Fun & Functional Home Gym Makeover

The way we live has changed in the last year and we are doing more at home than ever before. Instead of time spent at yoga studios and gyms, many are streaming workout classes online and rolling out their yoga mats on the living room floor. Not everyone has an extra room waiting to be transformed into a boutique fitness studio, but if you do have an unused guest room, why not convert it into a custom home gym? That’s what we decided to do with this unused bedroom, and the results are stunning. The secret to our success was our quick and easy wall transformation — executed with a layer of primer followed by a vibrant coat of paint in an energizing color. It’s yet another example of how primer and interior paint can make a big impact and transform just about any space.

Here’s a look at exactly how we revamped this dull-looking bedroom into a sparkling home gym, using only primer, a coat of paint, a fun square of carpet and a few essential pieces of equipment. First, we tackled the walls, starting off with a coat of KILZ 2^® All-Purpose Primer, which was especially ideal for our project because it created a perfect base layer to ensure the new topcoat color would be vibrant and vivid. This all-purpose primer is known for its durability, so you can trust that your paint job will last longer.

Next came the fun part — choosing a color. We opted for something invigorating, encouraging you to go for that extra 20 minutes on the bike or treadmill. A bold and bright aqua, KILZ^® Tribute^® Paint in Tropical Escape (TB-56) is so vivid, it almost has a neon vibe. It was the perfect shade to wake up our gym space. As we layered it over our KILZ^® Primer, we noticed immediately that the color seemed to pop from the walls, giving an amazing vibe of energy and vitality.

With a color like this, we knew that the flooring had to be something special. This bold geometric pattern caught our eye, and best of all, the colors matched our beautiful paint to perfection, proving that no matter how exotic your paint choices, there’s always going to be a bit of gorgeous flooring out there to match. We think that the combination of patterns and colors really adds a lot of character to the room — something you don’t always think of when creating a gym, but why not make your exercise space as attractive and appealing as the rest of your home? (Hint: The nicer it is, the more time you’ll want to spend there, which might even mean that you’ll exercise more). Another advantage to this carpet is its durability. For a home gym — or any type of space that gets a lot of physical impacts or foot traffic — it’s best to choose a durable, short-pile carpet that’s specially treated to resist stains, odors and moisture.

When renovating a room, you’ll want to first look for its advantages and figure out how to make the most of them. We recognized immediately that this room’s biggest assets were its two rectangular windows, so we made them into focal points by refreshing them with a coat of durable primer, followed by a coat of white paint. A good primer will give you that extra added adhesion you need for superior coverage when you’re painting — always a plus when you’re working with light colors because superior coverage will prevent the old colors from seeping through.

Nothing opens up a narrow space better than a full-length mirror (always a great accessory for any home gym), and we found one that added the perfect amount of depth to the room.

As for equipment, we kept it simple with just an exercise bike, along with a balance trainer ball and a few hand weights. The beauty of a bedroom-sized gym is there’s enough space for several pieces of equipment, so you’ll have enough space to add more items later on. We streamlined things even more by adding space-saving floor and wall racks (for equipment, helmets, and shoes) and a versatile gym bench for extra seating as well as storage.

Once we were finished, we decided hands-down that the paint color made all the difference and was the real winner here, proving once again a layer of primer and coat of paint can transform a room from a dull dud into a sizzling firecracker.

Always remember to refer to our website kilz.com or product back labels for additional information on which primer is right for your project and detailed instructions on how to apply our products.