With these simple and cost effective painting tips and projects from Ace Hardware, you can update the style and décor of your home with ease, and at little cost.
“Do-it-yourselfers must recognize that painting is one of the most economical ways to make a noticeable difference in their homes. Homeowners can spend minimal dollars to paint rooms and create a fresh, new look,” stated Kristen Sneade, Paint Department leader at Sneade’s Ace Home Center, Owings, Maryland
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“A couple of coats of paint can change any room from drab to dynamite.”
Sneade offers these easy tips and projects that will improve your interior living space without costing you a fortune.
Painting Project Ideas for Any Budget:
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New Year’s Refresh
: To refresh your home for 2009, remember that lightly colored ceilings will make rooms look taller and more open, as will light-colored walls.
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Keep it Simple
: Neutral colors like whites convey an aura of simplicity, purity and cleanliness, as well as create a sensation of openness. Whites work well in kitchens, bathrooms and smaller spaces.
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Get Tough with Paint
: High gloss paints are great for high-traffic areas because they provide a tough, washable finish that also resists water and grease. Use them on kitchen and bathroom walls, kitchen cabinets, banisters and railings, trim work, furniture, doorjambs and windowsills.
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Mistakes Happen
: Camouflage architectural defects by using neutral paint colors that blend with neutral walls, ceilings, and floors.
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Get the Most Out of Your Space
: Make a long, narrow room seem wider by painting the shorter walls a darker color than the longer walls.
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Widen Your Color Palette
: When considering paint colors, blues, greens and purples are calming, contemplative colors, perfect for favorite retreats like bedrooms and libraries. Blue evokes harmony and peace, while green suggests safety, nature and revitalization.
Do-It-Yourself Painting Tips:
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Painting Prep
: Prior to starting your painting project, smooth over cracks and other surface imperfections with spackle and a putty knife, and then sand it down to make it smooth. Take a look at the surface from an angle with a good work light to reveal any imperfections that may need attention before you get rolling.
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The Right Brush, for the Perfect Paint
: For latex paint, synthetic-fiber brushes in a variety of flat and angled tips are the best paint brushes to use for trim and detail work because they allow you to be more precise when painting.
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Invest Now, Save Later
: It’s good to invest in highest quality roller covers and brushes for painting projects.
A good hard-core roller cover and roller cage will reduce the appearance of brush strokes and will speed your painting project.
“Painting is the best DIY project to try on your own,” explained Sneade. “You don’t have to be a professional painter to get great results.
Ninety percent of a good paint job is preparation - with good tools and good paint, your next painting project should be completed without a hitch.”