Expert Info

WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING

Paint is always one of the best returns on investment for your home, and while painting seems easy to do, there's actually a lot of skill and forethought involved. You've got to consider paint colors, lighting in your space, types of finishes you'd like to use, the proper tools, and paint application tips. The right paint can make your house more valuable, and the wrong color can depreciate it. For example, according to Zillow, a prospective home buyer will pay 1.6% more for a home with a blue bathroom, but if the house has a mint green kitchen, the offer price is $1,830 less than the asking price. 3/3/2023

If you're looking to upgrade your home with fresh paint, you want to ensure you're doing everything right. So, who better to give you painting tips than your favorite HGTV design experts, including the Property Brothers, Mike Holmes, Sabrina Soto, Joanna Gaines, and more? Read on as we share the painting tips that even HGTV stars swear by.

The Property Brothers recommend finding the right finish

If you have ever considered painting a room, you've weighed what finish you should use. And you're not alone. Drew and Jonathan Scott, the Property Brothers, say choosing a finish is second on the list, right after selecting a paint color. In order to determine the correct sheen, you need to think about how the paint will look and how it will function.

The brothers' blog explains the three types of paint you should consider. First is matte paint, which is known as the flat finish. It doesn't reflect light, and it can be difficult to clean. They say matte paint is good for areas where you don't have a lot of activity. Next, satin or eggshell paint has a little more shine than a matte finish, and cleaning it isn't hard to do. They recommend satin for most rooms, especially for areas with high traffic. Another option is high gloss paint, which is the shiniest of all paints and is easy to clean. They recommend it for trim and cabinets.

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent say it's important to consider your lighting

Buying paint can be like buying a new outfit. That's because it looks different in the store than at home. Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent of "The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project" say lighting is the make-or-break factor when choosing paint for your space. "People often choose their paint color without considering the lighting of their actual space," Brent told Homes & Gardens. "What you see in a store with fluorescent lighting is very different from the natural light that will change with every hour in your home."

One solution to finding the right paint is to hang up some paint samples in your home and check them out throughout the day to see how they reflect light differently in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Keep in mind that the paint may look one way in natural sunlight and another when it's cloudy. You can also experiment with different lamps in the room, including a table lamp or wall sconces, to see how the paint reflects artificial light.

Having a system for painting will keep you on task. It's best if you can work in an empty room. If not, clear items away from the wall by moving them to the middle of the room. Clean the walls and trim with a dry cloth before applying painter's tape. Be sure to apply painter's tape to light switches or outlets, and remove any ceiling or wall fixtures that could interfere with your roller. Place a drop cloth on the floor to catch any spills, and then start painting.

Emily Henderson doesn't use the same paint color throughout the house

Using the same color of paint in multiple rooms might seem like the easy way to go, but it's a no-go for style expert and "Design Star" Emily Henderson. It's not that she's opposed to using the same color, but she's more into having a shared color palette. That way, every room seems like a continuation of a theme but not a color replica of the previous room.

For example, if you have one room that looks into another room — such as a kitchen overlooking a family room — be mindful of how the two spaces function together. The paint should be complementary, not competing (via Style by Emily Henderson). This complementary paint approach is common in the design community. Wiese Painting Contractors says the concept is called "color continuity," where you use different shades of one color throughout the home, giving it a cohesive, well-thought-out aesthetic.

Sabrina Soto suggests picking a palette of three colors

Sabrina Soto has designed a lot of rooms in her career, including on shows like "The High Low Project," "Get It Sold," and "Real Estate Intervention." She knows what makes a room's color palette work, and more importantly, what makes colors pop. "I always start with color," Soto told Chairish. "Color plays an important role as it sets the overall mood of any given space. I normally like to pick three colors and usually stick to them. This provides me with a loose guideline when I decorate and helps me decide what I should and should not put in the room."

This concept is known in the design world as "the rule of three." It starts with a primary color that will be the room's centerpiece, followed by two other coordinating hues. The primary color should be used around 60% of the time, while the secondary color is used 30% of the time. The third color is considered an accent and is used 10% of the time.

"Carter Can," suggests getting a better idea of how the paint will look by buying large peel-and-stick paint swatches by Samplize. Place a few on your wall, and you can see the color's effect without having to paint until you're ready to commit to the color. Plus, you can peel the samples and reposition them around the room as needed.

HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT MOST INTERIOR DESIGNERS USE THE SAME
COOKIE CUTTER FURNITURE? NOT US!

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