Updating your home's interior is an important part of maintaining its appeal and value, but most homeowners don’t know where to begin. Considering your home has multiple walls throughout the interior, a fresh coat of paint can add enormous style, texture and value.
Choosing paint can be overwhelming for most homeowners. Thankfully, selecting new interior paint does not have to be stressful or time-consuming. Using these tips and the help of your painting contractor, you can find the best paint for your home's interior.
The first step in choosing a new interior paint is selecting a color. Obviously, this will require a lot of thought because there are so many options available. To make your selection a little easier, focus on the colors that are attractive to you. This can be accomplished by looking at your home's existing furniture and décor.
If your furniture is upholstered in a material with colorful patterns or you have a large area rug in the space, pull a color out of the pattern to consider for your wall. That colorful pattern must have appealed to you, so choosing one of those colors can be a great option for your interior walls.
If your furniture and décor are tan, beige or brown, you may prefer a more neutral color for your wall. In the past, white and eggshell were the most commonly used neutral colors for paint. Today, there are modern neutrals that would work for your wall. Here are a few of the newest neutrals to consider:
- Gray
- Beige
- Sage green
- Moss green
- Light blue
- Lavender
- Straw yellow
Many homeowners are fearful of adding color to their walls. If you are worried that a new paint color will overwhelm your space, create an accent wall.
Apply a fresh coat of white or eggshell to the majority of walls in a room, but use one of the new neutrals to paint one wall in the space. This will freshen up the room while improving it with a small amount of color.
Once you select the paint color, you will need to choose a type of finish. It is important to note that some finishes are not recommended for certain rooms of your house. Use the following information to determine which finish is right for your space.
Gloss
If you are painting a kitchen or bathroom, opt for a paint with a glossy finish. The glossy finish allows you to wipe away moisture and food splatters, which is beneficial for keeping the walls of your kitchen and bathroom clean. Semigloss or high- gloss are also recommended in high-traffic areas of your house, such as foyers, hallways or mudrooms.
Satin
A satin finish is easy to clean but lacks the shiny finish that is common with semigloss and high-gloss paints. Most people compare a satin finish with the look of velvet. Consider satin in your living and dining rooms.
Eggshell
If you want an affordable option that looks great, choose an eggshell paint finish. Unfortunately, eggshell finishes will show marks, smudges and other imperfections. Avoid using eggshell paint in your kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms and family rooms, but it will be suitable for a formal area that does not see much use.
You may have chosen the perfect color in the right finish, but the lighting in the room can greatly alter the look of your paint color. If a north-facing room receives a large amount of natural light, use strong paint colors to prevent a muted, bland appearance.
For south-facing rooms, remember that natural light will make darker colors look brighter. Light paint colors will be very bright, almost glowing on the walls. Your best option for choosing the right color and finish for walls with natural light is to use samples. Apply different paint colors in small amounts so you can see how the color looks at different times of the day.
Painting your home does not have to be a stressful, overwhelming task. For an efficient job that will enhance your home's interior design and appeal, contact Elite Painting & Wall Covering, Inc.
