Painting is the next most important thing to influence any home for setting the mood of the room after lighting. We can dramatically change the appearance of any interior by painting one or all of the walls. You can paint your walls by selecting from the two types of paint which depends mainly on thinner and binders used one is water based(latex) and second is oil-based (alkyd). Water based paints use water as a thinner and are often called as latex. Acrylic or polyvinyl acetate are used as a synthetic latexes instead of rubber as a binder. Latex paints are easy to cleanup with soap and water. The paints with high acrylic content tend to have a tougher skin and can perform as well as oil based paints. Second is oil based pain which uses a solvent thinner. They use polyester resins called alkyds and not oil. They are durable and have high gloss finish. They require mineral spirits to clean up. One has to take proper care while painting with alkyd paints as the solvent evaporates after painting and give off a number of volatile organic compounds. These compounds add up to air pollution. While selecting please go for VOC free paint. Secondly the paints are also classified as per the sheen like Low-sheen (low-gloss) paints have none to little sheen and can be called: flat, matt, eggshell, satin and velvet. Low-sheen paints can be washed, but with care, higher sheen paints are the most washable and have the most durable finishes. Higher sheen paints are semi-gloss, gloss and enamel. They have the most visible shine to them. Most people select semi-gloss or high-gloss paints for rooms with high moisture levels such as kitchens and bathrooms, main stairways and halls. Most people prefer to use semi-gloss or high-gloss paint on windows, trim and doors. Bedrooms, dining and living rooms are more commonly painted with lower sheen paints. While buying paint make sure you buy it as per the requirement as there is a better chance to have uniform color. Also avoid mixing primer of one brand with finish paint of another as if you use same brand the paint will adhere better. While buying brushes buy of good quality as the paint strikes will be less visible and also ensure the rollers and pints brushes are rated for the type of paint. For the requirement of the paint measure the height and width of each wall to be painted then multiply to obtain the square footage. You can deduct the windows and doors. If you are painting over already painted wall and that too a dark wall then you will require primer as first coat and then more coats of paint. While buying paint always buy the most current date of manufacture on the container. On www.houseplancentral.com we have various plans with virtual tours where we can see how wall colors bring the beauty to any room and they have decorated the rooms accordingly which has suited the wall color.


Kevin Carden is a publisher of several stock house plan websites and informational resources, including www.houseplancentral.com. House Plan Central has a large collection of home plans and unique house plans in many different architectural styles, from the nation's top house designers and architects.