When you first undertake a makeover for the exterior of your home, you can feel excited about the changes you’ll make. But when you see just how many different paint color options are available to you, your enthusiasm can quickly shift to overwhelming stress. How on earth will you decide which ones will best suit your style and the feel you want for your home? Well, here are four tips to help you make the right choice for exterior painting.

It can be hard to envision the walls being a different color. That’s why Sherwin-Williams has a tool called the ColorSnap Visualizer, which enables you to upload a picture of your exterior and play around with their 1,500 paint color options. Adapted for web, iPad, or phone access, this tool can help you feel confident that you’re making the right color choices for your home.

If you like the way your landscaping looks, use it to help determine the color of your exterior paint. For example, if you have bushes that have flowers of a certain color, you can pick a paint shade that complements that feature.

You can find tons of examples of painted houses that you admire in home improvement magazines or online at sites and apps like Pinterest. Collect the ones that speak to you the most and feel like they could fit the style you want for your home.

You don’t have to choose a dramatic color for every exterior surface to make a statement. For the window trims, shutters, fascia, and soffits, you can choose a complimentary or contrasting color for these areas, making them stand out in the best possible way and add punch to the look of your home.

If you’re going to paint your walls, you want to make sure they are what you really want. You need to feel confident in your decision. Asking someone you trust for a second opinion can help you pick the colors you want. If the painting company you choose offers it, take advantage of a color consultation to get more insight about your choice. Although you are the one who will be making the decision in the end, this extra help can help you move forward with more surety.

In the end, improving the appearance of your home doesn’t have to be as difficult as it seems. It is important to choose a painting company that can help make this process easier for you so that you can move forward with confidence in your choices. As you implement these tips, hopefully you’ll find that the perfect colors for your home become clear.

Using glass paint in your home

If you’re looking for a new decorating idea, consider glass paint. This specially formulated paint is designed to cling to surfaces that typically don’t accept other surface coatings. Using special surface preparation, the paint binds to the glass surface, forming a permanent, highly durable bond. When used together, GlassPrimer™ glass paint and catalyst create a self-priming paint that’s easy to use and produces beautiful decorating results.

At one time, glass painting was used primarily on decorative objects, including tableware. Today, glass painting is synonymous with an architectural technique known as backpainted glass. Using large glass (or more modern plexiglass) panels, you can decorate a large surface area like a wall by applying glass paint to the panel, and then mounting the panel with the reverse (unpainted) side facing outward.

Using this method, you can create decorative artwork for any room in your home. You can also use backpainted glass in your kitchen to create decorative backsplashes around sinks and countertops. You can also use it to protect walls around the stove, cupboards and food preparation or dining islands. Backpainted glass lends a crisp, clean look to surfaces in your home, and can be used to complete an art deco motif with a virtually unlimited color palette.

Glass is an ideal surface area for kitchens and bathrooms because it is impervious to bacteria, easy to clean and can be chemically sanitized an infinite number of times. The disadvantages of using glass include its weight over large surfaces, and its impact resistance.

A single one-foot square pane of glass at a standard width of 3/32″ weighs nearly 1.25 pounds. For a backsplash that is 4 feet high and 12 feet long, a single pane of glass would weigh nearly 60 pounds. The impact resistance of a single pane of glass is low, so to improve its strength, you can use a thicker piece of glass, but that increases the weight substantially! In addition, transporting, cutting and hanging large glass panes can be a challenge!

To avoid the disadvantages of glass, many people choose to use lightweight Plexiglass acrylic as a substitute. Like glass, Plexiglass is impervious to bacteria. It is highly resistant to typical household cleaners like bleach and ammonia, and many natural acids found in food. This makes Plexiglass an excellent choice for “working” surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms. Its lightweight composition makes it easy to transport, cut and hang. It’s also highly cost-effective, and easy to replace if it gets damaged.

GlassPrimer™ glass paint works well on both glass and Plexiglass surfaces. Glass paint bonds easily and permanently to both materials, and performs well in even the toughest areas of your home!

For more information about glass paint, visit us at GlassPaint.com for the latest on glass painting and decorating, or to order online.

Whether you’re planning a glass paint project or a small one, it’s important to know how much surface area a gallon of paint will cover. A single gallon of Glassprimer™ glass paint can effectively coat about 265 square feet of surface. When you take into account the catalyst, your final cost is about $1.00 per square foot.

Although it can be, glass paint isn’t usually used like ordinary wall paint. If you plan to coat a backsplash, for example, and your backsplash is 3 x 10, that’s 30 square feet. Depending upon your application, you may want to use multiple coats of paint to ensure complete coverage. We recommend that users not exceed 8 coats of paint on a single surface.

Glass paint comes in a number of finishes, including opaque, translucent and transparent. Many people prefer an opaque coating for backsplashes and cabinet fronts, but a translucent finish will allow light to shine through the glass. Depending upon your installation plans, a translucent finish may work better for your intended application.

Glassprimer™ glass paint can be tinted to match any color. This is an exceptional advantage when you’re planning a glass paint project for your home. You can match any existing color or create the perfect contrast for your project.

You can also store glass paint like any other paint. Since the catalyst is sold in a separate container, you need only to mix the exact amount of paint and catalyst you need to complete your project, and you can safely store the unused paint for later use.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is fully compliant with all EPA regulations regarding volatile organic compounds, is self-priming and when used with the Glassprimer™ catalyst, dries and cures completely in 24-48 hours. Once Glassprimer™ glass paint has cured, the bond to glass is permanent. Your paint will not be damaged by humidity, and will not chip or fade.

Many people say they have tricks for making their house seem more appealing to aspiring homeowners. Real estate agents may tell you to bake cookies right before a client walks around the house to make it feel more like home. Others say you need to make the front of the house look spotless. However, according to your Plano interior painting company, there a few things better than a fresh coat of paint.

Taking the initiative to repaint your interior shows that you care about presenting the home in a positive way. Here are a few ways to make your fresh coat of paint count.

When repainting your interior, you don’t want to choose a color that will come off as cold or unappealing to prospective buyers. Keep in mind that this color doesn’t necessarily have to be white.

For example, when painting your kitchen, light blues or soft grays are great to make the kitchen pop without straying to far from the neutral category. Avoid using shades that are too dark though, as this is often considered unappealing to most people.

Speaking of kitchens, did we mention that painting parts of the interior besides the walls can make a huge difference? Making the effort to paint the cabinets, shelving, and even entertainment centers can transform a room overnight. It’s a great way to bring a fresh style to your room without too much effort, especially when you work with your Plano painting company.

Did you know that prospective buyers are more likely to view the kitchens and bathrooms more critically than other areas of the house? Making sure these rooms are looking their best and not dated can mean the difference between selling the house and having it sit on the market for another six months.

Additionally, if you notice any worn or damaged areas that need to be repaired and painted, prioritize these areas before focusing on the rest of your house. If your house has a consistent condition overall, focus on the bathroom and kitchen first for your paint job.

While it can cost you more, the results are well worth it, especially if it increases your chances of scoring a deal with prospective buyers. Not only can they save you time and effort, but they’re more capable of catering to your needs.

For example, your Plano interior painting company will take the fact that you’re trying to sell the house into consideration when completing your new paint job. They’ll be more inclined to give it that professional look that homebuyers love to see. This makes it much easier for prospects to imagine living in.

Looking for more tips to improve your home’s exterior for resale? Schedule a consultation with your Plano painting company today to get your free estimate!