You need not be an interior designer to choose a paint palette for your home. You should, however, know the available finishes and the basics of color selection. Read on to learn exactly that.
Choosing the Right Finish
Your options for paint finish are matte, flat, satin, semigloss and gloss. Choosing the right paint finish depends on the type of room and individual preference.
Semigloss and Gloss Finishes
Semigloss and gloss, for example, best suit the needs of kitchens, bathrooms, cabinets, hallways, trim and molding. These finishes offer resistance to moisture and the most durability. You can even scrub some semigloss and gloss paints. In terms of appearance, they provide a bright sheen once dry. Keep in mind, though, that these finishes show imperfections. That requires extra prep and sanding on your part as well as the ability to overlook touchups that stand out against the original sheen.
Satin Finish
A satin finish also stands up well to washing and serves as an alternative to semigloss and gloss if you do not want such a bright sheen. It retains a more pearl-like sheen when dry. Consider it for the family room, laundry room, dining room, kid’s rooms and as well as on trim and molding throughout your home. It also faces the same challenges as semigloss and gloss, in that it does not hide imperfections such as touchups.
Matte Finish
Matte and flat finishes prove the most common choice for walls throughout the home. They result in a smooth, subtle look and show little to no sheen when dry. Matte and flat cover imperfections and touchups blend right in, making them perfect for walls in the bedroom, dining room and living room, as well as ceilings. Cleaning can actually remove these finishes, so if you plan to use one in a regularly used room, look for one of the scrubbable versions now on the market.
Picking Neutral or Bold Paint Colors
You may prefer your walls to blend into the background, allowing furniture and artwork to pop. Or you may like the walls themselves to make a statement. Or you may prefer a mix of both neutral and bold colors throughout your house. Keep the following tips in mind when making your choices:
Ensure colors within a line of sight complement each other. For example, if picking two different color palettes for the kitchen and an adjacent dining room, avoid colors that clash with each other to create an easy-on-the-eyes transition
Remember that a bold color can easily overpower a room. Use it on an accent wall or to showcase an architectural feature such as an arch.
Live with your top picks for a few weeks. You can do this by painting samples onto walls throughout the home and looking at them several times during the day to see how light reflects on them. Painting requires an investment of time and money. The last thing you want to do is get a color up and decide that you don’t like it as much as you did on the color card.
Two-Tone Paint Options
Who says you have to choose just one dominant color in a room? Certainly not interior designers. As noted above, you can opt for an accent wall in a bolder color, or you can use multiple colors on the same wall.
A recent trend involves adding a horizontal stripe to the middle of a room, creating a visual wainscoting of sorts. Opt for a darker color in the stripe, the lighter covering the rest of the wall. You also can create stripes from top to bottom. Choosing colors from the same family works best, but ensure enough contrasts exists to make the darker color stands out from the lighter one.
A two-tone option takes bolder paint choices a step further and allows you to create even more visual interest on your walls.
If at any point you need advice on finish or color choice, your professional painters can help. They can even tackle the project for you if painting proves out of your comfort zone.
This post is a part of our guide to Interior Paint, check it out for more color inspiration .
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
Wood Stain | Buying the Right Stain for your Deck or Home
If wood covers the exterior of your home, you may be weighing stain versus paint. While paint coats a surface, stain penetrates. This allows the natural texture of the wood to shine through, and it also shows the grain if you use a semi-transparent stain. Exterior decks typically get stained instead of painted. Learn more about the many products available for staining wood siding, shingles and decks to pick the right one for your home.
Water-Based Stains vs. Oil-Based Stains
Which you choose depends on the existing finish, the wood itself and other factors. For example, if you plan to stain a surface already finished with an oil-based stain or paint, we recommend a water-based stain because it will adhere better. We also recommend water-based stain for woods that naturally resist rotting, including cypress, redwood and cedar; all water-based stains are mildew-resistant. Water-based stain offers a wider range of colors and better color retention.
Oil-based stain takes longer to dry than water-based stain, though, which allows you to achieve an even finish. We also recommend oil-based stain for decks, as it offers better penetration and durability. Oil-based stain can encourage mildew growth, so be sure to choose one labeled as mildew-resistant.
