• Color Box Painting LLC

    Licensed | Bonded | Insured | (503) 989~7415
  • Color Box Painting LLC

    Licensed | Bonded | Insured | (503) 989~7415
  • Color Box Painting LLC

    Licensed | Bonded | Insured | (503) 989~7415
  • Color Box Painting LLC

    Licensed | Bonded | Insured | (503) 989~7415
  • Color Box Painting LLC

    Licensed | Bonded | Insured | (503) 989~7415
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Color Box Painting LLC Blog

Color Box Painting LLC - Portland, Oregon based Painting Contractor's Blog.

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paint kitchen cabinets

Sooner or later, we all tire of the cabinets in our kitchens and baths.  Maybe styles have changed, or possibly, our own taste.  Or, maybe, our cabinets just look worn from the strenuous demands of everyday use.

Replacing the cabinets is always an option.  But, with money so tight, that?s not in the cards for everyone.  And does it really make sense to replace the cabinets without replacing the countertops, upgrading the appliances, or installing a new floor?

Rather than wrestle with this remodeling ?domino effect?, you can change the appearance of your cabinets by simply painting them.  It?s a lot faster than remodeling, it?s easy, and since it involves little cost, it?s the right move in the current economy.

Like so many painting projects, surface preparation is important when painting cabinetry.  Start by removing the cabinet doors ? this will spare you a lot of stretching, stooping, and bending during the course of the project.

paint bathroom cabinets Regardless of whether your cabinets are made of wood or metal, sand them carefully to remove any loose stain or paint.  If the cabinets have a glossy finish, sand all the surfaces you?ll be painting so that your new paint will adhere well.  Then dust off the surfaces or wipe them with a damp cloth.

If any bare wood or metal is exposed ? either due to the sanding or from ordinary wear and tear ? apply a quality latex primer to the entire cabinet.  Be sure to use a corrosion-resistant primer if your cabinets are metal.

When the primer dries, paint the cabinets with a durable, top quality 100% acrylic latex paint, preferably in a gloss or semi-gloss finish.  Paints with higher gloss are more stain-resistant and are easier to clean, important considerations in kitchens and bathrooms.

If your cabinets are subject to excessive wear and tear, consider using a high quality latex gloss enamel rather than paint.  It produces an even harder, tougher, more stain-resistant finish.

No matter which top quality coating you use, you?re bound to be pleased with the results of your painting project.  And, if you ever want to change the color again, you?ll know just what to do!

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Leftover Paint

If you?re the type of person who hates clutter, you might be tempted to dispose of the leftover paint from your latest project. But if you?re wise, you?ll resist the temptation.

Experienced do-it-yourselfers and professional painters know that there?s always a need for some leftover paint, even if it?s just to touch up a spot here or there. Every room suffers wear and tear, whether caused by the kids, the pet, or a careless act that bangs up a wall. When the inevitable occurs, having the touch-up paint in your garage will save you a trip to the paint store, and spare you the expense of buying more paint.

But touchups aren?t the only reason to hold onto leftover paint.

For one thing, it?s not at all unusual to notice an area you failed to paint ? days, months, or even years later. It might be a spot near the edge of a door, behind an appliance, or somewhere else. But we all miss spots, and it?s nice to have the leftover paint nearby for a five-minute fix-up.

Down the line, you might also decide that your special color of paint would look good on an item of furniture in the room. Repeating a wall or trim color on your furnishings or accent pieces is a proven way to pull together a room?s décor.

Of course, even if you hold onto your leftover paint, you might still run out of it at some point in time. To make repurchasing easier, think ahead. Even before you open the can, jot down on a strip of masking tape the brand, manufacturer?s code, color, gloss level, and type of paint (latex or oil-based) you are using. Set it aside. Then place the tape on the side of the can after you finish painting, since paint drippings will likely have concealed a lot of the information on the label.

So, resist the urge to dispose of your leftover paint. A day will come when you?ll be glad that you did!

