Painting your home should be an exercise in creativity, organization and teambuilding. But mostly it should just be about making your home look bigger. That’s right, bigger. The trick to good painting is to accent the colors of your furniture, the floors and the light coming from outside. All this combined with the right texture and styling will make any home look comfortable and easy on the eyes.
Choosing the Color
When you wake up in the morning, what color would you like to see? It’s that simple. It has to be something you want but something you’re used to. It’s a scientific fact that the colors transmitted to the brain affect our mood. They evoke emotions and memories just as much as taste or hearing. So when you are looking for the right color, don’t just use your furniture as a ground for choice.
The next step in choosing the right color is to take in the light. How much light comes into your home and when? You have to consider the times you are at home and how you may feel at that certain time. What colors would mellow you out after a hard day’s work? What colors would give you a sense of intimacy and privacy after a loud and busy day? Of course there are more considerations to admit to when you think about this – but every person is different. Just choose the colors that give you a sense of homely comfort and all the pleasure the eye can give.
Preparation
Now that you’ve chosen a color or colors to use, you must do a few things to prepare. Other than the basics, (covering surfaces and opening windows) many people tend to forget about primer. Primer is important to accent the glow of the paint. It is also a good way to save money instead of rehashing coats on coats of expensive paint.
They key to using primer is to choose the right type. Standard colors like red, blue and green require a pale primer, like gray. But most people find out too late that this same primer can’t be used on blacks and whites. They affect the color shading and tend to dry the texture too quickly for large coats. Be specific when explaining to your paint dealer about how you want the color to come out and they should help you during this process. Also when trying to “texturize” the wall with neat designs make sure the primer is dry. Most of the time, it is best to wait a whole day after priming to start this type of project.
Styles and Form
There are many different ways, other than traditional painting, to color your walls. Texture painting, includes popcorn finishes, antiquing and other forms commonly seen in a home with an owner who would put the extra time into doing such work. Some of the more common methods to achieving these textures includes using a brush instead of a roller to dab and even using towels and sponges to create unique designs. Just make sure that when you decide to apply this method you first pick a base color and second make sure you have plenty of extra paint to accomplish the project.
Getting to Work
Now that you have a basic idea of how you want your walls to look the next step is to shop around for good products. There are plenty of online tools that allow you to take a picture of your room and apply paint directly to the picture. This way you don’t have to deal with ugly samples staying on your wall for days or weeks before you make a decision.
When you have your game plan, find a person or group of people dependable enough to help. If they don’t feel like helping, the work could come out shoddy and even unfinished. This is where the teambuilding comes in. Just have plenty of refreshments and prepare to buy lunch. And make sure you all just have fun.
