Tips and Tricks - The Best Way to Choose Interior Paint Colors

Finding the right color can be tricky, and for reasons that aren’t quite obvious at first. Your trip to the paint store will be much easier if you keep a few things in mind:

Most paint chips aren’t made from paint. Shocking, isn’t it? With the exception of C2 Paint, most national brands have their chips printed with ink – and ink is a transparent medium while paint is an opaque one, and light interacts differently with these two mediums. Therefore it is almost impossible to replicate the color on the sample chip to the color that comes from the can. If you have ever wondered why the color on the chip didn’t match the color on the wall, now you know.

Color chips have another disadvantage – they are small. When you look at the size of even a single wall, you quickly realize that a paint chip is too small to accurately give you an impression of how the color will play in a full-scale setting. If you understand that color chips are very handy tools to take you to the next step, they can be very useful. Color chips provide a very quick method for winnowing out the obviously wrong colors and finding those three or four colors that might work. Your next step is to sample the actual color.

Before we roll on some color, let’s look at one more issue: Lighting. If you are trying to make a color choice while standing in a busy paint store or staring at some samples on a computer screen, you are at another disadvantage because you are not looking at your color under the correct lighting conditions.

Preferably, you want to see what happens to your paint color in a series of lighting situations – morning, noon and evening. Each of these different times of day affects the way the color reads, and you want to make sure you like it at all times. Sometimes a color will ‘mud out’ at night (we can spend a lot of time discussing tinting recipes and why this happens… but later), or intensify to the point of looking neon, or wash out and look almost white when you thought it would be a soft taupe, or you find that charming coffeehouse color looks heavy and sluggish. Color does not always do what you expect it to. And if you live in a grove of trees or near the water, testing becomes imperative.

Ideally, you want to try your color with the other design elements that are going into the space like sofas, rugs, art, etc… C2’s Ultimate Paint Chip, which is a poster-sized chip made from real paint, is one option if you aren’t ready to get paint on the walls, or you can try a 16 oz. Sampler or Test Quart of paint (depending upon the brand you are using). Paint AT LEAST an 18’ x 24’ patch on the wall. More if you can. Apply the color on the darkest wall, the lightest (usually opposite a window), and in a corner. This allows you to see your color in all room and lighting situations.

Another major benefit of testing your color - it keeps those unfortunate color mistakes from becoming landfill. And we can all feel good about that!

No Need To Cry Over Spilt Red Wine!

We had a total Krud Kutter moment this weekend.

Imagine being comfortably ensconced in a big overstuffed chair on Saturday night, surrounded by great conversation and good company. Red wine, of course. Now, imagine the spectacular impact of that newly filled glass of wine that didn't quite make it when placed back on the coaster, which was there to protect the table...

Oops.

Now imagine the surprise of the kitty who suddenly got a wine bath - when moments before she was lazing about on the floor between the chair and the table, hanging out with the humans.

Did you know that long haired cats make very efficient Mobile Wine Distribution Vehicles?

(Cue heroic superhero music) Krud Kutter to the rescue!

Carpet SAVED! Relationship with Mother-in-law, SAVED! Feline pride... Well, two out of three ain't bad!

"Mostly Sunny" weather means Squeeze In One Last Outdoor Project In Seattle!!!

This week is shaping up to be 'mostly sunny' - that's good news if you want to winterize the deck or get that front door painted before the rainy weather hits.

Ideally, you want to paint outdoors when there is lower moisture, medium temperature and indirect sun... Luckily, today's exterior paints are formulated to be applied in less than ideal weather.

Some things you want to keep in mind:
Just because the paint is dry to the touch does not mean the entire paint film has cured. When you are painting in these shoulder seasons, you will have a longer cure time. In other words, you might need to wait longer between coats.

It is best to paint when the morning dew has evaporated - this might mean waiting until late morning (or later) for better painting conditions.

We Are Kick-Starting the Fall Decorating Season!

Daly's wants to help you get your fall design projects off and running. So we are waiving our normal $75/hr consultation fee for the month of September!

Our staff designers work with you one-on-one to create paint color schemes, window treatments, wallcovering and upholstery projects. Normally we charge an hourly rate of $75, so call us by the end of the month to set up you appointment.

The details:

• Expect your consultation to last from an our to an hour-and-a-half.
• Travel fees apply outside of our normal trade area (sorry!)
• It's fun and takes the stress out of decorating!

Doing Good Feels Good!

