While
fingerpainting your walls may be good for a kindergartener's room
we suspect that you're actually trying to fool people into thinking
that your paint job was done professionally. So to do so, you'll need
some supplies:
- 3-inch
flat brush
- Small
angled brush for trim or corners
-
Canvas drop cloths, plastic tarps or newspapers
-
Spackle (a substance used to fill in cracks before painting)
-
Turpentine (if using oil-based paint)
-
Bucket to clean brushes in
-
Painter's tape or masking tape
-
Putty knife
-
Sandpaper
-
Primer
-
Cleaning rags
- Roller
(with extension pole for tall walls or ceilings)
-
Roller tray
-
Disposable rubber gloves
Oh,
and getting some paint would help, wouldn't it, Einstein?
First measure the square footage of the surfaces you're going to
paint in order to know how much you'll need. Paint cans tell you
how much paint they contain in square footage, so as long as you
measure, you'll be fine.
Here's
how to pick the right paint:
Choose
a type of paint
Choose a finish
Choose a color
Choose a shade
Choose your brushes and rollers
Choose
a type of paint
The
type of paint you use (and its finish) are essential factors if
you want a neatly painted room. Substances like mercury and lead,
which were used for centuries in paint, are now banned. That's because
it's dangerous to eat the paint chips of lead- or mercury-based
paint. Sure, you don't eat paint chips, but little kids eat all
kinds of disgusting things (bugs, boogers, play-doh, etc.); if they
eat lead-based paint, they could suffer from brain deficiencies
later in life. Here are the two types of paint you should consider:
-
Latex-based paint. This is easiest to work with and the
easiest to clean up -- only soap and water are required. Latex
is best used on walls, floors and metal surfaces. It also works
well on woodwork.
- Oil-based
paint. This is also known as alkyd-based, and requires
a solvent-like turpentine to clean off of paintbrushes, your
skin, and the telephone when you answer it in an unguarded moment.
Oil-based paint is stain-resistant and sticks well to walls
and ceilings. It is particularly popular for bathrooms and kitchens.
Choose
a finish
Once
you've decided on the merits of latex versus oil, you must pick
a finish (the same color of paint will usually be available in a
choce of finishes). A paint's finish affects how shiny the finished
paint job will look as follows:
- Flat
finish: This finish is good for large surfaces, since it
doesn't reflect light. It is often used in bedrooms, living
rooms, dining rooms and ceilings.
- Satin
finish: Such a finish is excellent to brighten up hallways,
common areas, and children's bedrooms and playrooms. It helps
soften the paint job, muting bright colors but still allowing
the color to shine through.
- Semi-gloss
finish: This finish is easy to clean, making it great for
high-traffic areas (kitchens, bathrooms, doors
).
- Gloss
finish: This finish reflects the most light and tends
to be used in small quantities (such as on trim).
Contrary
to popular belief, finish was not invented in Finland. That would
be the "Finnish."
Choose
a color
- White
- White (and its various incarnations such as off-white,
beige, and eggshell), provides a can't-go-wrong foundation for
any room. Yes, it's boring, but it also doesn't distract. It
also makes a room look brighter and bigger. It's great for just
about any room, especially bathrooms and kitchens. At its worst,
white is: too plain.
- Red
- Bright and bold, red suggests vitality and aggressiveness.
It can be a bit overwhelming for an entire room, but if you
have a bedroom that you want to convey amorous vibes, it's a
unique way to go. Deep, subtle shades of red such as burgundy
and maroon are perfect for living rooms. At its worst, red is:
too dramatic.
- Yellow
- Stimulating, sunny and cheerful, yellow is associated with
intellect, power and creative energy. Bright yellows bring warmth
and light into dark rooms, and pale yellows make small rooms
seem larger. It's also a great kitchen color. At its worst,
yellow is: disruptive.
- Blue
- Blue denotes harmony, peace, steadfastness and loyalty.
While it's appropriate for any room, blue is an excellent bedroom
color because it makes one feel comforted and serene. It can
also soften rooms that are over-bright. At its worst, blue is:
cold.
- Orange
- Orange combines the energy of red with the intellectual
associations of yellow. Dominant and lively, it's a fun choice
for bathrooms and work areas. Peachy oranges have a delicate
effect, while brownish oranges (like terra cotta) give off warm,
cozy vibes. Many living rooms are orange to give it that "den"
feeling. At its worst, orange is: non-relaxing.
- Green
- Green is refreshing and pleasing to the eye. It makes
dim apartments seem more vibrant by bringing a garden-like atmosphere
indoors. With its varying shades, green works in just about
any room. Just be sure not to go too dark. At its worst, green
is: dull.
- Violet
- Strong and majestic, violet is a powerful accent color.
Pastel violets take on the characteristics of red or blue depending
on which is more prominent in the shade. (Lilac, for example,
takes on blue's characteristics, while lavender takes on red's
qualities.) At its worst, violet is: overpowering.
- Black
- You probably like heavy metal, S&M, or some combination
thereof. Either way, it's way more than we want to know about
you. So don't paint a room black. It'll freak people out. Black
walls also tend to look dirty because dust shows up very clearly.
- Deep
"warm" colors give a room an intimate, cozy feel:
red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow.
- Light
"cool" colors make a room seem more spacious and
elegant: green, blue-green, blue, and blue-violet. White also
has this effect.
Choose
a shade
One
of the biggest problems that painters face is that what looks to
be "orange" on the sample in the store turns out to be
"brown" on your wall. So it's incredibly important to
pick the right shade of paint by examining it under different sources
of light. Here are some tips:
- Examine
the paint you desire under both natural light and the
bulbs that light up the room to be painted. Again a color
that looks perfect under the store's fluorescent rays will turn
to bilious shades at home.
-
Get samples of the paints you like, coat large sheets of poster
board to get a sense of the paint and prop them up around the
room to be painted. Look at them at different times of day,
because morning light will have a different impact than sunset
light. This will help you narrow your choice and prevent costly
mistakes.
- Lighting
fixtures also play a part. Diffused light will enrich the color
of walls and ceilings, whereas spotlights which focus on certain
points will change the color and add shadows to other areas.
-
Also look at the poster boards when the room is furnished as
it will be after the paint job. Furniture and curtains absorb
light and create a different effect than an empty room. You'll
also be able to see if the paint clashes with the furniture.
- When
using white or off-white paint, remember it reflects colors
around it, such as a blue carpet or burgundy furniture. In
general, lighter colors distort less with changes of light than
deeper colors.
- Remember,
the higher the gloss in a paint, the more light it will reflect.
Choose
your brushes and rollers
Now
that you know what kind of paint you're using, it's a cinch to figure
out what type of brush (and/or roller) you'll need. You don't necessarily
need both, but there are positives and negatives to each. Rollers
help the job go faster and can make your paint job look neater.
But rollers are also difficult to use in corners or weird surfaces.
No matter what, you're going to need a brush for touch-ups, but
we recommend that you start with a roller too.
If
you're using oil-based paint:
- Get
a brush with natural bristles.
- Get
a natural (lamb's wool) roller.
If
you're using latex-based paint:
- Get
a brush with synthetic bristles (because natural bristles absorb
the water in latex paint).
- Get
a synthetic (nylon) roller.
One
last note: rollers come in different pile depths, meaning
the thickness of fiber used on the roller. The rule of thumb is
to use a smoother pile with the smoother surface, and the rugged
piles with the rougher surfaces (so they can reach into the nooks
and crannies).
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