• Feeling blue. Blue is associated with the title of being the most productive color. Known to evoke mental clarity, blue will bring a sense of calmness while keeping your mood light. Blue is the perfect non-stimulating, relaxing color that is required to help you maintain focus during highly demanding projects

People tend to be more productive in blue rooms.

• Orange goodness. Orange accents may be distracting for jobs requiring intense concentration, but is an asset for creative fields. Orange inspires enthusiasm and creativity, keeping you motivated during the day. Paint an accent wall with this vibrant hue or use orange office accessories to boost your mood.

Orange inspires creativity.

• Mother Nature. Breathe easy with an office plant. These natural air purifiers bring a touch of the outdoors to your secluded space.
• Let there be light. In a home office, you have the power to choose different light sources rather than glaring fluorescent. Take advantage of natural light when you can, but choose lamps with soft bulbs when that is not available. Be aware of monitor placement in regards to windows in order to avoid glare.
• Keep it personal. Bring in elements that make you happy. Family photographs, your favorite books, travel souvenirs, are all welcome. Create a space that feels part of your home, not separate.

Keep yourself motivated and happy with these home office tips. This is your home, you have the option to personalize the room to suit your comfort and needs.

What tips do you have to create a welcome home office environment?

Once the paint flashing appears, the surface requires refinishing with an additional coat of paint or varnish.

Flashing is a problem, and we’re not referring to the nude variety. Flashing, in regards to painting problems, occurs when an uneven gloss with shiny or dull spots appears on painted surfaces. This lack in continuity distracts from the overall effect, creating a target for they eye to zoom in on. Help is on the way to solve this dilemma.
Flashing is caused from improper or no priming of porous surfaces or surfaces with non-uniform porosity, stemming from poor painting techniques. Painting over fresh paint or primer before it’s dry is one of these main culprits. Uneven film thickness additionally causes poor sheen uniformity. Drying during excessive high or low temperatures is a cited common cause as well.

If you’re past the point of no return and flashing has already occurred, follow these solution steps:

1. Always prime new work to make the surface have uniform porosity.
2. Apply the finish coat after proper drying of primer.
3. A new finish coat usually will make the sheen uniform.
4. Always paint from wet to dry and maintain a wet edge to avoid lapping.

Proper understanding of painting procedures prevents the problem of paint flashing and ensures that the appeal of surfaces remains for many years to come.

As you can gather from these steps, priming is essential for better adhesion, sheen uniformity, mildew control, and durability. Complete your project with a top quality  interior paint in the color and sheen of your choice.

Color Guild is comprised of more than 55 independent paint manufacturers from 14 different countries and is dedicated to the marketing, promotion and selling of paint products. The combined expertise and experience of the member companies makes Color Guild uniquely qualified to serve as a definitive resource on color and coatings. Color Guild colorists work tirelessly to predict and present trend colors 12 to 18 months in advance of their entrée into the marketplace. These color experts carefully separate the fads from the facts as they identify the color trends that keep consumers ahead of the ever-changing color curve making Color Guild a global paint and color authority.

Paint burnishing is a common problem with paint, and is caused by a number of circumstances. No matter what the cause, there is an unwanted sheen from constant traffic of some kind.

Paint burnishing occurs when the gloss or sheen of paint film increases when subjected to rubbing or brushing. This common problem is a nuisance, but don’t despair, it can be fixed. There are numerous causes of this undesirable effect, but the end result is the same: unwanted sheen from constant traffic.

The best way to treat burnishing is to prevent it in the first place. It’s as simple as choosing the proper paint for high-traffic areas. When an area is used heavily and requires constant cleaning, the proper paint is crucial.

• Paint heavy-wear areas that require regular cleaning (doors, window sills, and trim) with high quality, washable semi-gloss or gloss finishes. Choose a satin or semi-gloss rather than a flat sheen on walls in high-traffic areas.

• Prevent furniture and other objects from rubbing against the painted surface.

• For maximum durability, wait at least two weeks after painting before washing the surface.

• To remove penetrating stains and marks, carefully wash with non-abrasive detergents with a sponge or soft cloth and rinse with clean water. Gloss finishes are easier to clean and resist soil.

Priming is the key to avoid burnishing. Priming is essential for better adhesion, sheen uniformity, mildew control and durability. Select a top quality interior paint in the color and sheen of your choice. Keep your home beautiful and well-kept with these interior paint solutions.

Color Guild is comprised of more than 55 independent paint manufacturers from 14 different countries and is dedicated to the marketing, promotion and selling of paint products. The combined expertise and experience of the member companies makes Color Guild uniquely qualified to serve as a definitive resource on color and coatings. Color Guild colorists work tirelessly to predict and present trend colors 12 to 18 months in advance of their entrée into the marketplace. These color experts carefully separate the fads from the facts as they identify the color trends that keep consumers ahead of the ever-changing color curve making Color Guild a global paint and color authority.

First off, consider the room’s purpose before you even go to buy paint. Are you painting the room for a young child or a room you like to change often? Then you don’t need a costly paint with a long warranty. These are the rooms you can have fun with and choose crazy, fun colors.

There are some steps you should do to prepare your walls, even when you have change in mind. Priming is an absolute must. You want the room to look good, whether it’s for one or multiple years. It helps the color to adhere to the walls. This will give you rich colors and can be further enhanced with a finisher. Again keep the purpose of the room in mind. A flat finish is for rooms that don’t require much cleaning. Glossier surfaces are easier to clean though, so a glossy finish should be in highly utilized rooms.

