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Bedroom Wall Paint Color Tips

First, whether you choose the wall colors or you let your client choose and you design around them there are really no wrong choices. Even if your customer has no sense of the color wheel or complementary colors, you can get a sense of their goals for the room. If they choose lighter colors, maybe they want the space to look bigger. If they choose reds or earth tones, maybe they want to give it a warmer feel.

In any case, try some of the following to help get that personal sense from your customers for bedroom paint colors.

1. Ask them to Check Magazines and Social Media – Knowing what they like prefer can give you a clear direction for color choices. If they don’t know what they want or aren’t sure, ask your customers to browse magazine racks and social media to find things they like. As you know, Pinterest has become the online go-to place for decorating inspiration. Even let them in on some of the sites you use for ideas.
2. How Big is the Bedroom? – If it’s a smaller room, then lighter colors, like Benjamin Moore paint’s Palladian Blue, might be the way to go. Large bedrooms have the option of being made cozier with darker colors, either throughout the room or in a reading nook.
3. How Bright is the Room? Hand-in-hand with the room size is the brightness of the room. A small room with lots of natural light can tolerate somewhat darker colors, or bright accent colors, more than a small room with less light.

If you liked this post, check out our recent article on the interior design guidleine that will help you choose paint colours for any room.

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An Overview of the Colour Trends 2019

Before we get to our favourites, the 2019 colour trend palette represents a bit of a shift from colour trends of recent years. This is especially true of the colour of the year. The 2017 (Shadow) and 2018 (Caliente) colours of the year were bold, even emotive colours and their respective palettes reflected that.

As much as we loved the recent palettes, the 2019 colour trends are a welcome transition. We find the paint colors in the new palette to be comforting, composed and effortlessly refined. In her assessment of Metropolitan AF-690, the 2019 colour of the year, Ellen O’Neill, Benjamin Moore Director of Strategic Design Intelligence, sums it up nicely.

“Metropolitan AF-690 emanates nuance, harmony, and extravagant ease. Always adaptable, it softens to matte or shimmers with sheen. It’s neutral. It’s composed. It just is. This is colour, off-duty.”

Our Favourites from Benjamin Moore’s 2019 Colour Trends

First, we feel Metropolitan is an understated yet glamorous gray, but since we’ve covered it already, we’ll leave off the list below.

1. Metropolitan – This understated, yet glamorous gray creates a soothing atmosphere that is neither arresting nor aggressive, with cool undertones.
2. Beau Green – We thought we’d jump to the other end of the palette to Metropolitan with this bold, saturated green. It’s perfect for an accent wall in the living room, home theatre or family room.
3. Head Over Heels – This color is a neutral shade and adds staying power of the pink trend that’s been with us for over a decade.
4. Pashmina – As luxurious as the fine cashmere wool for which it is named, Pashmina creates a soothing, impactful ambiance.

If you liked this post, check out our recent article on Benjamin Moore’s colour of the year for 2019 – Metropolitan.

The post The Benjamin Moore 2019 Colour Trends We’re Most Excited About appeared first on The Paint People.

And it can be one of the toughest steps to get through. Especially if you’ve painted a room a few times, coming up with a colour scheme can be one of the more frustrating parts of the project.

Try the ‘Golden Ratio’ to Choose Paint Colour Combinations that Work Every Time

You can use a basic guiding principle of interior design to help you choose paint colours for any room in your home. But the guideline has nothing to do with paint colours. Instead, it is a rule of thumb for the proportion each colour in your combination should occupy in the finished room.

And the color combination might not be exclusive to wall paint colours. It could include other elements of your room, like furniture, accessories or accents.

60/30/10

It’s known as the ‘golden ratio’ of choosing colour combinations for interior designs. It’s why if you ever hire a professional interior designer they will likely, at some point in process, show you colour combinations of three colours for a room.

The primary colour (60%) might appear on most walls, the accent colour (30%) can work for a single wall or signature piece of furniture, and the accessories colour (10%) can work for things like door trim or throw pillows.

How to Start Choosing Colours

Even knowing something as important as the golden rule still doesn’t tell you which colour combinations work together. Sometimes using a colour wheel, designers often begin with just a colour pairing. These can be either analogous colours, which are often more calm and soothing, or complementary colours, which can be stronger and more energetic.

The third colour in your combination depends on the first two you choose. If the original pairing is more subdued, you might be able to go bolder with your third colour. If one or both of your first two colours are fairly strong or bold, you might not want to compete with that in your choice for colour number three.

The only real rule for choosing paint colour combinations is that there are no rules. If you find a colour combination and proportion that doesn’t fit any of the guidelines listed here, but it works, then you’re done!

If you’d like to take even more of the guessing out of which paint colours will work, Benjamin Moore’s Colour Handbook offers lots of colour combinations that work every time.

If you’re still stuck, or simply want to talk to a human being about it, call or visit us here at The Paint People.

The post This Key Interior Design Guideline Can Help You Choose Paint Colours for any Room appeared first on The Paint People.

