By Sylvia O’Brien of Colour Theory
2010 will bring two distinct points of view to colour in decor .
One trend is driven by Generation Y… one by we boomers.
According to the colour forecasters at Pittsburgh Paints, the Gen Y kids want fantasy. They are influenced & delighted by the strong colours ever-present on the world wide web. They know colour is accessible, affordable and can easily be re-invented when it comes in the form of paint.
The strength of bright colour supports the act of throwing caution to the wind, reinvention, and change, change, change. Visualize red & yellow with a hit of electric blue…or chartreuse and turquoise with a dollop of magenta. High voltage choices to exhibit the mindset of the fearless young.
Their parents (the boomers) have a different plan. They’ll want a break from the incessant visual stimulus that they are inundated with every day. They’ll be drawn to cooler shades and calmer chroma. Think, warm greys, taupes and ‘coffee culture’ brown tones with hints of colour in the form of accents - oranges, golds or muted purples. These accent colours can all be found in today’s appliances…. along with a lot more colours! Clever appliance manufacturers aren’t they?
Our homes are our sanctuary, no matter what generation we were born into.
For the Boomers, cocooning is nowhere near over. The Gen Y kids don’t get that yet!
Sylvia O’Brien is a colour consultant and creative director of Colour Theory, Toronto, Canada
416-766-6789
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It took a while, but almost every paint manufacturer has some low or zero VOC paint. The problem starts as soon as universal colourants are added, the low VOC content of the paint becomes history.
New Benjamin Moore paint lines are now using their new waterbourne colourant system. When you add colour, even a lot of colour, in their low or zero VOC paint, the VOC level of the paint doesn’t change much. The Natura paint from Benjamin Moore has other reasons to be considered very eco-friendly, read our interview with a Benjamin Moore representative.
How does Natura perform? Our Oshawa Painters put the paint to the test. The customer was very environmentally aware and using Natura to paint the entire house made sense. We ended up using both Mat and Eggshell Natura and the feedback received from the painters was very positive. The paint was easy to work with and hiding was excellent, even with the bright red colour shown in the picture.
The painters and the customers were happy that there was hardly any smell of paint, even with the red colours. That is a first for us with any manufacturer’s paint we used. The conclusion is that Natura works as promised and will become our residential paint of choice.
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In Toronto when we talk about painting a stucco ceiling, we are talking about painting an acoustical, popcorn textured ceiling. It is similar to the one in the picture, painted by our Richmond Hill Painters.
- When painting a stucco ceiling it is important to do some research first. Has your stucco ceiling been previously painted? If the texture feels weak to the touch and easy to “crumble” it has never been painted before. In that case an oil primer or paint is your best bet to avoid stucco from peeling off on your roller. The builder stucco does not always adhere as well as paint does and is water soluble. Using oil primer or paint will help to prevent this problem. Zinsser makes a product called “Odorless”. It is not odourless at all but it definitely has less odour than most oil primers. It is also a stand alone finish coat for textured ceilings, so using two products is not necessary.
- Everything in the room has to be covered! Painting stucco ceilings can be very messy. Using dropcloths on carpet or hardwood and plastic over furniture will protect customer property. Also, be prepared to be splattered by the paint/stucco as you roll the ceiling. Protecting yourself with a hat, long sleeves and even safety glasses is a good idea.
- Roll in very small sections as it becomes difficult to see which areas have been saturated and which have not. Do not go back to areas that have been painted as texture may be damaged. Wait for first coat to dry completely. The good news is, that the second coat will be easier to apply as the texture has been now sealed. Clean up the mess and yourself and you are done.
When you need Professional Painters in Toronto to paint your stucco ceiling, call 416 733-7767 or request an estimate online
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Keeping paint out of our lakes
When you have finished a project, it is very rare that you would have used all of the paint you purchased for the job. It is always important to determine what to do with your leftover paint. Painting with dangerous or toxic paints is sometimes unavoidable, however there are safe and environmentally friendly ways of disposing of this excess paint.
One option is to put that excess paint to good use by someone who needs it. You could donate the leftover paint to non-profit agencies, community groups, churches, or to a friend who wants to paint. Many people opt to keep their leftover paint for touchups or future painting projects. In this case, be sure to read the storage instructions on the can.
