If you’ve been spending extra time at home and find yourself staring at the walls of your house … then you’ve probably realized that those walls need some work!
Fortunately, that’s the kind of design project that’s easy to tackle without the help of a professional contractor. There are lots of do-it-yourself options to change the look of your walls, and you’ll be amazed at what this one simple update can do to transform your home.
Paint
This is the obvious fix for tired walls. Just pick a new color, buy some paint and any needed supplies, and get started! Fortunately, paint stores and hardware stores have remained open as essential businesses under our Washington State’s COVID-19 shutdown, so there’s no problem getting what you need.
We won’t go into too much detail on how to paint (there are plenty of online tutorials available for that, such as this one), but we will offer a couple of important tips:
First, get color samples — and not just those tiny paper swatches that you can pick up in-store. You’ll want to either order larger swatches made with actual paint, or purchase small sample-size cans of paint.
Either way, put the samples of the walls you want to paint and look at them over the course of a few days, so you can see how the color changes under different times of day and varied weather conditions.
If choosing the right color seems overwhelming, we’d love to help out with a consultation. We can talk you through the colors that are on trend and that will match your personal style, arrange to have sample sheets sent directly to your home, and help you select the best finish sheen for each area that you plan to paint.
Second, use good-quality paint. Sure, you can pick up a gallon of paint for $20 at a big-box hardware store (with promises of “one coat” coverage), but there are good reasons that professional painters use the more expensive brands like Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams.
Paints are made up of liquid solvents, pigment particles that give the paint its color, and resins that bind everything together. The more expensive brands have finer, more concentrated pigments, which results in deeper, richer colors, plus a more durable finish. It’s definitely worthwhile to spend a little more on paint, as it can save you time and money in the long run, by allowing you to paint fewer coats while getting more beautiful color and coverage.
Wallpaper
Yes, wallpaper is back in style, big time! But instead of your grandmother’s floral prints, new wallpapers come in a fabulous array of colors, patterns, and textures, to add visual impact to any room. It’s a little trickier than paint for do-it-yourselfers, but it can be done. (Again, turn to online tutorials for tips.)
And if you’re hesitant to commit to gluing the wallpaper to your wall and possibly having to tear and scrub it off later, you can find many options of removable wallpaper that are easily peeled off if you’re not happy with the look.
You can find wallpaper online from a number of sources, including sites like Wayfair and Houzz. Or you can take advantage of our company’s trade discount and let us help you find the perfect wallpaper through our sources at the Seattle Design Center. (We also get a Houzz discount that we can pass along to our clients upon request.)
Reclaimed Wood
This is one of our favorite treatments for creating a striking accent wall. The easiest type to install is a peel-and-stick plank, available in many varieties, sizes, and colors from companies such as Stikwood and Timberchic.
These ultra-thin planks are milled from reclaimed or sustainably harvested woods, so this option is environmentally friendly as well as easy to cut and place. Timberchic, for example, harvests all of its wood products from the depths of Maine’s Penobscot River, dredging up old-growth logs that were left behind during the state’s early 20th-century lumber industry. It’s a cool product with a cool back story!
Both Timberchic and Stikwood offer simple step-by-step instructions on their websites for installing their unique planks. And we’re able to get many of these products at discounted pricing as well.
There are also alternatives if you prefer not to use the tape-style adhesive planks. For our recent Richmond Beach whole-house remodel that Irons Brothers Construction featured on last fall’s Remodeled Homes Tour, we opted for Finium panels. These feature wood veneers applied to 14-inch by 57-inch MDF panels, which were fitted together and nailed and glued to the wall and to an overhead beam.
One last plug for our services: If you’d like help with any of these wall projects, including consultations and our trade discounts, just let us know! Click “Contact Us” on the menu above or below for a quick link to ask questions or to set up a free design appointment.
