Painting the interior of our house....input please!!!

[canuk-gal]

HI ya''ll:

It has been 11 years since we moved into our newly built house...but now comes the time to repaint the interior. We hope to have it done while on a family vacation later in Feb. I have two painters coming next week for estimates. My questions are:

1) How many estimates should one get? Should one ask for references?
2) Best quality of paint--is more $$ generally better quality?
3) Should I hire an interior decorator to get ideas on color schemes? I have absolutely no clue what colors would work together......At present out house is the basic off white, but I definately want some color this time around....but what???
4) What about faux finishing...can you get away with some wall finished and not others--or what?
5) Which decorating magazines are the most "useful" to buy for my purposes.

Sorry for all the questions, but what I thought might be easy to decide is starting to give me palpatations.......
Any tips would be welcome!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[fire&ice]

Word of mouth is usually the best way to find a painter. Of all the trades, they can be the least reliable. Yes, get at least two estimates. Ask what brand of paint they use. Ask how they apply it. Definitely get at least three references. These people are going to be entering your house.

As far as colors, well - that''s really personal. What feel do you want each room to have? How connected are the rooms? Do you like darker rich colors or bright colors? Are the rooms small or spacious?

Regarding the interior decorator - do you want them to do the whole house? Fabric, window treatments, etc? I''ve never found them useful. I was overwhelmed when we built the house 15 years ago. We hired someone to do a color board for us w/ some suggestions. I didn''t like what they did. Paid them the retainer & went on my merry way. I took a deep breath & did things little by little. It all comes together that way if you are patient.

What has been helpful to us is the Sherwin Williams period pallette. For example, they have one on the Arts & Crafts movement. We just pull the colors from there as that is what time frame we collect. They have a Victorian Pallette, Deco Pallate & recently added 50''s Mid Century Modern Pallette. The colors on the pallette all work well together regardless of style.

Good luck & have some fun!

 

[eks6426]

I second the get at least 2 or maybe even 3 estimates. Pick the paint YOU (it pays to buy quality paint!) want the painter to use and don''t include that in the estimate...so you get estimates for labor only. Be really careful to understand how they do prep work on the walls (do they fill the little knicks and dings that happen over time?)

As for colors, start with the colors you love. A lot of times you can look to your wardrobe for inspiration...some people are more "warm color" people and others are more "cool color" people. Once you narrow it done to a couple of colors per room, buy the smallest can of paint you can and paint a piece of poster board in each color. Live with them for a few days. You''ll be amazed at how much different the color looks in a big splash rather than on the tiny chip. Colors also look different based on the surrounds, time of day, light in the room etc. If you decide you don''t like it, you can just buy another small can of paint and do another poster board. It sure beats coming back from vacation to a room painted the color you thought you''d like but don''t......

As for magazines...go to Barnes & Nobles, Borders etc. and spend an afternoon looking at them. The home improvement magazine market has exploded in the last few years and there are so many options. Buy the ones with rooms you like. One thing I do is keep a Home Ideas Folder. Whenever I see a paint, decorating idea I like I pull out the magazine page and put it in the folder. It''s interesting how many times I choose similar rooms. This makes it easy next time you go to repaint or redecorate. Just an idea. Good luck with your new paint job.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Thanks for the input F & I!
I meant to say that we live in a traditional two story--hardwood & carpet combo''s on floors. I am unsure whether I would want darker colors for the long term (do people tire of these more quickly with the trends?), although I really like my sisters maroon, sage green, terra cotta colors--but then again she has a completely different type of house (large open vaulted....).
So many decisions......

cheers--Sharon

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 1/28/2005 11:21:28 AM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

Thanks for the input F & I!
I meant to say that we live in a traditional two story--hardwood & carpet combo''s on floors. I am unsure whether I would want darker colors for the long term (do people tire of these more quickly with the trends?), although I really like my sisters maroon, sage green, terra cotta colors--but then again she has a completely different type of house (large open vaulted....).
So many decisions......

cheers--Sharon

Sherwin Williams has an "Americana" collection.

