😍DIY kitchen updates & color help!😍 - Trusted and Guaranteed Painting

Introduction:

Hello, welcome to Exterior and Interior Painting Specialists blog! Today we are going to go over some simple tips and tricks to help you spruce up your home on a budget! We are going to help you pick out colors and finishes, as well as sharing our entire cabinet painting process! If you are doing the cabinets yourself and don’t have an airless sprayer to use, you can still use our entire process by brushing or rolling! Check out our table of contents below to see everything we go over! Call or text us at 309-349-7021 for a free estimate!

15 Helpful tips:

1) Choose a Color Scheme From the Largest Pattern in the Space:

Look around the room you are painting- if there are any large patterns, colorful rugs or large pieces of art; choose the color that stands out the most that you like.

For a neutral wall paint color, look to the pattern’s whites and beiges. You can choose any color you like out of this. Of course if you are starting fresh you can choose whatever color and then buy your furniture to match the color you chose.

2) Decorate From Dark to Light, Vertically

Use darker colors for the floor, medium colors for the walls and light for the ceiling. This will help keep the room looking nice and aligned.

3) Start With the Formal Areas of the House:

Specifically, the living room, dining room, and entryway.

Choose a color scheme for those areas first, then pull one color from the scheme.

For example, take the red sofa and tone it down (say, to burgundy) for an accent in more private spaces such as the den, office or bedroom.

4) Use the Color Wheel:

In general colors next to each other on the color wheel, such as blue and green — are more casual and relaxing, and work best in informal or private spaces. This is a good strategy for a bedroom, where you want to rest and recover.

5) Use Your Clothes:

Most people buy clothes in colors they like to wear and they look good in. Similarly, you should dress your rooms in colors that flatter you. If denim is your go-to, consider a navy sofa or if you look (and feel) perkiest in bright yellows, try mixing in a few citrusy accents with pillows or accessories throughtout the room.

6) Back to Black:

For a small pop, try a black lampshade or a black vase; for bigger impact, paint your kitchen’s base cabinets in the high-drama hue. This will stand out from everything else, but in a classic way.

7) Go With Grays:

Put today’s trendiest and neutral gray to work in any style interior. Gray’s chameleon-like quality allows the color to appear there truest. Grey is extremely popular right now! Any and all shades you can think of!

8) Use the Rule of 60-30-10:

“When decorating a space, divide the colors into components of 60 percent of a dominant color (walls), 30 percent of a secondary color (upholstery) and 10 percent of an accent color (accessories)

Click here to read about getting your dream kitchen in 3 short days!

9) Make Small Spaces Pop:

If you have a small room in your house, don’t paint it white to make it seem bigger. Instead, give it more oomph with a look-at-me color choice. Let your big rooms expand with light, and your small rooms envelop you.

10) Contrast Warm and Cool:

With a healthy balance of 80-20% you can accent a room giving it life without over stimulating. Now this isn’t necessarily 80 % warm and 20 % cool or vise versa, however, it is either or. Make sure to not have too much of both, it will make the room over whelming and feel crowded.

Click here to read about our exterior process

11) Rock a Monochromatic Look

Shine the spotlight on your favorite color by filling a small space, like a bathroom, with just that hue.

12) Follow the Rule of Three:

Limiting your palette to just three colors is a can’t-miss strategy in any space. Following this rule will ensure you don’t have too much going on in one room.

13) Elegant look:

Neutral colors offer elegance and flexibility within a room. Neutral colors are no longer simply white or beige. You can turn a simple living room into one of elegance by selecting varying shades of neutral colors such as almond walls with red toned browns on the trim. You can also add splashes of color throughout the room with a color throw, pillow or vase carefully placed to offset the subtle neutral tones in the room.

Click here to read about redoing your exterior!

