Summertime…and the living is easy. Unless of course you’ve decided that your staycation involves sprucing up the place with a new coat of paint! Although a relatively quick and inexpensive way to brighten up your abode, painting a room can quickly turn into a pain in the you-know-where if you don’t take the time to plan it out beforehand.
Not many of us relish the idea of spending hours in line at our local paint store only to discover that we don’t know how many gallons of paint to purchase, or what kind of nap our rollers should have. Visiting www.sherwin-williams.com is a great place to start for answers to the most basic painting questions. A quick click on the Painting Tips & Advice page gives you a comprehensive answer guide to many basic painting questions. The paint calculator is also a really great feature. It works by asking you to provide the measurements of the area you’re painting, which it then calculates (even taking into account windows and trim!) to give you the approximate number of gallons you’ll need to complete the project.
The Sherwin-Williams site is a great jumping off point for choosing paint colors as well, but if you really want to get an idea of what adding color to your room will look like, head over to the Valspar site at www.valsparpaint.com. Click on Search The Idea Gallery on the home page and you are directed to a series of drop down menus offering a selection of pre-chosen color palates to browse. Groups like National Trust Historic Colors, Ideas From Nature or Trend Colors are great sources of inspiration. The best part about this site is the Virtual Painter, which allows you to upload a photo of the area you want to paint, and then it superimposes the various color palates you choose onto your room. It’s the closest you can come to painting the room without actually painting it!
Now that you know what kind of paint, brushes, rollers and colors you want, it’s time to go shopping. Your list should look something like this:
Checklist
• Paint – gloss, semi-gloss, eggshell, matte or ceiling in the colors you want
• Primer (if needed)
• Brushes – synthetic or natural bristle; 1” to 4” width
• Rollers –1/2”, 3/8” or 1/4” nap, roller frame
• Trim supplies – blue painters tape, trim pads
• Sandpaper
• Spackle, fillers and other patching supplies
• Drop cloths
• Caulking and caulking tools
• Old clothing or coveralls
• Ladders
Painting 101
• Move all the furniture out of the room (or to the center if that’s not possible) and remove all artwork and wall decorations.
• Cover all floors and furniture with a drop-cloth or plastic sheet.
• Lightly clean the walls with warm water and a soapy detergent. Once the walls are dry, patch any holes and lightly sand to a smooth surface.
• Apply a primer coat before painting as it prepares the wall surface to accept the paint and keeps the color true. Many paints now have built-in primers, so ask the in-store professional if your paint product requires priming.
• Paint from the top down starting with the ceiling, then the walls, and then the trim. Remember to let the walls dry completely if you want to use painter’s tape when applying the trim color.
• Apply a second coat if necessary.
• Once completely dry (generally overnight), move the furniture back in and viola – you’ve got a brand new look.
Painting is a creative, easy and economical way to refresh your décor. For more information about sprucing up your home, or to make a bigger change like relocating to the house of your dreams, visit us at www.HeartRealtors.com, email [email protected], or call or text direct to 310-259-7419.
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