In terms of safety and eco-friendliness, many homeowners opt for water-based stain because it does not produce harmful fumes, nor can it catch fire during storage like oil-based stain. The later product also contains volatile organic compounds that contribute to air pollution.
Prepping the Surface
Just as with painting, staining requires proper prep for a long-lasting finish. Remove existing paints and/or sealants, clean off any dirt and/or mildew, and lightly sand away loose wood fibers. Remove dust before staining, as well, and follow these do’s and don’ts for best results if doing the job yourself:
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Do stir stain to remix any color pigments that may have settled.
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Do apply a second coat if you want a darker, more saturated finish.
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Don’t try for that darker, more saturated finish by letting unabsorbed stain dry on the wood; it will just peel off later.
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Don’t apply a finish before the stain has had time to dry; you will end up pulling the stain out of the wood with your brush.
Of course, we can do a thorough prep and application for you in the least amount of time. We have the knowledge and tools at the ready and can even help you choose the right stain product and color for your home.
Hot Wood Stain Colors for 2013
We recently wrote about our favorite new stain colors from Behr, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore.
Benjamin Moore offers the widest range of options when it comes to the opacity of its exterior stains with five: natural/translucent, transparent, semi-transparent, semi-solid and solid. This allows you to test the stain in place to get the desired amount of grain and texture showing. The company’s Arborcoat line comes in six natural/translucent and transparent colors. You have 75 semi-transparent and semi-solid stain colors to choose from, and solid stains can be tinted with any of Benjamin Moore’s available colors.
Behr sells nine transparent stains, with the semi-transparent and solid stain products coming in 60 colors. Sherwin-Williams makes 24 semi-transparent and 48 solid stains, as well as a transparent stain recommended for decks only.
To see which colors we like best, check out the full Stain Colors for 2013 | The Best of Behr, Sherwin-Williams & Benjamin Moore post.
No matter which stain you select for your home’s exterior or deck, we can take on the application and give you the longest-lasting stain job possible. With proper prep and application, it should last at least seven years.
This post is a part of our series on Exterior Painting tips.
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
Best Interior Paint Colors of 2013
Every year, paint companies release new color collections. They also pick a color of the year from their offerings. Let’s take a look at what leading paint manufacturers Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Behr chose as their best for 2013.
Best 2013 Sherwin-Williams Paint Colors
Aloe reigns as the color of the year for Sherwin-Williams. It fits a variety of rooms and décor styles.
“Aloe is highly adaptable, making it a perfect pick for everyday spaces such as a breezy sunroom or a well-dressed living room,” says Jackie Jordan, Sherwin-Williams director of color marketing, on the company’s website.
In the bathroom, the minty pastel can help set a relaxing, spa-like tone along side natural textiles, aged metals and woods in light to medium finishes. Pair the color with blacks, whites or grays to create a retro look for a more energetic space.
Aloe belongs to Sherwin-Williams’ Vintage Moxie color collection, which also includes Rosy Outlook, Bathe Blue, Awesome Violet, Radiant Lilac, Rosedust, Gauzy White, Darkroom, Independent Gold and Obi Lilac.
Best 2013 Benjamin Moore Paint Colors
Lemon Sorbet gets top billing from Benjamin Moore this year. The company describes it as the “perfect transitional color between the mid-tones and saturated colors seen in today’s home furnishings and the softer, lighter pastels which are emerging for 2013.”
The beautiful yellow uplifts without overpowering, and it complements and unifies almost any color palette. It harmonizes especially well with other pastels, such as those trending in the coral, pink, blue and vanilla families.
Best 2013 Behr Paint Colors
Unlike Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore, Behr presents color trends as its best as opposed to just one hue, with the hope of helping “consumers express themselves through color,” says Erika Woelfel, Behr director of color marketing, on the company’s website. “Whether consumers are interior design divas or redecorating rookies, these trends help channel self-expression to create home décor that realizes all of the drama, liveliness or ingenuity they envision.”