When the prepping and painting are complete, maintenance is the task many homeowners neglect. Hang objects with nails not tape. The tape will tear off your hard work. Handle stains on walls just like clothes. Address them as soon as they happen rather than letting them sit. Avoid furniture placement that can result in scraped walls. These elements combined age any room, despite how recently you may have painted it and distracts from the interior design.

Your home is a reflection of your personality and style. Don’t let a stain, scratch, or color bleed overpower your color and design choices. Make a conscious effort to maintain your walls and everything else will be positively reflected.

Now light theory, the one used for TV, video, monitors has another set of primaries and it is called additive color theory because all color ads up to equal white. Ha! That is the one they tried to pass off as subtractive color theory in grade school. Light color theory primaries are red, green and blue, note that it does not include yellow that is why you can’t find a yellow adjustment on your TV.

Now I will throw in another confusing set of primaries, printing uses four primaries, CYMK or to the layman they are C for Cyan (a blue green), Y for Yellow and M is for Magenta (a blue cast red) and K is for Black. Notice I stuck that K in there to confuse you? In printing K indicated the key plate or the black plate as basic printing has a plate for each color. Printing primaries are also subtractive color theory but are complements of Additive color theory, Red, Green and Blue.

Armed with this knowledge you can see (maybe not so easily) why you can’t match a magazine photo to a paint color, a picture on your computer screen to your printer or any combination of theories you may encounter. The technology is getting better each day so there is hope, hopefully understanding the basics will help you show off the next time you visit a paint store and explain to the person standing next to you at the paint chip display what makes those beautiful colors.

Caulk failure is the loss of the protective moisture seal due to the loss of initial adhesion and flexibility.

Good caulk will help you save energy, avoid moisture damage and prevent pest problems. The best caulk for the job depends on the situation. If you didn’t get it right the first time around, there are ways to improve and fix caulk failure.

There are three types of caulk failure: adhesive, cohesive, and substrate. Simply put, the bond between the caulk and the substrate can fail, the caulk itself can tear, or the substrate can break. Problems with caulked joints are commonly due to one of two errors. Either the substrate was not effectively prepared, or the wrong product was selected. Consider how it will be used before choosing a product.

First, consider what materials the joint is made of and how much movement it is likely to encounter. Silicone, for example, adheres well to glass and tile but poorly to wood. Although products with different chemistries claim to be flexible, some are better suited for frequent joint movement. For most interior painting, 100 percent acrylic caulks, are recommended. They will seal cracks and adhere to most surfaces, even when moisture is present. Paint won’t stick to pure 100 percent silicone caulk. Remember that caulk generally is not recommended for gaps that exceed .5″ wide at their midpoint.

To spearhead the problem from the beginning, try priming. Priming is essential for better adhesion, sheen uniformity, mildew control, and durability. We recommend an undercoat to help ensure the caulk will have the best chance to succeed. Then select a top quality  interior paint in the color and sheen of your choice.

That’s where color matching comes in handy. Experts can now take just about any item – a piece of jewelry, a blouse, even a pillow or door and copy it in paint. Consider it couture color at no extra cost.

Computers are used to match a color and put the precise amount of colorant in a base to create your perfect can of paint. Kevin, a representative of the Color Guild Association, says you don’t need to have a large sample of the color you want to copy for the process to work. As long as the computer has a sample the size of a quarter, it can recreate your color.

Computers can have a tough time with a sample that has a rough or textured surface, like a tapestry or pillow. Kevin says that’s when color matching needs to go a little more low-tech.

That process still starts with the computer to get close to the color you’re looking for. Then, it’s up to the employee to decide which colorants to add and how much. This is where the expertise of a Color Guild professional comes in versus a typical Home Center.

Kevin walked me through the process: first a sample of the paint is brushed out and dried to compare to the sample being matched. This process can be repeated several times until the correct color is created and you’re happy with the match.  Kevin says the “hand to eye” tweaking can be done while you wait but does take some time. It may be best to leave the sample at your neighborhood paint store and let the experts work on it to create the best match possible. Then it can go home with you to start your next project.

Remove Furniture/Streamline Your Design: There’s nothing that makes a small space feel more cramped than having too much stuff. This includes both big fixtures (furniture, heavy window treatments) and eliminating clutter (knick-knacks on shelves). The more you can utilize things like table skirts, cabinets, or other out-of-sight storage, the more orderly and open your space will feel.

Lighten the color: Dark, warm colors have a tendency to make rooms feel cozy and intimate. The opposite is also often true, where light colors make a room feel open and airy. To maximize the effect, use soft blues and greens. The reflective qualities of these lighter colors tend to brighten a small room nicely.

Hang Some Mirrors: Mirrors reflect both natural and artificial light to make a room feel bigger and brighter at any time of the day or night. Using a mirror to reflect the outdoors or a focal point of the room will make your room feel more open. This beautiful oversized mirror is a perfect accessory, and it reflects a focal point of the room, the fireplace.

Plain Fabrics: Over-zealous prints have a tendency to take up a lot of visual space in a room. Instead, opt for lighter colors and simpler designs. If you already have a dark couch or armchair, a slipcover is an inexpensive way to revamp your color scheme.

Think Vertically: Simple steps like hanging curtains all the way from ceiling to floor, rather than just to where the windows stop. This elongated look gives the visual effect of lifting the whole space. To maximize a small space, homeowners should also try to buy or build cabinets that reach all the way to the ceiling, or nearly there. Not only will it increase your storage space, but it will help lift the room.

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