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    Home » projects » Little Tikes Playhouse Extreme Paint Makeover

    Little Tikes Playhouse Extreme Paint Makeover

    This post may contain affiliate links

    What kid doesn’t love a playhouse? I never had one when I was growing up….soooo deprived. Our neighbors gave us this playhouse about 10 years ago. It was a hand-me-down from their grandson. Our oldest granddaughter, Tenley,  was two or three at the time so we were thrilled to get it. That was about 10 years ago.

    Little Tikes Playhouse Extreme Paint Makeover Petticoat Junktion

    How To Paint A Little Tikes Playhouse

    When we set the playhouse up in our yard the telephone didn’t work and the “cooktop” was a mess. At that time Little Tikes had replacement parts for the playhouse. I ordered the two parts and the little playhouse was as good as new.

    Little Tikes Playhouse Extreme Paint Makeover Petticoat junktion

    Ten years down the road and one extreme paint makeover for the Little Tikes Playhouse and it is better than new. Our youngest granddaughter, Sofi, is four and she loves the little house.

    Playhouse 3

    This is how the house looked last Fall (October 2015).

    playhouse 1

    It was covered in mold and you can see the condition of the “cooktop” in this photo.

    Power washing a Little Tikes Playhouse prepping for painting Petticoat Junktion

    The JTS (aka Junktion Technical Specialist, aka hubby) took the playhouse apart and used the power washer to clean it up.

    Materials list for the Playhouse makeover:

    Primer
    Paint ( I used Glidden Latex Paint & Primer in one)
    HomeRight Finish Max Paint Sprayer
    Red Spray Paint for door knob and door bell
    Frog Tape
    Polyacrylic Sealer ( I used Minwax water-based interior because that's what I had on hand)

    using a HomeRight Finish Max paint sprayer to paint a Little Tykes Playhouse Petticoat Junktion

    I painted the roof first. The color scheme I selected was gray for the roof and a soft cape cod looking blue for the “siding”. The blue is an oops paint I bought at a local home improvement store.

     

     

    Glidden Gripper Primer

    Glidden Gripper Primer tinted gray is my go to primer. I decided the gray primer would be the perfect color for the roof so that’s what I went with….primer.

    Painting a Little Tykes Playhouse Petticoat Junktion project

    I used my favorite DIY tool for this makeover….the HomeRight Super Finish Max Paint Sprayer. I sure wasn’t going to brush this thing by hand. Look at all those angles and grooves, no way. took no time at all to spray the roof. I painted the bottom side of the roof first then when it was good and dry turned it over and sprayed the top.

    What happened next…the weather. I painted the roof at the end of October then the weather turned awful. I didn’t get to finish the playhouse makeover until this month (June, 2016). During the winter Sofi would ask if we could paint the house and I had to keep saying no, not yet. She also wanted it to be a castle when we put it back up, but that’s another story!

    painting stuff outdoors

    This photo was taken outside our workshop doors where I usually spray paint things. You can see the playhouse leaning against the tree in the background. That’s where is stayed for 6 months. Needless to say the JTS had to power wash it again before I could paint it. All this time the roof was taking up space in our workshop because I didn’t’ want it to get all dirty before I sealed it. I was going to apply the sealer after the whole house was done.

    HomeRight spray painter project Petticoat Junktion painting a Little Tikes Playhouse

    Moving on to June and I’m finally painting again. I worked on the inside of the house first spraying it with white primer. After the primer dried I applied the cape cod blue color. At this point I decided we would put the house together and then paint the outside.

    Little Tikes Playhouse paint project Petticoat Junktion

    The JTS and I set the house up and I applied the blue paint. As shown in an earlier photo I primed the inside of the house before applying the blue paint. I decided the coat of primer was overkill since the blue paint contained primer. I did not prime the outside of the playhouse. The paint sprayer is such a time saver. I painted the outside all over with a couple of coats of paint in about 10 minutes.

    Spray Painting a Little Tykes Playhouse Petticoat Junktion

    When the paint was dry I applied the Minwax Polyacrylic sealer. Yes, you can use sealer in the paint sprayer.

    Little Tikes Playhouse shutters

    You may have noticed that I painted the house with the shutters attached. When we took the house down we couldn’t get the shutters off. I was afraid to pull on them too hard, thinking they might break. After we got the house back up I did a Google search and found a forum (somewhere, can’t remember where) that said pull up on the bottom of the shutter while pushing down on the base of the house. Our son was visiting and after reading how to remove the shutters I was determined to get them off. I didn’t like the shutters being the same color as the house and they were too difficult to brush paint with them attached.

    Between the three of us we got them off. Yay! I sprayed the shutters with Simple Green and scrubbed and scrubbed till I got the blue paint off. They were the perfect color to start with. That was a lot of work that could have been avoided. Remove the shutters before painting….you’re welcome. They snap right back on.

    Spray Paint Little Tikes Doorbell

    I found a pretty red spay paint in my stash and painted the door knob and door bell. I wrapped Frog Tape and a plastic bag around the telephone part and just painted the outside door bell red.

    Paint the interior of Little Tikes Playhouse Petticoat Junktion

    See, isn’t that cute.

    How To Paint A Little Tikes Playhouse

    Sofi is happy as can be and forgot all about the castle thing. Thank goodness.