Behr’s four color trends for 2013 are:
Classic Caprice — This trend adds modern twists to traditional design in a new take on elegance. It suggests magenta walls for formal rooms or the addition of black borders to highlight architectural details. The trend creates ornate spaces that also prove warm and welcoming.
For this trend, Behr groups Daah-ling, Empire Porcelain, Black Lacquer, Golden Age and Belladonna.
Color Metric — Pulled from the runway, this color-blocking trend uses geometry to create graphic appeal. A vibrant blue on cabinets serves as a focal point in the kitchen, with neutral gray walls in the background.
For this trend, Behr groups Twilight, Tan-gent, Matrix, Electrify and Plum Orbit.
Sweet Jazz — This trend finds inspiration in the 1920s, part of the art deco age. Pastel greens and pinks mix with polished chrome fixtures, Oriental rugs and exotic flower patterns to set a perfectly nostalgic tone.
For this trend, Behr groups Bee’s Knees, Jazzy Jade, Flapper Dance, Heavy Sugar and Shanghai Peach.
Après Ski — To create a sense of woodsy oasis, this trend uses forest greens and kitschy reds with natural woods, rustic materials and eclectic décor pieces.
For this trend, Behr groups Pine Cone Pass, Timber Town, Ski Patrol, Gnome Green and Folk Song.
Now that you know what colors paint companies call their best, pick up samples to see whether or not they will become your favorites. Your professional painter can even supply you with color cards and apply samples for you to live with for a few weeks. That way, you can make your final decision based on seeing the colors in your home in the different levels of light throughout the day and night.
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
What color should you paint your kitchen? Well, that depends. Do you have light or dark cabinetry? What color are your appliances? How about your floors? Do you have favorite colors? Factor the answers to all of these questions into your decision and find inspiration from kitchens professionally design with 2013 colors from leading paint manufacturers Behr, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore.
Behr 2013 Kitchen Paint Colors
Sunlight Delight — Turn the natural light in your kitchen up a notch with this bright but warm palette. Apple Crisp on the walls meets Chai Latte at the ceiling, with Popped Corn coating the trim. These colors complement stainless steel appliances well, as shown in the photo, and light cabinetry. You could even paint your cabinets and drawers in the crisp Popped White if your countertop color allowed for it.
Step Into Nature — If a darker hue in the kitchen better suits your style, this color collection offers exactly that through greens found in nature. Agave Frond creates a distinct base that contrasts nicely with Aqua Smoke as an accent color inside the shelves and with Cotton Whisper on the cabinetry.
Benjamin Moore 2013 Kitchen Paint Colors
Urbanite — This color palette gets two interpretations in the kitchen. In the city-chic version, the luscious Polo Blue on the walls pairs well with the golden-yellow of Marblehead Gold. Moonlight White on the trim and cabinetry makes this an unexpected alternative to the more traditional black and white color scheme seen in many kitchens.
In the softer, more sophisticated application of this color collection, Camouflage green covers the walls and creates an interesting focal point on the backsplash through stencil work with the darker Sparrow, also on the ceiling. A professional painter can easily help you achieve this look. Moonlight White on the trim provide the perfect contrast to both shades.
Sherwin-Williams 2013 Kitchen Paint Colors
2013 HGTV Dream Home — The color palette for this year’s HGTV Dream Home, located on beautiful Kiawah Island in South Carolina, finds inspiration its natural sea surroundings. In the kitchen, Hearts of Palm works and Extra-White work to create a vacation vibe in the room, complementing nicely the stainless steel appliances and light cabinetry.
Global Spice — Also part of the HGTV collection, these colors pull from around the world and can transform your kitchen into an exotic locale for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The rich red of Peppery makes a bold statement on the walls, muted only slightly by neutral gray of Sealskin on the cabinetry.
Feeling inspired? Or a little overwhelmed by your many options? No matter where you are in the decision-making process, your professional painter can help. He or she can offer valuable advice on color selection. You might not know which hues will look best with your appliances, cabinetry and floors, and you might not have even thought about how the color will flow into the adjoining rooms. Remember, if you can see into the kitchen from another room, that room’s paint should complement the colors in your kitchen. Having complementary colors throughout your home allows the design to flow from room to room.
