All About Paint
One of the most difficult and dauting tasks in home decorating is picking a paint color. I know clients who start sweating at the very idea they may have to commit to a paint color. There are plenty of reasons to be reluctant to paint the walls. Number one, the walls make up the majority of your house and if you make a mistake everyone will know it. Number two, painting is expensive, and you want to pick the right color so that you won’t have to paint again and spend more money. Finally, many people get lost in the subtlety of hues and become bogged down with fifty shades of white, grey or crème and they cannot move from analysis to execution. However, in the world of decorating, painting is one of the best updates in a space. Let’s peek into two guest bedrooms to learn about painting and color selection tips so you can pick color like a professional somewhere in the heart of The Villages.
• Picking the color
I have been selecting color for twenty years and I always use a large sample. In the beginning days, I painted my own boards with sample colors. I used one half of a poster board, and I would carry those around with me to paint consults. I wanted to see how the paint would react in different light in the space. However, now you can buy your own already painted samples that will stick to the wall. Life is so much easier when you buy the sample! There is a website, www.samplize.com that sells samples from different paint brands and the samples stick to the wall. You must see the paint upright on the wall to see how the light in your space will affect the color.
• Use Apps to help visualize
There are many apps to help you visualize the paint that you are considering in your space. I am becoming a big fan of apps to help you choose online purchases such as rugs, lamps, etc. However, with paint color, I would use the app and if I liked the color, I would still order a sample. It is my life experience that taught me to see the color in person before you paint. Everyone’s house is different because the lighting is different, and you must see how that light affects the color in your space.
• Light or dark colors
Most people move toward the lighter and brighter. I am usually called upon to help pick lighter colors. I encounter my customers after they have lived with dark colors that they had chosen in time past. I think great things can be done with dark colors in a space but again my professional life experience has taught me that my customer base will always go lighter. There is a number on the fan deck that is the LRV (light reflecting value) rating, and the value goes from 0-100. The lower the number the less light will be reflected. I don’t use this number, but some might find it helpful to determine how dark a color may be in a space. In the picture with blue walls that are a bit deeper than usual please note that there is a lot of white popping in the space and that is what keeps it bright.
• Main body of home
When the main body of the home is painted in all one color, it tends to look elevated. I have experienced this so often when we paint a house that had several colors in the main body and it gets a fresh coat of a new light color, it looks more sophisticated.
• Two coats
You must always have your walls painted with two coats of your selected color. Never, ever, let a painter tell you that the walls can be covered in one coat. Painting one coat is better for the painter’s bottom line, not yours. Why do we need two coats you ask? Paint is solids being deposited on the wall with liquid. The first coat goes on and it lays down color as the liquid evaporates and dries the color remains on the wall. There are little micro spaces everywhere that did not get a color deposit because you cannot get complete coverage from one coat. The first coat acts as a sealer and the second coat will fill in all the micro spaces that did not get color leaving you with a rich full color on your wall that will last for years. Also, two coats will fulfill the warranty requirements of most paints, and the walls will clean up better with two coats.
• What finish
The best finish for walls is eggshell or satin. You want the paint to reflect light throughout the space so that the color will look its best. The eggshell or satin finish will reflect light, and it will be easy to clean and touch up. The only place I use flat paint is on a drywall ceiling covered in knock down. If the ceiling has a wood treatment, then I would paint it in satin or semi-gloss. Flat paint and matte paint absorb light because they are flat. Flat paint is very difficult to clean. I don’t have any experience with the new cleanable flat paints but if you are a devote to flat paint maybe check those out. Otherwise, avoid flat paint at all cost.
• Trim work finish
The trim work and doors are usually painted in semi-gloss for a little extra sheen, and they clean up beautifully. The most popular white for door and trims with my clients is Extra White 7006. One of the best and quickest updates for a home is repainting the trim and doors in a brighter white. You will be amazed at how much light that brings into a space. If you ceiling is not white, then I would paint it white. White ceilings make a space bigger and brighter.
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