10 Home Improvement Tips For Spring

Spring Home Improvement - it's right around the corner! 

Before you know it, spring will be right around the corner and you know what that means - spring home improvement projects. The flowers will be popping, birds will be chirping and you'll have the ambition to start those home improvement projects that you've been adding to your list all winter.

What are some of the spring home improvement projects? There are tons! Some of the most popular projects range from replacing your roof, staining your deck, organizing your closets, lawn and garden care to painting the interior of your home.  

Today, you guessed it, I'll be giving you 10 home improvement tips for painting your home. In my book, painting is the #1 spring home improvement, all the others can  wait.

So here we go! My top 10 spring home improvement tips for painting the interior of your home.

1. Plan

Stop! 

Before you start ANY projects - have a plan!

I know this is an obvious step but even before you start your projects, make sure you have a plan. Choose all your colors, lay them out and see if they look good together. The last thing you want is your home looking like a patchwork quilt where every room is a different color and makes no sense at all. This step is crucial if you live in any home that has an open floor plan. It's imperative that the colors flow from room to room.

Open floor plan

2. Color

When you are choosing the color for your home, make sure you are in the room that your are choosing the color for. Lighting is so crucial when it comes to choosing color, I can't even tell you! Make sure you are holding your paint chip vertically, not horizontally.

3. Paint

We all know that we have choices of “Good” “Better” and “Best”. Keep that in mind when choosing your paint brand. Different levels of quality WILL show in the results. Renting a home? Use an affordable brand at an affordable price. Have a very large home with 15' ceilings? Use the BEST paint you can because you will not want to be painting after a few years. High quality paints will not fade and some offer warranties. Read your labels, know your products.

Painting a bath room? Look in to paint that is specially designed bathrooms. It's specially formulated for these rooms and very worth it! They keep the mildew down in the high humidity areas and make clean up much easier. Highly recommend this step.

The same goes for the tools you use. Use the best you can afford and the right brush for the type of paint you are using. I highly recommend purchasing a Wooster 2" angled brush for cutting in.

4. Prime

Many of the new homes have Contractors Beige which is a neutral color but is very porous and rough. If you are painting your home for the first time, you'll either have Contractors Beige on your walls or just drywall. 

Priming the wall is a must. Many people don't prime before they paint so they are basically using their expensive paint, which can be up to $60 a gallon, as a primer. Primers prime. They have a purpose. Read the label and find out what primers do. It's better to prime the wall at $17 a gallon then to use your paint as a primer. And, I'm not a believer of those paint and primers in one. It's just a really thick paint with extra properties in it for better coverage but save money! Use a primer first then paint. The choice is yours.

or tintable primer if you are working with dark colors. 

Highly recommend this step to!

5. Decor

When you choose color for your home, you MUST take into consideration all the decor in your home. Make sure your undertones are the same so take a look at your kitchen cabinets, flooring and furniture to make sure your new color coordinates with them.

6. Inspiration

Stuck for color choices? A super easy way to choose color of a room is to pull a color from the artwork or bedding that is already in the room. 

Not very inspired? Than look in your closet. What colors do YOU really love? Your wardrobe may have all the answers!

7. Sheen

From flat to semi gloss, paint sheen has a vital role to play. Matte will not show wall imperfections but is not a good choice for high traffic areas like the hallways or kitchens - however - they do have washable mattes that are a life saver. 

One of the areas in the kitchen that I like to use at least a satin, is the area under the countertop. If you have seating there, you know how dirty this area can get. Use a satin here and it'll be a breeze to keep clean. I also like to use a dark or accent color here.

8. Placement

You can't or should I say, shouldn't, just put color anywhere. A dark color will look great on an accent wall but it may look great on the ceiling to. Map out where you want your color and keep in mind lighting. Have fun and be innovative with your choices.

9. Sample!!!!!

If you're on the fence about a color choice, sample it! Benjamin Moore has some large color samples, I believe they are 16"x16" and just a few dollars a piece. Here's a picture of me holding one - and look at all the color choices you have (background). The worst thing you can do is paint an entire room than decide you don't like the color.

Please don't do this!!

Sample color the RIGHT way.

or Small Wall paint boards.

Small Wall®

10. Call a Professional

If you need help with ANY of these spring home improvement steps, don't hesitate to ask a pro. Lowe's or Home Depot specialize in these projects and have tons of ideas and information to help you. You can also check their website.

If you need help with just color, then contact me to schedule a Color Consultation if you live in South Charlotte. It's going to be a great spring! Let's start it right.