5 Tips to Help With Touch-Up Painting

photo by bigstockphoto.com

I received a question in my email the other day regarding touching up some paint on a wall.  The question was a good one and I thought I'd spell out a few simple tips here that will help make your next touch-up job go a little easier.

TIP ONE:  MAKE SURE IT'S THE RIGHT COLOR!

It happens often:  you paint the walls a certain color and then pick up another gallon of paint in a slightly darker color.  It looks great.  Until 2 years later when you grab that darker color by accident and use it to touch up spots on your lighter walls.  Suddenly a quick touch-up project becomes a repaint.  If you've worked with multiple shades of similar colors, never assume that the gallon you grabbed is the right color. Always test a sample in an inconspicuous spot before proceeding!

TIP TWO:  EVEN IF YOU'RE SURE IT'S THE RIGHT COLOR, CHECK IT BEFORE YOU DO ALL THAT WORK!  

What I mean is this:  even if you never used multiple shades as described above and you're absolutely, 100% positive that you are holding the can of the paint you originally used on your walls, you should still check that color.  Yes, it was originally the right color, but things have changed.  The paint on your walls typically darkens and deepens over time.  And even in the most immaculate households, it can sometimes get a little dirty.  What that all adds up to is that the paint on your walls may no longer match the paint in that original can.  So don't do what so many folks do and touch up 27 silver-dollar-sized spots on your wall only to find out the next morning that every single one of them is lighter than the wall paint.  Instead, sample a small area first, allowing the paint to dry down adequately, before you begin touching up.

TIP THREE:  IF THE PAINT'S TOO LIGHT, FIND A SWITCH PLATE!

This tip is pretty self-explanatory but sometimes folks don't realize just how many options are truly open to them.  If you check your color before touching up and discover that it's too light--don't panic.  All you need to do is look for something in your room that has your wall color on it.  This can be a switchplate, a piece of trim, a picture frame or anything along these lines.  If you can't find anything like that, another option is to simply cut a small, shallow hole in your drywall and remove a quarter-sized sample.  Take this sample and bring it to RepcoLite and we'll custom match a color for you so you can accomplish your project.

 TIP FOUR:  PAINT CORNER TO CORNER IF POSSIBLE!

OK, once you have your color figured out, it's time to actually do the work.  And the ideal way to do any touch up is to look for an obvious breaking point in a room and paint a larger section.  What I mean is this:  ideally, don't touch up 25 quarter-sized spots on your walls.  Rather, paint that one wall corner to corner with your new color.  Or paint from your built in cabinet to the doorway.  Basically, look for a breaking point and paint a larger section.  This will help your new paint blend in visually much better and makes the whole process of  touching up much easier.

 TIP FIVE:  SMALL AMOUNTS OF PAINT USING THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION TOOL!

Sometimes, you just don't want to paint corner to corner.  Sometimes you simply want to do the little touch-ups.  When that's the case, here's the best way to tackle it:  First, make sure you use the application tool you used to originally applied the paint.  If you brushed the paint onto the surface originally, then use a brush to do your touch-ups.  If you rolled the paint onto your walls, then use a small roller of similar nap to do your touch-ups.  And, when you're doing these, use small amounts of paint and put some care and effort into feathering them out.

Touching up our walls doesn't need to be complicated.  But it does take a little effort to do it well.  If you follow these tips, you should have no problem pulling it off!

From Our Factory To Your Walls: Our New Commercial!

Our new commercial, highlighting the fact that every gallon (and quart) of RepcoLite Paint is manufactured right here in West Michigan.

3 Ways to Compromise With Your Kids about Paint Colors

Once upon a time, probably about 6 years ago or so, my wife and I walked with our kids to the Zeeland Bakery.  Caleb (who was 5 at the time) waited outside with me while my wife and the other kids sauntered into the shop and ordered various donuts and cookies and different types of bread.  (It's always a huge undertaking whenever we go to the bakery).

Anyway, while Caleb and I were waiting outside, a lady walked by with a 1-year-old boy in a stroller.  I smiled at the lady and Caleb smiled at the lady and he even went so far as to say "Hello."  I was proud that the little guy was so polite.  And it was this pride which eventually led to my downfall.

See, as the lady was walking away, but while she was still within earshot, I thought I'd demonstrate how polite and kind my little guy was.  So I said, loud enough for the lady to hear, "Wasn't that a nice little boy?"

