How long should I wait Before Sleeping in a recently Painted Room?

It depends on the paint, but we recommend waiting several days and thoroughly airing out the room. Young children and expecting women should be kept completely away from paint and recently painted rooms.

Can exterior paint be used Indoors.

It is not recommended, but exterior paint can be used indoors. Given the much greater expense, there is no reason to do this. And you will have to wait much longer for the chemical smell in the air to clear. There are also fewer colours to choose from. Interior paint is a better option.

Does Glossy finish Paint cause a Room to be more Hot or Humid?

This appears to be a rumour based on a misunderstanding. External paint will affect how a house absorbs heat in the Sun. Interior paint does not appear to make much difference. Go with what looks the best, or use glossy paint in kitchens and bathrooms.

Can We Paint Gloss over Satin Finish or Vice-Versa?

Generally yes, if the surface is properly prepared. It is difficult for some paints to adhere to gloss paint underneath, so the surface might need to be roughened. Latex paint can cause problems too, so the surfaces underneath must altered. Remember, the effect will be quite different. Gloss shows all the imperfections.

Why is Wallpaper less popular these days?

Some people still like wallpaper, but other realize the disadvantages. Paint can be touched up and fixed easily; wall paper is difficult to repair if damaged. Wallpaper is also difficult, or expensive to replace if your change your mind. Paint just seems to work well, and is easy to maintain or replace.

Some decorators like to use decals on walls. This allows us to have intricate designs on painted walls. Some of the market for wallpaper has been taken by decal and other wall designs.

Should the Ceiling be Painted First?

Painting the ceiling first will prevent any spilt paint getting on the recently painted walls. But if painting is done professionally it makes little difference as there should be negligible spillage.

Frankenstein’s Monster was a combination of many things from different sources. The result was not aesthetically appealing. No matter how good any of our sources are the combining of different elements will never work unless the individual parts have some coherence. Usually this takes pre-planning, though sometime we can be lucky. It helps to know some of the mistakes made in the past.

Impulse Buys – there are some great bargains to be had, but no item is a bargain if it never gets used. And if an item does not have a place in a room of your house it is wasted. People who say ‘that would be perfect for the living room’ tend to be on the right track’. Think of the overall effect.

Scale and Height – We live and think in a 3D way. Rooms need to reflect this and not have everything at the one level.

Focal Point – Rooms work with a focal point. There is variety in the house if every room has a different focal point. A fireplace, Television or dining suite are the obvious focal points of some rooms. Occasionally a room can have more than one.

Cluttered and Small – Though some European and Victorian styles work with many small details most people presently avoid this. If it’s all small details there is no point of focus, and our minds tend to react poorly to this. Sometimes it can work if there is a central point of focus as well as small details, but no just small details on their own.

Cluttered and Big – A room can be crowded with only a few items if those items are simply too big. Changing the style of the item, like a spare frame chair instead of a recliner, can make a difference. Changing the colour to something less dominant can also work; as long as there is a feeling of space in the room.

Collections – Most of us have these. If the various items look like they belong together then the results can be worth displaying.

Painting before you plan the rest – Rarely do we design around the paint. Rather, we design the room and paint the walls accordingly. Look at fabric and furniture, and find a wall colour that is suitable.

Above all, create a space that the home owners, presumably you, feel very comfortable in.

Repainting is the most obvious way to redecorate a room. But if you are going to the trouble of having the place repainted it is often a good time to consider redecorating the rest of the room. We usually move the curtains and furnishings out of the room in order to help the painters. While they are out we can look at ways to replace or rearrange them.

If you having a living room repainted you might want to look at:

– Windows. Possibly the two most noticeable things about a room, after the colour, are the lighting and window space. Generally the brighter the room the better, but you will also want privacy at night. As you have just recoloured the walls you will probably want to change the colour of the curtains, blinds or drapes to match. You can also change the height of the window coverings; there is no rule to say that the curtain must be at the top of the window. You can take curtains or blinds right up to the ceiling, and make the room look taller in the process.

– A good coffee table. These come in multiple varieties; the trick is finding the right one. Anything from IKEA to classic old wood to bargains at second-hand sales can be effective. Decorate with vases, flowers, a coffee table book, porcelain or anything else. Hide any remote controls, as these do not count as decorations.

