The space I made over was a small area outside the master bedroom. That up until now has stayed the stark builder’s white we bought the house in. It has also become a catchall space and dog hideaway that was in desperate need of a makeover!  I chose a deep earth tone called Northern Climb in Eggshell. I must say at first I was skeptical. How could a paint that eliminates odor and is zero VOC be so inexpensive?  After all, it’s only about $20 a gallon.  Based on my experience, that price is unheard of for most zero VOC paints, which tend to run $30-60 per gallon.

Because of the price and my darker paint color, I started out thinking that it must take many coats to cover any preselected area.  Once I started painting however, I quickly learned an important rule — don’t judge a gallon of paint by its price!  Turns out that the paint covered well, even with it being a darker color it only took me two paint coats to get the job done.  And truth be told if I did a better job on the first coat the second would have only been touch up!

Refresh Paint by Dutch Boy is definitely an eco-friendly paint. I mention this as I could only barely smell the paint while it was wet. And once it had dried, you couldn’t tell I had painted the room at all from the smell. Keep in mind that I am very sensitive to harsh chemical smells and was very pleased by this zero VOCs paint. Lastly, I also love the easy to pour spout on the container and easy to open lid.  It was a nice change to not have to look for my paint opener and mallet just to open and close the container.

The new rich color on the wall has also helped me turn a small loft area that was previously unused space outside our master bedroom into a cozy reading nook!  It is a great place to relax after a hectic day.  I think the relaxing feeling has to do with the deep earth tone I choose for the wall color which has a soothing effect for the weary soul.

As far as the claim on reducing odors goes, the room is often used by my 75lb American Bulldog as a ‘hide away’ from the cat and I can already tell that the paint is helping to get rid of the usual dog smell that is present in other areas he frequents. We still have two gallons of Refresh Paint left and I will be using it to paint the master bedroom next, so we will be reviewing that next room and how Dutch Boy paint does with that color choice, in an upcoming article.

Disclosure: The paint in this review was provided by Dutch Boy marketing, however this is NOT a paid review by any means and our findings with the paint are unbiased and authentic. We simply fell in love with how Refresh Paint by Dutch Boy made small work of our sizable painting project.

For example, I love whimsical wallpaper!  And I don’t think you can find one more whimsical than Aimee Wilder’s Robots.  Available in three colors: one is in  blues, another pinks, and the last a mix of purple, blue and green.  This wallpaper will surely lighten up any space.  Perfect for kids rooms, rec rooms or even the home office.  Check out Aimee Wilder’s wonderful robot wallpaper design!

Another company who makes wallpapers will attitude is Flavor Paper. Flavor Paper has some really outrageous designs. Just check out the Funky wallpaper category to see what I mean.

From wallpaper with cherries to bananas, over to elaborate designs that only look like traditional floral(s), Flavor Paper is jam packed with attitude. My favorite wallpaper is Flower Power. It looks like the traditional floral until you get a little closer look and see the light bulbs mixed into the design.

As you can see, this definitely isn’t your grandmother’s wallpaper. Today’s wallpaper can be used to express attitude and funk!  The next time you’re thinking of painting a focus wall for a new room design, consider putting up some fresh and hip wallpaper instead. Wallpaper can add interest to a wall while also providing a great conversation piece, especially when you find one with the right twist of attitude!

Okay, so  after knowing what to avoid, how do you make sure it is the RIGHT color?  The best advice anyone can give you before buying paint is try interior paint samples first. This is an important step!  Repeat after me, DON’T PAINT YOUR WALL UNTIL YOU’VE SAMPLED THE PAINT ON A SECTION OF THE WALL FIRST.  Why is this SO important? Because you really have no idea how the color you choose will look until you put some of it on the wall.

Just because the tiny piece of paper you took home and held up to the wall looks great, does not mean that once the entire wall is that color it will also look great.  So in order to avoid repainting an entire room or wall, purchase a small paint sample first!

I can’t tell you have many times clients have come to me distraught once they painted an area without really examining their color choices first.  If you haven’t studied color theory, you won’t know what certain colors do when they are brought into your living space.  Also, most colors are more intense than you realize on just a tiny square of paper. So remember, think paint samples!

Once you’ve painted your sample color on a good portion of the wall, live with it for a couple of days before making your final decision on color.  This way you’ve had ample time to see how the color looks in your space during different lighting, times of the day and so on.  From there, you can make sure it’s not too dark at night or too bright during the day.  You can also give yourself a chance to see how you really feel about it.

If you follow these simple steps of examining your daily color choices and purchasing samples before you purchase the paint for a room, you’ll be sure to find a color you can enjoy and not have to go through the hassle of repainting!  After all why do more work than you have to!

The PaintGard keeps leftover paint from going bad.  It is a plastic insert you put inside of a paint can.  It can be used in a quart, 1 gallon, 3 gallon, and 5 gallon cans.  PaintGard floats on top of the paint leftover in the can and keeps the air trapped in the can away from the paint.

PaintGard is also removable and reusable. Plus when you remove the PaintGard, you can flip it around and use the part that was touching the paint as a palette and paint your touch up areas.  This will help save time when touching up small areas.  Now you don’t have to worry about having a container ready when you open up the paint, just use the PaintGard and put it back into the paint can when you are done!

PaintGard can be used with any type of paint and are inexpensive. The MSRP for the 1 gallon size is $2.99 for a 4 pack or $.89 a piece.  With a price like that, it is an affordable addition to any project.

So far the only negative I can find about PaintGard is that it is not available just yet.  The website says coming soon, so I can only hope PaintGard’s will be available before I start my next project!

Dear Diva, I bought this beautiful color of red paint for my dining room and after painting two coats on the wall it is still an ugly pinkish hue!  Did I buy bad paint? Please help!

Unless the paint was old or exposed to extreme temperatures, you probably did not buy “bad” paint.  If the paint was genuinely bad, you would likely notice other problems in addition to those you described.  A lot of time bad paint looks milky or glassy and it can start to crack or peel off the wall.  If you aren’t having these problems, then chances are your paint is actually fine.

So if it is not the paint than what is it?

Did you use a tinted primer before you started painting? If you did not and you are starting on a white wall or using white primer, you will need many coats to get the red to the color of the paint sample. Reds and other deep color paints need more coats than lighter colors.

For example if you’re painting a light pink on a white primed wall, two coats will be enough.  However if you are painting a deep burgundy on a white wall expect four or five coats to get the color you saw on the swatch!

This is where a tinted primer comes in.  If you use a gray primer or a white primer tinted red, it will cut the amount of coats you need to use in half.   Because tinted bases contain less white pigment, it helps decrease the contrast between the primer and paint color and that means the paint covers better with less coats.

It’s important to make sure you have the right paint primer to begin with.  Getting a tinted or gray primer for intense, deep or dark colors will help save you money and work.  Why? Because you won’t have to apply as many coats of paint!

Do you have questions about the selecting or the installation of: tile, carpet or wall treatments (window blinds, etc)? Then email me your tale of woe (diva(at)homemakeoverdiva.com) and perhaps I will be able to answer your questions right here at the Home Makeover Diva Blog!