Since

1981
Countryside Decorating
- A Trinity Florida Painting Contractor -
Call (727)271-8165 for all cabinet painting, furniture refinishing & painting, stain & varnish wood restoration, interior & exterior painting inquiries. Serving Trinity, Starkey Ranch, Crescent Oaks, Odessa, Palm Harbor, East Lake, Lansbrook, Oldsmar, Clearwater, Keystone, Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey and many other surrounding communities.
We focus on simple ideas.
After 40 years our history speaks for itself.
Superior craftsmanship, respect for client property,
professional appearance and good communication.
We provide excellent results and outstanding service
for people that choose to hire us.
Rece​nt Work Gallery
two preliminary sheen samples for a new front entry
upcoming work will involve painting both sides of a
newly installed front entry doors opening. the exterior side's color will be black. these were created to assist the decision making process for the sheen choice.

if your contractor isn't willing to create samples for you, it may be time to consider going a different direction regarding who does the work, especially when considering the financial investment some home projects require.
a concrete slab's evolution on "film"
our story here begins with this side garage door slab acting as a temporary storage location for landscaping shell at this circa mid-80's exterior. as the work proceeded on the main house this slab was also getting worked on.
(click on the image below to watch our latest 30 second "film" short)

several individual frames were combined to create this time lapse video clip.
front entry doors
before & after pics on some vintage doors.
new color here is called "wood ash".

after

legacy exterior satin from florida paints was used on this home. it's their best and was created specifically for our tough weather conditions.
palm harbor exterior
rear lanai work getting done at various different points while a few rain showers came down last week. good planning cannot foresee everything that may come up on painting projects but it does help allow for adjusting on the fly and being able to continue the work in some cases. the new body color here is called "norwegian blue".





a couple of before & after's taken once the work was underway, arranged underneath an initial photo that was taken back during the estimate visit.
stain & varnish doors restoration
after discussing things with the homeowner here a decision was made not to dismount them for transport offsite for stripping and rebuilding of the finish. in the first photo below we are getting ready to "wash" these old doors as a first step in preparation for bringing them back to life.

we have made very good use of donated towels, sheets and other linens over the years, as seen in this entry opening.
many different appearance issues have occurred over the course of time in the forty years since these were originally installed. there is also an interesting contrast between these two doors with regard to their respective grain patterns.


refinishing stain & varnish issues is an art form. at times, this often requires trial and error along the way.
in this photo taken from a bench nearby, both doors are already showing some marked improvement in their appearance after the prep process despite the extreme viewing angle. the warmth of the old look is coming back.

box fans come in handy for many things in the painting industry including cooling off the contractor on warmer days.
finished photo
a clear satin finish was applied after all the restoration work was completed.

an excellent result overall considering they were done in position.
more cabinet painting samples
these are a mix of both satin and semi-gloss sheen's.
the drawer front in the foreground was left with a small section of it's original finish to illustrate it's before and after appearance in this particular case.
visit Countryside Decorating's cabinet painting page to review before, during and after project photo's.
basic costs and general coating spec. information
have also been provided there for our visitors.

periodically working with different colors, types of wood and various finishing materials in the creation of cabinet samples is like going to school for a contractor.
honey oak cabinet sample
this door was done using leftover material from a
master bath cabinet set. the sheen is semi-gloss.


oak's open grain is quite clear in the second photo.
rebuilding the master suite
the walls in this area were the most severe of the four rooms done. after the paper removal work, some extensive rebuilding and repairing via drywall mud was required. that story and a few finishing photos of the ceiling, trim and walls are included below.



using proper equipment to complete work goes to both job site efficiency and the overall quality of the outcome. airless sprayers, a shop vac and a mini rolling scaffold can all be major players at various points on many projects.
drywall repairs aspect




the level of repair work sometimes needed to recreate a proper wall appearance post wallpaper removal and the amount of equipment involved to keep it going smoothly can both be extensive.

naming every item and tool in this shot would take a few minutes...
spraying liquid mask on the french doors.


breakthrough may be the best all around trim coating there is.

