Interior Paint- from A to Z!

A- Accent Wall- I love at least one fun accent wall in a house- warming up a fireplace wall in a living room or another focal point in your home, these are perfect for when you feel like trying out a bold color but don’t want to use it on the entire room

B- Bristles- Paint brushes with natural bristles are meant for oil based paints. Those with synthetic bristles are for water based or latex paints.

C- Color- I know the trend these days is to do everything neutral, but don’t be scared to paint your house a fun bright color…also consider paint colors that enhance your physical features- if you have red hair, you should consider painting in blues, greens, purples, or teals- you definitely need to look fab in your own home!

D- Dry- Let your paint dry- I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started to put my accessories back after painting because I was so excited to see how it would look, only to discover the paint was not fully dry and I ended up ruining a perfectly good vase on my fireplace!

E- Environmentally friendly- Sherwin Williams, for example, offers a paint with no V.O.C.’s (volatile organic compounds) called Harmony Interior Latex paint.

F- Flow- when you are selecting paint colors for your home (especially if you have an open floor plan) be sure to consider each individual room and how the rooms relate to one another. You want everything to kind of flow into each other and coordinate so your house looks unified.

G- Gloss finish- I prefer to use high gloss paints on doors and trim- they are shiny and a lot easier to clean!

H- Hardware- remove all hardware before you paint- that includes cabinet knobs, hinges, door knobs, light switch plates, outlet covers and light fixtures...what you will remove depends on the room of course!

I- Inexpensive- I always tell people that paint is the most inexpensive way to completely transform your home. Every home could do with a new paint job every once in a while

J- Java- a dark brown paint color that is really chic right now!

K- Kitchen- this area as well as your bathroom are exposed to water, steam, and heavy use, so I would suggest a semi gloss paint in these areas

L- Light- Before you paint, be sure to examine your color swatches on the wall in the daytime and at night…trust me, paint changes when exposed to different lighting conditions!

M- Mood- Decide on the mood of your house/room early on- this will help you decide on a color palette. Do you want the room to be cheerful, calm, exciting or intimate?

N- Neutrals- You’d be surprised but sometimes neutral paint is the hardest color to decide on! Trim is usually white or off white and believe me, this can take the longest time to pick out- there are so many whites out there, it will drive you crazy. Be patient and test out these colors before you paint- trim accents can really make a room so make sure you choose wisely!

O- Order- make sure you always paint rooms in this order: ceiling, walls, trim, cabinet, doors

P- Primer- Most paint jobs look better if you use a primer or base coat first- especially for darker colors. You can have the primer tinted to the color of your surface paint so you can avoid having to do a second coat!

Q- Quart- Use this size to sample paint on your walls before committing to a gallon

R- Razor blades- scrape leftover dripped paint off glass or tile with a razor blade

S- Sherwin Williams- has recently come out with a lot more colors and is now more like Benjamin Moore- I love their new historical palettes and around the world paint colors

T- Trim and taping off- If you are painting yourself, trim should be painted with a steady hand…also remember to tape off the walls in your room using painters blue tape- it’s really time saving in the end!

U- Ultra modern- in these minimal spaces, a snow white color can look very nice. Otherwise, I like to stick with more color or a tinted off white in transitional/traditional spaces because bright white can end up looking very sterile

V- V.O.C.’s- you want paint with low or no V.O.C.’s!

W- Wrap- Wrap your brushes in plastic wrap and seal in a plastic bag when you are taking a break so they won’t dry out. Brush expenses can really add up if you aren’t careful...

X- “Xtra” leftover paint- be sure to save and store in small jars for future touchups!

Y- Yellow- this is another color that is making a big comeback for Spring!

Z- Zebra- I love this trendy fabric right now- it provides a neutral base of black and white print on a rug, pillow, or upholstery, so that you can paint your walls ANY color and it will look great with it!