Paint, Painting, & Colors!

Quick! Your house looks like it has the blahs, and you want a fresh new look. What do you do? Paint! It′s an inexpensive and easy way to give your old home a whole new look. 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. There are two types of house paint. They 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. Primer is a base coat of paint for either the interior or exterior of the home. They are used to insure the paint adheres to surfaces correctly.

Whether you′re choosing interior paint or exterior paint, the process is similar. You need to consider the design of your house, the colors that suit it best, and what part of the house you′re painting. Interior paint and exterior paint are chosen slightly differently and it can make a great difference to the beauty and value of your home if you choose right. Most home supply stores have interior design experts who understand how important choosing the right paint can be and will be glad to help you select exactly what you need.

When you′re selecting new paint, the design of your home is the key. You want the colors to harmonize with the feel of your home. A rustic home should have earth tones and mellow colors that bring out the country charm of the place. If you have a home in the art deco style, you′ll want brighter colors, and a higher gloss to the types of paint. When painting your house, matching the design to the appropriate color will do a lot to increase the appeal of your home. An easy way to choose is to take several pictures of the interior and exterior of your home and use a computer program to try out different color combination, textures and levels of gloss.

Latex paint is often a great choice for interior paint. It has fewer fumes, is easy to clean up and comes in a wide variety of colors and gloss levels - high gloss for your banisters and a nice flat paint to give your ceiling a warm glow. Make sure that when you′re painting the interior of your house, you get the supplies you need to protect your floors, furniture and any trim. You′ll need masking tape, drop cloths and a selection of brushes, sponges and paint rollers. Remember that you must always prepare the surface to be painted and apply your interior paint to a clean surface.

Exterior paint protects the house as well as looks beautiful, so you want something durable. Oil-based paints are often the best choice for an exterior paint. While you′ll need turpentine to clean up, and it takes longer for oil-based paint to dry, you will be rewarded with a durable and beautiful coat of protection between your home and the elements. As always, you′ll need to clean and prep all surfaces before you begin painting, making sure that you′re applying the exterior paint to a surface as smooth as you can make it. Interior or exterior, latex or oil-based, paint is a great way to enhance the beauty and design of your home through color, texture and the attention you give your home. There are different ways you can paint for different effects. When you are choosing paint you will want to consider how the room will be used. You will also want to consider the lighting in the room. Walls look different in dark rooms than in bright ones. Lighter colors work well in smaller rooms. Larger rooms can handle bold colors easily.

Different colors can evoke different emotions. Because of this a bedroom should have a calming color palette in it to encourage rest. If you want to have a room that evokes energy a more cheery color is recommended as it will infuse energy into the room. You can use different types of painting styles to add texture to the walls with the painting you are doing. There is rag rolling, sponging, stippling and dragging are some of the ways to achieve looks similar to wallpaper. Sponging is a great way to hide irregularities on your walls. It can create a dramatic look in your room. Rag rolling uses three different colors of paint within the same family. You randomly blend the two darker colors and use the third lighter color on top to give it a textured look. Dragging is done on walls painted with a clear glaze. A paintbrush is dragged downward to create vertical lines while stippling involves producing tiny dots with a stippling brush for a calming effect in a room.