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It looks so simple and easy
when you are watching a 'home and garden' program on television. A
home makeover project is in progress and the decision is made to do some
interior painting. Then, just like magic, there is a beautiful new
color on the walls of the room. Everyone is smiling, the room looks
great, and gosh, it only took a couple of seconds for the transformation!
Things like this only
happen on television or to other people, not to you. I know, my life
is never that simple or easy, either. However, selecting a paint
color for an interior room or space in your home doesn't have to be an
agonizing process. There are some steps you can take to help you
make a good decision when selecting a wall color and, therefore, become
one of those happy, smiling people when the project is complete.
There are two decisions you
have to make before heading over to the paint store to pick up color
swatches. First, determine the scope of your project, which means
that you need to decide if you are going to paint one room, two rooms and
a hallway, the entire Great Room, and so on. It seems so simple as
to be obvious, but don't assume, just go ahead and make the decision
mentally or write it down in a notebook.
The second part of that
question is this: Does your space have defined 'starting and
stopping points'? To answer this question, go into the area and
literally look at all of the walls in question. You want to make
sure you don't have a wall flowing into another space that is outside the
scope of your project. For example, I have seen a kitchen/nook area
of a home where the kitchen walls were painted a different color than the
nook. That's fine, except the homeowner just stopped with one color
in the middle of the wall above the cabinets, so there was definitely
something unfinished about the look of the area! Don't make that
mistake. Look carefully at each wall in the area, also considering
any fascia or soffits you may have.
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The second decision you
should make is regarding the budget. How much money do you want to,
or are you able to, spend on the painting project? Again, it seems
so simple. But before you run out and buy the paint, you should
decide:
1. What brand of
paint am I going to use? Some brands and types of paint are more
costly than others. Is your project area large? Then you will
need more paint. If you might be covering a dark paint
with a lighter color, you will need two coats of paint and possibly a
primer.
2. Who is going to do
the painting? If this is a project that will be hired out, you might
want to get some bids before spending any money.
3. How many colors of paint
will be used in the project? Are you going to have an accent wall or
area? Are you going to faux finish any of the space? Try to
determine an overall plan at this point.
Once you have decided the
scope of the project and a realistic budget, it is then time to think
about actual paint colors. Following are some suggestions for you to
consider when selecting a wall color.
How do you want to change
the look of the room or space? Do you want to add some drama to the
area? Look at some deeper or brighter shades of colors. Or,
you might be most happy and comfortable with a more subtle overall look to
your space. In that case, keep the colors more neutral; consider a
shade of off-white (there are hundreds of choices). Remember that a paint
chip is a teeny, tiny little piece of color. It looks more intense
when you put it on your very large walls. You might want to start
with a shade that is less intense on the paint chip and test how it will
appear on the walls. We'll talk more about that soon.
Are you going to introduce
a new color to the area or are you going to use a color that is already in
the room? If you are thinking about a new and different color, make
sure it will enhance the color scheme that is currently in the room.
Your furniture and accessories should have new life and interest with the
addition of a new color. Another great technique is to work with an
existing color in the room and play it up on the walls by selecting a
lighter or darker shade of that color. |
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It is always a wise
decision to test your potential color choices before painting the entire
room. Purchase paint samples if possible, or a quart if necessary,
and prepare a color board. It's very simple. Just take a white
poster board and put two coats of paint on it. You'll then have a
good idea of the actual color. Put the color board in all areas of
the room over a 24 to 48 hour period by taping it to the wall with
masking/painting tape. You want to see the color at different times
of the day, and in the evening with artificial light.
Following these simple
steps will help ensure that you select a color you'll be happy with in
your space, and minimize stress and frustration because you've made the
important decisions at the beginning of the project. That's how to
complete your paint project with a smile!
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