    Sofi Loves Her Freshly Painted Little Tikes Playhouse Petticoat Junktion HomeRight Paint Sprayer Project

    I love this project. Yes, I’m patting myself on the back and having a piece of chocolate. As you can tell, Sofi is happy too. The colors are so much better than the original color scheme.

    Freshly Painted Little Tikes Playhouse Petticoat Junktion

    I placed a couple of my junk stash planters under the windows and Sofi waters the flowers when she’s here. The rest of the time I get to do it.

    LIttle Tikes Playhouse painted girl colors Petticoat Junktion

    We had a few concrete pavers left over from another project so that is the floor of the playhouse. The playhouse has been painted and back up for a month now and the paint hasn’t  peeled, chipped, or bubbled. I’m happy. Where the shutters swing out at the top…they rub the house and the paint did peel in a small area on each of the windows frames. I can live with that. It’s really not very noticeable. The telephone and door bell still work but the cooktop was trashed. I called Little Tikes customer service and they don’t make the replacement cook top anymore. I’ve searched eBay and Amazon without any luck. If anyone can help with this please email me. I’ve found stickers that might work but still hoping to find a cook top just like the original.

    It was definitely cheaper to paint the house instead of buying a new one. I noticed when researching for the makeover that moms and dads paint all sorts of Little Tikes products. Who knew! We have a small Little Tykes slide I bought at a yard sale that might be my next project.

    Are you ready to tackle a Little Tikes Playhouse extreme paint makeover? I have a few tips and tricks to help you tackle the project. I learn through doing so next time the job will be a lot easier.

    How To Paint A Little Tikes Playhouse
    Recommended Steps For Painting The Little Tikes Playhouse:

    Step 1. Remove the shutters, door knob, and door bell/telephone combo
    Step 2. Take the house apart
    Step 3. Pressure wash all surfaces
    Step 4. Paint the underside of the roof
    Step 5. Paint the roof top
    Step 6. Paint the inside of the house
    Step 7. Put the house back together
    Step 8. Paint the outside of the house
    Step 9. Spray on polyacrylic sealer
    Step 10. Spray paint the door knob and door bell
    Step 11. Reattach the shutters, door knob, and door bell
    Step 12. Accessorize in your own unique style and enjoy!

    Little Tikes Playhouse Extreme Paint Makeover Petticoat Junktion How To Paint Little Tikes Playhouse Girls Edition
    As always thanks for being here, Kathy

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Melanie

      July 13, 2016 at 9:19 pm

      I love that! It turned out so cute and your granddaughter will have many happy memories playing in it. ?

      Reply
    2. Megan Chamberlin

      July 10, 2016 at 4:18 pm

      I've wanted to find a cheap playhouse to update for my boys for a while, but I've been unsuccessful. Love this update, thank you for sharing at Merry Monday!

      Reply
    3. Laura

      July 07, 2016 at 11:00 pm

      You did an amazing job.
      Just precious!
      Thank you for sharing this at Thoughts of Home. We are so glad you are here.

      Reply
    4. Harmony B

      July 02, 2016 at 7:52 pm

      I have metal outdoor tables in need of painting

      Reply
    5. Marcia

      July 01, 2016 at 12:46 pm

      I have signed up and have e-mail

      Reply
    6. Marcia

      July 01, 2016 at 12:43 pm

      I'm in love with every thing I saw at your site. I' m newbie here congrats.
      Will be coming back.

      Hugs,Marcia

      is it named after the delight full series on T.V

      Reply
    7. Lorraine Castellon-Rowe

      June 29, 2016 at 1:42 pm

      I NEVER would have thought to paint those plastic houses!!! OMG! Our backyard would have looked so much better if I had read your post 10 years ago. LOL!!! They get so ugly and faded so quickly. LOVE this idea and I'm passing it along to my Sister for her two daughter's playhouse!!

      Reply
    8. Mary

      June 28, 2016 at 5:55 pm

      Hi. Kathy I. Did paint a play house for my chickens . So they could get out of the sun then. We put Christmas. Lights on it ! Turn out stinking cute !

      Reply
      • Mary

        June 29, 2016 at 9:38 am

        How do you enter I did not see a spot to enter !

      • Kathy Owen

        June 29, 2016 at 10:12 am

        Mary, On a desktop or laptop computer the rafflecopter box is beneath the paragraph below the photo of the spray shelter. It says HomeRight Spray Shelter answer a question. On mobile phones it is a small rectangular box with an arrow to click to open the entry box. Hope this helps.

    9. Barbara

      June 28, 2016 at 2:01 pm

      Kathy, you sure have updated this little playhouse. I've seen many of them in my 30+ yrs as a preschool teacher/daycare director and you have made it look new again! Way to go, and then to give it away? You're a real winner!

      Reply
      • Kathy Owen

        June 28, 2016 at 8:38 pm

        Hey Barbara, I'm not giving away the playhouse. I'm giving away the HomeRight Spray Shelter.

    10. Patty

      June 28, 2016 at 8:28 am

      Kathy, what a great job on this playhouse! Such things didn't exist when I was a little girl either. Someone in our trailer park must have gotten a new refrigerator and we got the box it came in. Placed on its side on our patio I cut a door and windows and decorated the inside with drawings of furniture and appliances. Thank you for this giveaway....fantastic! It occurred to me that for those of us who won't win, an old camping tent would work, too!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kathy!

    The creator at Petticoat Junktion and I love decorating my home. My decor is an eclectic mix......

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