Fresh Paint
Can Revive a Room
Anyone
who has ever redecorated knows how much money you can spend
on new rugs, drapes and furniture. But there's another, more
economical way to redo a room -- with a fresh coat of paint.
Consider
the fact that much of what one sees in a room consists of
the walls, ceiling and woodwork. Consider also that today's
top quality interior paints offer an almost endless variety
of color, sheen and texture.
If
you are about to join the legion of homeowners and apartment
dwellers who regard interior painting as the ideal way to
revive and reinvigorate a room, here are some tips on getting
the best results, courtesy of the Paint Quality Institute.
First,
decide on a color scheme for your room. Start by collecting
swatches of fabric, a piece of carpeting, accent pieces, or
other color "prompts" from the room. Take them to the color
display where you buy your paint and look for paint colors
that work well with these items.
Select
several color cards that appeal to you, and take them home.
Tape the color cards to the surfaces that will be painted
in those colors. Colors may look quite different when used
on a vertical surface like a wall, rather than a horizontal
surface like a ceiling. Also, since lighting conditions can
drastically alter the way a color looks, be sure to observe
the colors both during the day, and under artificial lighting
at night.
After
deciding upon a color scheme, determine which paint sheen
or gloss to use in the room. Most lines of paint come in a
number of sheen levels: flat, eggshell, satin, semigloss,
and gloss. Flat paints have the lowest sheen or luster; they
tend to be light-absorbing. At the other end of the scale
are gloss (often called "high gloss") paints, which are very
light-reflective. Because of their sheen levels, the color
of flat paints looks subdued, while the luster of gloss paints
makes the color appear lighter and brighter.
Gloss,
semigloss and satin paints are more stain resistant and easier
to clean than paints with lower sheen. Some paint manufacturers
offer interior paint systems that include a textured ingredient,
which gives the finished paint job a coarse surface. But the
illusion of texture can also be achieved by painting with
pattern.
Pattern
is generally imparted using one of several decorative painting
techniques, such as "sponging," "stippling," or "rag-rolling."
If
you are interested in trying one of these painting techniques,
ask for advice where you buy your paint.
Or
you can visit the Paint Quality Institute Web site at www.paintquality.com
for step-by-step instructions.
Whatever
look you choose for your redecorating project, the Paint Quality
Institute recommends that you use high quality interior paint
for the best long-term performance.
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