14) Vibrant look:

If you want a room with pizzazz, choose vibrant colors and their respective shades such as oranges and gold, reds and dark purples. You can complement these colors by selecting a two next to each other such as gold and orange and one from the opposite side of the color wheel such as purple. You can also select black and red for a real stand out contrast and look that is reminiscent of an Oriental look. Choose two colors next to each other on the color wheel for a visual contrast as one will stand out from the other.

15) Ceilings:

You can lower a high ceiling visually by painting it a darker shade than the walls. By the same token, you can expand a room by selecting a lighter color for your ceiling than the walls. Don’t be afraid to add a tint of color to your ceiling paint for a tied in and subtle look. One way to go if you are afraid of too much color in your ceiling is to paint the ceiling, door trim and floor moldings the same shade such as a creamy ivory. This will add a touch of elegance and a nice transition throughout your room.

Bonus Tips:

If you go somewhere and like a color you see, or you like a color already in your home, they make a tool that can scan the wall and pop up different options!

Kitchen Styles:

🎨Our Entire Cabinet Painting Process🎨

The first look is just a typical repaint. Updating your kitchen with a fresh coat of paint can take your kitchen cave and turn it into an elegant hangout. Currently one of the most popular colors is a shade of grey.

2. Another way to give your kitchen its own personality is by having one of the detached sections an accent color while keeping the rest of the cabinets the same. It’s a way of having an accent without drawing too much attention away.

3. Another new up and coming look is accenting the island. Something about the center of the room being a darker color than the rest brings it all together. It gives the heart of the home its own heart.

4. Having the top a lighter color and the bottom a darker color. This nice accent separates the room in a nice clean line. It brings a sophisticated feel to the room. If you are feeling really rebellious, you can have the top cabinets the darker color.

Click here to read about how we go green!

Different finishes(Sheen):

High Gloss: Most durable and reflects the most light. Will show any/all imperfections.
Semi-Gloss: Easy to wipe off and clean. Shiny but not as shiny as high-gloss. Will show major imperfections but not all.
Satin: Easy to clean doesn’t reflect a lot of light but doesn’t absorb the light.
Eggshell: Soft, velvety look. Resists stains but you may need to scrub a little. There is no shine to this finish.
Flat/Matte: There is no shine to this finish and it absorbs the light. Best for hiding imperfections in walls but is hard to clean, it may need painted over if it gets dirty enough.

What finish is best for where:

High Gloss: Best for high traffic areas (Cabinets, Trim, Doors) Not good for most walls.
Semi-gloss: Good for wet rooms (Kitchen, bathroom)
Satin: Good for family rooms, foyers, halls and children’s rooms.
Eggshell: Great for the dining room and living room.
Flat/Matte: Good for adults rooms and ceilings. Not recommended for children’s rooms or high traffic areas.

Click here for help deciding to replace or repaint your siding!

Painting Cabinets:

This is our exclusive process here at Exterior and Interior Painting Specialists, it only takes us THREE short days!

Our kitchen cabinet process used to take us 6 long days, but since we work in an assembly line process, use an airless sprayer, and create an onsite spray booth we are able to cut it down to a 3-day process!

Below we will take you step by step with the cabinets! There will also be helpful pictures and videos along the way!

Laying Drop Cloths: DAY 1

The first thing we do when we enter a new job site is lay down drop cloths to protect your floors. In parts that we will be spraying or there may be heavy paint on the ground, we use a construction like paper. We make sure to tape down this paper to make sure it doesn’t move. As long as there are no holes or tears in the paper it is completely leak proof, so if a curious dog wonders into an area and there is a water bucket or open can, it won’t leak through to the floor! In other areas we use regular cloth drop clothes. These still protect the floor since they are thick and they are laid out through the entire area we will walk through to guarantee no tracks are left behind!

If we are at a big project site, we section it into groups and work through. We paint one area then move the drop clothes and paint a different area while it dries before the second coat. This is how we save time and only take three days instead of six!

