Painting Advice

Painting a room can make a huge difference to the look and feel of your home. But, so many people have trouble selecting the paint color, the right finish for the room and preparing the walls correctly.

One of the most popular things that I do is select paint colors for customers to make the house flow and make it pleasing from room to room. I tell my clients that it is easiest to pull paint colors from fabrics on furniture, window treatments or from accessories, than picking the paint first. You need to create common themes through each room with those items and then pull the paint colors, often using various shades, lighter and darker from the same palette to make it cohesive, yet interesting.

I asked my painter, Brian Otten, of Otten Painting and Blinds to give us some of his tips. He's been in the painting business for 17 years. Brian worked for the Porter Paint Company from 1993-2001. Then he started Otten Painting and Blinds, specializing in residential interior and exterior repaints.

Here is his advice:

What kind of paint should be used for what room?

I would recommend using an eggshell sheen on most if not all areas of any home. An eggshell sheen will provide washability and touch up capability and will help hide drywall flaws. A satin sheen can be used in bathrooms for a little harder finish.

Is there a new product out now that you like?

Ralph Lauren makes a product called Suede that I've used a few times. It's fairly easy to use but is labor intensive. It looks like suede leather on your wall.

What's the best way to prepare a room to be painted?

The first thing is to wipe down the baseboards with a wet rag. Even if your not painting the base the top will need to be cleaned because of dust. Next the walls will have to be inspected for dings, nicks, nail holes, and nail pops. If there are nail pops they will have to be dug out and filled with a light weight spackling. A light sanding of any patching will have to be done before painting. The floors should be covered with drop clothes and all the face plates should be removed

Do some colors take more coats of paint than others?

Yes, the paint store manager should be able to help you there. Most ultra deep colors call for extra coats. A large change in shade like off white to very dark can take extra coats. I would always use 2 coats. One coat usually won't cover and a second will help with sheen consistancy and washability

Any other painting tips or advice?

If your planning on doing your own painting buy good materials; Brushes, Roller covers, and paint. Figure around 350-400sq ft per gallon. Remember that the higher you go in sheen the more washable the paint may be but you lose the ability to touch up later and imperfections will really jump out at you. There's a good chance that the flat on your wall is hiding imperfections that you may see with a higher sheen.

Thanks for the advice, Brian. Please let me know any questions that you have about painting.

Decorating Trends

Here are some ideas for freshening up your home:

• Gray is becoming the new neutral wall color instead of browns. This can be brightened up with accessories. Imagine a steel gray with accents of lime green or orange or fushia. It turns a normally dull color into a background that will let art and accessories stand out.

• Add some new pillows, artwork or greenery like small herbs to your space to start bringing in subtle touches of spring. It will really pick up your attitude in these dull months of winter that are left!

• Don't wait until the kids are almost gone to have the look that you want! In today's world of microfiber, leather, great acrylic fabrics and stain repellant finishes, you can have a great looking room now. Rugs and furniture can be treated to protect against wear and spills. I am not waiting 10 years for my house to look good and neither should you!

• Are you looking for some fun furniture to jazz up your child or teen's bedroom. Check out my favorite furniture from toddler to teen at http://www.youngamerica.com/. It's all made in the U.S. again, so the quality is great and so are the color choices!