What personality do you want each room to have? What overall personality do you want the house to have? For example, we have a large living room that we converted into a reading room. We wanted to bring the walls in and create a more intimate soothing place. We painted it a fairly darkish adobe color. We''ve never tired of it & it accomplished what we set out to do. You could stick with "traditional" colors - but don''t feel like you have to. You could always pull a color out of your favorite upholstry. Some find it easier to start with a color and work around. Some find it easy to go out and find a favorite fabric & pull a pallette from that.

Anything goes with hardwoods. Is it stained a darker or lighter color? What colors are in the carpet. For our dining room, we pulled one of the colors out of the rug for the walls.

I can only relate what we have done. The whole house in painted in a pleasing creamy white w/ a tad yellow hue. We''ve painted individual rooms w/ color. In both houses, it was the living room & dining room.

My biggest advice is find a good painter. But, you may have some color schemes in place before you get a firm price. Picking paint color can be agonizing. Did you see the thread about Mara''s little bathroom?

That was a little hall bath.

I feel for you. But, don''t get overwhelmed.

 

[moremoremore]

"Picking paint color can be agonizing." OMG. NO JOKE. I wanted a gray blue for my den. Not cold. Not warm. Not ice blue. Not gray. I'm telling you I went MAD. But I must say I did find THE color


Someone once told me to take a few magazines...I love Traditional Home...and flip through and just rip out everything that you immediately like...don't over think it....then put it all in front of you and ask yourself what the trend is.

That's how I decided on my bathroom. I just started ripping things out. I noticed that I was drawn to white bathroom wall tile in rectangular patterns, set like brick. DUH. Subway tile. I realized that all of my pics had a vintage feel. I also realized that all of my pix had small floor tile with dark grout...That made things flow. But I have to say that I would be clueless with a whole house. Colors that make me sick on the color wheel will look beautiful when I see them up. SO what the heck do I know!

I do know one thing...I constantly change my mind so I go very very safe and neutral (although almost anything makes for a neutral these days) on the walls. I also love a Sweedish Country going very easy on the girly and modern vintage looks. ... I use a lot of the old stand by "China White" from Benjamin Moore. But I was thinking resale b/c we'll only be there for a few years more....

best of luck!!!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/28/2005 11:52:12 AM
Author: fire&ice
Sherwin Williams has an ''Americana'' collection.

Sherwin Williams is EXCELLENT paint. This brand I would highly recommend. We painted the exterior of our previous house during the fall and would paint parts during the day and then the following day it would be dry regardless of how dewy or drizzily it was outside. I''m in Seattle so it''s always a bit wet everywhere.

Also, we did our interior with Sherwin and it looks great. We planned to hire painters but in the end my husband and his friend painted our entire interior including ceiling TWICE over using airless sprayers and it looks fabulous. Price for the paint was around $1000 due to our square footage and ceiling deminsions (and the cost of Kilz that we used too), so you''re definetly paying extra for quality, but it''s worth it.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Wonderful suggestions for far...thank you....keep them coming...please!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Maxine]

I did some remodeling last summer....I did some of the painting myself, and hired people for the rest (there was a lot!!! still not done w/my part, thanks to the hurricanes!!) .
I had lots of fun on the home depot behr website....you can pick colors there.....its lets you see colors that go well together...it let''s you choose a shade lighter or darker, and you could put in more "green" or "blue" or whatever...And their in store machine lets you bring in a pillow or piece of carper and it tells you what color pain it matches.....fun to play around with....Most stores will match colors to a great extent, so if you find something you like at one place, you can buy it in the brand you prefer.
Our SW store has cards of painters that buy paint from them....sometimes they will give you some names of people to call and get quaotes from....I found that they alll work differently...some by the job, some by the hour.....some prefer a certain paint, and others will use whatever YOU buy..l

 

[diamondlil]

Date: 1/28/2005 10:23:11 AM
Author:canuk-gal
HI ya''ll:

It has been 11 years since we moved into our newly built house...but now comes the time to repaint the interior. We hope to have it done while on a family vacation later in Feb. I have two painters coming next week for estimates. My questions are:

1) How many estimates should one get? Should one ask for references?
2) Best quality of paint--is more $$ generally better quality?
3) Should I hire an interior decorator to get ideas on color schemes? I have absolutely no clue what colors would work together......At present out house is the basic off white, but I definately want some color this time around....but what???
4) What about faux finishing...can you get away with some wall finished and not others--or what?
5) Which decorating magazines are the most ''useful'' to buy for my purposes.

