Tips on Painting a Room

Not all tips on painting a room go for any room, but the following tips do. The look of your paint colors will be affected by the lighting and the daylight in your room. The color of your daylight depends on the position of your windows.

Light from the north is cold and blueish
Light from the south is warm and orangish
Light from the east is cold, mostly neutral
Light from the west is strong in reds
Oldfashioned lightbulbs (and "warm colored" lamps) give orange light
Regular energy-saving and halogen lamps give neutral light

Old paintmakers used to manually adjust their client’s desired colors to their available daylight, by adding tiny amounts of the opposite color. This is not about choosing paint colors: this is about adjusting the color of your choice to your available light.

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Colors to balance your daylight

These are the colors you can use, to adjust your paint colors to your available light. These color-tags were made with web-safe colors - some small deviation can still occur (by the age of your screen etc)

For a room with windows on the north, add some yellowish orange

For a room with windows on the south, add a medium shade of blue (a color like blue sky)

For windows on the west, add a little cold green

For the east, add a little warming golden yellow

For adjusting "cosy" orange lightbulbs, take ultramarine

For patching up cold neutral light, add some golden yellow

Add them in very small amounts!

On one liter of medium-dark paint, add a tablespoon of the adjusting color. On one liter of white or offwhite paint, add half a teaspoon of the adjusting color. Remember: taste, smell, and follow your nose. The effect should only be visible to a very perceptive person.

Further tips on painting a room

The color of your new paint layer is influenced by the old color that it's painted on - even if that color is white. Check before you start, what your new color will do on the old paint layer.

Make a design first

Make sure you have a beforehand idea about your results. Draw a scetch even if it’s only on an a4 printing paper, and fill it in with the colors. If you work with darker or stronger colors, first think of the visual amounts they will make. Think of how to make a pleasing tonal range. Check the wall painting division, for some exciting ideas on faux finishing or decoration.

Do your preparations!

If you abrase and clean well before you paint, your paint will hold much longer. If you don’t fill little holes and irregularities before painting, they will be visible in your new paintjob. Here you'll find info on wall preparations. If you redo old wood work, caulk the edges and straighten them with a wet finger. Things will look brandnew again.

Safety and stains

Be safe while you do your painting job. You'll probably cover the floor with plasic foil, the thicker the better. But don’t put ladders on plastic foil (I did it - I hit the floor). If you have to paint a ceiling, rent a scaffold if it fits in your room. Paper painting overalls look really professional, but the paint goes right through them. Just put on old clothes and shoes - shoes with good grip. Put something on your head too.

Have cloths at hand to wipe off splatters and stains - while the paint is still wet, that’s really no problem. But when it’s dry….
Make a corner where no one has to walk, and put the paintcans and turps or water there. When you're done, check the room for stains. Even when the paint looks dry, it still hasn't hardened out - it can still be removed with a hard brush or a piece of wood to scratch with. If stains got on your new paintwork, don't scratch but paint them over.