Paint Your Kitchen Yellow

Yellow Kitchen

Choosing the perfect kitchen color can be quite overwhelming for some NJ home owners. When considering what color schemes are best for a particular kitchen, one needs to think about what type of mood they desire to set. As color trends for interior painting have changed over the years many new colors have been introduced for use in the kitchen. Yellow has long been a favorite color used in kitchens for years. But there are both pros and cons for using yellow in the kitchen area of a home. Only the homeowner can determine if it is the right color for their kitchen area. Here are some pros and cons for using yellow for kitchen painting projects.

Summer Home Remodeling Projects

Composite deck & Vinyl Rail

The warmer months are just around the corner and NJ homeowners are beginning to plan their home remodeling projects for the summer months. For many homeowners it is about making their home more efficient, more usable or to give it more functional. Others want to maximize indoor or outdoor spaces or install a pool or backyard deck. Many are already planning exactly what type of remodeling they want to do this summer while others are still looking for some good ideas. Here are some useful summer home remodeling projects that will maximize your outdoor space.

How Often Should I Paint My House?

Painted wall and supplies

Our homes are an investment that needs to be protected with proper maintenance. Interior and exterior painting are home remodeling projects which need to be done periodically in order to help retain or improve the home’s value. There is not one set rule that tells a home owner what type of exterior painting schedule should be followed. Most of the time, it is understood that a home needs to be painted about every 5 to 8 years. But this can depend largely on the type of paint that was used as well as the climatic conditions where the home is located. Some areas have weather conditions that are harsher on a home’s exterior than others. Most homeowners do not do a walk around inspection of their home every single day but there are ways to determine when it is time to paint the house.

When to Paint your Home

Painted interior

Exterior house painting needs to be done during a period of time when the weather is going to be dry enough for the wood to be dry before the project begins. After the surface is painted, it needs adequate time to dry as well.  Most people have the idea that summer is the best season to paint, but it is not always the best time to paint a home’s exterior. What time of year is the best to paint your house will depend largely on the region in which you live and the climate in the area. There are several factors to consider which can help a homeowner know what time of year is the best to complete exterior painting.

Temperatures

Most of the manufacturers of paint suggest temperature minimums and maximums which allow for the best paint job. These temperature limits have changed over the years as paints have progressed. As a general rule, the temperature needs to be no lower than about 40 degrees before paint is applied. However, there are some brands that say their paints can be applied to a surface when the temperature is as low as 35 degrees. In some regions, the temperature can be as high as 104 degrees during the afternoon and then drop down as low as 42 at night. Paint should not be applied during the seasons when the temperatures have this large of a fluctuation all in one day. Choose a season in your region that the temperature does not fluctuate too much in a day. In the New Jersey area the average low temperature in October is about 45 degrees and in November it is about 38. So in the northeast region November is probably the cut off for exterior painting.

What is Modern Exterior Design?

Modern Exterior Design

The exterior portions of a home do not always get as much attention as the interior parts, but it is not any less important. There are many different design plans that can be used to develop the exterior of the NJ home. Modern exterior design is popular because of its space saving qualities. Modern design for the exterior of the home resembles modern interior design in that it uses geometric shapes and lines and takes the minimalist approach to developing the design. This type of home design will help bring in the right balance between aesthetic appearance and functionality. Exterior lighting and landscape designs will be complimentary of other design elements such as residential painting.

Best Paint for Interior Painting

Interior Paint

Each room has its own décor and calls for various color schemes and furnishings. They also require different colors and types of paint for interior painting. Choosing the color is not usually too difficult as it will aesthetically match the room’s overall décor. Color choices can simply be a matter of taste in interior design. Choosing the right type of sheen can be the more difficult part of the selection since it will require both some practicality and also be a matter of style. Sheen refers to how much light will be reflected from the painted surface and the type of sheen used will be determined by how the space is used and the desired look.

Best Paint for Exterior Painting

Painted house

Choosing the right exterior paint for a project can be a difficult task at best. In most cases, interior painting is done on only one type of surface but exterior painting can be on a wide variety of surfaces. Surfaces may include wood, aluminum siding, cedar shakes, brick, concrete blocks, stucco or even painting over old paint. Older homes and some modern designs may necessitate painting multiple types of surfaces which further complicates exterior paint selection. One good thing is that there are many different types of paints and this means that there is an exterior paint which is made for each type of surface.

Latex vs. Alkyd

Many homeowners choose latex paints for exterior painting projects because it is much easier to apply, dries quicker and is easy to clean up with just soap and water. The disadvantage to using latex paints is that they will not cover oil based paints well and they will not adhere to some surfaces. Alkyd paints are very durable, but they dry more slowly and are more difficult to work with. Alkyd paints cannot be cleaned up easily as proper clean up will require the use of solvents in order to get the oil based paints out of brushes, paint trays, rollers and drips.

How to Increase Curb Appeal

Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is a very important aspect of a Phoenix home. The aesthetic appearance of the exterior of the home is the first thing a visitor will see and you only get one chance to make a good first impression. The curb appeal can have a direct influence on whether or not a home is seen as desirable for purchasing. Whether a home is being put back up on the market or a homeowner just wants to improve the look of the home’s exterior some relatively inexpensive home remodeling projects can improve the home’s curb appeal.

Green Bathroom Design

Bathroom design

Bathroom remodeling can be a huge task even though it is typically the smallest room in the house. There are so many facets to consider such as storage, grooming and bathing. We usually spend a large amount of time gathering information pertaining to the latest trends in interior design. One of the latest trends is to “green” up the bathroom; this can mean including certain elements that will save the environment as well as the budget. There are several ways to accomplish savings in these two areas by incorporating greener options in the bathroom remodeling project.

Water Conservation

The toilet is the most frequent culprit of excessive water usage. Installing a low volume toilet or one with a dual flush mechanism can save gallons of water over time. The design of the showerhead can help you save water as well. Nearly 20% of all the water in the home is used by the showerhead. Most showerheads allow water to flow at about 2.5 gallons per minute. This can be switched out with a low-flow head that only uses 1.5 to 2 gallons per minute. This will allow an adequate flow of water, while saving substantially on water usage.

Bedroom Design Trends

Red Paint

When it comes to interior design in the bedroom, there are many new trends showing up. In the hectic world that we live in, it is nice to know that at the end of the day our sanctuary is waiting to provide us a place to relax, unwind and regroup to face another day. Sometimes the bedroom’s interior design mimics the fashion world as trends come and go. Colors, patterns and textures that are in for fashion designers are the same types of trends that begin to surface in the world of interior design. Here are just a few of the modern trends that are appearing in bedroom design.

The Eclectic Style

The blending together of styles and periods lends itself to the eclectic style. Many designers are bringing together various styles to create a unique setting for the bedroom. This may mean a sleek modern dresser topped off with an elegant Venetian mirror. Sitting nearby might be a Louis XVI chair. The bedroom design of today is quite a bit different from the traditional look. Furnishings may not match perfectly but instead may be mixed up a little bit to develop the eclectic style. This trend allows a lot of room for personality to be mixed in. And one of the biggest benefits is that if you get tired of the interior design, you can switch out pieces since everything does not have to match.