Your professional painter also can apply samples for you, so that you can see just how light during different times of the day and night will play on your options. Living with a color for a few days, or even weeks if you need longer to make a decision, always makes sense. After all, a professional interior paint job can last up to 10 years. You want to make sure you love the colors in what, for many families, serves as the hub of the house.
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
Where to Find Benjamin Moore Paint
At ProTect Painters we have a strong relationship with Benjamin Moore. We work with local and regional Benjamin Moore representatives and locally owned paint stores that carry the 
Benjamin Moore brand to ensure the right product is used and applied correctly for your job. Benjamin Moore is a leading paint manufacturer that offers some of the highest quality products on the market, for both interior and exterior applications. Benjamin Moore offers a rich selection of designer colors and we appreciate their eco-friendly approach.
If you have a painting project on the horizon, we would be more than happy to meet with you early on in the paint selection process. As professional painters, we can tell you which Benjamin Moore products best suit your home and setting, and we can help you narrow your color choices. Let us bring samples to you.
Benjamin Moore Store Locator
If you can’t wait to talk to a ProTect representative and want to run out and visit a Benjamin Moore store today, you can find the nearest store using the Benjamin Moore Store Locator on their website. It allows you to search by street address, city and state or by zip code. You also can search by featured products and whether or not the store opens seven days a week, has an in-store decorator, and/or allows you to order online and pick up at the store.
Explore Benjamin Moore Paints Online
If you would like to explore what Benjamin Moore has to offer before contacting us, check our recap of the top paint colors for 2013. We highlight many of the company’s new color palettes in the collection of articles. You also can visit the Benjamin Moore website and use its impressive paint selection tools: Color Capture and Personal Color Viewer.
Color Capture App
The company’s Color Capture app works best on the iPhone and iPad. On these devices, you can match colors in photos to colors in the company’s paint lines; share your colors through Facebook, Twitter and email; browse the company’s inspirational color cards; access a full-spectrum color wheel to search for colors; and locate a Benjamin Moore store. A Color Capture app also exists for Android phones, and its offerings include the ability to photo match, save colors, access the full-spectrum color wheel and locate stores.
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
Paint Samples: Choosing the Right Color for Your Home
Choosing the right exterior paint color ranks as one of the most important design decisions you make for your home. It can complement the architecture or clash horribly with it, the latter making your house stand out for all the wrong reasons. Consider the following factors when choosing the right exterior paint colors for your home, then pick up samples to see how they look.
Think About Architecture
Look at the architectural style of your home. Is it Southwestern Adobe? California Mission? Pacific Lodge? New England Colonial? Midwest Prairie? Each has its own palette of paint colors that match or complement the bones of the home.
For example, Mission-style homes more often than not feature subdued colors such as tans, yellows, browns and brick reds. Victorian-style architecture, on the other hand, lends itself to vibrant displays of color. Light yellows and grays are a common sight, but bright pinks, purples and blues make architectural features such as towers, turrets and spindles stand out as they should with the brighter palettes.
Search online for photos of your style of home for inspiration, or you can involve your professional painter in the process early. He or she can not only tell you which colors best suit your home’s architectural style, but also current trends in the market.
Consider Setting
Also look around your home when choosing exterior paint colors. Details vary by area of the country and even neighborhood within an architectural style. For example, a Victorian home in Houston might sit within a neighborhood where more subdued colors are the norm, while a row of Victorian homes in San Francisco might offer endless opportunities as each home owner tries to be the most vibrant on the block.
Your professional painter can advise you in this area, as well, letting you know which paint jobs have proven to be the most successful in terms of selling and resale value. He or she knows the neighborhoods well and can direct you to the right paint colors for your home.
Pick Your Preferences
The range of colors that suit both a home’s architectural style and setting offer you seemingly endless choices, as you face the wall of sample cards available at your local home improvement or paint store. Let yourself be drawn to any colors you like in the beginning. Don’t filter up front. Then take all of the sample cards home for further consideration.