Step Two: Removing Pieces

Next, we begin taking the drawer fronts and the door fronts off the units. These will not leave the job site at all. We will talk about where they will go but for now, we will set them off to the side. As you are removing the drawer fronts and the door fronts, put a piece of tape with a number on it inside the unit right where the door would be. This will help make sure the doors go in the same spot they were and the drawers do as well. After we take everything down we also remove all the hardware, this includes the handles, hinges, and anything else on the cabinets. Make sure to set these all to the side. Use tape to keep the screws with the handles they belong too. Write the corresponding number that is on the unit and door/drawer front on the hinges and handles that go on it as well.

Step Three: Cleaning with TSP

After taking everything off the cabinet fronts we clean everything with TSP. We use TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) to break down the grease, grime, and all other things off the surface. It is a tough cleaner, so be careful and use gloves when using it, however it is safe for us to use on your cabinets. Make sure to get into the cracks, depending on the style of cabinets you have! If you don’t clean everything well the primer will not adhere right and the paint will not stick. Just like in domino’s, if one thing goes wrong, everything else tumbles down and does as well.

Step Four: Taping

To be able to spray the units, and sand with less of a mess, we will tape off the inside of the units so there is no over spray. We do this in the drawer and door fronts as shown in the video below. We take plastic and drape it over all the appliances, so nothing is damaged with over spray. We also use tape and plastic to cover the sink and counter tops! We want the only thing showing to be what we are painting!

Step Five: HEPA Filter Sanding System!

Now, before we go onto a light sanding we are going to set up our HEPA filter sanding system! This is important to do before you start sanding everything! This filter system attaches to the sander and collects very small microns of dust! Sanding takes off any other layers of paint on the cabinets and makes it easier for the primer and new paint to adhere to the cabinets.

Step Six: Sanding

Now we need to sand everything. We will sand the doors and drawer fronts that we removed everything from before, and we will sand the actual units that are attached in the kitchen, living room, bathroom, or wherever the cabinets are. Make sure you really get into the corners and the cracks, but don’t sand too deep, you just want to remove and paint, finish, or sealers that were there before.

Click here for help deciding if you need to replace or repaint your exterior!

Step Seven: Light clean again

After lightly sanding everything (Door fronts, drawer fronts, & units) we then clean them with TSP again. This will just make sure to get any extra grease or grime that may still be on there.

Step Eight: Spray Booth!

We are going to go on and set up a spray booth! Building a spray booth in the garage, spare room, or basement allows us to spray the fronts with the airless sprayer and keeping it on site! It is important to keep them on site for many reasons! If we take them off site we risk them being damaged or lost! Keeping them onsite also means we have to move them the least, keeping their environment stable will make sure it looks its best as well as helping it dry faster!

Click here to learn about different ways to decorate your kitchen!

To set up the spray booth we first lay drop cloths to protect the floor, we then hang plastic from the ceiling creating an enclosed space so there is no over spray. This means we can easily get every angle of whatever we are painting in the booth, without worrying about damaging anything else.

We spray the cabinets instead of roll or brush so there will not be any marks. It is important to keep up on your airless sprayer. If you do not, there can be many issues including over spraying and runs in the paint.

Step Nine: Setting up the airless sprayer

We use an airless sprayer that goes up to 3,000 psi. You must ALWAYS keep clean tips in an airless sprayer; this will help prevent any over-spray and keep a constant amount of paint flowing out. If you do not change the tips often, old paint will get mixed in with the new paint and there will be issues with running, globs of dried paint will also be mixed in and will ruin your new paint if you do not keep it maintained.

Step Ten: Spraying Primer

Now it is time to do the first spray: The primer. We use Extreme Bond primer from Sherwin-Williams. It needs to be applied very thinly. You want it to basically be translucent.

We must wait at least 4 hours before we can apply the first coat of paint. Letting the primer set in will help the paint adhere the best.

This is a great time to work on any other projects also going on in the home!