But painting the kitchen cabinets isn’t like painting the walls. Before you start, filling holes and cracks in walls is a relatively easy fix. But if the wood of your kitchen cabinets is cracked, warped or badly chipped, it may need to be replaced.

Choosing Colours for Painting Your Kitchen Cabinets

At least as much as any room, you have lots of leeway for paint colours in the kitchen. While most kitchens tend to stay lighter and brighter, the recent trend to two-tone kitchens offers the option of using colour combinations too. Houzz recommends Benjamin Moore’s North Sea for lower cabinets and their Meadow Mist for uppers.

How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets

1. Protect the kitchen

Cover floors, furniture, and appliances with drop cloths, paper and/or cardboard so paint doesn’t get on them.

2. Take apart cabinets and drawers

Take the facings off drawers and remove cabinet doors. Remove the hardware, including handles, pulls, hinges, latches and knobs. Mark where the doors and drawers came from on inside surfaces of each and keep the hardware organized.

3. Clean all the surfaces to be painted

Kitchen cabinets take a beating from spills and grease. This job deserves a proper cleaner (dish detergent would do) and a strong sponge.

4. Sand

Use a fine grit paper to sand all the surfaces to be painted. Make sure to thoroughly wipe the surfaces clean after sanding. You’re just trying to prepare the finish for the coats of paint, so no need to sand it clean to the bare wood.

5. Prime the surfaces

Apply a coat of paint primer to the painting surfaces. An oil-based or shellac-based primer will help stop the old surface from showing through.

6. Sand between coats

Lightly sand the surfaces with a fine grit paper between coats of primer and paint.

7. Apply a top coat

This is your kitchen. Like we said, kitchen surfaces are exposed to more than their fair share of dirt, grease, steam and spaghetti sauce. If you will ever use a premium paint, like Benjamin Moore Advance, now’s the time.

8. Apply a second coat

The second coat will ensure consistent paint colour and offer added protection for your cabinets and drawers.

9. Install your ‘new’ cabinet doors and drawers!

After the paint has dried thoroughly, replace the handles and knobs, and reinstall the doors and drawers. If you want to make your mini-reno look even more like a full one, look for new cabinet hardware. It’s amazing the difference a different style of knobs and handles will make.

For more advice on painting kitchen cabinets, drop into your nearest The Paint People location.

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When you have redecorating on your mind, you have a certain vision of how everything will come together.  But, when it comes to actually putting things in place, the reality can be way more difficult than simply coming up with the vision.

It usually starts with colour. Very often the idea to redecorate starts when you see an image in a magazine or on the web, or you visit a friend’s house that’s been recently redone. It’s sometimes difficult to say exactly why a certain décor comes together so well, but colour combinations have a lot to do with it. And the colours of your walls are the backdrop for that combination.

So the paint colour you choose is crucial. But what happens when, due to the colour of your furniture, or your artwork, etc., you can’t get exactly the colour you have in mind? What paint colour do you choose?

Here are three surefire ways to choose a wall colour the next time you’re redecorating.

1. Have Faith in Yourself

So you have a vision, but the reality is, unless you completely refurnish, the vision won’t become a reality. And you’re not sure how to adjust your vision to the reality. But that’s usually just a lack of confidence in your internal interior designer. Let out the designer in you and go with your instincts. You will either end up with a beautiful décor that is uniquely you, or, worst case scenario, you’ll have to repaint.

2. Go with Blue

Seriously. But how can we just tell you to go with a certain colour? Blue has a lot going for it. It is the most popular interior paint colour in Canada and 30 countries around the world. It’s versatile with tones that range from light blue-grey to dark reddish blues. It’s a colour of nature that works with lots of other colours. And, finally, your home will be worth more if you paint it blue.

3. Ask a Colour Consultant

Seriously. Many DIY decorators shun advice form professionals because they think it might be too expensive, or at least not worth the cost. First, it’s not as costly as you think. Second, the result will leave your home looking far better than you thought possible.

You don’t have any more excuses now, so you can start decorating today!

The post 3 Foolproof Ways to Pick the Right Paint Colours for Your Home appeared first on The Paint People.

From adding large mirrors to decluttering, they are all techniques that work, but they also have their drawbacks. Have you ever been in a small room where one wall was all mirrors? Enough said. And sometimes decluttering isn’t possible, or means that you can’t take advantage of the space as you would like to.

But there’s one way to make smaller rooms look larger that has no known downside. Paint them in the right colours.

1. Bright Colours

Yes, you’ve heard of this one, but there’s a little more to it than painting your walls ‘bright white’. When opting to paint a room white, keep the colour towards the ‘warm’ side of the spectrum. This helps to mute the glare you can get in rooms with large windows or powerful lighting. Also remember to add texture elsewhere in the room, like in your furniture and accessories, to break up the solid colour.

2. Blue & Green

Warm colours, like red and orange, ‘advance’ towards you and cooler colours, like blues and greens recede. That means lighter shades of cooler colours make walls feel further away – and ‘enlarges’ the room.

