Customer Reviews

Debbie Travis' Painted House: More than 35 Quick and Easy Finishes for Walls, Floors, and Furniture

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I find the rooms in this book to be so overdone that it is painful! Tacky, dated interiors and poor color choices. Just plain messy and often ugly!

Don't waste your money on this dated book!

I was looking for a design idea for my house and I got a quick overview of detailed techniques. I didn't get a good idea of all of the techniques to use on a floor, what I'd need for vinyl..It is alright to look through.

OK to be fair this book teaches different painting techniques successfully. But throughout the examples it seems like they HAVE to paint everything possible. Rather than put a real plant in a room, they paint one onto a wall. Rather than install a tile floor or brick wall, they paint fake ones in. It all just has sort of a comical feel when finished. If you flip through a Pottery Barn catalog and consider that tasteful, then these designs leave alot to be desired. Buy this book for technique, but consider others for inspiration.

You don't need to know anything about decoration to enjoy this book. I bought it as a gift for my wife and I ended up enjoying it as much as she did.

Most of the techniques used by Debbie on her show are illustrated here in full color. There is an interesting section about the materials used also, with lots of information I didn't know.

This book wasn't intended to make everyone happy with Debbie's color choices or furniture selections, it's intended to teach you painting techniques and preparation, which it does, beautifully. Debbie is fearless and very adventurous when it comes to painting and re-decorating, her colors don't have to suit you, but all of us decorating fanatics can definitely glean some helpful hints from her trial and error in technique.

I was first made aware of this book on the Oprah Show,and seeing the transformations and how simple they were to do made getting this book a must for me. Debbie's use of everyday materials makes each project easy to do even for novices. I recommend this book for those who would like a particular look, but are hesitant to hire a professional because of costs etc. This book is a must have!

...guess what? I repainted my entire house myself using her techniques and suggestions, something I NEVER would have thought of doing had I not stumbled upon Ms. Travis' book. The how-to information is laid out in a very easy-to-digest format, complete with sequential photos. She also provides a number of "themed" rooms and color schemes, but I didn't have to follow any of those decorating themes when I painted my own home. And since my faux finish and textured house painting has been so well received, it's a testimony to the book's ability to teach the techniques and then let the reader adapt them to his/her particular tastes and colors. Another nice thing is that the book's down-to-earth approach leaves the reader with a "Yeah, I think I can do this!" level of confidence.

Clear and precise instructions. Easy to follow but one better be a better good at choosing colors. I think Debbie should have included the exact name of colors and/or brand she used for people who are leary about mixing colors and wanted to duplicate what she has on the book. I have followed the instructions with my own colors and the results are outstanding. I'll recommend this book for anyone even the first time do-it-yourself painter.

I first saw Debbie Travis on the Oprah show and was very impressed with what I saw and the examples she gave, as I live in Australia I contacted Amazon and had the books sent out. My mistake... I was so disappointed as I expected there to be examples of what she had shown on the show,as well as practical everyday ideas that one would use, instead there was page after page of similar finishes that mostly were not suitable for a private house. I might add I have been using these finishes for some years. In essence I wasted my money, which is double yours.

Excellent book. Great pictures and instructions. It contains the basics to many techniques that can be used as described or as a basis for other creative uses of paint.