PAINT COLOR IS ESSENTIAL BUT DIFFICULT TO CHOOSE
How challenging is it to select the right paint colors for your home? Color is an essential feature in your home. Your walls are the backdrop for your life story as it unfolds. It’s personal, like your fingerprints. But it also tells everyone who you are and what’s important to you. There are so many choices! It’s easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated.
Choosing the right paint color is an overwhelming challenge for most people. You want to use your favorite color — let’s say blue — for your living room walls. You go to the paint store to discover hundreds of blue colors available. You stand there anxiously. You pull a chip out of the bin, look at it for several minutes before you put it back. An employee sees you and approaches. “Can I help you?” You reply, “No, I’m just trying to find the perfect color. You deal with people like me every day.” He nods and steps away. Finally, you get several samples and paint swatches to help you decide.
Weeks later, when you finish painting and rearranging your room, it looks so different! It takes a while to adjust to the change, but you know you made the best choice.
GREAT PAINT SELECTION TOOLS
Many paint companies provide fantastic tools to help you visualize results. Yes, you can buy peel-stick or small-quantity paint color samples. But it’s easier to upload a photo of your room and select the color you want. Then, voila, there it is! We’d love to help you if technology confuses you. We can show you during a Zoom session, and we can consult with you about colors for your home.
Years ago, I switched from a well-known brand to Sherwin-Williams paint. I discovered it was easier to do touch-ups with Sherwin-Williams. Using the other brand, I’d end up repainting an entire wall. In addition, the texture and color of the paint looked different in the touched-up area even when I used well-known techniques. More about the touch-up methods later.
Sherwin-Williams is now my go-to company for paint. Not only because they have great ads, but their products are top-quality. Low- and no-VOC, anti-microbial for all surfaces.
I recommend Sherwin-Williams to all my clients. I’ve subscribed to their newsletter and gotten regular updates about paint technology and colors since it became my #1 choice. In the past, I’d look at their message about the featured color and think, “That’s nice,” then delete the message.
THE LATEST FEATURED PAINT COLOR: “EVERGREEN FOG”
Something happened when I got the January S-W newsletter. It featured a color called “Evergreen Fog.” A thought hit me like a giant snowball. What if I created virtual-reality perspectives to show the color in clients’ projects? I’ve been creating virtual-reality renderings for clients to help them select products and paint colors for many years. The blog and newsletter idea is a perfect extension to show possibilities. Subscribe to my blog and sign up to receive my newsletter below. Also, please leave comments about the featured projects. “Evergreen Fog” is a soft, warm green with a touch of gray paint color to make it universally appealing, even for me. I wrote about the effects of warm colors before. I’ve always preferred pure “jewel” tones. But I chose “greige” for most of our walls — a wonderful mix of grey and beige that complements all colors. My husband and I have loved this color for over 11 years. “Evergreen Fog” is great for every room in your home. I’ve chosen to show it in a kitchen and a bathroom that I completed this year.
VIRTUAL-REALITY CLIENT PROJECTS
First, the kitchen, located in Lake Oswego:
The homeowner selected:
- Alder cabinets
- Stainless steel appliances
Do you agree or disagree that Sherwin-Williams’ “Evergreen Fog” enhances the kitchen? Please leave us a comment below!
The project in Ridgefield, WA., transforms a standard bathroom into a fully-accessible bathroom. It’s perfect for “Evergreen Fog” because it’s the homeowner’s favorite color family.
The homeowner selected:
- Off-white painted cabinets
- American Olean “Mythique Calcatta Venecia” 12×12 tiles for the floors (the shower has an inline drain)
- The plumbing, light fixtures, and shower seat frame are black.
How do you feel about these colors? Does the “Evergreen Fog” paint color appeal to you? Please leave a comment below!
The Professional Painting Contractors has interesting information on their website about the Sherwin-Williams “Evergreen Fog” paint and other paint-related subjects.
PAINT TOUCH-UP TIPS AND BONUS TIP
Now for the three touch-up tips I promised. I hope you have some paint left over to touch up areas that have gotten dinged or smudged. Here are the steps to Tip #1:
- Thoroughly mix the paint to dip a slight amount into a small plastic container.
- Dampen a paper towel and dip it gently into the paint, then daub it onto the area lightly, feathering out from the center
- After it’s dry, check to see if you were successful. If not, try the same technique again using a fresh paper towel.
I’ve discovered that two light coats are better than one heavy coat that may leave harsh demarcation lines. The trick is to be as light-handed as possible.
Tip #2: Use a small paintbrush. The paint must be almost dry on the brush, or the results will be “globby.”
The third technique that works is to use a sea sponge. But if you don’t have one, don’t substitute a regular sponge because it’s too dense and hard to control. It will leave hard edges.
And I have a bonus tip for you, directly from a professional painter years ago. After you’ve painted your room, put the paint chip — with the name and color — inside the cover plate of the light switch. You’ll never have to guess which paint you used! Never again! It also helps to write the room on the label with a permanent marker after you’ve painted the room.
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Do you have specific needs for your kitchen master bathroom? I’d love to hear about your goals! Send me an email, or call me!
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