Painting walls and
hanging the wallpaper, are some of the wall decoration
ideas for your home, that you can do yourself with a
little help and advice from us. Here are some basics
for you:
Painting:
Remove everything from the room including furniture, floorings and
switch covers or move them to the center center of the room. Then
clean the walls, windows and trims with soap-water or diluted
all-purpose cleaner thoroughly. Paint finishes range from flat to
eggshell or matte to satin to semi-gloss, and gloss. All have
their pros and cons. Flat paint is difficult to clean but good for
hiding away dents in the wall. They are not preferred for
kitchens, baths and high traffic areas. Eggshell finish is most
suited to bedrooms, satin finish for fantasy décor while
semi-gloss is easier to clean and thus, can be used for trims and
walls of high traffic areas.
Gloss finish is best to highlight trims and moldings and can be
used for windows and doors too, for you can wipe finger marks on
them by just swiping them with a rag. Good quality paints require
less number of coats, are easier to apply and clean and last
longer. For kids' room, you may choose an inexpensive variety for
you may have to keep making changes to it according to the age and
choices of a child. Use painter's tape to cover baseboards, window
and door frames and molding edges before painting. Paint the
ceiling first, followed by walls and then the trims and moldings.
Holding a small container of paint in one hand makes painting
faster.
Do not load the roller or brush with paint too much or it will
drip. Use narrow brush for trims and angled brush to fill 'cut-in'
edges. Be sure to clean your brushes after work outdoors.
Water-soluble latex paint in the brush can be rinsed thoroughly in
running water. Blot the water with paper towels and then keep them
in a plastic wrap. You may need to use turpentine oil to clean oil
or alkyd paints from the brush or roller. You nay also try your
hand at faux painting and texture painting such as painting in
stucco, suede, leather and other finishes but it needs much more
expertise. Simple way to funk up your wall, window, door,
cupboards and furniture painting is to use stencil painting.
Hanging Wallpaper:
For wallpaper installation, you need to clean the walls thoroughly
including crayon marks, scraping off loose paint and filling
cracks and holes with spackling compound and smoothing them by
rubbing them with a wallpaper when it is dry. Peel and remove the
old wallpaper starting from seams and corners. If they are not
removable, paint them with at least one coat of primer. Sand and
scrape the adhesive and rinse the wall. Let it dry.
Calculate the dimensions of the wallpaper by measuring the
distance from ceiling to floor and allow four inches extra for
proper installation. There can be variations in the size of the
walls on one room so measure them individually making note of the
location of door or window in it. For perfect vertical alignment
of wallpaper, it is better to draw lines with a pencil and then
place the wallpaper edge along the line, pressing it with your
palms or a roller press. Wallpaper with adhesives may need to be
dampened with water before installation.
Other Options:
Some other home décor ideas besides painting and wallpapering
include giving a character to your fireplace by covering it with
the desired stone finish, add wood panels and mouldings, large
mirrors to makeup for the lack of windows and tiling the kitchen,
baths, entryways and fireplaces. There are handmade tiles that can
make your home look entirely different and conform it to a
particular theme. Fabrics and upholstery invites elegance, soft
and plush look and richness to the room while cork tiles will help
you protect your secrets for sneaking neighbors as they are almost
soundproof.
