Give Your Room a Weekend Makeover

Whatever room in the house you're looking to give a lift, nothing makes a bigger statement than color. It's also the cheapest and easiest way to make everything look new, different and fresh. Depending on the paint, size of the room and what you'd like to paint, you can expect to budget anywhere from $75 to $200.

Choose Your Palette
Art and Furniture
This could arguably be the most difficult part of the process. A great place to start with most people is with what you already have. Check out your existing furniture. Is your furniture more traditional or modern? Do you have art hanging on the walls? What colors are in the art? What color are your floors? Is the room you want to update well-lit and open, or dark and small? If your furniture is more traditional, look at a traditional painting with colors you like for ideas, like a John Singer Sargent or Da Vinci. For bright and modern, check out more contemporary art like Kandinsky or even pop art like Warhol.

Just Color
Conversely, you could just think about color alone. Do you gravitate towards earthy, neutral colors or do you like bright and bold? Remember that certain colors can change the feel of a room. If you want a room to feel smaller and more cozy, you may want to choose a dark but soothing color like a warm brown. If you want a bold pop of color but don't want to feel overwhelmed, try painting a single accent wall, or a small room like a bathroom or pantry. Bold colors also work great as accents in rooms where there isn't a lot of wall space to paint, like kitchens.

Compare, Complement and Contrast
It's very helpful to use a color wheel to decide what colors you're going to use. If you want to get really fancy, check out a book or search online for "color theory" for ideas. Try to look for the base color in any neutral color, and use the color wheel to see what complements it. If you are painting the walls grey, but it's a bluish gray, you may want to include colors that are also bluish in your furnishings, like painting a side table an interesting shade of blue, or having a mirrored surface on a table or lamp. You can also pick the color opposite your chosen color on the color wheel to make a visually interesting statement. The color opposite blue on the color wheel is orange, so maybe you could move some terra cotta pots into the room to bring in warmth.

Prepare to Paint
Check out the square footage of the room or piece of furniture to gauge how much paint you need. A single master bedroom will probably need 2 gallons of paint, where a small table probably will only need a quart. If you're staining furniture, remember that a little goes a long way. Ask a person working at the hardware store if you're in doubt. Remember you can always get more later if you need it.


You also need to think about the surface you're painting. In places with lots of moisture, like bathrooms and kitchens, you'll want a glossier surface that won't soak up the water. If the surface you're painting is already glossy or shiny, you'll need to sand the surface, use acetone or mineral spirits to remove the shine, or use a paint-on primer so the paint will have something to stick to. If there are holes or dents in the wall, this is a good time to spackle over them. Be sure to lay down fabric tarps or rags over anything you don't want paint on. Taping off areas you don't want paint is helpful, but you can't always rely on the tape to give you straight lines. Even if you choose to tape off a spot, be careful and use the tape only as a fail-safe against drips or smudges. Painting directly on the tape will often assure that you have blotches or runs on the edges.

Stand back and enjoy!
Allow a few hours for the paint to cure before removing tape and tarps, then clean up and enjoy your work! New paint can update a place, obliterate smudges and stains and make everything feel brand new.

Until next time, keep it clean!