Choosing your Paint Colors

Wait to buy paint! Since paint is available in thousands of colors, it's the most versatile element of your room decor, so decide on it after rugs, wallpaper, and fabrics are finalized. It's great to collect paint chips when planning a room, but hold off making final choices until you've developed an overall room scheme.

Take all of your swatches (carpet, tile, wallpaper, fabrics, trims, etc.) with you when you shop, and refer to them constantly.

When you look at a strip of paint chips, be sure to notice if the overall color is what you want. For example, on the three blue paint strips above, the light blue on each is fairly similar. But the deepest colors on the card will show you the subtle differences, with the left card being a clear marine blue, the middle card a smoky blue, and the right tending toward a duskier midnight blue. These deeper shades -- even though you may not use them -- are giving clues about the underlying tones of all the colors on that card.

In general, the background color of your fabric (or a lighter version of it) is a logical choice for the walls. For example, with this yellow floral fabric, the yellow or white could be a good choice for wall color, while the blue might be used on an accent wall or on a piece of painted furniture.

Trim colors are often white or off-white, and could be the palest color on your color card, but could be any color including medium, deep, or bright hues..

Notice that there are "warm" and "cool" tones of individual colors. Reds and pinks are considered "warm" colors, however many reds and pinks have a warmer, peachy tone, while others have a cool, bluer undertone.

Beiges and off-whites also have subtle color in them. Compare paint colors to your fabrics and flooring to determine if a warm yellow beige, or a cool pinky beige is best. Obviously, for the yellow fabric pictured above, a yellow-toned off-white would be better for the walls than a pink or gree-toned off-white.

WALL WASHING GUIDE

The following is a general cleaning guide with instructions for specific cleaning problems. This guide is for all interior latex paints. Note: Latex paints should be allowed to dry 30 days before washing.

Walls:
Prepare a mild detergent solution (e.g.: Sunlight dish soap) with warm water. Start washing the walls from the bottom up (this prevents streaks from forming when the soapy water is allowed to run down the walls). Follow this application with a clean water rinse. Make use of sort of restraint to prevent furniture fro being pushed into direct contact with the walls.

Heavier Wear Areas:
Spot cleaning procedures for these areas are as follows:

1.		A soft cloth should be saturated in water.
2.		This damp cloth should be folded into a pad and used with a small amount of a diluted liquid household cleaner (i.e.: Vim)
3.		Then rub as small an area as is necessary using a bottom up motion with light, uniform pressure.
4.		When the stains are removed, the entire area should be wiped with a clean water rinse, as this will blend in the finish.

Remember: For washing large areas, use a soft cloth or sponge with a non-abrasive cleanser and always rinse with clean water.

Doors and Trim:
Heavier wear areas like doors, trim and windowsills should be painted with an interior semi-gloss paint for greater durability and cleaning.