3. Feed Sunlight to Light-Starved Rooms

if your room has smaller windows resulting in dark corners, try a sunshine yellow to brighten the entire room.

Yes, You Can Use Dark Colours, If… – …you use the same dark colour on doors, trim and accessories. The dark tones help add more depth to the light colours around them. Again, cooler blues and greens are best for this effect.

4. For Even More Brightness

If you really want to maximize the light in a room, use paint with a matte finish that is also infused with light-reflecting particles.

Don’t Do Your DIY Paint Project Yourself: Well, at least get as much painting information and tips as you can before you start. We’re not just paint people at The Paint People. We’re experts in interior design, colour theory and home decorating, and we can help you get the look you want for every room in your house or condo.

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But, with a little effort and the right techniques, you can keep your brushes in top shape for a long time, and do what you can to protect the environment.

1. Remove as Much Paint as Possible from the Brush

 As you finish painting, get as much paint as possible onto the surface you are painting. Rub the brush across the lip of the paint can or tray to get rid of any remaining paint.

2. Oil-Based Paints Require a Thinner

Ask at your hardware or paint store for less toxic thinners that use more eco-friendly ingredients like citrus-based solvents.

3. Use Water to Remove Latex Paint

But don’t use only water. Add a little dish soap to a bucket of water. Don’t just run the tap water over the brush because that wastes a huge amount of water. Fill the bucket with water and soap and clean the brush in the mixture.

4. Comb the Brush

Use a paint brush comb to remove paint between all the bristles while the brush is still in the water.

5. Rinse and Dry

Rinse the brush with clean water in another bucket or container. Shake, tap and/or towel the brush to get rid of as much moisture from the bristles as possible. Hang the brush from a hook to let it finish drying.

Perhaps the Most Important Tip

You don’t have to clean brushes every time you stop painting. If you plan to continue using the brush later with the same paint, you can warp the brush in plastic for up to a day. If you want to store the brush without cleaning for longer, wrap it in plastic and keep it in a freezer for up to two weeks.

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Not only will your home be better protected by a new coat of paint, it will look great too, which adds to its curb appeal when it comes time to sell.

5 Tips for Exterior Painting

Here are a few ways to make sure you get the best results from painting the outside of your home:

1. Safety First

You’ll probably need to get up on a ladder at some point during the project, so remember to do so safely. Make sure the ladder leans well into the wall and tie it off whenever possible. Even when it is tied, don’t lean too far to one side or another when working on the ladder.

2. Surface Preparation

As with any paint project, the better the surface preparation, the better the final finish. You’ll need to scrape, brush and/or power-wash all surfaces to get rid of dirt, chalky residue and grime. You can paint over old paint surfaces as long as they are properly adhered to the surface below. Fill in any holes with exterior-grade putty and sand it after curing to make sure all surfaces are level.

3. Use the Best materials Possible

Exterior paint is subject to wide ranging temperatures and weather, so its pays to buy quality paint. Exterior surfaces can be rougher on brushes and rollers too.

4. Paint From the Top Down

Look for the highest point on your home that needs painting. That’s where to start – and then work your way down.

5. Choose the Right Times

Direct sunlight, wind and cooler temperatures are the enemy of a good exterior paint job. The sunlight will dry the paint too quickly, which will make it difficult or impossible for you to apply it evenly. Wind carries dust and debris that sticks to wet paint. And many paints don’t work well in temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.

Bonus Tip: Talk to the people at your local paint store. They’ve done it before and they will be able to offer more valuable painting tips and information that may be particular to your neighbourhood and location.

The post How to Paint Your Home’s Exterior Like a Pro appeared first on The Paint People.

The biggest problem may not be the actual jobs you need to do, but choosing which one to start with. It’s always daunting when you head outside in springtime and see just how much work needs to be done.

Your first job is simply to clean up the yard of debris and make sure your plants, shrubs and lawns are in good shape and get the attention they need for a solid season of growth.

After those basics are in order, it’s time to look at your home and give it the loving care and maintenance it’s starving for.  Here are a few ways to do that:

1. Power Washing

Whether it’s rain splattering mud from gardens onto the sides of your home, or just dirt that’s built-up on your siding over the winter, giving everything a good power washing will either make it look as good as new, or get it ready for a coat of paint that will.

2. Paint Wood, Vinyl and Aluminum Siding

For the ultimate in looking “springtime fresh” there’s nothing like a good coat of paint. It’s easier and a lot less expensive than you might think. And your home will look great.

3. Re-Stain Your Deck & Wooden Fences

With the constant barrage of sunlight, it doesn’t take long for your deck and fences to look weather beaten. Re-staining both of them will not only make them look much better,it will help protect them against more sun and water damage.

When you look at all these jobs at once, it’s tempting to give up. But if you pick one, like painting your siding, and then break that job down further, maybe by starting only with the siding in the back, suddenly you turned the job into doable parts and it’s easier to get them – and the whole project – done .

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