Once you have whittled the choices down to a dozen or so, ask your professional painter to help finalize three color combinations for main, trim and accent colors.
At this point in the paint selection process, you can have your three favorites applied to small, discreet areas of your house, preferably on the backside so your neighbors don’t stop by to offer their two cents.
Look at these colors at different times over the course of a week, seeing how they look during the various lights of the day. Living with your top choices allows you to make the best decisions possible. You can also use any of the online paint visualizers offered by Behr, Sherwin-Williams, and Benjamin Moore. These applications allow you to take a photo of your home and see what the different paint colors would look like on it.
Take Your Time
Don’t rush the paint selection process. The number of years an exterior paint job lasts varies by material, areas of the country, and weather conditions, but you will have to live with your choice for many years as such work requires an investment of both time and money. You won’t want to repaint your home the next year if you don’t like your choice. Your professional painter can help you make the right color decisions.
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
Bathroom Paint Colors 2013
When choosing paint colors for a bedroom or living room, you should consider how certain hues affect mood. An electric blue, for example, would not make the most relaxing shade for a bedroom, nor would a cool grey set a welcoming tone for friends and family in a living room. With the bathrooms in your home, you have a bit more freedom because you do not spend as much time in the rooms — the exception being the master bath if you enjoy a relaxing, long soak in the tub. Let’s take a look at some of the more adventurous 2013 offerings for bathrooms from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Behr.
Benjamin Moore 2013 Bathroom Paint Colors
Strikingly Rich Red — The deep red of Caliente coats the walls in this bathroom to create a contemporary and energetic space. The crispness of Simply White on the trim and ceiling stands in sharp contrast to the red, and it matches the white of bathroom fixtures. Always keep fixtures, as well as countertops and floors, in mind when choosing paint colors for your bathroom and factor them into the overall color palette.
Glamorous Purple — The stylish, soft purple of Sea Life on the walls adds glamour to this spacious traditional bathroom, while the creaminess of Lancaster Whitewash on the ceiling and trim keeps the color from overpowering the room.
Sherwin-Williams 2013 Bathroom Paint Colors
High Voltage — Several offerings in this palette of look-at-me colors would make a bold statement in a modern bathroom. The orange pop of Gladiola, the vibrant green of Electric Lime and crisp blue of Calypso all suit the small space and leave little need for other décor, as they serve as an artistic presence all on their own. Go for it by painting the ceiling in the same color or dial down the effect with Extra White.
Vintage Moxie — Mid-century style gets a modern twist with this palette of bold pastels. Awesome Violet, Rosedust and Independent Gold would add glamour and a kick of fun to the small room. The neutral of Gauzy White proves perfect for ceiling and trim.
Behr 2013 Bathroom Paint Colors
Wistful Washroom — Two complementary yellows combine in this sunny bathroom. Applesauce and Banana Cream alternate on the walls, with Vermont Cream on the trim tying in the bathroom fixtures. This color combination suits a variety of architectural and décor styles in addition to the traditional bathroom in the example.
Room in Rose — Three complementary shades of the same color — Powdered Petals, Peony Pink and Sahara Sun — alternate walls to take this space beyond the typical pink bathroom. Almond Cream on the trim marries the colors to the fixtures and linens in the room. Behr, like the other paint companies featured here, shows its paints in professionally designed rooms complete with palette summaries. This allows you to see which colors decorators used for linens and other items in the rooms. While you need not match the examples completely, it does give you an idea of what to look for when you hit the home stores.
These are just a handful of the many 2013 color palettes for bathrooms from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Behr. The companies also offer more traditional hues if you want the bathrooms in your home to make a quieter statement.
As with any painting project, enlist the help of your professional painter early on in the process. He or she can help you narrow choices by painting samples swatches in the rooms. This allows you to live with the colors for a while before making a commitment. After all, an interior paint job can last up to 10 years if you choose high-quality products and professional application.
This post is a part of our series on Interior Painting tips.
When you’re ready to paint your home—interior painting and/or exterior painting—be sure to contact your local ProTect Painters and click here for a free estimate.
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
Exterior Painting Costs – What are You Paying For?
