 Interior Painting IdeasTo Bring Your WallsTo Life
By using any of the interior painting ideas and techniques below, you'll be doing your family and yourself a big favor. Why?...
Because next to lighting, paint is the most influential home interior decorating element in setting the mood of a room.
Although the thought of painting is more frightening than a root canal for many people, I am a huge advocate for getting rid of those stark white walls.
Here's why…
Your home is the place you go to get away from the stress of work and traffic, and it gives you a sense of security and comfort. So why not use one of the best and least expensive home interior decorating techniques to help create the sanctuary you want.
You'll find that the interior painting ideas presented in this document will serve you well…
Science has shown that color can and does affect us psychologically. Some paint colors provide a cooling effect, while others impart a sense of warmth. Click here to learn more about colors...
So do yourself a favor and visit your local hardware or paint store and grab a handful of paint swatches that match your style and personality.
 If you're interested in adding texture and depth to a room, also consider one of these decorative interior painting ideas:
- Wall Stenciling - this interior painting idea involves applying color to a wall, floor, or ceiling through cutout areas of a template that create a design. When the cutout template or stencil is removed, the pattern remains.
The pattern can be of anything you like including animals, stars, geometric patterns, flowers, the alphabet, etc. The process is very easy and it will add texture to your room. Also, a stencil design can be used over and over again anywhere in your home. Faux painting - (pronounced "foe") means "false". To faux paint is to paint one object to resemble another. With this interior painting idea, you can use paint to create the illusion of natural materials such as wood, marble, granite, etc Rubber Stamping - Personally, this is my favorite interior painting idea. That's because it's super fast and easy, and will give you unbelieveable results! Okay, back to paint swatches. Narrow your selection to a few colors that seem to complement, rather than compete with, your furniture and furnishings. Don't select very bright colors unless you are certain that you want your walls to be the focal point in the room. Your best bet is to find the most neutral shades for the colors that you have in mind. For example, if there are seven shades of red paint, the most neutral shade will be the one in the middle of the bunch. Before you finalize your decision, return to the paint store and purchase small cans of paint for the top two or three colors that caught your eye. Also pick up some inexpensive 3" brushes. You'll want to paint 12" x 12" patches of the colors on your walls. Leave the patches there for at least a day so that you can evaluate how well they will work in the room, and how they look in natural and artificial lighting. On more than one occasion, I have found that a color on the wall appeared to be darker than the swatch. This method allows you to make any color adjustments or to simply start over. Of all the interior painting ideas, selecting your paint color in this manner will save you the most disappointment. When you're ready to buy paint, don't let price be the only factor influencing your buying decision... Spend a few more dollars for high quality paint that will last longer and look better. After all, which ever interior painting idea you choose, you'll want everyone to think and say..WOW! Here's a quick reference to the various types of paint: Select The Right Type of Paint These interior painting ideas will guide you to the appropriate paints for each area of your home. Flat paint - lowest sheen available
- the standard for most walls
Satin paint - has a slight sheen and are easier to clean than flat paint
- can be used on any wall, but test in a small area first to see if you like it
Semi-gloss paint - great for kitchens, bathrooms, and children's rooms because they are highly durable
Gloss paint - has a high sheen and are usually used on doors and in areas that are susceptible to getting dirty
- used a to trim base boards and door frames
The amount of paint you need for each room will depend on the size of the area to be painted. Use this formula as a guide: Total length of all walls x Average wall height = Total Area For example, if the total length of all four walls in your living room is a combined 80 feet (20 ft. x 4 walls) and the wall height is 9 feet, then the total area for the room is 720 square feet (80 ft. x 9ft). A gallon of paint will cover about 375 square feet. So for your living room, you would need about 2 gallons of paint (720 sq. ft. /375 sq. ft. per gallon coverage). An excellent source for viewing paint swatches online is Decorate Today - Paints. There is an "interactive color palette" and you can even order paint samples for FREE! Also, instead of using the paint formula above, Decorate Today - Paints has a "paint calculator" that will perform the same task after you enter your room dimensions. By the way... Since I subscribe to Consumer Reports, I checked out their review of interior paints in the June 2001 issue. Decorate Today offers Pittsburgh brand paints, so I wanted to see how they faired. The Pittsburgh - Manor Hall paints were rated as Very Good. The only level above this one was "Excellent". Prepare Your Walls Before Painting Them You may be tempted to move the furniture to the center of the room and start painting right away. But if you take a few moments and prepare your walls properly, you'll be much happier with the finished product. While the following interior painting ideas may be common sense, it is important that you keep them in mind. Remove - light switch and outlet plates
- light fixtures (or cover them well)
- drapes, curtains, lamps, furniture
Patch - nail holes, dents, and cracks with spackling
- let the spackling dry before painting
Sand & Scrape - remove loose paint
- sand to even any edges
Apply A Primer - if you selected a dark paint color
- if you removed wallpaper (do not paint over wallpaper)
- if your walls are new or show lots of damage
I hope these interior painting ideas have been helpful.
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