How to Pick a Color?
This is probably the most fun and possibly frustrating part of painting. Choosing the best color for your home is time-consuming, and it requires a lot of energy. Here are some advantageous tips to choose the best color for your home.
Start with Chips: Start with the color of paint chips to get a sense of what you’re looking for. Bring them to your house and fix them on the wall or put them behind baseboard or trim, and live with them for a few extra days. Both your eyes will gravitate toward one color more than another. Paint Chips are also useful for comparing with house furniture, draperies for windows and the like to make sure they all coordinate.
Move on to Samples: Once you’ve decided on your unique color family, choose four to five shades you want to test on the wall, and order samples. Be sure you prime the walls white if you’re going to be painting over another darker color. Again, living with these samples on the wall for a few days is a great way to see which one keeps your attention.
Check with Lighting: It’s important to check out your color samples during the day and with different unique lights. This makes such a big difference in the tone of the color, which you may love at dusk but decide feels garish at 7 a.m.. Don’t forget to consider effects of your internal lighting (all floor lamps, overhead lighting, etc.) when you have samples on the wall as well.
Paint Type: Latex vs. Oil
Latex paint is a great water-based paint, making clean-up way more easier. Since it is water-based, it can go down a standard drain with soap and water. It dries faster and doesn’t yellow over time, making it ideal for most projects. Chances are, for most applications you’ll want to choose latex paint.
Oil-based paint is thick and smooth, but requires more drying time and special precautionary and clean-up measures. You’ll want to wear a mask while you work, and the paint and solvents used to clean it are considered hazardous waste by many communities and can’t be thrown away directly.
Different Types of Finish
Finish might not be on your radar, but it should. Certain rooms and areas will benefit from different finishes of paint, so you’ll want to be sure you’re getting the best one for your application. Here’s a quick rundown of the options that are available and how to utilize them.
Flat: Flat paint is matte and has no sheen. This makes it easy to hide flaws since it isn’t drawing light to any trouble spots. The downside is cleaning: matte paint is not wipe-able so it’s not great for high-traffic areas. This is generally a specialty paint that works well in less-used spaces.
Satin/Eggshell: The standard for most areas. It’s easy to clean, not too shiny, and lasts well.
Semi-gloss: Semi-gloss has a shiny finish that is neither matte nor glossy. This makes it easier to wipe clean with a simple cloth, and gives it a finish. Trim benefits from a semi-gloss that stands out from the satin wall.
High-gloss: The name says it all: this is a very high-shine paint. Since it attracts the eye and light, it is best used for highlighting trim or in areas that see a lot of moisture and can benefit from the durability and easy cleaning of high-gloss paint. It is smooth, but also shiny, of the bunch.
Paint Costs
Paint can get expensive, there’s no getting around it. Shelling out for great paint is aninvestment, though, because the walls are something you live with daily, and flaws will distract your eye.
When shopping, have some numbers on hand: know your square footage, the price of the paint, and how much square footage a gallon of that type covers. Keep in mind that less expensive paint may require two coats, and a more expensive all-in-one paint may let you skip a primer. Don’t forget to factor in ceilings, doors and trim.
As you think through all of these different options, it is important to keep in mind that there are professional painters who are able to help you think through these steps. We recommend contacting a local painter to help you with these big decisions. If you are looking for painters Lafayette CO, then you can contact a local painter for help in finding a painting consultant who will be able to walk you through the process of choosing the best paint colors for your next project.