Here’s how to make neater work of your next painting project…
Photo: neighborhoodnotes.com
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Listen to BOB VILA ON PAINTING TIMESAVERS, or read text below: Read the rest of this entry »
For a great finish on your next painting project, start by prepping the surface the right way.
ehow.com
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Listen to BOB VILA ON FLAWLESS PAINT FINISH, or read text below: Read the rest of this entry »
Not sure what to do with old paint cans cluttering up your basement or garage? Follow this action plan to either condense or dispose of your surplus—and win back some valuable floor and shelf space in the bargain.
Leftover house paint is not the easiest stuff to get rid of. You can't simply throw it out without risking pollution and fines.
If you’re ready to go a step further than a simple coat of paint to personalize your home, try faux finishing.
blog.nola.com
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Listen to BOB VILA ON FAUX PAINTING, or read text below:
If you’re getting ready for a painting project, it’s important to think ahead and have your tools and supplies ready so you can finish what you start.
civilengineerlink.com
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Listen to BOB VILA ON PAINTING TOOLS, or read text below:
April has ushered in a burst of color, and we’re not just talking about floral blooms. According to a 2012 Spring Home Improvement Survey conducted by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and Sherwin-Williams, seven out of 10 homeowners are planning home improvement projects this spring—and of those, nearly half (49%) cite painting as their top “to do.”
There is nothing that stirs the senses quite like color. Consider how a sunny day affects your temperament, and why we are drawn to the color yellow when we want to create a cheery environment. Or how blues and greens are more restful colors, and red evokes feelings of passion, rage or danger. Color can alter our perceptions, making a small room appear larger and a big space more intimate.
Photo: 2modern.com
Thanks to the Internet, there’s no shortage of inspiration when it comes to bringing color to your home. Ah, but the ability to pick complementary colors for the lovely image you’ve just found online; that’s usually hard to come by. But the new Sherwin-Williams color tool, Chip It!, could save the day. The free service loads through your Facebook or Twitter account and sits on your browser’s bookmark menu bar.
Colorado's Estes Park: Swimming, Dazzle, Undercool
While I’d always been interested in history, it wasn’t until I got to college that I fell in love with it. A special course on the 20th century actually led me to make the subject my second major.
That course was taught by one of the top professors at the university I attended. What made him different was that he didn’t focus on dates, names, or places. Those were all essential to learn, but even more important, the professor told us, was to see the big picture. To trace how different things came together to push movements and people forward. To understand where we’re at today, you’ve got to understand the ways in which we’ve evolved.
If you’re anything like me, standing in front of a sea of paint colors at the local home center can be an angst-ridden experience. Sure, I can spot colors that I like, and even whittle them down to the few that work best with the furnishings and materials in the room. But when it comes to settling on the right hue, shade and intensity— and how it will read in natural and artificial light (… and, in what type of artificial light: LED, CFL, or incandescent?)—I can actually start to feel beads of sweat forming on my brow.
That’s why color experts like Eve Ashcraft are held in such high regard and why her new book, The Right Color—Finding the Perfect Palette for Every Room in your Home (Artisan Books; Copyright 2011; Hardcover $29.95), is a welcome addition to the paint/color library. Having worked with Martha Stewart on two of her paint collections and countless corporate and personal clients (one even asking her advice on the right shade for his porcelain veneers), Ashcraft is considered one of the foremost authorities on color today. And lest you think the book is too academic or high-brow for the average consumer, think again.
In The Right Color Ashcraft provides an inspiration-packed, consumer-friendly approach to working with color; from the basics of color theory to insights on how best to use color to define space, enhance light, and accentuate ceilings, trim, furnishings and art. She dispels color myths in “Breaking the Color Rules” and offers coordinated palettes for every room of the house, from entry rooms to powder rooms, including examples of her own personal case studies. In addition to helping readers choose the right colors for individual rooms, she also shares her expertise on creating colors that flow from room to room. In short, everything you need to know to think like the pro herself.
For an excerpt from the book, check out this slide show featuring Eve Ashcraft’s 6 Inspirations for Choosing a Color Palette. And be sure to look for Ashcraft’s new collection of paints—Eve Ashcraft Color: The Essential Palette—manufactured by Fine Paints of Europe.
