This is the first of an ongoing series, a peek behind the scenes at DFW Painting. This is a huge job in McKinney and today’s video is Day One “Prepping”

If you have children, they will most likely want some input into the design of their room. Allowing them to choose the paint color can be risky. I still remember the day when my daughter, then about 9-years old, wanted to paint her room dark purple. Years later, as an angst-ridden teen, she wanted to paint her room black. Neither of those ideas panned-out, but in both instances, we came to a mutual agreement. Now, in her 20′s, she’s opted for a lovely shade of creamy yellow for her very own room in her very own house.

Thanks to modern technology, the Internet provides lots and lots of places to find color wheels, tips and even places to give your kids a chance to do a virtual makeover.

One thing to keep in mind is that room colors can affect your child, both psychologically and physically. Maturity, cultural influences, personal experiences, light and even physical makeup are just a few of the elements that influence how an individual will respond to color.

Warm Colors – these colors are on the red side of the color wheel. These colors usually give one a feeling of warmth, intimacy and relaxation. However, intense warm colors such as reds and oranges tend to stimulate and excite. If your child is warm and affectionate, you might suggest choosing colors from the red side of the wheel.

Cool Colors – these colors will be found on the blue side of the color wheel. Cool colors often have a calming affect, although intensely cool colors (very dark) have a tendency to depress the viewer. Painting kid rooms, light cool colors such as blue green, light blue, blue-violet and even white have a calming effect and make rooms feel more spacious and elegant.

Earth Tones – Ground colors like grays, browns, and beige (muted yellows) ground you. They are a good choice for hyperactive children, creating a sense of warmth, comfort and relaxation.

Muted ground colors are best. Just look outside for examples of the browns and grays found in squirrels, trees, and the earth.

Black -Black is best used sparingly if at all. Traditionally it represents darkness, despair, sorrow and mourning and subconsciously it is strongly associated with death. When it is used in large amounts it absorbs light and it can generate depression and/or zap the energy out of the viewer.

While discussing painting kid rooms, teens often mention black as a color choice. For them it’s creates a sense of mystery and modern style. The style they want to communicate can still be reached using black in restricted amounts, as accents or accessories. That said, black should not be used in large amounts, especially in rooms that are used frequently.

White – White predominately represents peace, faith, joy, cleanliness and of course, purity. Since white reflects almost 80% of light, white rooms seem brighter and larger than rooms painted in other colors. It’s a great palate that can enhance other colors in the room.

We need to watch three aspects of painting, the brush, the paint and the technique.

Let’s start with the brush. Even using the most seasoned professional and the best bucket of paint on the market, you can’t get that fabulous look with a bad brush. It’s really best to spend a little more for a really good brush. You’ll find yourself with a quality finish and it’ll save you time and loads of frustration. A low quality brush will leave you with brush marks and also runs the risk of opening up at its sides, making painting clean edges an impossibility. Also, bristles tend to drop and stick onto the painting surface. To avoid brush marks, always choose bristles that are relatively soft. The length of the bristle should preferably be at least 2-inches or longer.

Now let’s move on to the paint. You’ll want to choose paints that have a certain amount of “body,” or volume solids. Using these types of paints will result in less brush marks. Also look for the paint’s ability to flow easily. If the “flow” is poor, brush strokes will not be smooth, again resulting in brush marks. This can usually be solved by thinning with the recommended thinner. Drying time is another important factor. If the paint dries extremely fast, you won’t have enough time to smooth out any brush marks.

It’s all in the technique. Be sure to use sufficient amounts of paint on your brush. Dip only about 1/3 the length of the brush into the paint and lightly touch the inner side of the paint can to drain off some excess (but not too much). Apply and distribute the paint with horizontal strokes before smoothing it out with light long strokes, lifting off lightly at the end of the stroke.

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Here’s the deal.  The more sheen “shiny” a paint is, the easier it will be to take a wet rag and wipe off. However the more shiny it is, the more imperfections in the sheet rock and texture you will notice. Also shiny paint usually is not the best choice if you like to pull out a brush and do a touch up here and there. The wet sheen will not blend with the dry sheen and if there is any light on the touch up you will see a sheen spot.

Just because a paint is flat does not mean it’s cheap. The guts of a high quality flat paint can be much better than a junky semi-gloss. High quality flat paints will hold their color and sheen and will touch-up very well.

Recently, I went to a customer’s home in Frisco in which we completed a full interior job, 2-years previously. They were putting the house on the market and wanted freshen up the entire interior. They just assumed, like most, that the stored original paint wouldn’t match for a perfect touch-up. We pulled a can out of the garage, touched it up, and they were amazed that it blended right in. It saved them about $3,000.  If the  walls were originally painted in an eggshell or satin, they would have to repainted most of the walls.

One of the most common questions we receive is, “How much does it cost to refinish my cabinets.” Glad you asked. Here’s a little insight.

The ballparks are based on a typical kitchen in a 2,000 to 4,000 square foot house.

$1,250
- Repainting the front side of the cabinets and doors with a brush.

$2,500
- Repainting inside and outside with a spray rig.

$3,750
- Painting cabinets that are currently stained.
- Painting or staining cabinets that are bare wood.

$850
Will usually get a one coat faux technique done on the cabinets.

Please keep in mind that every job is different and your job could be more of less. If you are interested in getting a firm estimate. Fill out our request a quote form and tell us a little about your project. Even if your interested in learning a little more about the process drop us a line or give us a ring. We’re always happy to help in any way we can.