Colour - work it!

This week’s Hot Home Products column is all about painting with colour, an especially tempting idea in the deeply dreary days of mid-winter. BTW, if you’re leery of painting at this time of year, keep in mind that low and no VOC paints are much easier and safer to work with than older formulations. As long as you can crack a window open for a bit, you should be okay.

Of course, using milk paint is an increasingly popular option, partly because of the subtle colours and slightly chalky finish, but also because you don’t have to worry about fumes. We like local company Homestead House Paints, which now also offer courses on using milk paint. Homestead also makes a zero VOC line.

Some tips for working with colour from Alison Goldman, communications manager for CIL.

Sample first. The colour you love on the chip may not look the same when it’s on your wall, because of lighting and other materials used in the room. Take the time to slap some of the colour on the wall and live with it for a few days. Many companies now offer very affordable sample pots. An oversized chip is next best, but because they’re usually printed — not painted — it’s not the same.

Strong colours show up imperfections, so prep walls carefully. Again, this small investment in time will pay off. And while more and more companies are offering paint and primer in one, I tend not to use them — unless the colour being applied is very close to the one already on the wall.  To get a true colour, you need a blank canvas.

Sharp cut lines count when you are using strong colours. Use a good tape. I like ScotchBlue Edge Lock, which contains a chemical that forms a leak-proof bond, but which comes off easily. Love it! 

Pics above come (in order) from Farrow and Ball, CIL, and Pittsburgh Paint.