Things you must know before painting your home.

Are you living with boring dull walls? I understand painting is often a task that homeowners worry. 

However, it is one of the most inexpensive ways to enhance the look and change the vibe of your home. And guess what? Painting the walls also brings in positive energy into your house.

According to Astrologer and Vastu expert, Pallavi Shinde “The walls store the negative energies created in the house. The bad energies which are created by the arguments, afflictions and illnesses or the energies carried by the people visiting the house are stuck on to the walls. These bad energies are then further reflected on the member staying in the house. Repainting of the walls, by the process of it (wiping, polishing and painting) one can banish these negative energies. The painting of the home walls demolishes the bad effects of Rahu planet and activates the Venus planet of the house, bringing in Laxmi (wealth and prosperity). Therefore, I would recommended to repaint the house once after 3-5 years to balance house energy”

Either way, painting is one of the easiest and least expensive tools in the interior design world. So here are a few things you should know to make your job much easier, before you paint :

1. Have a concept 

It is very important to know what exactly you want. Paint colours can dramatically change the mood and interior design of your home. Similarly, paint can make a statement with splashes of  bold colour, or it can be a soft backdrop to a more muted interior. 

If you haven’t hired a designer, it is advisable to go through all the styles and themes once before you reach a conclusion. If you have a statement artefact piece, painting or a carpet around which you want your colour theme to be, buy the colour spectra (click here) and match the exact shade.

2. Test the paint colour 

It is very difficult to determine how a particular colour will look on your walls, and with your lighting. If you have a colour in mind or have chosen from the colour spectra, no need to guess how good (or bad) a colour will look on your wall, for a for a fraction of the cost you can buy a sample and try it on your wall.

Then allow the paint to dry, observe its colour in both daytime and night. This will help you judge how a colour will look on a larger area better than a swatch can provide and will give you true idea of the colour.

Trust me, you will be surprised to see the difference!

3. Pay attention to the finish you choose 

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The finish of your paint, will have a major impact on your walls. Gloss, satin, egg shell – with these options comes many considerations. High-traffic areas do well with gloss or satin as they are very durable and easier to clean, but the downside is they often highlight imperfections in your walls.  On the other hand, more matte-like finish, such as flat, will not clean as well or endure touches as well, but you won’t see imperfections as much.

In most instances, I go for an eggshell finish. It is the best option according to me in most cases. It provides some gloss, is still easy to clean, does not highlight imperfections, and is not as easily prone to damage as flat paint.

4. Embrace the colour 

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Allow colour in your life. Don’t fear to go bold. Lot of people find colours overwhelming and go for whites and neutrals. Don’t make fear choose the colour of your room. Bright colours like yellow make the room appear bigger too while shades of blue bring calming effect as well. 

Trying a few different colours will allow you to create a specific feeling in the room. Select colours to add depth and texture to the room.

Experiment once and you will be surprised with the look.

5. Invest in high-quality paint.

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High-quality paint is built to endure. It shows less wear over time because it actually resists dirt, which means your kids’ sticky fingerprints won’t be the first thing people notice when they step into your home. Most important, high-quality paint will last longer. It provides a smoother, more-uniform appearance that can end up lasting twice as long as a cheaper paint. Even though you’ll end up paying more up front for the cost of paint, you’ll save money in the long run because you won’t have to repaint as often.

6. Prep the wall 

Although it seems like an unnecessary step to wipe the walls down and polish it with sandpaper, it is a very important step. Whether you can see it or not, there is buildup on the walls of dirt, dust, and oils. Removing this debris prior to painting will allow the paint to adhere to the walls.

If the wall is to prepared with POP wall punning, nail holes or cracks should be filled with putti. The next step would be to tape off adjacent walls, window trim, and light switch or outlet covers and cover the floor with drop cloths, newspapers, or a roll of paper to protect it.

As interior designer, I prefer POP (Plaster of Paris) wall punning before the painting work begins. This makes sure the wall is flat at one level and there are no undulations. POP wall punning enhances the wall shine and smoothness. It effectively hides all the plastering cracks and other defects. It provides for optimum protection against seepage.

7. Do the math 

There is nothing worse during a painting project than running out of paint halfway through the project because even though the paint is made in machines there are slight chances of change in shade when put on the wall. Likewise, you don’t want to have too much paint either.

There are a few things that will help you determine the right amount of paint. First, you need to know the area you are going to paint and then add its square footage.Secondly, think about how many coats of paint you want to do. If you are priming the walls first, one coat might be enough, whereas two coats are often needed if walls are not primed.

8. Primer is the key 

Speaking of priming, this is an important step in the preparation process. Primer is essentially sticky, flat paint that is designed to adhere well and to provide a consistent base for topcoats of paint and besides, using a quality primer is typically much less expensive per gallon than using multiple coats of the top paint. This is how you can spend less and not compromise on the quality.

9. Choose the right Painting contractor/ Painter.  

If you are not painting the room or the wall yourself. Make sure you hire a good experienced painting service. Painting technique matters! You definitely don’t want to come back to bad finishing walls even after spending a good amount on the paint. You want the paint to stay good on the wall for minimum 5 years. So choose wise.

For painting service in Mumbai, feel free to contact me. I’ll have the experts do the paint job for you.

Prajakta xoxo