Have you ever wanted to paint your home walls, but were too afraid to?

[Used and Abused]

I just got a place and really would like to paint, but in my mind I picture all this devastation taking place if I dare try to paint (soiled carpet, horrendous color choices, etc.). How do I get over such a phobia?

[Lex]

1. Remind yourself that you can always paint it back

exactly like it is now in no time at all.

[Used and Abused]

3. never thought about it that way

That is really good advice. Thank you!

[B Calm]

2. If you don't like it, you can always paint over it.

I just painted my den a light green and love it.

[LiberalEsto]

4. Use tarps & blue painter's tape

to protect floors and trim. Even old shower curtains can be used as tarps. Cover all the furniture or move it out.

Bring home paint sample cards. Paint a test patch to see if the color seems right.

You never know what you can do until you try!

[notadmblnd]

5. Just go buy paint and do it

it's not hard. Put down a tarp or newspapers to avoid getting paint on carpet. The mess will clean up.

Seriously, I just finished up my hallway. I brought the paint up during christmas break, I was going to get the kids to help (what a joke). I also patched a hole in the cieling where the upstairs toilet was leaking and caused the plaster to fall off. That was fun. I peeled back the loose stuff with a scraper and I got a bucket of mud and a trowel and filled in the hole. It took about a day to dry. Then I got out the sander and made it nice and smooth plus I found out that the dried mud makes for a nice snack (not). anyway the painting of the hallway is done now and I'm trying to work myself up to the bathroom.

Now I have to tell you that in the past I was a spoiled woman who had a man that would do all this for her. It's been hard making the adjustment to doing everything for myself (he even filled the cars with gas) since he's been gone. But I do think he would be proud of me.

[ladjf]

6. We recently got over the paint phobia by doing the work

ourselves. Painted the kitchen a warm pumpkin color. It took us about five hours to do it. We realized then that if we didn't like all we had to do was repaint. The cost of the paint is not back breaking.

After that we painted several other rooms and liked them all. No phobia. (Make sure you use drop clothes and masking tape)

[neweurope]

7. Start with the bathroom - you don't spend so much time in it

so if it was the wrong color it won't be all that bad. Also it's probably not the largest room in the house and should be done quickly.
:)
--------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[Used and Abused]

9. good idea! lol

I think part of the problem is that I'm an all-or-nothing perfectionist.

[Bouncy Ball]

8. You just do it.

And there's always a couple of coats of Killz if you hate it!

Go for it, once you get over that (I used to feel the same way) it's SO much damn fun to pick out paint colors and to paint those walls!

We did our foyer a deep red (it's a small foyer, so it works), all the main walls in the living areas, hallway, and master bedroom khaki (a true khaki and it looks great with the white trim) and the kitchen, breakfast nook and den a soft, buttery yellow.

My daughter's playroom is a bright purple (!!!) and her bedroom is pink (she wants that purple, too, though). Her bathroom is bright yellow with tropical fish stuff everywhere.

Go for it!

[demnan]

10. First think about the colors

It's important to think what colors you would like. I stick with light neutral colors. You can't go wrong with that. If you want to paint a room a particular color, have a focus color, like a piece of furniture in the room which echos that color.

I painted my living room a very pale green, very pretty. At the same time, I purchased a new sofa, also green and I put up green vertical blinds (different shades). These shades are complimentary, but not matching. And don't match the carpet with it! That's just too much. My carpet is a neutral beige.

I did the trim for the entire small condo in a slightly darker shade of pale green. So I had the bedrooms to do. I didn't want them green as well, but wanted to use the green trim color throughout the condo. I chose an elegant very pale silver color, nearly white, but with nuances of green and blue, which goes great with the pale green trim color. I had large white fan installed in the master bedroom and this goes well with the walls. I love white in bedrooms and have several white whicker pieces. Later on I bought darker grey vertical blinds for the bedrooms. They compliment the pale silver of the walls.

Before painting you might want to do some dry wall repairs to the walls. I hired someone for that, as I was putting in ceiling fans anyway, and needed dry wall repairs. You can do this yourself, just spackle and small holes where nails may have been and take care to smooth out the imperfections.

Tape around your baseboards well. If you do the painting yourself, really take the time to do the prep. Buy a canvas drop cloth to cover the floor. Move the furtniture out of the way. Do small amounts at a time and don't rush your job. After it dries you may need to apply another coat, depending on how "thirsty" your walls are, and what color was underneath. Lightly sand your woodwork before applying the paint to the trim.

here's my living room:



Another thing: when you pick out the colors find a "set of colors" that go together. Usually they are grouped together. That's how I matched my flat paint with the trim in the living room.