Pro Painting Secrets

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Interior designer Carey Evans says the right prep and a twist on the traditional can make your home stylish and trendy.

(NAPSI)—A clean “canvas” and a twist on traditional painting techniques may be all you need to make your home stylish and trendy, says Carey Evans, TV personality, carpenter and interior designer. Here’s how: Caulk For A Clean Start First, properly select a caulk. “The secret to an enduring, clean look is to seal with a long-lasting caulk,” says Evans. “If the caulk underneath shrinks or deteriorates, then the paint that you worked so hard to apply may age prematurely due to unsightly cracks that have formed. “My top pick for all my painting jobs is the latest caulking innovation by GE, Groov,” says Evans. With it, you can do the job right the first time because it provides long-lasting performance. Groov caulk won’t shrink, crack or break down like acrylic caulk. Acrylic caulk may go on easily, but it shrinks over time, leaving unsightly cracks, which can spoil a great paint job.” Look Up, Down and All Around Embrace the opportunity to give color to the fifth and sixth walls of a room: the ceiling and the floor. Soothing pastels or subtle ceiling designs are increasingly popular. Painting a floor, also popular, is even more cost effective than having it refinished. “For unexpected ways to bring patterns into a room, paint a runner on the stairs where the treads have worn down or add a favorite color or pattern to the rise of each step,” says Evans. Texture Tricks Painting techniques that add texture and depth can liven up monochromatic walls. For beginners, Evans suggests the color washing technique. It’s easy to achieve using two colors in a wet-on-wet fashion. For more experienced painters, she recommends the grass cloth technique that achieves the same look as the popular wallpaper. By using a wire comb, broom or favorite tool, you create serene lines that add interest to otherwise flat walls. “With a stronger color like royal blue, you can even mimic the look of your favorite blue jeans,” Evans says. A Twist on Trim You don’t have to paint each level of your home the same color. Mix it up by placing trim vertically between rooms to create definitive spaces that can be painted their own color. Alternatively, move beyond traditional trim colors. “I like to choose neighbors on the color wheel for the wall and trim for a tone-on-tone, subtle richness,” says Evans. “Or, you can mix glaze with the wall color for added dimension.” Learn More For more design tips from Carey Evans and to learn more about caulking, visit www.gesealants.com and www.careyevans.com.