How to Paint Kitchen Countertops

Painting your kitchen countertop is one of the top home improvement activities because it will enable you to create for your kitchen, where you spend time everyday cooking, a new and inviting view without the expense of a major renovation. If you know how to paint a wall, painting kitchen countertops will not be a total home improvement stranger to you.

1. First, you need to clean your kitchen countertop thoroughly. Use warm  soapy water in removing the dirt and rinse with fresh, clean water. Make sure no grease and cooking oil are left on the surface so that the paint will completely stick to the countertop surface. 
2. Provide a more porous surface for the primer to stick to by removing the shiny coating from the laminate. To do this, sand the countertop surface with a fine to medium grit sandpaper. Afterwards, vacuum clean all dust.
3. Prevent paint from getting on areas outside the paint zone. Backsplash or tape the walls where it meets the edges of the sink and any recessed cutting boards and everywhere it meets the countertop.
4. Apply a coat of primer to your countertop and wait till it is fully dry before applying more paint. To make your painting work faster and easier, tell the in charge of the paint store to tint your primer with the same colour as your primary colour of paint. This will reduce the number of coasts that you will need to apply and enable the paint to cover the area more thoroughly.
5. Apply paint first to the corners and along the edges with a brush. This will enable you to control your application more and prevent you from accidentally painting those parts which should not be painted.
6.  Apply paint to the rest of the surface and allow it to dry before determining if a second coat is necessary.
7. Allow two days for the paint to cure fully. After it, apply a coat of clear urethane. Allow the urethane to dry; and then lightly sand the surface and apply another coat of clear urethane. Repeat the process until you have the sheen you like. If brush strokes in your urethane applications are noticeable, very slightly thin the solution with water to help it go on easier.

Painting or repainting your kitchen countertop is an easy, very less costly and satisfying home improvement activity.

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Colour Basics: Do’s and Don’ts

Choosing the right colour palette can indeed be daunting, but don’t lose hope especially when your doing the project yourself. With these home improvement tips for colour choice, we make the task simple for you.

Avoid these 7 Colour Mistakes

1. 
   
   Don’t overlook the basics. Yes, choosing a colour palette can be difficult, but look on the bright side and set yourself up for success by learning the colour wheel and how the different colour schemes would work. The colours in the colour consist of the primary (red, blue, yellow), secondary (green, orange, violet), and tertiary (light green, yellow-orange, and blue-violet).
2. 
   
   Don’t forget 60-30-10. These numbers represent the colour principal which is used to create aesthetically pleasing schemes. 60 percent for the dominant colour, 30 percent for secondary, and 10 percent for accent colours.
3. 
   
   Don’t ignore lighting. Lighting does affect your choices of colours. Before making final selections, observe how colours look in the room at different times of the day.
4. 
   
   Don’t think neutral only means ‘Beige’. Although the latter is a neutral colour, your favourite colours’ shades may also be used as neutrals in your room. A neutral is simply a balance of warm and cool tones.
5. 
   
   Don’t overload a palette. Multiple colours may look beautiful, but putting together too many of the wrong shades can create the opposite of harmony: disaster. To be on the safe side, follow a favourite scheme, such as monochromatic, complementary, etc, and remember to follow the 60-30-10 formula.
6. 
   
   Don’t always follow colour trends. It may seem refreshing to add trendy colours to your scheme but accessories and wall colours can easily switch out. One of the most indispensable home improvement tips is when buying new furniture is to choose shades that will stand the test of time.

We hope you’ll find these expert home improvement tips useful to you, and have fun choosing colours!

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DIY 101: 3 Elements in Interior Design

If you’re going the DIY route but wants professional-looking results when putting enhancements in your interior decor, we share to you the three principles of interior design.

Effective interior design not only breathes with functionality but also creates a mood showing off the personality of the family living in there. Ensuring decorating success means having the interplay of function, mood, and personality in your interior design.

Function

More than just eye appeal, decorating and adding pieces to a room has to work for you and the family. Here’s how to put it together one element to another:

• Focal point – every design should have this, which is a piece or place that first attracts the eyes.

• Furniture – place furniture in their most functional places; if it’s too large or too small, take it somewhere in the house where it can function as it is.

• Lighting – is selected to for its functions as well as for visual appeal.

• Furniture arrangement – make a graph of your room, and measure and mark outlets, windows, doors, vents, etc. Then measure your furniture and place it in your floor plan. Main furniture pieces should be directed towards the focal point.

Mood

Colours, furnishings style, and the amount of pattern and texture you use and your accessories – these create the feeling of a room. Because there are so many options to try, you can make this part of decorating more interesting and fun by establishing a theme. Here are the factors to address when setting a room’s mood:

• Inspiration piece – be sure it makes you feel good when you see it in the room

• Theme – developed from your inspiration

• Color cues – supports the theme

• Patterns – background colour should be the same, patterns are in same colours, vary scale/sizes of patterns

Personality

Here’s the part where you can install personal touches into the design. Make your personality stand out in your interior decor using these strategies: accessorizing, whimsy, and the unexpected.

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