Archive for the ‘Painting’ Category
Decorating with Different Color Schemes no comments
Homeowners will oftentimes feel overwhelmed about choosing a color scheme for a room. When you choose a color scheme, once you settle on one color you have to determine what other potential colors to incorporate into the room as well. So what’s the best way to choose a color scheme? One of the best tools to have at your fingertips is a color wheel.
What Is the Color Wheel?
After performing an experiment with a prism, Sir Isaac Newton was the first to use the color wheel. He found that pure white light had a wide spectrum of colors that would reflect. This spectrum of colors, known as the color wheel, has been used ever since for decorating and classifying colors.
The Classification of Colors Using the Color Wheel
The color wheel classifies colors into three different categories.
1. The first category is primary colors and is composed of red, yellow, and blue.
2. Next you have the secondary colors, which are orange, green, and violet. The primary colors are mixed together to create these colors.
3. Finally, there are the tertiary colors, which include colors like red-orange, yellow-orange, blue-green, and yellow-green. Basically, all these colors are formed by combining the primary colors with the secondary colors that are next to them.
Monochromatic Color Scheme Explained
If you choose to go with a monochromatic color scheme, expect the result to look exactly as it sounds. Essentially, you pick one color and use only that color for the entire room. The key is to pick varying shades of that color, from light to dark. You can also use white in the color scheme, which will help break up the color.
Analogous Color Scheme Explained
With an analogous scheme, you include anywhere from two to six different colors a room. Here, you use colors that are adjacent to one another on the color wheel. Consider the color red, for example. You might choose orange or purple as the accent colors, being that they are the colors next to red on the wheel. When choosing your colors, it’s always best to start with your main color and then choose between your accent color choices.
Complementary Color Scheme Explained
One of the most popular decorating color schemes is the complementary color scheme. Essentially, you begin with a main color (such as yellow or red) and then go directly across to color wheel to find its complementary color. If you go with yellow, for instance, than you would look to the purple family for its complement. But if your color is green, you would look in the pinks. This can always be played with a little bit. Try mixing the family of colors: it could be green and pink, or it could be green and red.
Triad Color Scheme Explained
Another very popular design for homeowners is the triad color scheme. In this case, you use a three-color combination that on the color wheel forms a triangle together. For instance, orange, green, and purple would make up a triad. Choose one of these colors as your main color and use the others for accents. Or you might use two of them as the primary colors and then accent with the third.
No matter what color scheme you choose for your home, remember that both white and black are neutrals. Thus, they can be added to any colors without changing the color scheme too much. By playing around with the color wheel and some of these color scheme suggestions, you will be able to come up with some great options for the rooms in your home.
About the Writer…
For over four decades Leon Tuberman has helped people with their home furnishings and interior decorating needs. He owns and manages a popular furniture store in Los Angeles. They have a large inventory of handcrafted American built solid wood furniture for your bedroom, dining room and living room. Are you searching for a oak nightstands for your master bedroom or a wood dining table for your formal dining room then they probably have everything you need.
Tips For Painting Drywall! no comments
The Top 3 Things to Consider When Selecting a House Painting Contractor no comments
In a world where everything centers around time and money, it is no wonder that most people are interested in finding the most inexpensive painting contractor that also offers the fastest service. What could be better than a speedy and inexpensive house painting service, right?
Well, as I’m sure you have discovered with a house painting contractor by this point in your life, what sounds great in theory does not always have such a promising outcome.
To illustrate this point I have created a list of the top 3 things to consider when selecting a contractor to paint your home. In addition, I have listed with each tip, what the possible outcome might be if you do not pay attention to these details.
Are you ready?
Ok, class is now in session so pay close attention
1. To Cheap To Be True?
Let me ask you a question. Do you ever remember hearing the timeless old slogan “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”? Well, I would be the first person to admit that I have always been the last person to give any mind to this slogan. However, when it comes to hiring a house painting contractor I have learned the hard way that this slogan holds a great deal of validity in this matter.
Why?
Well for a number of reasons, all of which I will not go into here; however, I will state the most important reason. Whether it be exterior house painting or interior, the process requires a great deal of time, focused attention to detail, and professional workmanship. It is simply impossible to do an A++ job in a very small time period. It takes patience from both parties; the contractor as well as the home owner.
When considering a contractor for the job, do not base your final decision on how cheap the person/company is. Rather, be leery of anyone offering a price to cheap to be true.
2. Unbelievable Deadline
In many areas in life, the faster you can get things done, the better. That being said, it is only natural that you would be hooked and reeled in by a painter who promises to have your entire home painted within a very short period of time.
Here is a rule of thumb for this topic. If it sounds like an unbelievable deadline, run away as fast as you can.
Though the house painting contractor may be able to meet his self-proclaimed deadline, you will likely have major problems down the line.
This is because the painter is probably cutting corners in order to meet this deadline. When a painter cuts necessary corners, you are the one who ultimately pays for it.
3. References, References, and More References
Any house painting contractor that is worthy of your business will have a very large list of satisfied customers. Furthermore, these customers should be so satisfied with the job they received that they are more than willing to be used as a reference.
What this means to you is that when you ask the prospective contractor for references they should not offer a moments hesitation to hand over some very quality references. In fact, most quality painters will not wait for you to ask for their references. They will be so confident with their abilities that they come right out and offer their list of satisfied customers to you for your inspection.
The point here is that if the person/company you are considering for the job has a traceable history of providing quality work, chances are you will also receive top notch service.
In conclusion, you should always use these top 3 items as a means of determining the worth of anybody bidding for your house painting job. If they smell fishy, throw them back; however, if they check out by these standards, you certainly have a great chance of scoring high quality work.
More information on a house painting contractor and a College Works Painting in your area is just a click away.
