Table of Contents Show
Celebration, Come on!Celebration, Come on!
Yes, there is a National Painting Week, celebrated May 19-29 this year.
If you are looking for inspiration for a painting project you’re planning or want to look at color swatches and dream, this post is for you!
Color InspirationColor Inspiration
Architectural Digest published, in late 2016, Your Guide to All the 2017 Colors of the Year, which discusses several brands’ spotlighted colors, and addresses the fanfare about Pantone, the color matching system, declaring Greenery the Color of the year.
Online color inspiration isn’t hard to come by. Rooms by Color is an interactive color selection tool on the Benjamin Moore website that lets you select a room type and color family to see the company’s paint colors in context. For more color selection tools and inspiration from Benjamin Moore, explore the company’s paint colors.
Behr, Home Depot’s proprietary paint is something folks doing DIY projects often use. You can find the full palate of color swatches for Home Depot’s Behr brand paint online.
Explore Sherwin-Williams home colors in all their glory on the paint company’s website.
However, there is nothing like seeing color swatches in person. Before actually adding Color to your walls, ceilings, or floors, always make sure you sample the paint. Sherwin-Williams offers quart-sized samples starting at $7.59, while Benjamin Moore charges $6.99 for a pint of Color online. Behr offers 8oz samples starting at $3.65 via local delivery or picks up at your local outpost of Home Depot.
How Do the Brands Rate?How Do the Brands Rate?
The conventional wisdom is that Benjamin Moore is the cream of the paint crop, preferred by most designers and contractors, with Sherwin-Williams coming in second. Both of these are considered luxury brands. Other brands abound, but Behr is the only one that gives either Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams a run for their money. And it is indeed about the money because a gallon Behr is about 20 bucks cheaper on average than a gallon of Benjamin Moore.
How does Behr compare to Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams in terms of quality and use? Many contractors and DIY painters indicate Behr paint doesn’t go on as quickly or smoothly and isn’t as luxurious. Others say it’s only the wait and hassle at Home Depot that discourage them from using the brand.
What You are BuyingWhat You are Buying
Sherwin-Williams offers factory-mixed paints along with colors mixed in stores. Behr color paints are mixed at the store. And Benjamin Moore sells both factory-mixed paint and color mixes that were done in-store. Remember that custom mixes are not returnable if you have unused paint left over.
Doing It YourselfDoing It Yourself
If you consider a DIY painting project yourself, you’ll need to purchase several items beforehand—paint costs between $20 and $70 per gallon. You will need between two and three gallons for an average-sized bedroom with enough left over for touch-ups. Keep in mind that the more durable the paint is, the more you’ll pay for it.
First, using sandpaper will smooth out imperfections on your walls before painting. And, you’ll want painting tape to put around edges, cover baseboards, moldings, doors, and other parts of the room you are not painting.
There are various options for the shine (gloss) of the interior paint you choose. A flat finish yields a matte surface that doesn’t reflect light. Perfect for most apartment walls because it covers up imperfections. However, this type of paint is not easily washable. It means marks and scratches may require painting over them instead of cleaning them up. Eggshell and satin finishes offer a bit more shine and can also withstand some cleaning.
You’ll need paintbrushes, too. These vary widely in quality and cost. Some have bristles made entirely of animal material, and some are entirely synthetic. Synthetic brushes start at about $20 and are best used with acrylic paints. Natural bristle brushes are more expensive at about $25 and are. More often used with oil paints. You can also use rollers. Rollers are less costly in the short term but need their rolling head changed during painting. Make sure to get a lint-free roller, or you’ll have the pesky stuff painted on your walls.
Ready. Set. Paint.