Jul 28 2010
When time and money are in short supply, it’s hard to think about big remodeling projects. Debbie Zimmer, color expert with the Paint Quality Institute shares, “With a little imagination and a small outlay for top quality 100% acrylic latex paint, you can quickly make big changes in the appearance of your home’s interior or exterior.”
Here are Zimmer’s five ways to economically remodel with paint.
Idea #1: Paint just an accent wall. Instead of painting an entire room, consider painting just one wall in a different color. A so-called accent wall can add visual interest to any space and create an opportunity to introduce another hue into your color scheme.
Idea #2: Paint the area above (or below) a chair rail. If your home is blessed with chair rails, think about repainting just the wall area above or below the rail. The natural break created by the trim provides a convenient boundary for the new paint color.
Idea #3: Paint just the interior windows and trim. Another option is to stick with your wall color, but paint your windows, molding, and trim. This can produce dramatic change in almost any room, but especially in those where the walls are painted in a neutral color like beige or off-white.
Idea #4: Paint the front door. Ask any realtor and he or she will tell you that the front entrance is what creates the first impression about a home. By adding a fresh coat of paint to the door, you can ensure that first impression will be favorable. (Note to those who are selling a home: Repainting the front door may be the best investment you ever make.)
Idea #5: Paint just a few exterior architectural details. Even if you don’t have to paint your home exterior for maintenance reasons, you might want to consider painting a few architectural details for appearance sake. Shutters are one possibility. But if you are lucky enough to own a house with some ornamental fretwork, flaunt it by painting the trim in a strong color that contrasts with the color of your exterior walls.
Whatever interior or exterior home painting project you undertake, Zimmer advises that you use a top quality 100% acrylic latex paint. These paints have superior “hiding” capability when painting over dark colors, they are stain- and mildew-resistant, many function as both primer and paint, and best of all they offer tremendous durability, so your paint job will continue to look great for years to come.
Source: http://www.paintquality.com/