Saturday 1 August 2015

How to Paint Your House

The time has come in our #MakingHome adventure to seriously think about our painting choices. Having bought a new build property, we were advised to wait for 12-18 months before painting and although we've had the odd chat about colours, picked up colour charts etc, 12 months will be approaching in October and I cannot wait to get started! I want to make sure we do a proper job from the get go so I'm starting to get to grips with what I need to think about.

Why do you have to wait to paint a new build property? 
When a house is built, it requires a certain amount of time to 'dry out'. The walls are finished with a water based paint to allow this process and it is possible that cracks will appear in the skirting and around edges and at joints in the building work. It is advised to wait a certain length of time depending on the season at the time the house was built and completed. Once it has dried out you will be able to fill in the cracks and paint in a more suitable paint option (i.e. wipeable!) without concern that further cracking will appear. 

How do you decide on a colour scheme?
No one can help you decide on what you prefer but there are a few things to consider when making your choice:
  • What do you like? This should always be at the forefront of any decisions. There is no point in copying a stylish magazine page if you don't like the colour scheme in any other context. Think about your favourite colours and how they make you feel.
  • What do you want to mood of the room to be? Certain shades of green might create a relaxed environment whereas bright bold colours might evoke different emotions. 
  • What is the overall theme in the house? Are there other rooms visible from the space you are thinking about? Try to avoid clashing colours in adjacent spaces especially if they are viable from one another. Sticking to the same hues say in the upstairs or downstairs areas or even throughout the whole house will create a space that isn't to 'busy'  making it a more relaxed atmosphere. 
  • What is the lighting like? If the space doesn't get a lot of natural light throughout the day, you may not want to use darker shades. Rooms that are more open or light will be more suited to darker colours. 
To feature or not to feature?
I recently read an article that suggested feature walls are completely out of fashion. I don't know if this is the general consensus. I think if you like something go for it. Your home is yours to enjoy after all. We will only be painting one wall in our kitchen to complement the oak style sideboards and break up the white over kill of the cupboards, floor tiles and walls. In the front room however the intention is to go one colour. We're thinking grey but are yet to find the perfect shade.

What kind paint should you use?
There are so many paint options that it is easy to get overwhelmed. My default resource for information is asking the staff at the paint counter in my local DIY centre. We really need to have a finish that is washable and it seems that Valspar and B&Q Colours come highly recommended. Here is an online guide that I have found that gives you a bit more detail on various paint options as a starting point.

Do walls need 'prepping?'
The best paint jobs will involve a certain degree of prepping whether that is filing in holes and cracks, removing paper or cleaning grease spots. I had a look online and found this guide from B&Q on what preparation you will need to do and how to do it.

Where to start; walls or wood? 
There seems to be a large school of thought that painting the woodwork first is the best idea. This guide gives loads of tips on painting in general and confirms that painting the trim first  may be the best idea.

What else can you paint? 
Don't stop at walls! I recently saw some spice racks jazzed up with paint and used as a book ledge. Imagination is all it takes. You can paint all manner of things to compliment your decor. How about plant pots on the patio visible from the kitchen paint in the same colour. Storage boxes? Shelves? Picture frames in complimenting colours? Just decide first on the right paint for the right material

Any painting tips from you lovely lot? DIY disasters? Paint recommendations? Tweet @MrsCraftyB with #MakingHome or get in touch via our Facebook page


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5 comments:

  1. So important to get the prep done when you're painting! I find that part really boring and am always tempted to rush it to get on with the good bit - the actual painting. Enjoy decorating your new place!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, can't wait to get started this week! :-)

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  3. I was seriously excited with you making home adventure. We engaged our efforts to browse some features article on building permit Markham terms but on the search page the title of this post drew our attention as the perfect pint ideas for home is really wanted always. The color ideas and featuring what or not was very useful and knowledgeable. I appreciate your brilliant project.

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  4. Outstanding job! Painting surely an indispensable part of any home. Perfect painting in the right time can surely make the house super looking and also ensure the longer lasting. Just dug the deeper into your sweet and helpful details. Why to wait, colour scheme, feature or not to feature, kind of paint- every step you described was very rich help for me. Love your gorgeous and elegant painting help.
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