Painting the inside of your home gives it a facelift and certainly is worth the investment in supplies and labor if you hire a professional to do the job for you. Often the paint is the first thing people notice about a home when they walk in.
The right color on the walls will:
- Give your home a fresh appearance
- Make your home feel warm and inviting
- Bring attention to any areas you want to highlight
- Affect the mood of those living in the home
- Reflect your personality
If you have a lot of patience and a steady hand, you may be able to do the painting yourself. If so, be sure to consider the following carefully when planning your project.
Shine and Shade
The sheen or finish of the paint is a major decision before deciding on which paint to choose. If you have young children in the home who touch the walls or let their toys crash into them, you should consider a gloss, semi-gloss, or at least a satin finish. The shinier the finish, the more easily it cleans up. It’s also a great choice for high traffic areas such as bathrooms and kitchens where splatters are inevitable.
If your wall has a recessed niche in which you display collectibles, for example, you may want to call attention to it with dedicated lighting or high gloss paint. Conversely, satin and especially matte finishes don’t clean up as well but do hide small imperfections.
Color is often the first and most important decision the homeowner makes when planning this type of project. Your choice can make a statement, visually enlarge a space, or add coziness and warmth. It can even reflect your personality. So be sure to choose color carefully.
Brighter, bolder colors are good choices for areas of activity within the home, while muted, calmer ones are generally more suitable for private spaces such as home offices and bedrooms. Lighter shades can make a room appear more spacious while darker ones in a wide-open area of the home will make it feel more intimate. Floor coverings and furniture that you intend to keep in the room will also help you determine the right color paint.
It’s Best to Test
Because color will look different throughout the day under a variety of light conditions, it’s best to test before buying. Purchase the smallest size cans of the shades you’re considering and brush a swath of each on the wall of the room. If you’re planning on painting an accent wall, do the same on that wall. Live with your sample colors for at least a few days to be sure they’re the ones you’ll be happy with over time.
How much paint you’ll need to buy will depend on several factors. Will you apply two coats? Or will you use with primer first, and then just one coat? You may even choose a paint and primer in one product. Primer is always a good idea, as it creates a better surface to which your paint will adhere, as well as covers up any marks on the wall better than with color alone. Will you paint the ceiling, doors, baseboards and other trim in the same color? And don’t forget to factor in some extra for touchups down the road.
Prep is Paramount
Before you even begin painting, you will need to prep your walls. Clean them of grease, grime, and dust. Move furniture to the center of the room
and cover with drop cloths, and also cover your floors. Prime your walls next and then you’ll be ready for color.
You’ll want to ‘cut in’ by using a beveled brush to get around window sills, corners, the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling and above baseboards. Either remove hinges and knobs from doors or cover them with painters’ tape. All of this prep work is time-consuming and tedious, but is well worth the trouble in the end. When you finish rolling on your color, you’ll see that any brush marks from cutting in disappear – and the final result will be polished and professional looking.
While painting may seem like a fairly simple task, you will rarely achieve the same results as you would hiring a professional. Be sure to contact a pro, especially if you’re interested in texture or other specialized techniques, such as sponging, stippling, or painting stripes in multiple colors.
Prep work and planning is essential to achieving the flawless look we all hope to see once the paint dries. Do the drill: Prep your walls. Choose finish and color carefully before committing to it. And finally, contact a professional if you choose not to tackle the job yourself.
Mike of D4 Construction and his team in Kamloops are ready, willing, and able to take on all your painting projects. You’ll find them to be courteous, prompt, skilled, and professional. Call Mike today at +1 250-572-4812 for a free estimate – no job is too large or too small.
In the end, whether you tackle the job yourself or hire a professional, by following these simple tips, you‘ll have a beautiful color makeover you’ll be happy to live with for years to come.
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