Posts Tagged ‘paint’

The EPA estimates that 10 percent of the house paint purchased each year ends up discarded.

We all know the problem of having too little paint. You’re halfway through completing a room and mid-stroke you realize there is not enough to cover all four walls. You go back to the store and try to have a batch made the matches it perfectly. It takes time out of your day and adds hassle to the process, which is why most of us err on the side of caution and over-purchase the gallons of paint needed for our project. But what do you do with that leftover paint? Here are some green and sustainable ways to add some extra life to that paint bucket without needing to dispose of  perfectly good paint. Read the rest of this entry »

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.
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Walls exude a certain freshness when recently painted. It can make any room feel new, but conversely feel dated when not properly cared for. Maintaining your walls doesn’t begin or end when you cover it with paint. To keep the color appealing to the eye, there are certain tips you should keep in mind.
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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.

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We all have a favorite color, that shade of green or blue or purple that just makes us feel good. But if you’re looking for Tiffany blue or Coca-Cola red for your next project, sometimes there just isn’t that perfect match in the countless options of paint chips available at the paint store.

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.

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For those ambitious DIYers who want to go beyond the traditional wallpaper and paint options for adding a personal touch to your home, have we found a project for you!

Painter’s tape wall design!

Create your own pattern, pick your own paint colors and create a one-of-a-kind design that can serve as a subtle backdrop to a room or as a stunning focal point.

We’ve found a couple of different ways to go about creating your painter’s tape wall design:

This Herringbone wall design looks expensive and chic, but really all it took was some painter’s tape and a couple coats of paint. Sara at Sara’s Closet explains how she created the design on her blog.

Sara's Closet

Instead of a traditional headboard, this homeowner created a bold racing stripe on the wall behind the bed and carried it all the way across the ceiling and over to the other side of the room. Via Apartment Therapy.

Apartment Therapy

But you don’t need to adhere to some strict geometric pattern when working with painter’s tape. Nikki at Ambitious Procrastinator created her design by simply “going to town” with painter’s tape. No rhyme or reason to her design, she just went with what felt good to her!

Ambitious Procrastinator

Morgan over at Pepper Design Blog also went free-form with her design, creating shapes out of painter’s tape and then applying them organically to her hallway wall. We love that she applied chalkboard paint below the chair-rail of her design!

Pepper Design Blog

Pepper Design Blog

If you’re thinking about doing your own painters tape design project, be sure to invest in some good painter’s tape and paint.

Many people overlook the floor when designing a space. Wall paint is near the top of the design list, with furniture, fabric, window coverings and accessories being foremost in our minds. Of course we think of carpet or hardwood but what if the floor is painted? This is an open opportunity for many choices.

Stained floor colors come in many colors and floors can be re-stained if you don’t like the original color as long as it is wood that can be stripped or sanded to receive a new color.

Stone and concrete can be painted to replicate stone or in solid colors to suit the design. Here minimalistic design calls for plain and simple designs in light, neutral hues.

Floors that have no pattern can be embellished with patterns in many colors or to look like a natural material such as stone. It can also be made to look like tile with the use of painters tape to make the imitation grout lines.

Elaborate patterns can be made by using tape to make each layer in this pattern that can be applied to cement or wood floors.

This is an example of a floor medallion made of tile that has been altered to fit a new design scheme. The copper colored dark tiles in this pattern have been painted because their original green color did not match their new surroundings. First I taped around the dark color to isolate them from the grout and other tiles, and then they were coated with a primer used for non- porous surfaces. A layer of dark brown floor paint was then added and then it was finished by sponging on metallic copper to make it look like tile. This was done about 8 years ago and it is still in good condition today.

There are hundreds of opportunities to add spark and interest to boring floors whether they are in the living spaces for the utility areas such as laundry rooms and mud rooms.

Just like you can’t stop the holidays from coming, you also can’t stop the parties, guests and endless entertaining that always seem along with this time of year! And with all the people coming and going, you want to make sure your house feels warm and inviting. That means those last minute fixer-up projects you’ve been putting off, yeah it’s time to get them done!

Quick fixes to create curb appeal
Your guests’ holiday experience begins at your front door. Set the stage with a beautiful wreath, lights or greenery. Your exterior holiday decor should also reflect your interior decorating style, giving your guests a sample of what they will find inside.

If you prefer traditional holiday decorating, go for a more traditionl green wreath like this one from HGTV.com

If you like a modern, unconventional look use unconventional materials like this peacock wreath also from HGTV.com

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Give your customers more to paint than just a solid color on the wall or even off of the wall. Show them the possibilities of paint and stain in new and unusual ways by putting a painted chair or wall vignette in something other than a solid color on your showroom floor.

Painted floors are eye catching, but painting the floor and carrying it up onto the walls is dynamic and attention-grabbing.

Carry the notion of stripes on the floor to stain stripes on the floor and up the wall and kick it up a notch.

Stripes don’t have to be boring, these are several harmonizing hues in modern up to date colors.

Simple painted graphics make a plain wall sing and give it a distinct style.

Painted furniture is nothing new, but painted with simple patterns make them unique and one of a kind, just what today’s consumer is looking for.

Carry the idea of painted furniture outside to add an accent to a boring exterior.

Did you know that all paints – regardless of what their intended purpose is – are made up of both solid and liquid components that can be broken down into four categories?

The four basic categories are;

Pigment – this provides the color and hiding characteristics.  Typically TiO2 or less expensive extender pigments like clay, talc, or calcium carbonate.

Binder (resin) – this holds the pigment particles together and provides the adhesion. In latex paints the binder is generally classified as either 100% acrylic or vinyl acrylic (aka PVA or poly vinyl acetate).

Liquid – this is the carrier for the pigments and binder.  Water in the case of latex paint, generally mineral spirits in an oil based paint.

Additives – also known as the bells and whistles.  These can range anywhere from things that enhance flow and leveling, to other additives for mold, mildew, or algae resistance, ceramic microspheres for added durability, flash rust inhibitors, anti-spatter ingredients, etc.  While additives make up a very small amount percentage wise in the total volume of a can of paint they can add significantly to the overall cost.

Since the liquid evaporates as the paint dries, it is the solids that adhere and remain on the substrate.  For this reason they are extremely important in the longevity and performance of the coating. As a rule of thumb paints with a higher volume solids i.e. 40% vs. 30% will dry down to a thicker film, have better hide, and provide better protection for the substrate. The volume solids can always be found on a product data sheet. That being said, you don’t always know what is making up the solids content.  Two products can be close in volume solids percentages, however Product “A” might contain a higher percentage of TiO2 and a quality resin while product “B” may be comprised of a lot of cheaper filler pigments like clay and  an inexpensive resin which then equals apples and oranges.