Painting Software

It seems we use our personal computers for everything these days – including painting our houses! That’s right; there is software out there that can actually help you do a better job when painting your house. The tools, however, are all color related.

Wouldn’t it be great to see what your chosen colors will look like on a house before you actually apply them? You can. You can’t see what they look like on your house, however. There are many sites that allow you to select colors and view them on images of one or more houses.

Here is a list of resources:

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Painting Safety

Before you start a house painting project, make sure that you learn and adhere to all associated safety precautions. Painting can be more dangerous than you imagine. But by learning the safety rules, you can paint your house without running into any mishaps.

The biggest safety hazard when painting is falling off a ladder. This is a common mishap, and it can be avoided by ensuring that no ladder is placed on an uneven surface. You should also make sure that one hand and both feet are firmly planed on the ladder. When using extended ladders, make sure that it is leaning against a solid surface, and that the base is on level, secure ground.

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Painting Unusual Surfaces

You can actually paint over a variety of materials. Tile, paneling, old wood, and cabinets can be painted. You can even paint appliances and make them look brand new again. It’s all a question of knowing how to do it, preparing the surface properly, and using the right paint and primer for the job.

Painting over Tile: Start by cleaning the tile thoroughly. Dry the area. Apply a Block out/under coater to the tile. You may want to lightly sand the tile before applying the under coater. Allow four hours for the under coater to dry, and then apply an acrylic gloss enamel, in the color of your choosing. You can also use a ceramic acrylic, satin enamel, or flat finish paint. If needed, apply a second coat. The under coater and the enamel can be applied by spraying for the best results.

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Painting the Exterior

Before you start painting on the exterior of your home, you will need to do one additional prep task. You need to use masking tape around or on sections that you do not want painted, such as trim work. Unlike the interior, you only do a little taping at a time. For example, you might go ahead and tape on the side that you are currently working on, and wait to tape sections that you are not working on.

When painting an interior, you start with the main color, and save the trim work for last. This isn’t so when painting an exterior. You start with the trim, and then paint the main portions. Paint window sashes, overhangs, window casings and door casings. Paint any other type of trim work that you have. If you aren’t sure, paint those things that require the least amount of paint (the contrast or trim color) first.

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Painting the Interior

Finally, after all of that preparation work, you are ready to paint your room. Believe it or not, this is the easiest and fastest part of painting! As easy as it is, however, there is a method to it that should be used.

Always start with the ceiling. Paint around the edges of the ceiling first, using a two inch sash brush. Start at the wall, and come out about three inches or so. Paint around light fixtures, again, using the brush and coming out three or four inches. Also use the brush to paint around any moldings or trim that could not or was not removed.

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Preparing for Exterior Painting

Preparing the exterior of your home for paint is a much bigger job than preparing the interior. The amount of time it takes depends a great deal on how large the home is, and of course on how much repair work needs to be done.

You should note, however, that exterior painting does not offer the opportunity of having a totally clean and prepared surface for painting. If you are extremely picky about this, it is going to take you several months to get your home painted – if you ever do in fact get to the painting part.

With that said, let’s get started. You may think that the first job is to scrape the paint off. That’s wrong! That paint is protecting the exterior of your home, and there are other prep jobs to do before we get to that. Let that paint remain a bit longer.

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Preparing for Interior Painting

The first step to preparation for interior painting is to clear the room of everything that you possibly can; including furnishings, knick-knacks, and window dressings (this includes blinds and shades). The fewer objects you have in the room, the faster everything else will go. Those objects can be moved to a different room for the time being.

With that done, remove light switch covers and outlet covers. These are actually inexpensive objects, so if you break one removing it, don’t despair, you can purchase new ones. If yours are old go ahead and replace these with new ones anyway. If you are using the old ones, make sure that you wash them. You may try soaking them in a solution of bleach and water to freshen them up.

Also remove hardware, such as that used to hang curtains and blinds. Make sure that you fill those holes in with spackle as well. Have new brackets and such for curtain rods and blinds available, as they usually get all bent out of shape when being removed.

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Choosing Your Paint

When purchasing the materials needed to paint your home, you will spend the greatest amount of time choosing the paint. There are different brands, different types of paint, and of course different colors. Some people take weeks or even months choosing the colors that they want to use!

Let’s start with choosing the color, since that will be the biggest decision that you face. If painting on the interior, you obviously want to use a color that matches or compliments your furnishings, unless you haven’t purchased furnishings yet, in which case you can choose any colors you want. But ideally, you will stick with a main color that complements your furnishings, and a trim color that complements the main color.

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Materials Needed for Painting Your Home

Again, you need more than brushes, rollers, paint pans and paint. Here is a list of all of the materials that you may need, with an explanation of what each material is for. Read this list carefully, and make sure that you have all of the materials that you need before you start. You can literally triple your prep time if you have to keep running back to the home improvement store to get needed materials that you forgot!

Ladders: You need two ladders, actually. You will need an extension ladder if you are painting the exterior, and at the very least, a step ladder for painting the interior. You may also need a six foot ladder. This is more than a ‘reach’ issue; it is also a safety issue. Don’t try to replace a ladder with a table or a chair!

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Choosing Your First Home Theater System

Everyone knows they want a home theater, but they don't necessarily have a great idea of exactly what they want to make that dream a reality. They have a concept to which they cling, but the don't necessarily have a blueprint in mind t help them realize their objectives. One can build a home theater system that would be the envy of any cinema, or they can amass only the bare necessities to improve their at-home viewing experience. Options really do abound! Regardless of specifics, though, everyone is looking to put together a home theater. The objective is always the same—to improve the quality of entertainment at home.

One can spend tens of thousands of dollars to build an awesome home theater system replete with every new high tech bell and whistle. The best DVD player, embedded speakers, gut-shaking bass from the sound system and a screen so clear and vibrant it doesn't even seem real are available to those willing to spend the money. For others, a system costing a few hundred dollars may be in order. They may only need a DVD player, a basic sound system and a reasonably sized tradition television set to meet their goals. There are some common characteristics to both extremes, though. A clear visual, good sound quality (usually featuring a surround sound effect), and a means of playing the preferred recorded medium (today, the DVD). If those basics are present, one has a home theater, regardless of what they may have spent to get it.

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