Exterior painting projects take a lot of time and effort to produce a high-quality and long-lasting result. The best exterior
painting projects can last upwards of 10 years while a sloppy job may have to be redone in just three years. The professional home painters at your local ProTect Painters have years of experience providing a beautiful paint job to homes’ exteriors. An exterior painting project is not just a one-time cost but a long-term investment put into your home. Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the ProTect Painters’ home painting services.
Prep Work
You’ll often hear professional painters say that prep is 90% of the job. And it’s true. The prep work phase is the foundation of each exterior painting project. Our house painters pay tremendous attention to detail throughout this phase that includes:
- Protecting the landscape and areas not being painted
- Power washing
- Sanding and scraping loose and peeling paint
- Caulking gaps
- Removing and replacing rotted wood
All of these steps help clean and prepare your home’s exterior for a fresh coat of paint by removing dirt, chalk, chemicals and mildew spores to ensure the highest-quality and longest-lasting bond between the exterior paint and your home. We also include priming your house in the prep work phase.
Painting
The amount of coats necessary to paint your home will depict how long this process takes as well as working around the weather conditions. Our expert house painters will suspend any work if the forecast predicts a 50 percent chance of rain or higher or if the humidity exceeds 85 percent. This is to ensure the strongest bond and forgo the weather-related problems that negatively affect a home long after the project is completed.
Final Inspection
After a thorough cleanup of our tools, protective tarps and tape we take the homeowner on an extensive final inspection that encompasses every detail of your home and gives you and us an opportunity to catch any touch-up areas or additional clean-up tasks.
Your local ProTect Painters will make sure you receive the absolute best result following an exterior painting project. Find your local home painter or register for your free online painting quote and start your exterior painting project today.
Many homeowners prefer stain to paint for the exterior of their house. A stain accentuates the texture of wood and highlights rough surfaces, as opposed to paint, which covers what some consider imperfections but others call character. If you plan to coat the exterior of your home with a stain this year, consider one of these 2013 standout siding colors from Behr, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore.
Behr Exterior Stain Colors
Behr offers three types of siding stain: transparent, semi-transparent and solid. A transparent stain allows you to keep the natural color, texture and grain of the wood, as does a semi-transparent stain. A solid stain reveals the texture but conceals the grain.
The company offers nine transparent colors of its Premium Wood Coatings from which to choose. The semi-transparent and solid versions come in 60 colors, ranging from the lighter Cape Cod Gray, Sage and Rose Beige to the darker Bordeaux, Cordovan Brown and Atlantic.
Sherwin-Williams Exterior Stain Colors
Sherwin-Williams also offers two levels of coverage with its siding stains: semi-transparent and solid. Its transparent stain, called toner by the company, suits decks better than houses.
Sherwin-Williams has 48 colors in its solid stain offerings. Buckthorn and Pine Needle stand out among the greens, Sequoia and Cheyenne from the reds, and Kings Canyon and Woodland in the grays.
There are 24 semi-transparent colors available in its Woodscapes line, with Redwood and Chestnut at the darker end of the color range and White Birch and Blue Shadow at the lighter.
Benjamin Moore Exterior Stain Colors
Benjamin Moore offers the widest range of opacity, with five levels of coverage: natural/translucent, transparent, semi-transparent, semi-solid and solid. Such a range allows you to choose the exact amount of grain and texture shining through the coating.
The company offers six colors of the natural/translucent and transparent stains in its Arborcoat line. Natural, Redwood, Teak, Cedar, Mahogany and Silver Gray provide plenty of options for keeping the beauty of wood visible.
There are 75 of the semi-transparent and semi-solid stain colors, with Cougar Brown, New Pilgrim Red and Olympus Green standing out among the many offerings. Solid stains can be custom tinted with any of Benjamin Moore ’s seemingly countless number of available colors.
Getting Started
One factor to keep in mind if deciding between stain and paint is how long each product lasts. Stain requires more frequent application, with a solid stain lasting on average seven years and paint lasting about 25 years. That being said, the staining process takes much less time and effort, and therefore costs less, than painting.