Daly's and Pratt & Lambert Paint are involved in not one, but two local projects in our community:

Thornton Creek Elementary, a Seattle public school, received new flooring and window shades from the district - but guess what? The new floors made the walls look extra dingy. Our superheros at Pratt & Lambert stepped in and graciously donated the paint! The school parents volunteered their time and efforts to apply the paint, and now the school is sparkly bright and ready for the new school year.

The University Heights Community Center building is the recipient of a United Way project where they have 80 volunteers for a day, but needed about 100 gallons of paint to keep those volunteers busy. Again, our friends at Pratt & Lambert stepped in and donated a substantial amount of paint, and for the balance of the project gave them a great deal on the rest.

So, if you have a minute, check out Pratt & Lambert's website. It is so nice to see a national company giving on a local level and participating in the community where they sell their wares.

Our Bellevue Crew is Serious About Helping You!!!!

Can I Touch Up a Swedish Finish Floor?

Many people have what is typically called a 'swedish finish' on their floor; it is known to be very durable and beautiful. But sometimes that floor starts to show wear and in the past there weren't many options - except refinishing the entire thing. This has been one of the biggest drawbacks to the swedish finish approach, it is an all-or-nothing proposition. Also, the chemicals used to make the finish are very strong and for safety reasons only contractors are supposed to apply it.

Today I was working with a customer who has a kitchen floor that desperately needs attention, but refinishing wasn't an option. Luckily, we have a good solution, and I want to share it with you, too.

The product we recommend is Daly's Satinthane. Satinthane is a ure-alkyd, meaning its a combination of urethane and alkyd (modified with oil), instead of the typical straight alkyd. This allows the product to adhere to the existing finish where others can't. All urethanes are not created equal.

KEY POINT!!:
You must open up the existing finish first. This is where most people make mistakes, and this can result in failure, regardless of the top coat product.

We suggest 220 sandpaper or screening paper to 'scratch the back' of the Swedish finish. This gives the new product something to grab onto and helps to keep it from peeling or blistering off. Make sure to vacuum and damp mop any dusty residue. You want your surface to be as dust-free as possible for the best possible finish.

The Daly's Satinthane is applied with an pad applicator, and then you can tip it off with a brush on the edges. 2 coats is best, 6-8 hours between coats, 24 hours to walk on and a couple weeks for full cure. Don't forget to work in a well-ventilated space.

Like any oil finish, Satinthane may amber over time.

The best thing about switching to Satinthane is that going forward maintenance is much easier and it can be refreshed with more Satinthane or Daly's FloorFin. When you get to that point, scuff it up, dust off and apply a thin coat of finish. Done!

Do You Know What Color I Am Seeing Around Town?

Teal.

Teal!! Can you believe it?
I believe it. It took a loooooong time for it to show up again!

The Tastiest Paint Store in Bellevue!

Window Treatments, Deco Hardware and Area Rugs

The Bellevue Design Department

The NEW Bellevue Daly's!!!

There Is a Difference...

... between a handyman and a professional painter.

I am trying to help two difference customers navigate the murky waters of trying to decipher what happened and why 'the painter' is at fault, not the paint.

A professional painter will take the necessary steps to properly prepare the surface being painted. A professional painter will stop and look at the can to ensure it is the correct color. And sheen. A professional painter knows how to box the paint, and not paint in direct sunlight, use the correct primer, proper tools, and on and on and on.

Too many times I have seen customers want to save a few bucks and hire the services of a jack-of-all-trades - but how much are you saving when you have to spend extra time and money rescuing the job? How much more hassle do you go through? How much easier to just have it done right the first time?

Okay. I am done ranting for the day.

Customizable Caulk

I fielded an interesting question today - and I thought more than one person might appreciate the answer.

In this particular situation, there was some newly installed stained base moulding at the floor. Imperfect walls being what they are, there were very visible gaps between the moulding and the wall.

What to do?

Customizable caulk to the rescue!

With this product you are able to choose any paint color and have it mixed into a caulking tube. How cool is that? You no longer need to be stuck with a beige, brown or white stripe of caulking on your project, you can have "Sea Salt" or "Postal" or even "Fetish" caulking to make all the finishing details complete. Tasty!

What Do I Do With Left Over Paint?

No matter how close you are in estimating your paint needs, it seems there is always some left over once the job is complete. But what do you do with it?

Pass it on:
You might find you can 'paint it forward' by finding a new home for your unneeded product. FREE is a word that is very effective when you are going the Craig's List route and need to get rid of something. Or maybe there is a small household project that needs spiffing up and your paint can be creatively used in a new way.

If you'd like to keep it for touch-up and future needs, here are a couple tricks:
1. Float a layer of plastic wrap (or even sturdy card stock) on top of the paint inside the bucket before resealing the lid. This keeps a skin from forming on top of the paint.