A Few Home Exterior Painting Safety Tips no comments
When I was a child, the most annoying thing I ever heard an authority figure say was “Safety First”. My goodness, did I despise that phrase.
Why?
Because when you are a child the last thing you are ever concerned about are safety precautions. Actually, when I was a child, if it was safe I didn’t think it was fun! Well, 15 years and numerous injuries later I do see the fundamental value of this seemingly archaic parental phrase.
I never would have imagined that I would be writing articles on how to do things home exterior painting safer; however, when you are home exterior painting avoiding unnecessary injuries can be very beneficial.
Safety First!
What I have concluded to do here is compose a brief list of safety tips that could potentially save you a very large hospital bill.
So, let’s start with the most obvious and work our way down.
Ladder Considerations
When using a ladder to execute your home exterior painting job, there are a few things that you can do to decrease your risk of injury.
• Consider the Surface
Before you haggle your way up the ladder, be sure that it has a very FIRM stance.
What do I mean by firm?
I mean that it should not toggle back and forth at all; I mean that it should be on a flat surface; and I mean that it should be on a solid surface. Grass (for instance) is NOT to be considered a solid surface even though it is a flat surface.
• Consider the Ladder
Now, we all know that everybody wants to save a buck; however, when your options are reduced to possibly breaking a leg or saving a few dollars which one sounds more appealing?
I don’t know about you but I would rather keep all of my body parts in tact. So, be sure that your ladder is new or at least in excellent condition. It should be a very firm structure and be able to support 2-3 times your actual body weight. Be sure that there are no broken pieces. If the ladder is made of wood, make certain that there are no cracks in it.
Protect Your Body
After you are certain that your ladder is in excellent working condition, you will want to purchase personal safety equipment.
• Dust Masks
Dust masks will help prevent you from inhaling any harmful chemicals.
• Steel-Toe Boots
I know this sounds a bit extreme but you would be amazed at the number of toe injuries incurred by home exterior painting accidents. So, in order to prevent ALL of your little piggies from going to the hospital, purchase a pair of steel toe boots.
Neat Freak
I think we can all agree that neat freaks are difficult to live with. They are overly observant and often times create the potential for a WW3 break out over a spoon being left unwashed. However, when you are planning for a home exterior painting, it would be wise to take on some of these “Neat Freak” traits.
It is vital that you keep your workspace clean so as to avoid any unnecessary injuries. After all, who wants to go to the hospital in a stretcher because they tripped over a paint bucket?
Follow These Tips and you will be sure to avoid injuries while executing your exterior home painting.
Good luck!
More information on home exterior painting and a College Works Painting in your area is just a click away.
Tips For Painting Drywall! no comments
Painting drywall is a fairly specialized task but with the right equipment, tools and preparation it is one that can be achieved by nearly anyone. The following steps apply:
(1) Drywalling jobs are best done when the weather is fairly warm and not too humid. Make certain that the surface to be painted is dry, clean, and free from oil and grease. Three coats of a joint compound should be applied to the drywall, then the joints between panels need to be taped with paper or fiberglass-mesh tape. This ensures the joint gets surfaced over. Fill in any cracks or marks the same way.
(2) Wiping the dust off walls and ceilings before priming may produce a cleaner finish yet from experience, I would suggest a light sanding with fine grade sandpaper (200 grit) after the prime coat has dried. Any imperfections, raised fibers and rough chips get smoothed off with ease. Wearing goggles and a mask is a good idea when drywalling as gypsum dust can be really irritating and in some people has been known to cause breathing problems and eye infections; always dress in sensible protective clothing.
(3) Before painting get out the vacuum cleaner or hand dust out electrical boxes and take care to remove dust above doorway or window trim. As with any painting job, drop cloths should be used to protect finished floors, doors, windows, taps and any other fixtures, 1-mil plastic or “painter’s plastic” is highly recommended.
(4) Do not let the drywall sit too long after being taped and sanded as sunlight can cause the face paper of the drywall to yellow and fade looking uneven after painting. Use a good-quality latex stain-killing paint before priming to combat yellowing.
(5) Three painting techniques commonly used are to apply with a brush, a roller or by spraying. A brush is fine for cutting in around trim and for fiddly areas like corners. Rollers are great for large areas, the bigger the area to be painted the bigger the roller used should be. Roll the top coat across the direction that the primer coat was applied; this promotes evenness for a great finish. Using a sprayer is a faster technique yet the finish achieved doesn’t always look as uniform and consistent as using a paint roller. A better idea is to use a paint-sprayer followed by a second person who rolls the finish. Makes quick work!
(6) Two coats of paint should be adequate. One trick when it comes to priming drywall is to paint the first coat with a low-sheen, latex flat wall paint, tinted to match the color of the top coat. The problem with using standard ‘primers’ or ‘sealers’ or even a good-quality ‘primer-sealer’ is they don’t always adequately cover taped seams and fasteners. You sometimes end up with a bit of a see-through effect which does not look good. It is never a wise idea to skip the first coat as it prepares the surface for the top coat to be applied.
(7) For the top coat, two coatings of a gloss paint (includes satin and eggshell) used for wall surfaces, leaves a finish that is easily washable and not prone to smudges and marks. Bathrooms and kitchens, heavy cleaning areas, are ideal rooms for this. A flat paint is a better option used on the ceiling. A photographing (transparent) effect will be avoided; common with gloss paints.
Take time to prepare your drywall, use good quality painting products and tools and you should end up with an even, impressive-looking finish that will last for years. Consulting a paint specialist at the hardware store before beginning any job will clear up any doubts over which products are the best ones to use. Keep in mind that some jobs may require adjustments to the steps listed in order to achieve the best painting result.
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