There are many factors to consider before painting your walls and ceiling, including time, cost, and weather. But the most important decision is the color. Educate yourself and take the time to choose wisely.
Paint Walls and Ceiling to Change Your Outlook
Interior painting is one of the most inexpensive ways to drastically change the look of your home. Color can change your mood and set the tone. Decide on the function of the room and then start collecting paint swatches.
Choosing Paint Colors and Primers
Some paints now come in two ounce sample sizes, and some paint companies provide a larger paint swatch than the traditional two inch card. If you can, paint a board the color that you are considering and move it around the room before you paint the walls. Colors change depending on the amount of natural light that comes in the room. Look at your swatch throughout the day and see if you like the color in different lights.
If you choose a deep color, have your paint professional or home center tint the primer. Primers are not able to take a lot of saturation from color, so the deepest you might be able to get is grey, but that can help the project tremendously. Dark colors, especially reds, take many coats of paint. A tinted primer cuts down on the number of coats while evening the surface.
Before You Paint Walls and Ceiling, Prep!
Before you begin to paint, tape off and cover anything you don't want painted. Use caulking to seal any gaps between molding, wainscoting or other highlight feature.
Clean your painting surface and prime it. Primer evens out the color of the surface so your paint goes on uniformly.
Highlight Features
Your room likely has special things you want to feature. Paint walls and ceiling different colors. A lighter ceiling makes a room look taller, and a darker ceiling brings the room down to a smaller, cozier height. Paint molding and other special features a contrasting color to bring more attention to them.
