Does your kitchen need a new look?

Monday, August 21, 2006

Have you been looking at the same kitchen walls for too long? Does your kitchen paint or wallpaper have you in a funk? Do your cabinets or countertops need repair? Or is a simply a matter of "does your kitchen need a new look", that your current style went out in the 90's. Think that this type of work is beyond your ability and requires a contractor? Well think again, I can offer you an easy, cheap, do it yourself solution. Have I gotten your attention yet? Well read on for the easy "do it yourself" tips.

First you need to get some ideas for what you want to do, my suggestion is to look at some home interior magazines for ideas on color schemes to go with. Try picking one or two colors that will blend into the connecting rooms, unless you have "bolder" plans to expand your redecorating to the rest of the house. Once you have an idea on the colors you want, go to your local remodeling store, (I recommend Home Depot, but Lowes is good also) and look at the color swatches that are available. It helps to bring your example with you to make the selection easier and don't be afraid to ask the salesperson for help, they can be a great aid in providing instructions on your project, plus, that is what they are there for.

First off let me start by saying that painting is probably one of the easiest "do it yourself" things to do around the house, all it requires is a couple of rollers, 2-3 paint brushes, a drop cloth and paint pan and you are ready to go. You are going to want to use a latex paint and more than likely either semi-gloss or gloss, as they are the easiest to keep clean. If you go to places like Home Depot or Lowes, you should ask the sales person if they have "return paint", they will sell this paint at a big discount (maybe 50% less) and if you are lucky, you can find a couple of gallons of the color you need and save some $$ at the same time. Depending on the color you are painting over, and your new color, you will probably need to get a gallon of "Primer paint" to cover the old paint. If you are replacing wallpaper, you will need to get some "Dif", which dissolves the wallpaper paste and makes it easier to remove the wallpaper. Another tip I can offer is that if your walls are currently smooth, and you would like to add some texture to them. There is a product called "Paint and Tex", which is colorless and can be added to any type of latex paint and will give your paint surface the same texture as if you had sheet rock from the beginning.

At this point you may be saying, "Gosh, what is this going to cost"? Well if you are not able to find any "return paint" and have to have it mixed, I strongly suggest using Behr paint. It was recently rated as the best paint on the market by Consumer Report, and I have been using it for more than 10 years and frankly would not use anything else. You may find other brands of paint for a cheaper cost, but take it from me; you will save money in the long run by using Behr, as it will last longer and clean up better. A 1 gallon can of semi-gloss paint will run you about $18-22 at Home Depot and a gallon of "Primer paint" will run about $10-12, which should be enough to cover a 10-12' X 16-20' foot room with a single coat of each. If you need or want a second coat then figure $40 for 2 gallons of paint. If you are adding the texture mix a box of "Paint and Tex", which comes with 2 packages and you use one package for a gallon of paint. That will run about $15. Also the "Paint and Tex" will thicken your paint, which may reduce the amount of paint you need. Your painting kit, which should consist of a couple of rollers, 2-3 paint brushes, a drop cloth and paint pan will run another $15-20, for a total cost of $85 to maybe $100 tops.

Now all that is left is for you to actually paint your room. If you do not have to remove any wall paper, you will need about 2 hours in order to apply the first coat of paint, then maybe 1-1.5 hours for the second coat. If you do have to remove wall paper, that job will probably take a one day on its own, as it involves the spraying of the wall paper and then scraping. Once you have finished the project, you will receive a sense of gratification in your do it yourself project.

If all of the above sounded easy and if you would like additional information on home designs, you can get some great ideas from the following eBook at; http://bugeater.stepublish.hop.clickbank.net or you can visit my website listed below.

About the Author:

I am a happly married mother of 4. I have been married for 10 years and hope that I can give you help and advice relating to keeping a happy home. you can visit my home page at http://helpful-homemaker.blogspot.com/