– Bookshelves and cabinet displays. We all accumulate a few sentimental and valuable objects. Find the best way to put them on display.

– Mirrors. Great for a sense of space, mirrors make a room look bigger. A large mirror might be too much, and expensive. Try several square mirrors about one foot across. Experiment with different arrangements.

– The painting. A minimal amount of art is often the best option. Professional galleries do not completely cover the walls, lest the effect be lost in the overcrowding. One or two great images work well. Go with something you will want to look at long term.

– Printed wall images. Less appropriate for a living room, but a classic landscape or city scene can completely transform a room. If you follow this option you will want to decorate the rest of the room around this fundamental idea.

– Seating. The right couch with a few colourful cushions can look very inviting. There are many options, and some are not that expensive.

– Lighting. Changing the position of the light fixtures will make a big different, though this will entail using an electrician. Else, you can buy some natural light globes, or red/orange tint for a pleasant night time look.

Modern paints are far less toxic than their earlier counterparts. Old painted walls contained lead, and many paints emitted harmful chemicals for several days after being applied. Modern paints are not immune to all of these problems, though the level of toxic components has been significantly reduced.

Modern paints are usually low in VOC (Volatile Organic chemicals), so any issue are minimal. VOCs are the cause of the ‘new room’ or ‘fresh paint’ smell.  The most prominent of these is usually formaldehyde, though there are other chemicals. Formaldehyde is a health risk and tends to aggravate allergies, especially with breathing or eye function. While paint does release small amounts of formaldehyde it is far from the only source. Many plastics, woods furniture items and new carpet also release formaldehyde. Modern paint is a minor contributor by comparison.

To detox the Room after it has been painted.

• Ventilate the room by opening windows and using a fan.
• Bowls of water with sliced lemon will soak up a lot of chemical smell. Some people also add some salt put several bowls of water and lemon around the room for several days after painting. Dispose of the lemon afterwards.
• Bowls of sliced onion also soak up chemical smells.
• Bicarbonate of Soda absorbs a lot of chemical smells. This is especially good on new carpet.
• Charcoal also absorbs odours. A few trays of charcoal in the room will help, though this is a nightmare to clean up if it spills.
• Consider using an air filter, particularity one with a HEPA filter.

Detoxing the house in general.

• Indoor plants are great for cleaning the air. This is a long term solution, but quite effective.
• Consider running an air purifier, at least occasionally. HEPA filter or charcoal filters are both effective.
• Let mattresses, linen, new carpet, new furniture and recently painted rooms be aired out for several days before use.

Newborn children and pregnant women should never be exposed to paint or recently painted rooms. Some chemicals are linked to birth defects.

Use of paints such as ENviro02 almost entirely eliminates any pollution or chemical smell.

Re-painting is one of the more simple ways of changing the look of a house, or just a single room. But as with all creative pursuits the choices are often more difficult than the execution. Choosing the right colour scheme is fundamentally important if you want to be pleased with the end result.

It is a mistake to not have any set ideas about a colour scheme. Open-mindedness is usually good, but if you already have a particular room to re-colour you will have to find an option (one of many) that work for that particular situation. It is a mistake to just look at colour sheets and find a shade you like. The shade of colour you choose must suit the room and the other furnishing you have their. It must also suit you. Remember, the furnishings, curtains and even carpets can also be changed to suit the new paint, though this can be an expensive option.

One way to choose room colours that suit you is to look at the colours you use for clothing and other items. You will be spending time in the rooms being painted, so consider yourself part of the overall effect. And consider how you feel with certain shades of colour. If you live in the house, you should be at one with it.

Narrow down the colours you like on the store colour chart to 3 or 4 that you feel are suitable. You can get a small sample pot and paint a 1 foot square area of the wall; see which suit the room best.

Else, take a photo or two of your room under ideal conditions, and use Photoshop to change the wall colours in the image. It may be hard to get an exact match to the store colours, but a photo of the colour chart can get pretty close; you can certainly eliminate some bad choices with this method.

Consider whether you want to modify the rest of the room after the re-painting. Some renovations can be done in two or three stages. You might choose furniture in advance to suit the new colour, or vice-verse; but you have to plan carefully as a mismatch later can ruin the whole effect.

