Test colors under your own lights
Fluorescent light is cool and pulls out the green or blue in a color. Incandescent bulbs are warm and bring out the red. Look at a sample in the room you're painting.
Try it
Same paint, different light
A color that looked right in the store can look different at home. Switch the light and watch the wall.
Our tip: put a sample on the wall you're painting and look at it under the lights you actually use.
5 tips
Color
Picking a color is the fun part. These help it look the way you pictured once it's on the wall.
Don't settle for white walls
Unless white is the look you want. The right color adds depth and can make a plain room feel warm and comfortable.
Small rooms can take bold color
White doesn't always make a room look bigger. Bright, bold colors open a space more than dull shades. Paint the ceiling lighter than the walls to keep it airy.
A calm bedroom
Use several shades of one neutral color. The neutral keeps it restful, and the different shades give the room layers and depth.
Brighter workspaces
Bright white on ceilings and walls raises the light level in a building.
3 tips
Outside the house
Outside, the color has to work with things you can't easily change, like the roof and the style of the house.
Match the roof
Slate, terra cotta, metal or clay: choose a color scheme that sits well with your roof so the house looks like one piece.
Let the house style guide you
The architecture can steer your colors. A colonial home, for example, often looks right in a color from that period.
Watch the window AC units
They're a major cause of rotted sills and peeling paint around the frame and the siding below. With units in, plan to repaint more often.
4 tips
Prep and planning
Most paint problems start underneath. Get the prep right and the finish lasts.
Peeling siding? Check the primer
Cracked, peeling paint on siding can come from using the wrong primer. Poor grip means the paint fails.
What primer does
It sticks where paint alone might not, and it seals porous surfaces so the paint spreads and dries evenly.
Spackle is for walls, not trim
Putty or spackle works on small cracks and dents in walls. It won't stick to wood trim.
Buy a little extra
On a big job, get a bit more paint than you think you need. If you run short it's on hand, and the rest is there for touch-ups.
3 tips
Paint and finishes
Sheen and paint type change how a wall looks, how it cleans and how long it holds up.
What eggshell means
Close to flat, with more sheen. It washes better, which is why it's so common on interior walls.
Water based or oil based
Those are the two kinds of exterior paint. Oil based has the longest record for lasting and standing up to weather, and it goes on smooth.
Oil-based paint, pros and cons
Linseed or alkyd based. Harder to use and slower to dry than water-based acrylic, but the finish is tougher and can last for decades.
From posts on the James Skipper Painting Facebook page.
Have a question about your house?
Call or send the form. We're happy to talk colors, primer and finishes.