Sorry for all the questions, but what I thought might be easy to decide is starting to give me palpatations.......
Any tips would be welcome!!

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon. I guess I missed this thread somwhere. I tend to focus on diamonds and jewelry at PS, and sometimes the other interesting stuff sneaks by me.

Painting and painters can definitely be one of the most frustrating parts of home decorating. I used to be a decorator BC (before children), and my husband and I have built 3 homes. Although I worked with painters all the time in my business, they were definitely a frustration for me. I''m extremely picky, and finding a true "professional" painter can be tedious.

1. Word of mouth is always your best bet. I would also ask for references and definitely call them. Many people get references and then never follow up. Get several estimates, but remember that going with the lowest price is not always going to save you money if they do sloppy work and have to come back to fix their mistakes.

2. Paint is a fantastic way to liven up the decor of your house, and even at the high end, it''s the least expensive way to decorate. I do believe that you get what you pay for in paint. I always recommend buying the best QUALITY paint you can afford, and you may use different quality for different areas of your house depending on how much abuse that area gets (I have kids

). There are also different types of finishes to consider. I recommend semi-gloss or gloss on the trim (if your trim is painted not stained), and as much as I like the look of flat paint on walls (it hides drywall/plaster imperfections the best), it sometimes is not practical with kids, animals, etc. I recommend an egg-shell finish since it has a little better washability. It''s not as simple to apply for your painter because if it''s not done right, lighting will highlight roller marks more so than with a flat paint, but that''s why builder''s use flat -- it takes little effort and hides everything.

3. Hiring an interior decorator is not a bad idea, but not necessary by any means. Are you planning to change more than just the color of your walls? Are you planning new furniture and draperies as well? A decorator will hellp you with the flow of the entire house. I personally prefer colors that flow from one room to the other, and I like the house to follow a theme, so to speak. You will need to evaluate how one area transitions into another in your house. Sometimes it''s difficult to break one color and go to another just because it is a different room. I''m not one to change colors just because there is a corner either (I can elaborate on this if you would like), but I also would not want the entire house painted in beige. I like color on walls. This is where a professional painter/decorator can make all the difference.

Note: My biggest recommendation is that when you find a color or colors that you like, buy a quart (or some companies offer a small sample bottle) of the color and paint a 2 or 3 foot square predominanly in the room you are painting and live with it for a few days. Look at the color with your surroundings and in all lighting during day and night. Colors look totally different not only in the store, on a sample card, but also from day time natural light to night time artificial light. A color you love at 11 a.m. may look hideous at 9 p.m.

4. Faux finishing is lovely. It can be used on some walls and not on others. Deciding which walls can be tricky -- don''t want to create conflicting focal points. The first step is coming up with your color scheme. Then you can go the next step deciding where and what type of finish for each area.

5. I love decorating magazines. These are the best way to figure out exactly what you like and don''t like not only with design but also color schemes. I don''t have any particular recommendations, but spend a little time browsing through them at your bookstore and as you see things you like, bring the magazines home and lay them out to live with them for a bit.

Well, I hope this helps a little. I could add a ton more, but I know it becomes overwhelming. White/cream walls are boring. Have fun with color!!!!!

DiamondLil

 

[hoorray]

Hi Sharon,

I painted a couple of years ago, and I did have an interior designer help me with color, and then manage the process (it wasn''t our primary home at the time so I wasn''t there enough to do it myself). I had worked with him before, and knew I liked his taste, which is key. He is the onle designer I have ever worked with with good results, and he has a good sense of how much color and where to use it, which is what I was unsure of. I used a warm beige on the walls, a lighter white tone on the ceiling, and a warm sandy brown color on accent walls running through out the house. Each room has at least one sand colored wall. It worked out really well in my very open and modern home, and it''s very neutral so I can make changes easily without repainting. We used Sherwin Williams paint and are very happy. It was the only one my designer liked to bother with.

