Written By Mick Drolet
The first question you should ask yourself is, “How long do I plan to live in my house?” If the answer is one or two years, the color choices are simple. White or Builder’s White. You want to make the space bright, clean, and fresh. Any realtor will give you this same advice. Whites will always do the job.
Color is such a personal choice. While you may have the best taste out there, you need to give the potential buyers (or renters) the freedom to mentally plug in their dream colors. They could easily be turned off buy a color that you love, but they don’t.
You’ve probably seen those fixer-upper type of shows. You’re probably as addicted as I am. (I don’t watch for the design ideas. I just like to make fun of people on TV.) It doesn’t matter what channel you are on, my wife and I will make fun of your suit, haircut. It’s all fair game. And God help you if you have a toupee. We are very shallow people, but we don’t let that stop our fun.
Anyway, home improvement type shows give you a great example of why color choice is so crucial. We’ve all seen a couple walk through a home that looks great, but they will say something like “Oh this room will need to be completely redone”. They are often reacting to the color. If the color palette rubs them the wrong way, you could lose out on a sale.
On the other hand, if you plan to be in your home for a while, then the judge and jury is YOU! Make yourself happy. Love your home. If you want to make your home look minimalist and sparse, there is nothing wrong with that. If you have always dreamed of living in the common room of Gryffindor house (I have), then no one can stop you. Except maybe the fire marshal. That unicorn tapestry looks pretty flammable.
So, lets proceed with the assumption that you are designing for yourself. And by the way, there is some middle ground between art gallery minimal and Hogwarts.
Before you get started, there is one piece of insight that may save you time in choosing a color with the help of your partner. Here is what I have found to be true:
People who work with color all day tend to prefer a more muted home environment. While people who do not work with color or design tend to surround themselves with color at the end of a hard day. With that…
Those color cards in the local hardware store can be deceiving. However, you can get a very misleading impression of how the tint will appear on your walls when using this method. Many of the large paint companies sell stick-on color swatches. Sherwin Williams, Behr, Benjamin Moore; they’ve all got them.
You should consider how sunlight and LED light bulbs can change the appearance of your paint when you’re buying supplies. It’s best to paint a piece of white foam board in your chosen shade and move it around the room periodically to eliminate any surprises. This will give you an idea of how your paint will look during the various hours of the day and night.
Measure the room’s dimensions
You should always measure the square footage of your room before visiting a store so you can calculate the amount of paint you’ll need for your project. Some interior experts recommend buying a gallon of paint for every 400 square feet.
Nonetheless, you may need more if you plan on painting rough surfaces, unprimed surfaces, or surfaces with texture. Even if you buy too much paint, you can still use the leftovers for future touch-ups.
Moving your belongings out of the to-be-painted room or rooms is the easiest way to protect them. When this isn’t possible, cover the furniture, floors, and electronic equipment with old blankets, drop cloths, and plastic bags to protect them from rogue paint drops.
Disconnect all light sources in the building next. Alternatively, you can cover your door knobs with small plastic bags that you can secure firmly with tape.
Finally, remove all light switch and outlet covers – this will only take you five minutes, but will save you a lot of scrubbing and potentially unnecessary damage to your property.
You should not paint without the following paint supplies:
Even though wall painting is generally a safe activity, it is important to follow a few precautions as a preventative measure. If you are dealing with chemical paint strippers or paint thinners, you must wear gloves and goggles to prevent skin burns. Be sure to wear heavy duty gloves. Paint thinners and strippers will dissolve latex and nitril gloves. Even yellow dishwashing glove will not hold up. If you are placing a drop cloth over a wood floor, be careful it doesn’t slide under foot. I recommend a not slip drop cloth. Its slightly more expensive, but I promise you will not regret your choice.
It is also recommended to wear a quality dust mask when sanding surfaces to avoid inhaling dust or paint particles.
Extra tip: Do not use plastic sheets because they will not absorb paint spills and will be very slippery. A canvas drop cloth will help keep your stepladder stable. If you have a spill on your drop cloth, especially a significant one, be sure to make sure the paint doesn’t bleed through the fabric. While drop cloths are intended to protect against spills, but be smart. Always double check.
If you have already painted your walls, you don’t necessarily need to use a primer, but you should still do some maintenance to ensure that your new paint sticks:
Remember to use a size 220 fine grit sandpaper over sturdier stains if your walls are seriously damaged. If you apply a compatible primer over your walls, let it dry overnight, then sand the spots. Finding the right primer can be difficult, but a good salesperson at your local paint store will know the answer. For this type of specific advice, its best to go to a specialty paint store rather than a big box store. They will have more options for primers and the staff will be knowledgeable on all of them. Always, always prime. Don’t treat this step as optional. Paint adheasion problems will add time onto your project. And did you know that your local paint store can color tint your primer?
You will probably also find trims, casings, skirting boards, moldings, and other woodwork in your room, in addition to walls and ceilings. Follow the steps below to efficiently pretreat yours:
Protect your trim work with masking tape first. The other steps are:
Even though painting a ceiling on your own can be challenging, it is not impossible. The following tips can help:
Stain. Varnish. Paint. Whatever method you choose for priming your woodwork, your finishing material needs to be diluted with a suitable thinner. You can also try:
Finishing a painting is essential. Here are a few types of commonly used finishes to help you decide what type is right for your project:
There are so many more pro tips that can make your job go smoothly and yield a better result. Don’t be afraid to reach out to Dorwae Interiors for some advice. We will help you in any way we can. As I often say at the end of my blogs, consider hiring a professional. There is no substitute for the experience professional. Feel free to contact Dorwae Interiors today for a free consultation. We can make your house into a space that will make Slytherin house so jealous. We paint in normal ways too. It doesn’t have to be Harry Potter stuff.