Paint Color Ideas & Tips

We’re in the middle of painting the entire inside of a two-bedroom house right now, and thought we would share one of our favorite painting tricks. If you’re using latex paint, brushes and rollers can be frozen overnight, saving you the arduous task of cleaning them until you’re done with the project.Simply put the brush or roller into a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer. When you’re ready to start painting again, all you have to do is take it out and let it thaw.

If you need a shot of color in your home, painted furniture is always an option. We rounded up a selection of solid wood furniture from IKEA that could be dressed up with a coat or two. Some of these are unfinished, and some have a clear lacquer coat that just needs some light sanding before you prime it…Top Photo: Left to Right, Top to Bottom:• Rast 3 Drawer Chest, $39.99• Mackis Magazine File, $7.99• Stranda 4 Drawer Chest, $149• Fira Mini Chest with Drawers, $12.

Look!: Emma Rose PaperyAT:SF, Don’t even say it. We know “you get what you pay for,” but our DOCKSTA table wobbles. It’s making me crazy. Does anyone else’s? And if so, how’d you fix it? Thanks! -S.Anyone?(Update from S.: The wobble is from the table top. if you put your elbows on it the vase of flowers wobbles. but from the top, the base is stable.

So the thing about living in a rental is that someone lived there before us. Someone lazy who did not tape off the hardware on the doors or remove it entirely before painting. We are a little frustrated by the fact that all the hardware is encrusted with paint and nothing works correctly. We go to the hardware store and we stare at the shelves and we wonder: which product will best remove the paint?

Consider this a tip NOT JUST for the kitchen, but anyplace you need to condition or moisturize your wood furnishings (use it in your January Jumpstart project!). We’ve been trying to preserve our butcher blocks and tables forever and New York being SO DRY, we go through bottle after bottle of food-safe mineral oil, and we still get cracking if we don’t keep up with it.

It can be hard to visualize a room from just a paint chip. As a graphic designer, I’ve found it easier to use a photo editing program, like Photoshop and doctor up some images I’ve shot to get a better idea of how a color will look. Of course, not everyone is privy to these programs or knows how to use them. Behr Paints recognized this, and introduced an easy to use online program called ColorSmart, back in 2003.

Years ago when I decided to paint the floors in my small summer house, most people were shocked (including my parents). Bare wood floors were so chic and such a staple of 90’s style, that painting them over and covering them up seemed sacrilegious. I didn’t think so anymore. See how they turned out… The floors were cheap, solid oak floors, in great need of refinishing.

Dear AT,I’m moving into a restored Victorian place and it has what I believe to be plaster walls. Thankfully they aren’t the lumpy sort. I’ve had trouble putting nails and screws in plaster before. Usually, the wall crumbles and the screw or the nail bends.I just bought some shelving and curtain rods and I can’t risk the crumbling b/c i have very limited space to work with. How do you do it correctly?