Planning Home Painting Project Peoria IL

When you paint a room, you make an investment in time and money—not only during the project, but also for a long time to come. Changing the color of your walls changes the entire mood and style of the room, and affects your entire home. By preparing for your project ahead of time, you can enjoy professional results for years to come.

Talk to the Professionals

Before you dip a brush into a can of paint, spend time gathering information. Find a professional painter to talk with. Describe your project and the condition of your walls, and ask them to offer suggestions based on their experience. Professionals who are not selling you a product can be objective when it comes to brands, materials, and tools.

After you gather information from the professionals, visit your local home improvement store and talk with someone in the paint department. They can further advise you about some of the new trends and products. Ask them about special promotions, pricing, tools, and tricks that can save you time and effort.

Decide where to buy your paint. Pick a store that carries not only high quality paint, but also the accompanying primers, cleaning solutions, and supplies. Be sure you can buy more of the same exact paint in the event you run out before you complete your project.

Get Creative

Talk with a color or design expert about the results you want to achieve. Think about your color scheme. Do you want lots of color, or do you prefer subtle hues? Do warm, earthy tones inspire you, or do you prefer grays, blacks, and silvers? What colors make you feel happy? Relaxed? Excited? Think about this as you choose your colors.

Consider using different colors on different walls. Get paint samples to determine how the different colors compliment each other throughout your home. If you have a hard time imagining a complete wall of Oriental Red, buy a sample-sized can and paint a posterboard as a trial. It’s much less expensive to sample than to find out later on that you don’t like the color.

Try using different colors to accentuate special design features such as built in shelving, a fireplace, or an arch. Think about mixing wallpaper into your plan to add interest and excitement to a dull or overlooked wall.

You might want to try your hand at faux painting, a popular technique used to create different textures and effects on painted walls. Again, use a poster board as a sample and to test your hand before moving on to your walls. Here are some types of the exciting things you can try:

• Sponge painting: Apply a base paint and let it dry completely. Then apply a mixture of a second color mixed with a faux glaze. The faux glaze is a transparent medium that allows you to apply the second color in swirls, spatters, or streaks. Use a natural sponge to dab or wipe the second color over the first. Speak with a paint expert for suggestions and tips, and play with the strokes until you get the effect you want.
• Rag rolled: Apply the base color and let it dry. Stroke the second color onto small sections. Roll up a clean rag into a wad, and dab or streak it over the second color. This removes some of the second color leaving the first to create an interesting two-tone three-dimensional effect.
• Striee: This technique creates a fine grain, well suited to formal or elegant rooms. Apply the base color and let it dry completely. Mix a second color, faux glaze, and water. Use a natural sponge or dry paintbrush to drag from the top to the bottom of the wall or trim. This creates light, parallel lines reminiscent of wood grain.

There are limitless choices for creating interesting effects on your painted walls. To learn more about them, talk with a decorator or expert at your home improvement store, get some ideas from your public library, or take advantage of the information on the Internet. Some home improvement stores even offer classes on wall finishes, free of charge.

Details

The condition of your walls affects the success of your project. When in doubt, use a primer. A good primer can save you years of frustration with peeling, sloughing, or streaky paint. It not only covers imperfections, but it also helps your new color to completely cover the old. This is especially important if you change colors from light to dark—or dark to light.

Take an inventory of the tools you have, and determine what you need to do the job. Be sure you have everything on hand before you get started.

When you set the time aside for your project, plan to spend more time prepping and cleaning up than painting. The extra time, however, ensures a high quality paint job and tools that you can use again.

Weather Matters

You might never have thought that the weather makes a difference in the success of an interior painting project. Paint dries quickly when the humidity is below 60%. If it’s higher than that, use a dehumidifier. The best indoor temperature is above 50° and below 80°.

Plan your project so that you can open the windows to the outside. It’s important that you ventilate your room while you are working.

Ready, Set, Go

Before you start, find out if you can you enlist your friends or family to help. If you work alone, plan to finish a 15 ft. ² room in 1–2 days.

Be sure you have the time to finish any projects you start. Think about how you can fit the project in with a full-time job or family obligations.

Then gather your materials, spread the drop cloths, open the windows, and get ready to paint.

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