So I figured that I would start blogging again to start sharing how I did it!

I found the playhouse at a garage sale for $30. This is the exact same playhouse that I had as a little girl and I have so many fond memories of it being set up in the room I shared with my sister. We had a blast playing in it, so I knew I just had to get it for my little princess. But it was in pretty shabby shape. It had faded quite a bit from the sun and a lot of dirt, spider webs and was pretty yucky. But I knew I could make it look brand new with a some paint and a little cleaning. 

So here is a before picture (I had taken the roof off to hose it down, so it is not shown.

Step 1: is to hose and thoroughly wipe down your playhouse. If there is any dirt the paint may not stick so its important to have it clean. 

Step 2: Choose your colors! This is the fun part. I did a lot of looking at different ideas at pinterest and ultimately decided on a turquoise color. I wanted it to be somewhat gender neutral so if we ever have a boy it won't be too girly. I also love turquoise and have an umbrella outside that matches!

I purchased Valspar brand paint from Lowe's. Make sure you are careful to look at the labels and make sure it is specifically for plastic. I made the mistake of not looking at every can (going to Lowe's with a 2 year old will do that to you) and got a few cans that were not for plastic at first- hooray for another trip to Lowe's! I also picked up 2 cans of clear coat so that my beautiful paint job wouldn't chip and would last for years to come. 

Another tip: you will go through more cans of spray paint than you think! Originally I purchased 

• 3 cans turquoise - house
• 2 cans brown-Roof
• 1 can red - door
• 1 can green - windows
• 1 can white - detailing
• 2 cans clear 

I had to go back and get:

• 2 cans turquoise (so 5 cans total!)
• 1 additional red (2 total)
• 1 additional green (2 total)
• 1additional white (2 total)
• 1 additional brown (3 total)

So to save time, I would go ahead and buy more than you think you need. Plus with the extra paint you can also use it on other items! I used the extra paint to give make over to this awesome Little Tykes table I found for FREE at spring clean up. I bought the chair at a consignment children's store for $6 (it was originally red) and the whole project cost me $6! Score! I also painted a baby bed that I found at a garage sale for $5. It will go inside the house and I love how it all matches! But the possibilities are endless (Cozy Coupe? Lawn Chair? Flower pot?)

Step 3:

Disassemble the roof and place on a sheet. Begin painting the roof! 

Step 4: Paint the windows and doors in the color of your choice. This is done first because then you don't have to do as much taping. I just painted over any of the paint that got onto the house. The spray paint really covers well (just takes a few coats.) I did cover some areas with the sheet just to make it a little easier and I tried to get as little of paint as I could on the house. 

Sorry for the bad picture - this is a snap chat. :) 

Step 5: After you have let the window and door dry for 24 hours,  cover the windows with plastic trash bags and painter's tape around the very edges. I also took out the indoor "kitchen" and taped it and painted it the same turquoise to match (and added some white to the stove.) My little friend Tini obviously already loves the house!

I also added white deals to the area at the top of the house and the edges. I spray painted a plastic painting tray and used a paint brush using the spray paint! It it definitely challenging because spray paint dries so quickly and you can't wipe off any mistakes so I had to do it very carefully. 

Step 6: Touching up! There will definitely be places where you will need to do some detailing (if you choose to) I decided to add some detailing to the door and at the bottom and sides of the house. For this I just taped those areas. I did have to respray some areas of turquoise where the white had been. 

Step 7: Add a clear coat to finish! Make sure you really get the whole house with a thick coat because spray paint does chip easily! 

Overall, it was a time consuming project but I just did a little each day during nap time! I was so happy with how it turned out and I'm looking forward to doing other similar projects!!