Through my title I have tried to give the reasons why one has one’s house painted. One is certainly to strengthen the house. Second reason why you may paint your house is to improve its appearance, very often drastically.
Thirdly, you might paint your house because you may feel like it. Believe me the third reason is often the most important. Lest you think I am making jokes we did get our house painted less than fifteen days back.
Before you start the painting you must be very sure of what you want. It helps to plan in advance as to which rooms will be painted on which day.
Very often painting is combined with renovation, so that has to be managed too. Each kind of paint has a certain finish but emulsions I believe are good for all requirements.
People choose different colours for different rooms. But my idea is to have the same colour for the whole house. It reduces wastage.
It helps to maintain good relations with the painters. After all you are putting your house in their hands. If they are treated well they are likely to do less harm to your possessions, inadvertently anyway.
The less you have in the house, the easier it is to get it painted. House-painting is a good excuse to purchase new furniture and new art facts to decorate the well-dressed home.
In conclusion, choose your painter carefully. Go for a man who has artistic sensibility and will finish his job well on time.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Colors
This is a subjective matter and Akisha has a marvellous review on it. I would suggest that you give it plenty of time and thought, discuss this with all concerned, take stock of other accessories in the room, specially the upholstery, curtains and the furniture.
Fortunately it is easier to order a particular shade today. Most paint manufacturers have Color Shade Cards and the dealers will be happy to give you a bunch from where you can choose your ’’ Mera wala cream’’ or for that matter any red, blue or green.
Insist on taking the color card home and matching shades to other objects in room. In Indian conditions I would avoid using strong, dark colors on walls. They will make the room look smaller. Choose bright clean hues.
Although the colour palette today offers thousands of shades, I would personally stick to soft and muted Pinks, mauves and creams.It would not be a bad idea to try the a small sample of the shade in a small patch on the wall before you commit yourself to it.
On choosing the roller or the brush. Again if you want a rather smooth finish choose the brush. The roller will give a slightly mottled appearance which many houseowners may not like.
The PainterUse only a trusted painter! Specially if you plan to use the luxury emulsion. This is a highly skilled job and not all painters can give a satisfactory results.
Your painter should touch the brush only after you have thoroughly examined the surface and declared it fit to receive the final coating of paint. Usually three to four coats are needed.
And always use ’’Brilliant white’’ shade of the same quality of paints as you have used for walls, for the ceiling. A brighter, whiter ceiling will make it appear higher and the place roomier.
Never compromise on the paint for ceiling. Many painters will insist that cheaper finishes could be used for the ceiling. Dont fall into that trap. Its worth the extra cost.The BrandMost manufacturers offer a full range of top coats and accessories.
In my house I have used ICI’s ’’Velvet Touch’’ and Berger’s ’’Silk Splendour’’ and I found them to be good in terms of surface finish, opacity and durability.
Fortunately it is easier to order a particular shade today. Most paint manufacturers have Color Shade Cards and the dealers will be happy to give you a bunch from where you can choose your ’’ Mera wala cream’’ or for that matter any red, blue or green.
Insist on taking the color card home and matching shades to other objects in room. In Indian conditions I would avoid using strong, dark colors on walls. They will make the room look smaller. Choose bright clean hues.
Although the colour palette today offers thousands of shades, I would personally stick to soft and muted Pinks, mauves and creams.It would not be a bad idea to try the a small sample of the shade in a small patch on the wall before you commit yourself to it.
On choosing the roller or the brush. Again if you want a rather smooth finish choose the brush. The roller will give a slightly mottled appearance which many houseowners may not like.
The PainterUse only a trusted painter! Specially if you plan to use the luxury emulsion. This is a highly skilled job and not all painters can give a satisfactory results.
Your painter should touch the brush only after you have thoroughly examined the surface and declared it fit to receive the final coating of paint. Usually three to four coats are needed.
And always use ’’Brilliant white’’ shade of the same quality of paints as you have used for walls, for the ceiling. A brighter, whiter ceiling will make it appear higher and the place roomier.
Never compromise on the paint for ceiling. Many painters will insist that cheaper finishes could be used for the ceiling. Dont fall into that trap. Its worth the extra cost.The BrandMost manufacturers offer a full range of top coats and accessories.
In my house I have used ICI’s ’’Velvet Touch’’ and Berger’s ’’Silk Splendour’’ and I found them to be good in terms of surface finish, opacity and durability.
tips to paint your house
Remember this:
The more expensive paint you plan to use, the more elaborate surface preparation will be required.
All cheaper distempers have a large percentage of clays and fillers, which actually fill up the surface very well, so a good surface preparation is not called for.
Paints:
If you are doing it on a budget use a good quality synthetic Distemper. Next in Line is The Emulsion Paint. And finally the Luxury Emulsion. The emulsion is a water based synthetic polymer to which Pigments have been added. It is these pigments that provide the all important Colour and Light Reflection.
The Polymer merely is a film former that forms the coating. The luxury emulsions are expensive, but they contain a large percentage of true pigments, specially the white
pigment Titanium Dioxide.
Finish
While the cheaper distempers give a dead matt finish, the more expensive emulsions provide a fashionable ’’egg-shell’’ finish.
The latter reflect more light, have purer and cleaner colors and are aesthetically more appealing. The luxury emulsions also fare better on the washability front. But be warned!
Dont be misled by the washability advertising! No matter how good the paint is, it is still never fully washable. Even if you wash it with cold water and a mild soap, it still will leave traces of stains and what is worse, washing marks.
So it is best to avoid a situation where washing may be called for.
The more expensive paint you plan to use, the more elaborate surface preparation will be required.
All cheaper distempers have a large percentage of clays and fillers, which actually fill up the surface very well, so a good surface preparation is not called for.
Paints:
If you are doing it on a budget use a good quality synthetic Distemper. Next in Line is The Emulsion Paint. And finally the Luxury Emulsion. The emulsion is a water based synthetic polymer to which Pigments have been added. It is these pigments that provide the all important Colour and Light Reflection.
The Polymer merely is a film former that forms the coating. The luxury emulsions are expensive, but they contain a large percentage of true pigments, specially the white
pigment Titanium Dioxide.
Finish
While the cheaper distempers give a dead matt finish, the more expensive emulsions provide a fashionable ’’egg-shell’’ finish.
The latter reflect more light, have purer and cleaner colors and are aesthetically more appealing. The luxury emulsions also fare better on the washability front. But be warned!
Dont be misled by the washability advertising! No matter how good the paint is, it is still never fully washable. Even if you wash it with cold water and a mild soap, it still will leave traces of stains and what is worse, washing marks.
So it is best to avoid a situation where washing may be called for.