next stop for these two french doors is getting the masking material trimmed back off.
more wallpaper removal repairs
in these initial photos from the master suite work, the wallpaper and the border seen in the before shot below are being removed in favor of having the walls painted.
before

the removal



the homeowners at this location did a great job on the removal work.
wallpaper removal repairs
the paper and chair rail seen in the before photo below were both removed in this bedroom. all the resulting peripheral wall damage was then repaired. the new color is "lotus flower" sw6310. sheen is satin.
before

getting started


mixing up some primer

repairing walls from chair rail demo



the drywall mud needed for this chair rail repair was fairly substantiall and it did require more than one pass.
finished result

matching the surrounding wall texture and "hiding" where an old chair rail had once been is not as easy as it looks on youtube videos.
helene damage remodel
the walls at this location have suffered severe flooding damage and were demo'd up to about the 2-3 foot mark. the floors have already been completely replaced in these four photos of the master bedroom, taken from the estimate visit. the homeowners have decided to go with a different color scheme during the rebuilding process and have chosen SW 6224 "Mountain Air" for the walls.


the chair rail has been finished in white semi-gloss and the wall color has gradually begun making it's appearance in these 2 photos.


"mountain air" sw6224 walls. white semi-gloss trim.

windows metal refinishing
years of sun and weather have taken their toll.
these before and after photos are being posted here in order to reflect the type of visual improvement possible in these type cases.

exposure and what may be mineral content in the water from a sprinkler system have contributed to batter this window metal into submission over time.

windows can be brought back to excellent condition again through skilled workmanship, as seen in this after photo, without the need for replacing them.
garage closets reset
both of these areas appear to have sustained water damage at various points in the past. from the old hot water heater in the left side closet and from the washer in the right side.
water heater/sink side

laundry side

two garage closets at this newly purchased home are getting "remodeled".
finished photos


after some drywall repair related tlc arising from the various removal issues, these two closets are ready for their new life to begin for this homeowner.
exterior before's
these photos show an older home's condition prior to refreshing the existing color scheme and washing both the driveway and the side entry area's fencing and slab.




several things here have seen mother nature take hold and begin reclaiming surface areas.
after photo's

pressure washing the driveway has done wonders for this home's overall appearance.

the wood fencing area has also cleaned up well after having been pressure washed..
interior painting
the new wall color for this bedroom is "white heron" from benjamin moore.

working our way across the headboard wall.
"a classic bright white with the slightest cool cast."

finished photo of this bedroom after all painting work was completed.
stain & varnish
​a beautiful bench waiting to get transported to it's new home. the original slats didn't survive the strain of this project's overall goals and a decision was made that they be discarded due to excessive weathering issues over time. new ones were purchased, cut to size, drilled and confirmed for fit. these were then stained to the color and appearance seen here. our part in this project was more of an informal behind the scenes consulting and troubleshooting role as we did not participate in the actual finishing work but felt we must salute the great looking outcome nonetheless.

fantastic result on this bench.
stain & varnish restoration
​this door's condition had deteriorated over the course of many years. sun and water damage along with varying levels of mildew can be difficult to overcome once the original coating has been worn down.

based on it's poor starting point, we have definitely got our work cut out for us on this door.
it was first removed from it's hinges and then arranged on a set of sawhorses in order to facilitate proper prep. several towels were used as pads to protect the reverse side from damage during this process.


having all your tools close at hand makes sanding prep flow along smoothly.
creating a pleasing appearance without knowing what the door looked like in it's original condition involved some subjective decision making from those participating in the restoration process. moving closer to a brown result with hints of red added in here and there was ultimately chosen in favor over the more orange-like look this door initially presented once it had been stripped entirely.


no one would guess this door's starting point looking at the above photo's.
as the clear coat work begins, the varied coloration of this door's wood grain can truly be seen, especially in the two bead board type insert areas.


two photo examples of the "wet look", as our gloss clear coat just got sprayed on.
this door's transformation is nearly complete. going forward it will require periodic maintenance coats of the protective material used, as mother nature and florida's severe weather conditions will eventually overpower even the finest efforts.


