Friday, February 29, 2008

Painting Kitchen Cabinets in 5 Easy Steps

Ah, so you want to update the look of your kitchen cabinet doors with a nice coat of paint, but you’re afraid that it will look amateurish. After all, you say to yourself, you’re not a professional painter. Well don’t worry. We’re here to show you how you can paint your kitchen cabinets in 5 easy steps.

Step 1: Clean Your Kitchen Cabinet Doors
You want to ensure that your kitchen cabinets are spotless or else you risk trapping dirt under the paint, which could lead to peeling. Because kitchen cabinets are magnets for grease, consider using water and grease cutting dish or laundry detergent. All purpose household cleaners like 409 could also do the job. Even though your next step in painting is sanding, take care to use a non-abrasive sponge while cleaning to prevent deep scratching.

Step 2: Sand
Sand the surface of your cabinets until all the existing paint is taken off. Make sure to sand smoothly and evenly to prevent the creation of small indentations in the wood, which will show through your new coats of paint.

Step 3: Apply Primer
Before painting your kitchen cabinet doors, you need to apply a primer to both prevent the paint from chipping and to ensure a smooth, thick coat that accents your existing kitchen colors. If you plan to use oil based paint, use oil based primer. Alternatively, if you will be using latex based paint, use shellac based primer.

Step 4: Apply the First Coat of Paint
After the primer dries, it’s time to apply the paint smoothly and evenly.

Step 5: Apply Two or Three More Coats of Paint
After the first coat dries, you will need to apply two or three more thin coats of paint to prevent bleed through. You will apply each subsequent coat after the previous coat dries.

See, simple, isn’t it? However, if you’d like an alternative to painting your kitchen cabinet doors, or perhaps a whole new kitchen cabinet design, go to
http://www.kitchen-expert.info/ to learn about kitchen cabinet refacing.

About Author:
Darrin Reservitz - If you would like more information about Kitchen Design Ideas or more advice on Kitchen Cabinet Doors , go to http://www.kitchen-expert.info,/ a website dedicated to helping you create a better kitchen.

Article Source:
http://www.articlesbase.com/

In Addition:
Painting kitchen cabinets is an inexpensive way to make your kitchen cabinets look like new. Tim Carter from AsktheBuilder.com shares some tips for kitchen cabinet refinishing to save you frustration and give you professional results.



WallDreams Paint Ideas!
Other tips/ideas for kitchen cabinet painting:
For a Tuscan, Victorian, or French look, try antiquing them.
Stencils and/or stamps - endless ideas!
Use marine paint, the type they use on boats.
Any faux technique that goes well with the rest of the decor in the house.
Involving more extensive work will include painting the interior of the cabinets as well, but the look will be much more professional.
Choose a look you love, but something you can live with for many years to come.

Remember, whatever the size of your kitchen, this is one job that will take time and patience - break out the phone book and bookmark some restaurants and delivery joints as the kitchen will be off limits for awhile. - Donna of
WallDreams.com

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Color Schemes For Interior Decorations

It is often easier to decorate around the house; there exist some amount of spontaneity inspiring you to plunge into your own styling. When it comes to wall color schemes, things turn the other way. For amateurs and enthusiasts and homemakers too, this field appears a bit risky, with lots to lose— time, money, and efforts to start with, not to mention the redoing it requires.

You don’t need to feel overwhelmed with the ordeal. To plan and co-ordinate color scheme for every room in the home, you can take one step at a time. Assess each room individually and make notes as to the amount of natural light it receives, the kind of lighting you have used and the color that will best compliment the natural architectural features of your home. It’s easy to estimate these details, if you have lived in the house for some time.

Before you decide, take a closer look at the existing carpeting, flooring and woodwork and it will allow you to make a safe choice. On an average, color scheme on the walls will helps you to determine the harmony between colors to be used throughout the décor. Color wheels are often used to determine the complimentary colors; you can do the accents furnishings (rugs, lamps, paintings) and furniture in the complimentary colors. Some common schemes for selecting the best color for a space,

• Monochromatic Color Scheme: The most common one, it uses a single color in different shades, tints, values, textures and hues to bring the harmony and flow, a sense of uniformity to a place.
• Analogous Scheme: This one uses adjacent colors on the color wheel, allowing you many possibilities within the warm or cool color category. Plan the colors diligently, for it is important for the colors to come out as a great combo.
• Complementary Scheme: Here, one can use the colors opposite each other on the color wheel, again a difficult task as the balance of colors will take some careful thinking. Considered bold and modern.
• Triadic Color Scheme: This one uses three hues. Each is placed consecutively or at equal distances from each other. For example, yellow, green and red, this scheming uses their tones, shades and scales in three hues placed at equal distances from each other.