If you want to dispose of the paint, there are environmentally friendly options. There are different methods of paint disposal for oil-based and latex paints:
- Oil based paints and solvents are hazardous waste. Do NOT throw the paint/can into the garbage or down the sink. Your municipality should have a special hazardous waste collection program for this type of hazardous material. There are often drop off sites where you can go to bring your excess paint. Refer to your local municipality for specific rules and regulations.
- Water based paint should not be poured down the sink or taken to the landfill either. One method of disposing of the extra paint is to fill a paper bag or box with a material such as sand or saw dust and pour the excess paint over this material. The material should absorb the excess paint. Allow the mixture to dry in a well-ventilated area away from direct heat, children and pets. Once the mixture has dried, it can be disposed of in the garbage.
To specifically dispose of the paint cans, allow the paint residue in the can to dry completely by removing the lid. Once the reside is dry it can be peeled out of the can and thrown in the garbage. The can may then be recycled. Be sure to leave the label on so that it is visible during recycling collection.
Joanne
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One of our teams was painting a home in Toronto originally built in the 1920s. There is always a lot of prep work to be done when painting these homes - many cracks to fill etc. During the prep work on one of the bedrooms, we found something very interesting! It seemed as though a name had been embossed on the closet door. Clear to us was the name, “WENDY WOO”. This brought upon much discussion as to what this meant, who had written it, how old was it? The history of the house was right there in front of us. As many owners of older homes like to keep old feeling and charm of their homes, we felt it necessary to make sure they wouldn’t want to keep this keepsake from years past.
They gave us the go-ahead to fill in the area with some patching compound and alas, Wendy Woo was gone forever!
Joanne
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One of our jobs recently brought us to the Queen and John area where we were working on a building undergoing some renovations. This commercial painting job had us painting the floors and stairway of a multi-level office building with floor paint. It really brightened the entrance to the building and gave it a fresh new look! We also painted one of the levels of the office building which was being renovated.
Some spray painting was done with dry-fall latex paint on the ceilings and eco-friendly epoxy was used in one area on the floor.
Within one of the rooms was an interesting light fixture that definitely catches the eye! There were two of these fixtures within one of the rooms. They were comprised of various types of recycled bulbs from coloured and white bulbs to compact fluorescent and incandescent to small and large bulbs. Eco-conscious readers can take comfort in knowing that all of these bulbs do not light up with a flick of a switch! The light source for each came from only two bulbs within the design. An excellent source of light for this trendy, newly renovated new building!
Joanne
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Choosing a paint colour can be a daunting task for some. You may have no idea what you want, what will look good in the room, and once you choose it there may be second thoughts. This has happened on occasion at the jobs that we work on! Customers may be weary of their choice or they may be completely positive of their choice and end up changing their minds after a first coat has been put on the wall. Sometimes the homeowner’s are in a state of ’shock’ and it is something to get used to (like a new haircut), in this case it is best as the homeowner to give it some time as this may be the reaction to any colour put in the room. However, sometimes it is a definite and unhappy response to the colour. In this case it is important to determine what it is about the colour that they don’t like and work with them to improve their experience with us by finding the best fit. This would cause a small lengthening to the job and a slight price adjustment if necessary. It is all worth it when the customer walks into the room and has a totally opposite and positive reaction to the colour. Making the customer happy with the job is our interior painters number one priority!
Joanne
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“This is my new home in Whitby, I’ve only just moved in!
There are painters everywhere.
I don’t know where to get some rest around here!
Some peace and quiet would be nice.
I’ll show them, I’m sure she’ll need these shoes at some point.
They’ll soon see who’s boss around here.
Come on, come and get them.
But you have to wake me up first! ”
By Karon
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Originally painted an off white in this condo kitchen, our North York Painters had fun painting it in Benjamin Moore’s colour Bull’s Eye Red.
With only marble window ledges, the inserts were left white, creating a frame, which worked out very well, giving sharp, dramatic lines.
The undersides of the bulkheads also remained white, hence more enjoyment viewing these clean edges.
The living room was painted in a soft grey, with the red as a highlight on the dining room wall, keeping that appetite going from stovetop to table.
What’s for dinner Carole?
By Karon.
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