2. Take it one step further buy cleaning the inner rim of the bucket of any messy paint drips, then stretch plastic wrap across the opening and seal the lid well (pound it down, baby!). Then flip the can over so the top of the lid is now resting on the shelf. This creates a tight seal. Just make sure you have secured the lid firmly... or look out!

When you are ready to repaint again, make sure you remove the plastic. Paint stores usually happy to put your old can of paint on the shaker and remix it for you, by the way.

What if it's time to get rid of some paint?
We like this great product called Paint Hardener. This is amazing stuff. You take your bucket of LATEX paint, sprinkle in the packet of paint hardener, stir it in - and voila - it begins hardening before your eyes.

Once your latex paint is hardened, it is considered inert and you can throw it away in your regular garbage. Remember, it must be dry to toss it out. Leave the lid OFF so the truck drivers can see its dried paint.

If you have the space and patience, you may also leave the lid off your paint bucket and let it air dry. You can also mix in kitty litter to absorb the paint and help speed up the dry time, but paint hardener is especially beneficial when you'd like to be quick and get it GONE. I think of it as one of those miracle products.

You may dispose of OIL paint (also known as ALKYD) by bringing the remains to a hazardous waste collection facility. Again, if you have dried paint, you can throw it in your normal garbage.

Here are a few resources:
In King County, call King County Solid Waste
206-296-4466 or 1-800-325-6265, ext. 6-4466
www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd

Seattlites can call:
206-684-3000

Almost-For-Certain-Probable (We Hope!) Store Opening Date is Set: May 26th

What a roller-coaster ride it is to relocate a store. Of course, our 'perfect' location required a change-of-use with the City of Bellevue - to the uneducated, that means more permits. Previously, the space housed a Safeway Training Center. Our use is retail, not office, so the changes need to be very carefully addressed.

I never knew it could take sooooo many different permits to get a place remodeled. However, we are almost through that knothole, and it looks like we are getting so close to having everything signed-off that this move might actually happen.

The fire alarm installers (also known as The Major Holdup In The Project) are finishing today, maybe even with their final tests. Then we get the Bellevue Fire Department in for final inspection, then the Building Inspector, then we can close up the ceiling in the warehouse and start moving in product.

Luckily, we are hiring a moving company to help with the project and it's a multi-day gig. I can already tell it is going to be well worth the inve$tment!!!

It look like this Memorial Day weekend will be very memorable for Daly's.

Robin and Christian Hanging with HGTV's Vern Yip

Here we are at the 2009 Eye On Design event at The Seattle Design Center. Christian was on a design panel moderated by Vern, and we were lucky enough to have had a loooong interview with him about a month ago in preparation for this event for the two publications we write design articles for: 425 Magazine and The Journal Newspapers.

Yes, Vern is as cool and hip as he seems on TV!

The New Lights Over the Front Counter

View of New Bellevue From Front Door

We are getting sooooo close!!!! You are looking in towards the new decor department. The wall of shelves you see in the back will display wallpaper books. Next to those will be our color centers for both C2 Paint and Pratt & Lambert paint.

What Makes a Color Work?

Yesterday I met with a color specifier at the (soon to be old) Bellevue store. She was thrilled to learn about our different paint lines and she made a comment that got me to thinking...

She wanted to know MORE about what makes certain colors our 'go-to' colors in the palette. In other words, when we help someone choose colors, we often start off with our favorite shades to help facilitate the process of winnowing down the choices.

But what makes them our favorites, and why do they work?

It's more than a lucky guess, of course. As I am writing this, I keep flashing to C2 Paint's "Labrador". It's yellow. But it's not yellowy-yellow because it possesses a red undertone.

This hint of red pigment keeps the yellow from going too acidic, plus it contributes to uniting the color to other shades, ensuring that 'Labrador' will coordinate with a large variety of hues. And interestingly enough, 'Labrador' is ideal both as an exterior yellow (imagine a yellow farmhouse on the middle of the country with tons of crisp white trim and a deep green or rich red front door) and it plays exceptionally well as a kitchen yellow. Very unusual thaqt a single color can span both directions, when you think about the way a color reads outside compared to inside.

Yet, if you look at it in relation to the color chip rack or fan deck, you might think it's too peachy at first. But get it off the rack, and the color really starts to shine. Of course, there are other great yellows, too! Some of my favorites include: C2 'Moxie', 'Polenta', 'Shine' and 'Sugar Cookie' when you want that pretty pale hue.

When looking at any color, don't forget to try the color in the environment it will be used - ultimately, it's the relationship of your new color with all the other factors that make it work.