Hey there!
Are you looking to change the colors of your walls? You are probably reading all these articles on how to do choose your wall color, for real? We cut it short, no need to go further in research.
Here is the simple breakdown on how to really do it right and feel comfortable while making that decision:
Decide on the general vibe!
What I mean by that is ask yourself what look are you going for. is that maybe moody look that makes you feel sleepy when you come into the room? Is it maybe natural tone that goes with wooden tones you have there, or just another pop of color?
Tips: think about what furniture you have in the room or the furniture that you are about to purchase. Make a moldboard on Canva, they have such an easy software to use, everyone can enjoy it. Put the furniture style you have and see how it feels, you can also try some general colors they have available to play with.
For my bedroom, I have decided for lighter tones, I don’t like dark colors where I sleep and especially because I have a small desk there and work on it sometimes, brighter colors keep me motivated.
COLOR SAMPLES
Go to your local store to get color samples such as Lowes, Sherwin Williams or Ace hardware. I went to Ace and they helped me a lot with how to apply the base, what brushes I needed and any other suggestions.
Get few samples, they are around $5 each, and if you are careful with the application and taking them off, you can return those.
PRO TIP: Paint the walls in satin finish, while your trims and crown molding should be in the semi-gloss. Keep it the same color to achieve the professional, designer look.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: Apply your samples on the wall next or above each other and watch it over the period of 24h. We are looking here for undertones that will pop in a different part of the day such as morning, afternoon and evening. Watch how the light reflects on the color sample and see which one you like the most throughout the proccess.
Now you’ve decided on your color choice/choices.
HOW I MADE MY LIME WASH WALL (FEATURE WALL)
I decided to go for a little fun on one wall but still wanted it to be very neutral and warm. it’s just that sometimes a lot white is just boring, even though it will always be classy.
What is needed and what is the technique I used?
Decide on what color you would like it to be and think about mixing your color with the same color that is 50% toned down or white, like I did. So my Lime Wash color is Dutch Tulip(Magnolia) and it was combined with the White Dove (Benjamin Moore) that I applied on the rest of the walls. White Dove has a light rose undertone, which goes lovely with Dutch Tulip.
Lime Wash Technique: Grab a 4” brush and dip it halfway into one color and half way into another. Clear the access paint on the walls of the bowl you poured it in and start applying it onto to the wall going from center into all directions, creating clouds. Make a little gap in between clouds so that the next coat can connect those clouds and that is your lime wash finish.
WHAT YOU NEED IN ORDER TO PAINT AND HOW
Before you start, make sure you have all the needed accessories for painting. As my mom would like to say, prep is half of the work!
You will need:
- Regular paint roller with the tray and brush
- Extension pol
- Small Paint Rollers (2)
- Brush (the basic one comes with the first set)
- Angle Brush
- Cover sheets/paper/foil
- Primer Paint (I used 2 gallons as I primed it twice)
- Color of your choice for the walls (satin finish)
- The same color for the trims/crown moldings in semi-gloss finish
- Painter’s Tape (2 or 3 rolls)
Make sure you apply the tape to protect windows, doors, outlets, alarms, light fixture, anything that is not going to be painted. First cover the baseboard so you can paint the walls, after the walls are done, apply the semi gloss finish in the same color onto the baseboard and crown molding.
How to apply the roller: Roller should start somewhere in the middle of the wall and slowly be moved, while creating a letter “w”. That allows the paint to distribute evenly while giving you the option to apply the right amount of paint of the edges, where the walls connect or the crown molding begins. Use all the color before you dip into another soak of paint.
PRO TIP: Apply the base so it covers very well all the walls, base is less expensive and good base will save you time and money on the color paint as they are more expensive and you might get away with one coat, like I did.
Ceiling: If your ceiling is white and you are just applying another white tone, then you don’t need prime base. Otherwise, prime is required. I decided to paint the ceiling only one time with the my White Dove color choice.
END RESULT:
In case you are deciding to do the lime wash, do the other walls first and enjoy the lime wash technique the last. It is the easiest way to paint and lots of fun!
Namaste,
Jana
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