Choose Baseboard and Trim Colors That Will Make Your Walls Really Pop

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When choosing a color scheme, most of us default to white wall trim and baseboards, no matter what wall color we’re using. And while white baseboards and wall trim are a no-fail combo, there are good reasons to look at other wall and trim color pairings.

Don’t Overlook the Importance of Baseboards and Wall Trim

Trim is an often-overlooked architectural detail, but rooms without it can feel unfinished. It gives spaces a sense of proportion and highlights architectural details, like windows, doors and fireplaces. It can draw the eye up on a room with a low ceiling or balance a room with tall ceilings. Trim lets you know where a room begins and ends — and the type and color of trim you choose helps you define your space’s style.

Paint Walls and Trim the Same Color

If your style is contemporary or transitional, blend the trim and wall color by painting them the same color (or a lighter or darker version of the wall color). This unifies the space and allows rooms to flow into each other, visually. This is a great choice for open-concept floor plans.

Choose a Lighter Hue

Do you love classic, traditional spaces? Use white or off-white paint to play up the architectural details. (Many design pros deem white (like Delicate White) the best color for baseboards and wall trim, no matter what the room’s style or wall color is.) White trim lightens dark walls, and, on lighter walls, it makes the color pop

Make a Design Statement With Dark Baseboards and Trim

Dark trim – especially chocolate, charcoal or black – creates a visual contrast that highlights today’s popular wall colors. It also sets off intricate woodwork in older homes and frames windows to set off a beautiful view.

Decide Which Option Is Best for You

With so many great options, how do you choose? Here are some ideas that may help you narrow the field.

If you want to …

Enlarge the room – Paint the trim the same color as the wall and the walls will appear to recede.

Make the ceiling look higher – Add crown molding to the ceiling, then paint it a darker color than the ceiling. (This doesn’t have to be a big color variance – just a shade or two will do it.) This will draw the eye up and make the ceiling seem taller than it is.

Lower your ceiling – If your home has high ceilings and you want to balance the space, add a chair rail on the walls, then paint the rail or the wall above it a darker hue.

Refresh your room on a budget – Give your room an instant boost by repainting just the baseboards and wall trim. Try pairing black trim with turquoise walls; cream baseboards and trim (instead of white) with greige walls; or match the trim to the wall color in a neutral color scheme.

Get more great color tips on our Color Tool, where you can browse trending colors and request free 8” x 8” paint swatches. Or learn more about our house painting services and let our pros do the work for you.

The post Choose Baseboard and Trim Colors That Will Make Your Walls Really Pop appeared first on Paintzen.

How To Get the Beauty of a Textured Accent Wall

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A textured accent wall is a great way to update any room in your home. These focal walls add drama, intensity and depth to your space. So, go beyond the usual coat of paint and get a look that’s all your own.

Venetian Plaster

There are lots of ways to create a textured accent wall, including faux finishing or using a specialty paint, like suede, sandstone or metallic. But one of our favorites, which has been around for centuries, is Venetian wall plaster.

This wall and ceiling finish, a blend of plaster with marble dust, is applied in thin, multiple layers to create a deep, burnished color with an appealingly rough texture. Perk up a kitchen or bathroom with this low-maintenance finish. It’s nontoxic, zero-VOC and breathable, so it’s naturally mildew resistant.

Faux Finishing

Faux finishing is a decorative painting technique that recreates the look or feel of other surfaces, like wallpaper, marble, wood or fabric. You can use a variety of faux finishing methods to create the look of a textured accent wall.

For example, a rag or sponge roller will give you the look of plaster or marble. Or by applying a glaze in a circular motion, you can create an effect called color washing, which gives walls an Old-World look. You can also paint on any geometric shape, like stripes or a checkerboard, using two different paint colors or one color and a glaze. Faux finishing gives kids’ bedrooms a textural pop and it can be elegant in a master bedroom, especially when used as a focal wall behind the bed.

Metallic Paint

Make your walls shimmer with metallic paint or glaze. You can now get water-based metallic paints, which you apply the same way you do any other paint. Try one whole wall in a glowing gold or try rose-gold stripes in a powder room.

And speaking of metallic finishes, you can also get metallic plaster, which blends glass and mica with the plaster for a deep color that really shines.

Sandstone Paint

This highly textured acrylic paint has a find sand finish gives walls a distinctive feel. The paint has a raised finish that’s slightly gritty to the touch. It’s one of the fastest and easiest textured accent-wall finishes to apply – just roll it on like any other paint. Try it in a man cave or a coastal-style guest room.

Brushed Suede Paint

Give your walls the look and feel of suede with brushed suede paint. Like sandstone and metallic paint, brushed suede paint, this textured finish rolls on like any other paint. However, the finish is delicate and easy to scratch, and it can be hard to blend repairs into the surrounding paint, so it’s best to use it in low-traffic areas. Try it in a guest bedroom.

Textured Wallpaper

Paintable wallpaper with a raised design, like grasscloth and embossed papers, are popular because they’re versatile and easy to use. With a nearly unlimited variety of textures and patterns, you can tailor a textured accent wall using one of these to your preferences. Grasscloth and home offices go together like PB&J. Try an embossed wallpaper in a guest bathroom or on the ceiling to create the look of vintage ceiling tiles.

