How to paint your Indianapolis home for the holidays
And why you shouldn’t be afraid to paint with looming guest arrivals
With all the hustle and bustle of holiday gift buying, you might not think of spending money on yourself. But when you consider how a fresh coat of paint can instantly spruce up an interior, spending a little money to upgrade your walls before holiday guests arrive can be an investment you’ll enjoy far into the New Year.
Should you touch-up or completely repaint
Touch-ups can instantly brighten a room, not to mention hide the evidence of dirty finger prints, shoe scuffs, or nail holes that are no longer being used to hang artwork. And although we have a tendency to look more closely at our own walls and notice minor deficiencies that others might not, doing some quick touch-ups in higher traffic areas can lend an overall freshness to any room.
But if you’ve been thinking about changing the entire look of your interior, why not do it now — before the guests arrive. Of course you might not have time to paint your entire house, and that’s fine, but again — like you would with touch-up painting — consider painting the high traffic areas. Just make sure you plan enough in advance that the paint has ample time to dry completely and any leftover new-paint smell can properly dissipate.
How to choose colors that aren’t just holiday themed
Another option is to paint an accent wall as opposed to an entire room. Maybe you’ve always wanted a bright red dining room or an emerald green living room. The holidays are a perfect time to paint with one of these colors. Not only will they help showcase your holiday decorating, but when you choose traditional hues — think deep, blue-based reds as opposed to orange-based; or rich, pine-tree hued greens opposed to citrusy, light greens — then you’re sure to love your color choice even after you’ve boxed up that last decoration.
What type of paint is best for holiday painting
The best type of holiday paint, is also the best type of year-round paint. So rather than focus on the color scheme or even the fact that your painting during the holiday season, think about the specific room, or rooms, to will be painted. For high traffic rooms — which are also the ones that tend to be where most holiday entertaining happens — you need to use paint with a higher sheen level as those are better at resisting stains and also easier to clean. And Flora Brothers also recommends using a latex-based paint because it dries faster than oil-based paint and typically has less odor — that way, when your guests do arrive, the only thing they’ll smell is the holiday turkey roasting.