The best way to paint your home

A fresh coat of paint is one of the most inexpensive and fast ways to improve the value of your home. It’s also a great way to feel better in your home. Changing the paint color can be an immediate mood booster. It’s important to know how to get the most value for your money and make sure the job is done well. Following tips from an expert can ensure that you get the biggest return for your investment when it comes time to paint the interior or exterior of your home.

Steven Tsoukaris knows all about paint. His father was a Greek immigrant who came to the United States in 1969. His father had been a painter in Greece, and it was his profession when he came to live in the United States. 15 years ago, Steven’s family opened Atlas Paints Plus, a paint and painting supply store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Steven has been painting with his dad since he was just 13 years old has worked at the store for 15 years. Just last year, his father retired. He can be reached at (718) 748-1112.

What are some best practices when painting the interior of your home?

You want to first prepare the walls first. Look at your walls and see if there are any holes or other things that need fixing. Next, you want to prime the repairs and other surfaces, such as exposed wood. Then, you want to measure the walls in order to find out exactly how much paint you will need.

What are some of the mistakes that homeowners make when painting the interior of their homes?

The number one mistake that people make is in not priming the walls and other surfaces first. If you don’t use primer, you can get peeling and it just won’t cover as well. Another mistake that people make is using oil-based paints inside their home. Oil-based paints should only be used on exteriors. They smell bad and are not designed for indoor use. Also, homeowners can make mistakes in hiring people to do their painting and over paying. You should always get more than one quote.

If someone wants to paint the interior of their home themselves, what are some tips you can give them that will save them time or increase the quality of the job?

Certainly, you want to measure the walls and area you’ll be painting. This way, the person in the store can tell you exactly how much paint you’ll need and you won’t buy too much or too little.

When painting, you want to start with the ceiling first. Apply one or two coats, then start with the walls. Paint two coats on the walls, and it will last a lot longer. Last, you want to do the trim, windows, moldings, and door frames.

Also, do your cut lines first – anywhere you can’t touch with the roller, paint first. Then come in with the roller. Doing this will be faster and look better.

What are some best practices when painting the exterior of your home?

I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s really important to prime first, and it’s even more important to use primer first when painting the exterior. Any exposed wood, concrete or metal must be primed. Also, you want to use a high quality paint that comes with a warranty. That way, you’ll be sure it will last as long as possible and if it doesn’t last as long as it is supposed to, you’ll be covered.

You also want to make sure that you cover anything that needs to be covered, and use tape to get a clean job around the edges of where you are painting.

For someone who wants to paint the exterior of their home themselves, what are some tips you can give them that will save them time and increase the quality of the job?

Preparation is a great way to ensure that you save time and also do a high quality job. you want to scrape away old paint, repair anything that needs repairing, and then prime. Following these steps will ensure that your work will look nice and will last a long time.

Can you give us a ball park of what it might cost to hire someone to paint a 12 x 12 foot room?

The price you will pay really depends on the condition that the room is in. For example, if you need to have repairs done first, this will drive the price up. If you don’t need repairs and you want someone to paint one coat of primer and two coats of paint, that will likely run you about $300-$500 for a 12 x 12 room. If you need to do repairs, it could run as high as $1000, depending if they need to skim coat the wall to be smooth, for example.

My advice is to get more than one price, so that you can compare costs and don’t get taken advantage of. Also, keep in mind that if you get a lot of quotes and one is really cheap, you may want to assess whether the person is qualified to do a high quality job. The cheapest price isn’t always better, in my opinion.

Can you talk a little about trends in paint?

One major trend right now are matte finish paints. They are very popular and are washable flat paints that you can clean easily. As for color, gray isextremely popular right now, with a couple of different shades of gray trending. Another very popular color right now is taupe and comes out looking beautifully, matching nicely with new styles of furniture.

What’s new with “safer” or more eco-friendly paints?

Benjamin Moore is the paint that we sell so I can talk more specifically about their paints because that is what we work with all day. Benjamin Moore recently updated their paints to be extremely low VOC. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds. New York has very strict VOC laws to begin with, and Benjamin Moore went above and beyond.

Paints in general are now safer than ever. There are many options for paint that does not smell at all. We still sell VOC paints, however, as there are some old-school painters who want to stick with what they know.

What’s the difference in quality between paint?

Most paint companies have several lines of paint of different qualities. In our case, with the paint that we carry, Benjamin Moore, their top line is called Aura and they have five different lines, for example. The highest quality paints have low or no VOC, they have primer included, they last longer and cover better.

Is there any way to minimize the fumes when you are painting your home?

Using low VOC paints really helps. But, it really depends how sensitive you are. There’s a line of paint called Natura which is zero VOC, it has primer in it, and the whole line is no odor. So, that would be a good choice if you are concerned about fumes or smells.

What can homeowners do to ensure that they get the most return for their investment when painting their homes?

The best way to get a good return is to control costs and also ensure a high quality result. You will want to use primer for everything, measure everything, price it all out, use the right contractor, and use the highest quality paint that you can afford.

If you like your colors, you won’t have to paint again for 10-15 years. Every year, save your paint colors and you can touch it up and everything will keep looking great!