A couple of things to find out in your bid:
- will they roll or spray the paint -- rolled paint usually looks better
- will they remove or mask around knobs, towel racks, etc

You can specify these things to get apples to apples bids. Do get several -- you''ll be surprised at the variability. Also get references. I like to start with people who have been referred by someone I know whenever possible.

 

[fire&ice]

I think rolled looks better also for interior walls. Will you be doing the trimwork also? Brush is better for that.

Yeah, I've heard - Duron for the down & dirty painter - Sherwin Williams for the Proficient - Ben Moore for the average homeowner/painter.

A while back all we would only use BM for trim. Sherwin Williams has developed some really great Latex trim paint. We have been sold on it. Dries quicker, smells less, less mess & these days does as good a job/

Edited to add: remember - the painter is *always* going to get a better price on the paint. They get a contractor's discount. Some will pass that along to you if you pay for the paint upfront & have it on your premise.

Under no circumstance pay them during the job. Pay only after. I had to fire a painter b/c I would pay them a draw & then they would leave the job for a week. Unfortunately, way back then, it was part of the nature of a construction draw.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

These suggestions have been invaluable--I''ve created a checklist for the estimators......
Now I am off to "Walls Alive" to have a sneak preview........

cheers--Sharon

 

[moremoremore]

Tell us what you decide!!!! I actually pay as they go. I have had the good fortune of not having a problem b/c it is a small project...not a lagre construction project...so I think it''s totally fine to pay as they go...When I had my place plastered and painted and had all the moldings replaced, I paid them every three days. It worked out fine..

 

[MichelleCarmen]

A couple of things to find out in your bid:
- will they roll or spray the paint -- rolled paint usually looks better

We did a combo. My husband sprayed and his friend rolled. This process goes a lot more quickly because neither guys had to continually bend over to reapply paint and the paint does look rolled, not sprayed

.

 

[Maxine]

Just remember that paint is one of the easiest things to change!!! You can always redo it inexpensively if you don''t like it!!

 

[hoorray]

Date: 1/30/2005 9:56:39 PM
Author: Maxine
Just remember that paint is one of the easiest things to change!!! You can always redo it inexpensively if you don''t like it!!

IMO, this is true for a wall or a room. Not so simple for a whole house -- especially if you have complications like tall ceilings.....

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/30/2005 11:20:30 PM
Author: lop

Date: 1/30/2005 9:56:39 PM
Author: Maxine
Just remember that paint is one of the easiest things to change!!! You can always redo it inexpensively if you don't like it!!

IMO, this is true for a wall or a room. Not so simple for a whole house -- especially if you have complications like tall ceilings.....

Or if you paint a dark color it's a bit more challenging to fix! In our first house the owners painted one of the bathrooms bright pepto bismal pink (including the ceiling) and it took three coats of paint to cover it up. lol

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 1/31/2005 2:57:25 PM
Author: MichelleCarmen

Date: 1/30/2005 11:20:30 PM
Author: lop

Date: 1/30/2005 9:56:39 PM
Author: Maxine
Just remember that paint is one of the easiest things to change!!! You can always redo it inexpensively if you don''t like it!!

IMO, this is true for a wall or a room. Not so simple for a whole house -- especially if you have complications like tall ceilings.....

Or if you paint a dark color it''s a bit more challenging to fix! In our first house the owners painted one of the bathrooms bright pepto bismal pink (including the ceiling) and it took three coats of paint to cover it up. lol

HI:

Note to self--strike PB pink off my list........heh heh heh

After looking in two places for paint, naturally, I find myself drawn to the neutrals.......AGAIN. Help! If I come home and tell my hubby I want more pale cream walls he''ll scream!

Actually, I did see some pretty cool lookin colors in Walls Alive (they carry Pratt & Lambert and C2 paint); and really liked the pale greens (NO MINT) and pale colors with hints of pink and yellow. Thing is the latter colors (buttermilk and noodle) show differently when placed with the greens, one is a bit pinkier and another a bit yellower. But complimentary and very warmish. I think I could live wiht hues like this.......

By Wed. pm, I should have 4 estimates: one fellow is a neighbour who owns a painting company and has done work around the neighbourhood, another is a same kind of guy, local fella, painted in the ''hood, and the remaining two guys were recommended by the paint store as painters whose work they''ve seen. Based on what I''ve learned from ya''ll I''ve got my question checklist in hand--and keeping an open mind......