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Black door at 10 Downing Street, London. The official London residence of the British Prime Minister

If you think all the important hues appear on the color wheel, you?d be wrong. Black, which technically doesn?t qualify as a color, is one of the most important parts of the home decorating palette. That?s true for both exterior and interior painting, as well as home décor.

Black has been used effectively on home exteriors for centuries. If you want to peer into the past, visit colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, where black shutters, doors, trim, and wrought iron are commonplace, especially in combination with bright white paint. The look is timeless. As proof, homes all across America still employ the basic black-and-white color scheme. It?s crisp, clean, and classic.

But black needn?t always be paired with white. Its inherent high contrast is a handsome complement to many other siding colors, including almost any light tint or pastel, as well as mid- or even dark tones of barn red, brown, taupe, blue, and a variety of greens.

Not as well recognized are the ways that black paint can be used inside the home. But that?s the fun in using black ? it?s unexpected.

black wall While it?s unlikely anyone would want to paint an entire wall in black paint, what about painting part of a wall? Using black paint below the chair rail in a formal dining room, for example, gives the impression that the wall is expensive painted wainscoting. The effect can be striking.

Another idea that can be employed in country homes, cottages, cabins, and even some contemporary residences is to paint the baseboards black. This technique was originally used in colonial homes, but it offers today?s homeowner a distinctly modern advantage: concealing the scuff marks that inevitably appear on baseboards from too much contact with the vacuum cleaner!

Beyond painting the walls or baseboards, almost any room benefits from dramatic splashes of black. To incorporate these highlights into a color scheme, think about painting a favorite furniture item black, then add a couple of black accents ? picture frames, porcelain, or pillows, for example. Done tastefully and with restraint, the bold notes of contrast will make a room look sleek and stylish.

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Happy Girl using Blue Color Paint

Blue is one of the most versatile interior paint colors, so much so that it?s not as much a hue as it is an extended family of colors.  And like so many families, each member of the blue clan has a very different personality.

Depending upon the specific tint or shade, blue can pick you up or calm you down.  That?s the beauty of blue:  You can use it to create so many different moods in your home.

Sky blue ? like its namesake ? tends to be a relaxing and uplifting color.  And just as passing clouds beautifully punctuate the clouds, so too does white trim pair beautifully with sky blue and some of its close relatives.

Deeper shades, trending toward royal blue, set a different tone for a room.  When accompanied by gold or silver accents, royal blue and related shades can be formal and stately.

Other blues have still other personalities.  Blue mid-tones that contain a hint of grey can be cool and sleek, perfectly tailored for a library or study.  And blue-greens, cousins once-removed, are among the most soothing interior paint colors.

So, whatever mood you are trying to create in a room, you might want to make blue part of your color scheme.  There is likely a tint or shade that?s right for you.

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Color Cards

Few people can afford to pay a color consultant to help decorate their homes, but the good news is that you don?t have to.  Help is close at hand. . .and it?s free!  Just pick up a color card at your local paint store or decorating center and let that be your guide when developing a color scheme.

The typical color card has between three to five gradations of a particular hue, ranging from very dark shades to very light tints.  Having varying intensities, these colors may look quite different, but they are naturally compatible color-wise.  As a result, they can be mixed and matched in various ways to create visual interest in your home.

The most common approach is to select one color from the card as your wall color, and another for your trim.  For subtlety, choose two colors that are close to one another;  for more punch, use the polar opposites on the card.

You can employ the same principles in a host of ways:

Painting one wall a slightly different shade or tint from the others to create visual interest or to guide the eye to a particular location. Painting the walls one color and the ceiling another.  With this approach, the lighter color would typically be used on the ceiling to avoid a ?closed in? feeling. Painting furniture or decorative objects in the same color as your walls, or in another intensity of the same color. If your room has chair rails, painting the wall above the rail one color, and the wall below the rail in another color from the same card.

What?s nice about using a color card as your color consultant is that it?s virtually foolproof.   The only limitation is your imagination.

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