Learn more about our interior painting and wallpaper installation services and how we can help you create your own textured accent wall.

The post How To Get the Beauty of a Textured Accent Wall appeared first on Paintzen.

How Many Square Feet Does a Gallon of Paint Cover?

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Imagine this: You’re standing in the hardware store, can of paint in hand. As you walk to the counter to get the paint colored your perfect shade, you realize you have no idea how much wall space that can will cover. So … exactly how many square feet does a gallon of paint cover? We’ll help you figure out how many gallons of paint you need for any paint job.

How Many Gallons of Paint Do You Need?

As a painting pro will tell you, you can get about 400 square feet out of one gallon. That’s the size of a 20-by-20 room, which is the equivalent of a typical two-car garage or a small studio apartment.

However, most paint jobs require more than one coat. That means you’ll need to figure the number of coats into your calculations. For example, if your room needs two coats, you can squeeze about 200 square feet out of a gallon of paint. With that in mind, one gallon would cover a small room, like a bathroom.

Two gallons cover up to 800 feet, which would do two coats on an average-sized room. This is the most common amount of paint people buy, allowing them to paint, say, a living room with two coats.

If you’re doing one large room or two average rooms next to each other, you’ll need three cans. That will cover up to 1,200 square feet.

Four cans will cover a great room or several average rooms, totaling about 1,600 square feet.

Make Your Paint Stretch

Make your paint stretch by using the right tools. A good-quality roller will give you the correct coverage and the best-looking results. Use a 9-inch roller with 3/8-inch nap for smooth walls. Try one with 1/2-inch nap for textured walls.

Consider Your Walls

Also, consider the type of walls you have. Older homes with walls that haven’t been painted in a while may need more than two coats. You may also consider using primer before you paint to create a surface that will bond to the paint.

Should You Buy Extra Paint?

A lot of people buy too much paint, thinking they’re going to save themselves a trip to the hardware store later. But usually, this just means you’re out the cost of a gallon and your garage is home to half-filled paint cans.

On the other hand, if you buy too little, you’ll find yourself making another trip to paint store halfway through the job. Neither outcome is good, but you can avoid both with the help of a paint calculator, like this one: PPG Paint Calculator

When calculating, round up. Not only can the walls soak up more paint than you anticipated, but a little extra paint will be helpful for touch ups. If rounding up means buying an extra whole gallon when you need less than half, consider buying an extra quart, instead. That way, you’ve got the little bit extra you need, without adding to the paint graveyard in your garage.

If you’d rather catch another episode of “Better Call Saul” than ponder “how many square feet does a gallon of paint cover,” we get it. You can skip the calculations entirely and let our pros do the work for you. Click to learn more about our interior house painting services. And did you know we do color consultations? Let our designers help you take the guesswork out of choosing your color scheme today.

The post How Many Square Feet Does a Gallon of Paint Cover? appeared first on Paintzen.

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What’s the Best Painter’s Tape for Your DIY Job?

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When you’re picking the best painter’s tape, it’s all about getting the cleanest lines and protecting your walls. Seems easy, right? There are some things you’ll need to consider before buying that roll. We’ll tell what they are, show you how to tape and give you some ideas for the best type of painter’s tape for the job.

Why Bother With Painter’s Tape, Anyway?

Painting, like so many things in life, is all about the prep. Do it right and your job will succeed; don’t do it, or do it poorly, and you’ll be back at work for round two. So, it’s important to choose the right prep tools. One of the most important is painter’s tape. It’s the real secret to making your paint job look professional.

Painter’s tape covers a multitude of sins: It keeps your edges clean, provides clear definition between colors and keeps surfaces clean. When buying, look for ease of application, how well the tape peels off (Does it do it cleanly or take the surface with it?) and how clean it leaves the paint edge.

How Do I Pick the Right Tape?

Choose the right tape based on the job. Consider:

Your finish – Pick a tape that is suited to the material you’re using it on. Use a multi-surface tape for hard surfaces but go with a delicate tape for things like wallpaper or fresh paint (if you’re stenciling, for example).

Job time – Tapes only stay on the wall for so long. So, abide by the recommended time on the label; that way, your tape won’t peel prematurely or leave a hard-to-clean residue on whatever you’re painting.

Tape width – Pick a tape between 1 1/2 -2 inches. It will protect the largest area from stray brush strokes. This will cost a little more up front, but it’ll save you in cleanup time later.

How Do I Apply It for the Best Results?

Finish your paint job faster and with fewer messes by taping off your room before you paint. Before you tape, though, clean the walls and trim so you start with a clean surface. Even the stickiest painter’s tape won’t adhere to dirty walls.

Tape the edges of the windows, doors and ceilings, isolating the area you want to paint.When you’re taping trim, use the edge of a putty knife to apply pressure as you lay your tape line. This will help it seal better on the glossy surface.Remove tape while the paint is still wet. If the paint dried first, score the tape with a putty knife before you pull it off.Remove it at a 45-degree angle.If you know you won’t’ be able to remove the tape while the paint is still wet, buy a good-quality tape. This will make it easier to remove.

At Paintzen, our contractors are all about the perfect paint job, starting with the prep. Learn more about our interior painting services today.

The post What’s the Best Painter’s Tape for Your DIY Job? appeared first on Paintzen.

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