On studying the color wheel and looking up different color scheming, get a practical view and start planning. Here are a few steps for your consideration,

• When you have decided on the color palette for a room, start with the lighter shades for walls, medium for furniture and windows (or contrasts), doors etc. If you don’t want to change the furniture, work around a wall color that is a shade lighter in the same order. Accessories may look great in the darkest of shade on your color card.
• Lighter shades like cream, whites, lemon, Ivory can make a big difference in making a space look larger. You can use a lighter shade as the base or neutral color; play with contrast and bolder shades for rest of the décor.
• You need to have ‘eye resting point’ where all the colors break even. Nothing big or too loud, a great complimentary colored vase or bowl or art piece or painting that highlights the accents, and harmonizes the interiors in a balancing art.
• Usually, people use boldest of colors on fabrics like cushions, curtains and mats. You can use harmonize fabrics by using colors as accent fabrics on chairs, decorative pillows, tablecloths and mats.
• Repeat each colors in an equal proportion throughout the room, and in at least 3-4 places. The best color ratio: Divide color use to approximately 60% of the room in the background (lightest) color, 30% in the mid-tone color, and 10% in the brightest, accent colors.

Play within the color rules, but when it comes to creativity, don’t overlook your own power. You can do wonders with pieces and bits within the arena and create a space that reflects your taste, your individuality.

About Author:
Amanda Somers is a free lance writer who writes for on-line design magazines and furniture retailers. For more reference log on to: www.spacify.com/interior-decoration-color.htm

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Decorative Painting, Oh The Possibilities!

A white wall is a canvas, a large space waiting to BE something. A complimentary backdrop to the furnishings of the room, a textured enhancement, or a wall can be a bold statement with perhaps a landscape or seascape mural. The imagination and the creativity of the artist can take one or two walls or the entire room, and make it feel warm, lived in, and loved.

In interior decorating, paint is the first step in the decorating process. For the faux painter, the anticipation of walking into a room and envisioning what it can look like, then executing the project, finalized with the “big reveal” to the client, is a mind blowing, gratifying accomplishment.

What is decorative painting? A process of taking paint and applying it to a surface in an endless variety of methods, to enhance it's appearance.

Picking a can of paint can strike fear in the hearts of many, but for a decorative painter, those are little cans of joy.

Originally from Christopher Lowell, an interior decorator and television personality, this list is in Mr. Lowell’s book 7 Layers of Design & Color Courage:


Layer # 1 is paint and architectural embellishments: Paint is the cheapest way to add warmth to your room. Oh yeah, don't forget to paint those ceilings. Architectural embellishments are moldings and other architectural items. I like to add these elements not only because they add value to homes, but also charm and substance.

Layer #2 is installed flooring: This is wall-to-wall installation, not area rugs which come later.

Layer #3 is high-ticket upholstery items: These are basically any oversized fabric covered piece. Here is a quick tip to remember when purchasing your items. Remember to focus on solid and textured fabrics rather than patterns. Locking yourself into a pattern can be a costly investment, which won't have any return.

Layer # 4 is accent: This is where you can have fun with accent fabrics for pillows, curtains, runners and yes, area rugs. These are the easier pieces to change from season to season or when updating is needed.

Layer #5 is non-upholstered furniture (or the workhorses): Without these workhorses of the room, like coffee, end and side tables, a room simply doesn't work.

Layer #6 is accessories: This is my favorite part. This is where you can inject personal items like photos, books and other merchandise.

Layer # 7 is plants and lighting: Shadow is important to the mood of the room as the light that creates it. Here's a tip, remember, as much lighting should come from the floor as from the ceiling. Plants under lit help make great shadows and add that important living element to the room.

Layer one is paint. Be bold and pick a color - not white or off white! With all the great do-it-yourself shows on TV, the "you can do it!" attitude, everyone is seeing the beauty of paint and the wonderous textures that can be achieved in their own decorating processes. Of major importance is to prepare the surface to ensure the technique will look its absolute best.

There are many, many painting possibilities within each of the following techniques and as the WallDreams Faux Painting and Murals Blog continues, we will go in depth on each topic as well as offer articles and paint stories.

Antiquing
Combing
Color Wash
Crackle
Decorative Plaster
Distressing
Faux - including stone, brick, marble
Frottage
Gilding
Inlay
Marbleizing
Murals
Patina
Ragging
Sponging
Stamping
Stenciling

Stipple
Strie
Trompe L'oeil
Venetian Plaster

We hope you stay tuned for upcoming posts, pictures and updates. Keep your brushes clean, and til next time,

Donna of WallDreams