Step Eleven: First coat of paint

We then paint the first coat. The first coat doesn’t need to be very thick since we always paint two coats. It is necessary to let it sit for at least four hour before painting the second coat, we will let it sit and dry over night.

Click here to learn about choosing colors!

End of Day One

Step Twelve: Second Coat / DAY 2

At the beginning of the second day we check to make sure the first coat is set and everything looks good. After applying the second coat of paint you will need to wait another at least eight hours before you can do anything. At our company we always do two coats on all of our projects.

After the second coat is painted on waiting 12 hours is a must before it will be durable enough to put everything back together. We always let them sit over night.

We take this time to work on any other projects going on in the home!

End of Day Two

Step Thirteen: Checking / DAY 3

On this third day we will make sure everything looks good, no runs or uneven spots.

Once we have done this and made sure everything is dry, we can begin cleaning and putting things back.

Step Fourteen: Removing Tape & Reapplying

Now we can go and start removing the blue tape we had used to closed off the inside of the cabinet units where the doors and drawers would go. After removing all of the tape from the inside of the units you can hang the doors and drawers back up where they go. Make sure they match the numbers you put on the tape and that they are all aligned and equal.

Step Fifteen: Clean Up

Now that everything has been put back together and approved by the job lead, we will take the rest of the plastic off the counter tops and appliances, and we will pick up the drop cloths throughout the house and take the spray booth apart.

We always make sure to walk the whole area we were working in to amek sure there are no messes we made.

What we use:

Our cabinet painting process used to take us six days to complete one project, but after practicing over the last four years and working with Sherwin-Williams representatives, we were able to cut that time in half per project. You can click here to read all about our cabinet painting process here at Exterior and Interior Painting Specialists. The process is the same for all cabinets, whether they are in a garage, bathroom, kitchen or even laundry room. We use the same product on all cabinets, trim & doors.

Emerald Urethane Enamel:

Product Information:

A smooth and luxurious finish for doors and trim. Delivers a finish that withstands wear and tear and goes on in fewer coats.
Durable finish is great for windows, doors and trim.
Perfect for areas that are cleaned frequently.
Interior/exterior waterbased urethane modified alkyd with the look and feel of an alkyd/oil finish.
Available in a range of Sherwin-Williams colors and custom tints in satin, semi-gloss and gloss sheens. Resists yellowing compared to traditional oil based paints and has excellent blocking resistance, allowing surfaces to maintain a tough, durable finish.

We use Emerald Urethane Enamel for many projects, as mentioned above. We use it for these things because it is so durable and lasts a long time. It’s great for areas that are touched a lot.

Low-budget kitchen tips:

Swap Out the Faucet

A new fixture can add that extra shine you’re looking for. New faucets have a lot more functionality, so the upgrade can be more than just aesthetic. This is a good first-time DIY plumbing project to try. Just make sure you shut off the water valves and follow the directions carefully.

Tin-Tile Backsplash

This is an easy project that should cost you no more than $100. Tin tile has many advantages: Its reflective properties will brighten a room, it is easy to clean and it comes in a variety of finishes to match your kitchen’s hardware and fixtures.

Try a Peel-and-Stick Backsplash Kit

An all-in-one mosaic tile kit is a snap to install and comes with everything you need, including the tools. The tile is peel-and-stick and the grout is pre-mixed so you save time, mess and money.

Hang ’em High

Pots and pans take up a lot of cabinet space. Hanging cookware on a rack suspended from the ceiling will free up a cabinet or two, and it will add more style to your kitchen.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading Exterior and Interior Painting Specialists blog! Today we went over some simple tips and tricks to help you spruce up your home on a budget! We helped you pick out colors and finishes, as well as sharing our entire cabinet painting process! If you are doing the cabinets yourself and don’t have an airless sprayer to use, you can still use our entire process by brushing or rolling! Check out our table of contents below to see everything we go over! Call or text us at 309-349-7021 for a free estimate!