Top Home Improvement Tips

Archive for the ‘Interior Design’ Category

We all wish to paint our home walls with fine looking and long lasting wall paints. Many people however do not get the desired end result. There are a host of reasons that can lead to such situations; the most common one is the wrong choice of paint. Many people make hasty decisions for their wall paints and overlook the important elements like paint type and the qualities they posses. For such negligence they end up paying a high price by re doing their walls all over again or at least getting the touch-ups done. Read the rest of this entry »

After the Industrial Revolution decorative color pigments from unusual sources, such as botanical materials, animal waste, insects and mollusks, where harvested and traded over long distances. Lapis Lazuli (a semi-precious stone) was used to form a pigment known as ultramarine. It was considered a great luxury and therefore very expensive and highly regarded.

Pigments produced from the female form of the “Cochineal”, an insect native to Central and South America, are still used today in dye, food, fabric, body paint, and plastics. These pigments were used by Peruvians since before the 8th century and they were also used by the Catholic Church for its Cardinal vestments. The English Redcoats used them for their vibrant colored uniforms. They were kept a secret until the 18th century when biologists discovered the source. They are not used as often today as we have added synthetics to the formula Read the rest of this entry »

I have strong feelings about the unspoken painting ‘rules’ that seem to be pervasive regarding trim color for homes. As a Color and Design Consultant in Seattle, I have found that white trim and ceilings are a safe plan for many, but truly what it can result in is many contrasting outlines. This is fine, even amazing, in very large, high ceiling traditional estates. In our typical urban dwellings with many windows and doors and low ceilings, what this can do is make a lot of visual tension for the eye and soul.

Here is a solution: Paint the trim to match the wall it is on, just simply change the sheen. Read the rest of this entry »

To create a feeling of luxurious silk or designer wallpaper “faux dragging” can be applied on the majority of adequately smooth and readied surfaces. Whilst it is a fairly easy technique to actually learn it creates enormous benefits to the overall painting and decorating project as the finishes are both luxurious and stunning.

A huge number of different glazes and latex paints can be used to create the “faux dragging” effect but we would always suggest using an oil based paint or glaze as it will give your more leeway in terms of trying to manipulate it into the requisite styles as non-oil based ones can dry extremely quickly. This best thing about this technique is that not only does it work on walls and ceilings but it can easily be applied to most types of woodwork and furniture. Read the rest of this entry »

Your home is perhaps the most vital purchase you made or will make in your lifetime, and you don’t want it to get deteriorated over time. In order to maintain its beauty and quality, it is very much important for home owners to use quality wall paints especially for house exterior. As the outer parts experience rough weather most of the times, it needs special care and safety from rough weather elements especially rain water and heat. Therefore, it is important to apply good quality wall paints to house exterior as it will increase the life of exterior walls. Read the rest of this entry »

Painting is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to freshen and add value to your house. You can paint any time of year but Fall is an excellent time to focus on exterior painting projects.

In summer, spending the whole day working in the hot sun can be physically taxing and if your home has flowerbeds and landscaping next to the house, it can sometimes be difficult to get close to your painting surfaces unimpeded.

Fall offers cooler temperatures to make the work a pleasant task. Since your garden is about to be retired for the season, you don’t need to worry about damaging plants as you go about your task. Fall offers other benefits for the house painter.

The cool crisp air means that you won’t be plagued by insects and pollen landing on your newly painted surfaces and sticking there as the paint dries. Best of all, with the addition of a coat of paint or stain, your wood surfaces will have added protection against the damaging effects of winter snow and ice in the months ahead. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s only been two years since you had your home repainted, and there is already noticeable peeling on the interior and exterior of your walls. Though you may initially chalk this up to a flawed job by the painting company, further investigation could lead you to another culprit.

Moisture and exposure to water can negatively affect the longevity and appearance of your paint. The specific causes and solutions vary depending on the location and the extent of peeling; however, it is the loss of adhesion which ultimately causes paint to peel. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to prevent damage to your paint from moisture. Read the rest of this entry »

Stained trim can look good but sometimes over the years of painting the walls paint can get on the sides rendering it very sloppy looking. The best way to fix this is to paint over the stain. Painting over stained wood trim is a bit more difficult than repainting trim that has paint already on it or is new. There are steps you will need to take to ensure the stain does not bleed through the paint causing discoloration. It may be a bit tedious and take a bit of time but will definitely increase the rooms in the house.

The first thing you must do is determine if the stained trim has any polyurethane on it or not. If there is polyurethane on it then you will need to take some very fine sandpaper and run it lightly along the surface just to add a small amount of scuff to it. This will increase the bonding of the primer you will be applying to the stained trim. Read the rest of this entry »

Every once in a while, it is important to spruce up your home by applying good coat of paint. If this strikes a chord with you, what you need is a number of strategies on picking colors for your home improvement painting project. A number of design and style factors are necessary in this regard.

Each house and home is unique in a number of senses. What color scheme works for one project may be out of place on another one. This means that the decision has to begin with an evaluation of what hues and shades work best in attaining or enhancing the look and feel that defines your home. While a total overhaul may feel like the best decision, what is often needed is but an enhancement of the features already in place and your home has a decidedly novel look that will leave your guests and neighbors awestruck. Read the rest of this entry »

The market for buying and selling property is a one tough climate. Sellers in particular need to take do everything they can to improve the attractiveness of their home and increase their selling power.

In the housing market, the prospective buyer’s first impression of a house is certainly the one that counts the most. Whether they are inspecting the home in person, driving past in the car, or chancing upon a picture in the paper, the initial sight of a bright, eye-catching, well-looked-after home creates interest and attracts potential buyers. Read the rest of this entry »