Metallic paints can be used in a number of different ways. They have been around for many centuries, but have not tended to be used for house interiors till fairly recently.

Metallic paint is produced by suspending powdered metal in an oil base. The basic idea has been around since the Bronze Age, but the modern process has improved greatly throughout history. The base almost always has to be oil as water based metallic paints are prone to rust and discolouration. Some non-rusting metals are an exception to this. Mica powder can produce good paint results in oil or other bases.

Metallic finish can be added to other paints, keeping the same general colour while altering the overall effect and lighting properties. This mixing process is a skill, and requires the powdered metal to be mixed with a thinning agent before being added to the paint. Incorrect missing methods cause clumping and air bubbles in the paint, which produces an unsatisfying result. Care must also be taken to calculate the right amount of paint; it is hard to make a second batch identical to the first, and using two different batches of paint on the wall gives an uneven finish.

The flake size of metallic paint is one aspect of its appearance. Coarse metal flakes produce a brilliant finish; very fine flakes look dull, though this is sometime the desired effect. Coating the metallic paint with a gloss will give the illusion of depth; glossy metallic paints look very thick with the addition of a good glossy coat.

There are two contrasting results aimed for with metallic paints. One is metallic paint on a rough surface, which give a pleasant antique, rustic look. The other is metallic paint on a very smooth surface, which allows a lot of reflective light, and produces a very slick, modern look.

It is rare for a room to be done entirely with metallic paint, but railings, furnishings, frames sculptures and other items can be extremely effective with a good metallic finish. Decorating a wall with a metallic mural is another good option.

Gloss paint has been around for centuries. Though it is used less often that flat or eggshell finish gloss finish paint is still produced and still has its uses.

Gloss is the shiniest paint of all. They were once always oil based, but there have been water based versions for many years that are reasonably hardwearing but much better for cleaning up (with plain water). Gloss is vivid looking, and that is exactly what is needed in some applications. The only real disadvantage of gloss is that the shiny finish highlights any imperfections in the walls; surfaces must be very well prepared.

The most common use for glossy paint is trim- the windowsills, door frames and sometime doors and skirting boards. This gives a pleasant outline to a room already finished in matt, flat or eggshell. If the room has obvious fixtures such as radiators, railings or exposed piping the use of gloss paint can make these functional items seem like part of the décor. Likewise, wooden or cane furniture can look very vivid with gloss paint, and if it matches the colour or the trim and walls the room can look very slick.

Many front and back doors have a gloss finish. Even under fairly harsh conditions. Garden furniture does equally well.

Occasionally a room’s walls are painted in gloss. This can work well if the owner wants a vivid finish. Rooms can look extremely modern and bright with primary colours, though the décor must suit this. Alternately, brown gloss can look classically old fashioned, especially with crème or tan colours. This suits vintage or even rustic furniture.

These days the most common type of finish for interior wall paint is eggshell. But it would be a mistake to think that other types of finish are obsolete. As always there are the right materials for the right circumstances. Other finishes continue to have their use as either trimming in ordinary house painting, or occasionally as the main product in specialist circumstances.

Eggshell finish.

Eggshell finish refers to the sheen of interior wall paint. Eggshell is slightly glossier than flat paint by much less shiny that full or semi-gloss. It first appeared on the painting market in the 1970s, and steadily proved popular because of its look and resistance to stains.

Gloss and semi-gloss paints always had the advantage of easy cleaning, but were a little too intense, too bright, for many applications. Their shiny look also tended to expose any imperfections in the painted surface or less than ideal brush technique. Good glossy finishes could only be achieved by professionals or experienced amateurs.

Flat finish paints often looked good, and could be applied with general handyman skills. They were quite tolerant of any minor imperfections in the wall and proved popular for many years. Their only downside was the tendency to stain.

Eggshell finish had almost the same stain resistance of glossy paint, and it covers imperfection in the wall surface almost as well as flat finish paint. It represents the best of both types of paint.

Glossy paint is still often used for window sills, door frames and some skirting boards. Matching the right glossy paint for this trim with the right wall colour and finish is one of the many details that indicate a professional painting project.

Eggshell can also refer to a paint colour, a type of pleasant off white tint. Care should be taken not to confuse the terms.