America's Color Consultants

Pantone 2015 Color of the Year

Marsala Pantone 18-1438 – The impactful, full-bodied qualities of Marsala make for an elegant, grounded statement color when used on its own or as a strong accent to many other colors. Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness.

“This hearty, yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors.”

Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute

(excerpted from www.pantone.com)

Is Restoration Right for Your Old Windows?

In many older homes windows were custom made of hardwoods. Hardwoods such as oak, redwood, and maple are all woods which, with proper care, can last hundreds of years. However, as the years go by older windows can become hard to open, rattle and drafty. The easy solution may be to replace the windows with new insulated windows. Expect to pay an average of $500-$1,000 per window for replacements placed inside existing and structurally intact window frames. Vinyl is less expensive, wood more expensive. Double and triple-glazed windows, or those filled with argon gas, increase energy savings but bump the cost to the higher end of the scale.

Affordable vinyl windows come in standard sizes which may mean losing window size in order to fit today’s standard sizes. With the less expensive vinyl windows, the vinyl may last a lifetime but chances are that the insulated gas component will not.  This means ~ 20 years latter you will be replacing the windows again.

However, replacement windows are not your only choice. Consider taking the green approach — Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Older windows can be restored by simply refinishing the paint and replacing or repairing the pulley system which can make your window work like new.

Your old windows efficiency can be increased to achieve similar energy ratings to new insulated windows by installing an energy efficient storm window and proper weather stripping . Check out the Energy Miser Storm Window by The Burch Company.

http://www.burchcompany.com/.

Color of the Year 2015 – Benjamin Moore
Monochromatic colors feel right, right now. Try warm, cool, dark and light layers of the same hue. It’s one chromatic concept, gracefully flowing room to room.
Guilford Green (HC-116) is the color that ties this altogether, our 2015 Color of the Year. A neutral color that is a natural. A silvery green that works a wide range of color combinations – from neutrals to daring shades.

(excerpted from www.benjaminmoore.com)

• 

 

Choose the Right Tool for the Right Job

When starting a repair job it is important to make sure you are using the correct tools. For example not all hammers do the same thing. A hammer is a tool meant to deliver an impact to an object. The most common uses are for driving nails, fitting parts, forging metal and breaking up objects. Hammers are often designed for a specific purpose, and vary widely in their shape and structure. The usual features are a handle and a head, with most of the weight in the head.

• A claw hammer is a tool primarily used for pounding nails into, or extracting nails from wood.
• An upholstery hammer or tack hammer is a lightweight hammer used for securing upholstery fabric to furniture frames using tacks or small nails.
• A sledgehammer is a tool consisting of a large, flat head attached to a lever. The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers, due to its large size. It has the ability to distribute force over a wide area.
• The ball-peen hammer is for heavy hammering and suitable for metalwork.
• Rubber mallets are used when a softer blow is called for than that delivered by a metal hammer. They are typically used to form sheet metal, since they don’t leave marks, as well as for forcing tight-fitting parts together, for shifting plasterboard into place, in upholstery, and a variety of other general purposes, including some toys. It is the most commonly used mallet. Hammers

2015 Color of the Year – Sherwin Williams

Upbeat, optimistic Coral Reef celebrates time for renewal. Perfectly suited to celebrate a mid-decade year that’s poised for revitalization, Coral Reef (SW 6606) is Sherwin-Williams Color of the Year 2015. The uplifting, vivacious hue with floral notes is the perfect mélange of pink, orange and red that can be used to liven up any space.
“Coral Reef embodies a cheerful approach to design that we’re seeing for the coming year. Its unexpected versatility brings life to a range of design aesthetics, whether traditional, vintage, cottage or contemporary,” said Jackie Jordan, Sherwin-Williams director of color marketing.

(excerpted from www.sherwinwilliams.com)

Paintable Wallpaper

Paintable wallpaper is availbale in a smooth or textured finish. For a fraction of the cost this wallpaper is great for covering damaged walls or old wood paneling. A textured finish is great for adding an extra demension to any room. Available at Sherwin Williams http://www.swdecorating.com/default.asp?fm=/wallpaper_home.asp|

Using Metallic Finishes

To the do-it-yourself painter, metallic finishes can appear gorgeous and daunting at the same time. A metallic paint can make a small room like a powder room into a real work of art or transform a dining room into a glamorous personal statement. It is very important to find a painter who has experience with metallic paints, as they are very tricky to apply correctly to get the desired finish. Using the correct tools is important for a smooth consistency. However, if you are using the metallic paint in a sponge technique over a flat paint, or are creating a stripe or striea, you won’t have to worry about the evenness of the coat. The accessories that are added to the final picture can make or break the space. Accessories that complement metallic paints might include mirrored or crystal accents. Sufficient indirect lighting is necessary to “light up” the metallic qualities of the paint and really show it off. However, not all accessories should be metallic: this would be overkill and the “wow” factor of the paint would be minimized.

Using Triade Colors

The triade is made by three colors evenly distributed on the thirds of the color wheel (by 120 degrees). The triade-schemes are vibrating, full of energy. A triade grouping can create contrasts, accents and balance warm and cold colors. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it looks more balanced and harmonious. Triade colors can look gaudy, try to subdue them by making them into a “soft contrast” group by using shades of the triade colors. Also choosing one color to be used in larger area than others is a good approach.

Analogous Colors – Red/Orange/Yellow

Analogous colors are colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel, with one being the dominant color. The term analogous refers to  having analogy, meaning a similarity in some respects between things and in the case of colors a similarity in a color. An analogous color scheme creates a rich, monochromatic look. It’s best used with either warm or cool colors, creating a look that has a certain temperature as well as proper color harmony. Red, yellow and orange are examples of analogous colors.

How Much Paint Is Needed to Paint Your Room?

To estimate how much paint you need for any interior paint job, you need to know the square footage of your wall and the number of square feet per gallon of the paint you are planning to use. The label on the gallon of paint will specify how many square feet each gallon will cover. Walls and ceilings are determine by the area, multiply length by width. To calculate the square footage of walls, measure the perimeter of the room and multiply this figure by its height. The result is the square footage of the wall space to be covered. Remember you might need more then one coat. When painting a deeply saturated color, you may even need a third coat of paint. Take the square footage and muliple by the number of coats, the result will determine your coverage per gallon.