Painting Tips 101

Paint

Things to consider when painting your home

Paint is one of the least expensive and easiest ways to improve a home. Color wheels and color families make it stress free for the average consumer. Most people take the task on themselves; however, some hire contractors to complete the job. The results may be stunningly dramatic or clean and simple, depending on the atmosphere desired.


Choosing Interior Paint Colors

When considering the best colors for rooms inside the home, take into account how the room will be used, as well as the ambient and direct lighting. Walls may seem to take on a completely different hue at night than during the day in direct sunlight, and paint will look different in dark rooms than in bright ones. Lighter colors work well in smaller rooms, and larger rooms can take on the bold colors with ease.


Different colors evoke different emotions. Since a bedroom is used for sleeping, a calming bedroom paint color is usually desired. All of the blues, greens and violets will achieve this effect. A bedroom painted in the more cheery colors – orange, yellow and red – will infuse energy into the room and the occupant. For some, this may be the optimal color family.
These days, paint takes on new personalities with faux paint techniques. Rag rolling, sponging, stippling and dragging are some of the ways to achieve looks similar to wallpaper. Sponging is easy and often a good way to hide irregularities on walls. To achieve the sponge effect, simply place a sponge in paint and apply to walls in random patterns. The result is often dramatic and elegant, best for dining rooms and master bedrooms.


Rag rolling involves three different colors of paint all within the same color family. A random blending of the two darker colors is done before the lightest of the three is placed on the wall with a rag, in an effort to create a textured look.

Dragging is done on walls painted with a clear glaze. The paintbrush is dragged downward to create vertical lines. This effect goes nicely in rooms with wall paneling to help disguise paneling grooves. Stippling is done with a special stippling brush and produces tiny dots. This technique is a calming one, good for bedrooms where the walls need not be bold and showy.

Types of House Paint

The two main types of house paint are oil-based and water-based. Oil-based paint is generally used for the exterior of a home, and water-based paint for the interior.


Since oil-based is thicker it needs more time to dry than water-based, though additives help speed this process. Oil-based paints are glossy, can withstand the weather and are washable. Water-based paints are easier to work with, as clean-up after painting is simply soap and water, whereas oil-based paint products require paint thinner and sometimes other solutions.

Primer is a base coat of paint for either the interior or exterior of the home. Primers are used to insure the paint adheres to surfaces correctly. They are specially made to bond specifically with the material being painted, for example, wood, masonry or metal.


Hiring a paint contractor may be the best avenue toward a successfully painted home. They can help determine the best house paint colors and assess the condition of the walls to be painted. We can give you more advice and recommendations at http://www.dutchtouchpaintingservice.com/