wrapping up the final details on this door's journey.
finished result

stain & varnish restoration. gloss sheen.
tabletop refinish
this drop leaf table has just arrived back at "headquarters".
follow it through various steps in the refinishing process below. it has been in the client's family for quite some time and has a high level of sentimental value attached to it. the main idea from a refinishing aspect was to clean up all of the different scratches and dings from years gone by while maintaining the woodgrain's beautiful appearance. visit our furniture page for project photos from other pieces.

adjustable straps secure our moving blanket security covering.

many repair issues are readily apparent in this photo.

lightly applying blue tape is one method of marking repair issues.

there's only one way to sand on this table and that's with the grain!

using a bowl to put together a mixed color repair kit.


patched up and ready for the next step.
sanding is a key ingredient in most refinishing recipes..

a few minutes after spraying the first coat of clear finish.

matte sheen.
cabinet painting
​these before, during and after photos from a recent master bathroom remodel show a pasco county cabinet set going from its original appearance over to a different blue. the new color is sw9150 "Endless Sea". the new sheen chosen was semi-gloss. the homeowners have already begun working on some of the changes in the first photo by checking out some new drawer pull options.

this bath had some interesting vintage wallpaper.

vanities do look different without doors & drawers.
after a decision was made to retain the existing doors & drawer fronts, stripping efforts on the old coating have begun. refilling the old drawer pull mounting holes was also required. sanding in this instance was done by both machine and hand.



the stripping, the sanding and the patching.
medicine cabinet doors getting masked for spraying.


some pretty cool medicine cabinet doors.
primer is drying down, followed by more sanding.


johnny cash would appreciate our primer choice on this project.
out with the old and in with the blue.


semi-gloss sheen. wet look on the left, dried down appearance on the right.
final result

the owner's here were very pleased with the cabinet's & accompanying walls work.
cabinet painting
​this series shows the transformation of a pasco county kitchen cabinet set from its original appearance over to a more contemporary look. the homeowners chose untinted white in satin for the finish. progress photos below.


for a more in depth series of photo's on this kitchen we invite you to visit our cabinet painting page.


protecting the floor, appliances and the interior of the cabinet boxes are vital aspects of this type work.

untinted white. satin sheen.
bedroom remodel
​this area may have originally been an office with a small side bar in it but after some consideration, the homeowners here have made several changes in creating another bedroom. among them are new flooring, demo'ing out of the side bar's cabinets and adding organizer shelving in the closet space.


the small bar cabinet set on the left is on it's way out, as we bring work gear and equipment in.



the cabinet set is history and closet organizer's have also been installed.
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important note from the homeowner.

starting to look like a remodeled room.

a custom color for this room's walls was created from a wall color elsewhere in the home.
bookcases refinishing
twin bookcases surrounding a fireplace get a new look.



working our way through the beginning stages of prep.


spraying inside occupied homes does require fairly extensive set up operations at times.



"morris room grey" sw0037 was used as the finish color. satin sheen.

a more distant perspective of the two bookcases.
custom finish on tongue & groove ceiling
the homeowners here have replaced an older lanai ceiling that had originally been done with drywall. the prior ceiling had been patched several different times and was in poor condition overall. after discussing various different looks with them and creating several samples, a white look was decided upon. a four inch brush was used in order to achieve the final result. the goal here was adding a fine and beautiful accent to the ceiling without burying the woods natural appearance.


a newly installed cedar ceiling awaits finishing work.


several "white"'s were compared before settling on the one used to do the work.


some truly beautiful whitewashed results are almost compete on this ceiling.

sweeping up just prior to putting everything back in place.
fireplace wall remodel
these photos represent the general progression which has taken place. the very first picture depicts this wall in it's original form prior to the work truly starting.


just about every aspect of this wall will be getting worked on during this remodel.


the bar top's initial color work and getting transported for finishing.


new drywall was installed and the fireplace's interior was done in black.



a "whitewash" was created and put on the fireplace's bricks.

a progress photo showing one of the repainted doors sitting on the shelves.

bar cabinet doors will soon be back on and a backsplash will be installed.
final result