This might even be fun! Now to pitch the appliances, pictures and drapes onto the lawn......

cheers--Sharon

 

[bar01]

Consumer Reports seems to give their best rating to the Behr Premium Plus line of interior paints. These are sold at Home Depot in the US.

I have been happy with Benjamin Moore Regal paints which CR rates well too.

 

[Mara]

we found our painter through word of mouth and i called about 3 of them...only one came to give an estimate and i really liked him so we went with him. his estimate was close to what the others would have charged, and i just really liked his personality. he had done a friend of a friend's place who raved about him constantly.

he preferred to use benjamin moore paints so we didn't really have an option to say 'we want XYZ paint', but i have heard BM is very highly considered in that industry so that was fine with us. he also wanted to only do one coat to save us $$ and apparently BM is a nice thick paint.

the only thing i didnt love about BM and this guy was that the paint selections were hard , i showed him a pic from a mag which was hard to match apparently, and all the BM colors were nowhere close to what i wanted. we ended up mixing a custom paint which turned out TOTALLY different from what i thought it would, and i wasnt happy with it at first, but i have actually grown to love it. greg loved it as well from the beginning. it was just darker (it was a lighter true blue) than i had expected. i wanted a lighter color. however in the morning with the sun and light it looks very pale and then at night it adds some color to the room, so im glad we went with it.

so the paint selection is the hard stuff for me, i would need someone who really could help with that next time, he was not super great at deciphering what i wanted since i tend to save things like mag pictures and other randoms which apparently are not the easiest to match (aka a mag picture is glossy and also the lighting in that room would affect how the picture looks etc). however the rest of the house we did in this beautiful light taupe and it matched the mag picture i showed him, so who knows what happened with the blue!

so anyway i definitely would quote out a few people and see who appeals the most to you (and price of course), and determine how good you will be on your own with paint selection or if you need assistance...good luck and how fun!

oh edited to add in terms of neutrals, i am sooo a neutral person but sometimes i regret having the whole house a taupe color, its almost too neutral and not warm enough. our furniture is neutral as well, so we should either have gotten some wilder furniture or had more color on the walls. the bedroom is my fave since it is colored, and all my accents in there are pure white and dark mahogany, so the blue plays nicely against those and the room always looks fresh. i am not happy with how our family room looks, cocoa couch, taupe walls and cream blinds make for a BORING look. i add accents through color like green pillows and sage blankets, but its not enough for me. i am so tempted to paint the fam room a color but greg would kill me, he says no more painting of the rooms we paid to have painted!

 

[moremoremore]

OMG. Speaking of paint, I''m having my bathroom renovated and I''m set on using the same pale blue/gray that''s in my den. (it''s not too blue...not too gray and I love it) WELL, this whole time, for a year now, I thought it was called something...I almost bought it for my painter to use...THANK GOD I wanted to see how it would look, so I got out an old can and I guess I had decided on another color. What a dumb ass. I could have used the wrong color. So that''s my painting tip. DUH.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 1/31/2005 7:45:45 PM
Author: moremoremore
OMG. Speaking of paint, I''m having my bathroom renovated and I''m set on using the same pale blue/gray that''s in my den. (it''s not too blue...not too gray and I love it) WELL, this whole time, for a year now, I thought it was called something...I almost bought it for my painter to use...THANK GOD I wanted to see how it would look, so I got out an old can and I guess I had decided on another color. What a dumb ass. I could have used the wrong color. So that''s my painting tip. DUH.

HI:

LOL! Good thing you checked...My son wants a pale blue in his room. Fine with me!

I really liked the fella who came today--nice personality, appeared professional. Provided every detail on how and what he would do. Works with the same crew all year ''round. Has done alot of our neighbourhood (we are all in the 10 -11yr home age cycle). Would accomodate my holiday schedule (minor suflling required). Would take down my valences and reapply them--they are large and he has the equipment so he offered. Likes BM paint (collections), but would use anything I want. Gave references. Will go to see the BM paint tomorrow (after the two other estimates come in the AM)--and he said he''ll create large swathces/boards for me. So far so good.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Kamuelamom]

Oh man, not the paint thing.