The keys to getting the most years from your staining application are the quality of the product — Behr, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore all are excellent — and the application itself. Using a professional painter provides the best results, allowing you to reduce the frequency with which you must restain your home.
A professional painter can also help you choose the level of weather proofing you require in a stain. He or she will know which products best suit the seasonal extremes in your area of the country.
Your professional painter will also help you finalize a color choice if new, as opposed to a reapplication of an existing color. He or she can remove the stain or paint currently on the exterior of your home in small areas and apply the new product, allowing you to see exactly what it will look like on your wood siding. You can even choose several options for comparison purposes. You might want to choose a side of your home not facing the street during this part of the project, though.
This post is a part of our 2013 Paint Colors and Trends Series.
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
Kids Room Decor: Fun Decoration and Paint Ideas for Boys & Girls
A kid’s room serves as a place to sleep, play and retreat from siblings and adults alike. At a certain age, parents let go of the colors they made and allow their son or daughter to take part in the creation of a new space. Find inspiration in these tips and examples if you are at that point.
Choose a Durable Paint for a Kid’s Room
Many paint companies offer “scrubbable” low-sheen finishes perfectly suited for a kid’s bedroom. They clean easily, allowing you not to worry about Crayon scribbles or marks left behind by a bouncing ball. You also can opt for using a faux finish, which better hides the result of play or can be touched up with the pat of a sponge.
Decide on a Paint Color Scheme Together
Instead of starting by hitting the paint store with your kid in tow, start downloading images of rooms you like. Behr, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore all have examples of kid-friendly color schemes online. Check out these standout designs:
Hello Pink! — If your daughter likes pink, you need not dread seeing all of the room’s walls covered in a cotton-candy hue. This example from Behr shows how you can cover an accent wall with a bright pink such as Kawaii, while leaving the rest in a white like Fuji Snow. This allows you to use the color as an element in the design scheme without overloading the room with it.
Princess Room — This kid’s bedroom by Benjamin Moore shows how a mural can create a theme within a kid’s room. This princess-inspired design scheme uses sherbet hues such as Purple Easter Egg, Spring Lilac and Springhill Green throughout, with a fairy tale castle serving as a headboard. Keep in mind a child’s age when going with a mural, though. A 5-year-old, for example, may love a princess theme for years to come, but a 9-year-old might find it too young when she hits her tweens. Same goes for boys and themes such as race cars and dinosaurs.
Junior Varsity — If your kid, whether a son or a daughter, lives for sports, paint also can contribute to a themed setting. In this example from Sherwin-Williams, Hopsack, Chinese Red, Pure White, Needlepoint Navy and Cilantro combine to create the perfect retreat for a young athlete. You also can incorporate your kid’s school colors into such a theme.
Show your son or daughter the photos and ask for input. This will allow you to see what colors and design elements are hits and which are misses. With “likes” in hand, you and your kid can visit the store for sample cards or even paint samples. Tape or apply samples to the bedroom’s walls and let your kid live with the colors for a while before making a decision together.
Pull It All Together With Furniture and Décor
Certain furniture can carry a child through to college thanks to paint. Simply pull a color from the palette chosen to use on beds, nightstands and nightstands. That same durability from the paint will be appreciated on the furniture, as well. Also take your color cards with you when shopping for bedding, rugs and other décor. Not all items need to match, but having color examples handy will help you keep all elements complementary.
Getting Professional Help
Not only does hiring a professional painter ensure the work will last for years, it can also further invest your kid in the design process. Being able to consult a professional on color choices and other elements will make your son or daughter feel even more in control of creating the bedroom of his or her dreams.
When you’re ready to paint your home—interior painting and/or exterior painting—be sure to contact your local ProTect Painters and click here for a free estimate.
Specializing in exterior and interior painting, on residential and commercial projects, ProTect Painters provides local businesses and homeowners across the country with highly-skilled, trustworthy, and fully insured and licensed painting professionals who provide superior craftsmanship. Utilizing a myriad of paint options and finishes, combined with flawless customer service, ProTect Painters guarantees a stress-free home improvement experience for its customers.
