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Color Support and Home Decorating

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 Coloring a picture of your house or room can give you a closer look at the final results before you spend real money.
This is a FREE service to those who are asking for a bid on painting their special place of abode. How? Click here. Professional interior decorating by one of our consultants is also available. Just ask.

Color selection - exterior
Most houses will use at least three shades - a siding color, a contrasting color for window and door trim, and an accent color for shutters, doors, porch decks, railings and other details.

Lots of color combinations are out there so pick one that suits your architecture and personal likes. Don't forget to look at the neighborhood so that you stand out just right.

Typically, you can begin with local paint stores and pick up their paint chips. Combinations are shown in their brochures -- first, look at those on this website for a start.

| outside paint chips | neighborhood houses |

Then, buy a small amount and paint a spot or two to see the real effect. Ask for test quarts at half price. The final look involves not only the pigment color but the sheen - Gloss, Semi-Gloss, Satin, or Flat. Most exteriors use Flat. Then, there are stains, semi-transparent stains, enamels, and oil VS water based paints to fit the woods.

Color selection - interior

For interior, we suggest that you ask to borrow a color chip "fan" to get more picks. Call us, we can help. Then, you pick. Our approach to your pick is "Yes Sir" or "Yes Ma'am".

Color selection - paint types

You are in for the surprise of your life if you buy the wrong paint type. Wrong? What is wrong with acrylic, latex, or oil based paints? Well, nothing if the one is best for your job. But, before you buy at the discount stores, consider these experiences:

• Oil base - clean up very difficult. Tossing paint thinner down the drain is a no-no. Use oil based paints where moisture threatens. Have a lot of paint thinner for clean-up.

• Acrylic - clean up is not easy, but easier than oil by a long shot. Acrylics become like honey as they dry making them hard to brush or roll. Use acrylics when you want durability on surfaces that need scrubbing often. Some of the popular "many color" stores sell paint that will make you cry if you want to spread it evenly. The price is typically higher for acrylic.

• Latex - clean up is very easy in water. Brushes and rollers are at less risk which saves money. Most houses use latex based paints inside and outside. Not all latex paints are the same. Brush marks on woodwork requires special formulas to avoid. Fast drying latex paints are available for spraying.

• Deck stains - if you use oil based stains, you may not be able to switch to water based later on. Watch for stains that dry too fast to be rolled. Use a sponge brush for these. Don't forget to clean the deck properly before staining. Deck cleaners are available - oxalic acid or sodium hydroxide (caustic) types.

• Precoat or primer paints - they come with and without stain blockers. Paint over a previously stained door with a primer without a stain blocker, and your second and third coat of latex will still look bad. Always put primer on new wood. Oil based primers protects outside wood best; but water based primers are good. Add some color close to the final coat to make coverage easier. Primers for metal surfaces are available too.

• Precoating cedar - ask for help from a professional before buying just any precoat with blocker. Cedar oil leaks through to your dismay. It's best to install prepainted lumber if you can.

• Dark pigments - some dark pigments simply do not dissolve readily. For example, watch dark purple pigments float to the surface on an acrylic based paint. You can cry when the colors change with every brush stroke. Continual stirring is recommended and use of a deep mat roller. Most paints "pull back" as they dry requiring a second coat. When dark pigments are present, watch for the white base to appear after an hour of drying time. If you are painting T-111 siding, watch for the dark pigment to pull back down in the grove leaving a white grove. The easy way out is to get a FREE quote here.

Call Bob at 503-646-5350 or cell 503-686-5096
 

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