What memories. Benjamin Moore top grade paint and primer is what we used. Eggshell finish on all ceilings (flat is even better) and semi gloss on all the walls. Airless sprayer and a tall friend with a steady hand and we were in business! Ah, but the back rolling nearly killed me...

We are extremely happy with the results, someone told me we should be used as an ad for them since we used nearly every color in the rainbow on this house.

And you know what I saw today in the store we bought all our paint at? Little itty bitty sample jars for $2.99 each of practically every color. This after I spent over $10.00/qt just for samples and I musta bought well over a dozen of them.

How many shades of beige, white, green, blue, pink etc can a person tolerate?

Oh well, I'm still glad it's done.

Canukgirl, I'd suggest knowing what gneral color scheme you want in each room. Pick three shades then narrow them down. It can be really overwhelming otherwise, and once they mix the paint, it's yours. That's why it was worth the money for the samples even if they're now 1/3 the price. Oh well.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Going to book the painter shortly--glad I got 4 estimates!! Two outlyers (varied by $1600) and two almost identical. I felt comfortable with all the companies who gave quotes and was glad to have 4 perspectives.

Ceteris paribus, I am going with #3 guy--call it gut feel....references checked out (he just painted a well known "socialite''s" house--as he was recommended by another "monied" fella--and this lady raved about him and wanted to pass his cards out to all her friends.......).

Hope he is still available.....

Will talk later to ya''ll about colors, feature walls....

Thanks again!!

chers--Sharon

 

[fire&ice]

Date: 1/31/2005 6:34:19 PM
Author: Mara

he preferred to use benjamin moore paints so we didn''t really have an option to say ''we want XYZ paint'', but i have heard BM is very highly considered in that industry so that was fine with us. he also wanted to only do one coat to save us $$ and apparently BM is a nice thick paint.

Yeah, it''s thick. Precisely why I don''t like it.

At the end of the day, it''s not a bad idea to use the paint that the painter is used to working with. They are used to the way it applies & probably have a good working relationship with the paint store. They all have their preferences.

I don''t know about BM, but Sherwin Williams has some sort of computer/scanner that if you bring a swatch they can match the color. I can''t imagine that other places don''t have the same thing.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 2/3/2005 4

2:48 PM
Author: fire&ice

At the end of the day, it''s not a bad idea to use the paint that the painter is used to working with. They are used to the way it applies & probably have a good working relationship with the paint store. They all have their preferences.

HI:

An understated point, that is perhaps often overlooked...glad you brought it up F & I! I guess I shouldn''t have been so surprised that each estimator gave me different angles on paint and paint products--and although they stated I could use whatever I wanted, they all had their specific preferences. I was careful to ask them very specifically why they each used the paint they did, and the fella I contracted provided me with the most detailed response (rationale), I felt he choose wisely, thereby increasing my confidence in the paint and his ability to use it well.

cheers--Sharon

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Happy ending!!! We returned from the Mayan Riveria last night--and I am thrilled with the results of the interior painting!! It was like coming home to a new house--and we are well satisfied. Of course it was difficult to get a feel for the colors in the "dark", but in daylight one feels the full impact--and I am glad to say I choose the colors that suit our home to a tee.

Funny, while in Mexico I did have a few nightmares of what the outocme would be like (dreams of huge silver vents sticking out of the walls and gaping holes, etc...), but naturally it was unfounded. (geez......maybe it was the tequila speaking......)

Anyway, thanks for everyones past input, and now if I could only get someone to do my mountains of laundry......

cheers--Sharon

 

[cute330xigrl]

Congrats! glad it worked out well... we (well Dre) painted our living room FIVE times before we finally settled on the color we loved. I know people say , try it out... but we''re just weird like that. We "tried" it out, but couldn''t really get the effect w/o painting one wall, then two, then three. Now its a deep red (darkeer than I EVER thought I''d like).. and love it. Poor Dre, cutting the edges once is enuff to pull my hair out. How he did it 4 more times?

 

[fire&ice]

Hey, your not going to get off that easy! No interior shots? No final on what colors you selected & why?