Oh, it was a question that he should have been able to hit out of the park.  It was an easy one.  A no-brainer.  All he had to say was "Yes Dad, that boy seemed very nice, indeed."  Had he said that, the lady would have thought I was a super parent because I'd raised such a wonderfully polite little lad.  In fact, I figured there was always the off chance that she'd turn her stroller around, shake my hand and ask my advice as to how to raise her own child.

Yes, my mind was brimming with the possibilities and the glory when Caleb spoke up.  He raised his little voice to match my raised voice and suddenly, as is always the case when this kind of thing happens, the entire world quit moving.  Suddenly, there were no cars--no road noise.  The shop doors quit opening and closing.  The clocks that had been ticking ceased their workings for a few split seconds.  Even the birds and the wind and the airplanes and the fountains went silent.  A whisper at one end of Main Street would have been audible at the other.  And it was into this utter and complete silence that Caleb bellowed his answer, informing me, the lady, her poor, poor child and everybody else within earshot that, "No," he didn't think that kid was all that much.  "In fact," he went on to say, "the kid was actually kind of ugly.  His ears were big and his nose was all turned up and his eyes were squinty.  Like a rat."  As if this wasn't bad enough, Caleb ended by informing me (and all of Zeeland) that he had only said "hello" to the kid because "he felt sorry for him."

Well, I just stared at him in horror and disbelief as he continued to rattle off all sorts of uncomplimentary descriptions that reverberated off the buildings and up and down the silent streets.  Silent, that is, except for the wildly squeaking wheels of the lady's stroller as she pushed her child rapidly away from that horrible father and his nasty little son....

I mention this little episode partly as penance but also because it's the perfect example of how kids think and act.  If you ask for a child's opinion, you're going to get it.  They'll typically tell you exactly what they think.  Problem is, while they're usually honest, they don't always exercise the best judgment.

In an earlier article (which you can read HERE), I suggested that it's important to involve your kids in the process of decorating their rooms.  You should let them pick the colors, ask them what they like and what they hope to see in their rooms.  However, when you do that, you're going to have to be ready for some crazy answers from time to time.  In fact, when you ask an 8-year-old what colors he'd like on his walls, don't plan on hearing him say "Oh, a nice medium-beige with an earthy brown would do just lovely."  No, get ready for black and orange (halloween colors).  Or bright blue and red and yellow (Superman colors).  

So, with that said, if you do decide to let them help you decorate their own rooms (which I still believe to be a great idea), you better have a method in mind as to how to incorporate their ideas without completely abandoning the overall look of the room.  You both need to be happy with the outcome.  And that means compromise.  Here are 3 tips:

PICK AN ACCENT WALL

When your kids choose the brightest yellows and oranges, the flashiest greens and blues, a great compromise is to paint one of the walls--an accent wall--with one of those bright, flashy colors.  Have them settle on which color they like best and see if you can't work that into a small wall--a wall with a window or a door.  

Now, in most cases, when you paint an accent wall, you'd pick the focal point of the room to do this with.  In this case, however . . . well, not so much.  If you're trying to minimize the effect of the color, then picking the focal point of the room is the last thing you want to do.  Just pick a small wall--a wall that's not the first thing you see when you walk into the room--and see if you can't put their color there.  They'll be happy, feeling proud when they see their bright wall and you'll be happy because the room doesn't glow like the face of the sun.

PICK MUTED VERSIONS OF THEIR COLOR

Another great compromise that sometimes works in the paint store is to steer kids toward more muted versions of their colors.  If they love bright reds and yellows, maybe throw out some options like a rusty red or terracotta and a more muted yellow.  Sometimes they'll see these new colors and be completely willing to compromise.  Again, with this type of scenario, both of you can potentially reach a mutually happy outcome.

ACCESSORIZE, ACCESSORIZE, ACCESSORIZE

Perhaps the best way of working wild, crazy colors into a decorating scheme is to bring those colors in with accessories.  If your kids want to see black and orange or some other funky combination of colors on their walls, but you can't bring yourself to do it, then offer this:  coat the walls with a nice neutral color and then bring in accessories that fit your child's desired color scheme.  Bring in lampshades with bright colors, find art prints with the colors, switchplates and any number of other accessories that will serve to fill the room with the chosen colors without overloading the walls and driving you crazy.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The bottom line is this:  when you bring your kids into the decorating picture, you've got to be ready to compromise.  Don't let them decide everything when you hate what they're coming up with.  Likewise, don't decide everything yourself when they hate what you're coming up with.  You both have to be happy with the outcome for this little project to work.  If you hate the room, you're always going to feel irritated when you walk past it.  If they hate the room, don't worry, they'll find a way to let you know about it.  

So work together, have fun, and compromise!