The Painted Piano

Ever since I started blogging, I think I've been talking about painting my piano.  Well, I finally bit the bullet and did it!

Here's the before:

The piano was a freebie, given to us my some friends who no longer wanted it.  It was a very dark wood and not in good shape.

Here's the after:

Much brighter and happier.  Did you notice that I'm missing a few pics from my gallery wall?  Those would be the ones that fell on the floor and shattered.  Must reframe and rehang.

I think I put off this project for so long because I thought it was going to be really difficult.  Quite the contrary.  The piano was easy to paint because it basically has straight, square lines without a lot of nooks and crannies.

The hardest part was painting around the keys.  Here's what I did:

I simply taped around the keys, shoving the tape down into the crack between the wood and keys.  This worked really well.  It might have been luck, but I didn't get any paint on the keys.

Look what I found on the inside lid of the piano.

The wood was originally so pretty and had a beautiful trademark.  I didn't even know this was inside of the piano.  Here's a close-up:

And another "after" shot:

A couple of details:

• I started with sanding the piano down and taping off the pedals and keys.
• I used Behr Ultra Premium Paint Plus Primer in Martha Stewart's Sultana.  I thought I would be able to skip a step in using the paint and primer in one, but I still ended up having to paint 3 coats.  I used a semi-gloss finish.

A couple of concerns/questions:

• I was hoping the paint color would be a little more olive - maybe a little darker, but I don't really feel like repainting it.
• Should I try going over it with a coat of stain or a dark glaze to make it darker?

Overall, I'm happy with the fresh, bright look it gives this wall of our home.  What do you think?

I'm linking this piece to some of these great blogs:
Today's Creative Blog, Sugar Bee Crafts, Not Just a Housewife, Reasons to Skip the Housework, Bella Before and After, Primitive and Proper, Home Stories of A to Z, Savvy Southern Style, DIY by Design, Tip Junkie, Type A Decorating, http://sistersstuff.blogspot.com/, The Thrifty Home, Domestically Speaking, Primp,
A Diamond in the Stuff, Restore Interiors, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Beyond the Picket Fence, Fireflies and Jellybeans,My Simple Home Life,
Addicted 2 Decorating, Just a Girl, Remodelaholic, Miss Mustard Seed, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Thrifty Decor Chick, Coastal Charm, Junker Newbie, Serenity Now