Interior painting tips

Picking the perfect gray is one of my hardest challenges. I swear I tried these same colors in other rooms to hate how they turned out elsewhere. It really goes to prove that you have to try paint on your walls in your specific room to see if you like it. I painted this wall with my samples and left it there for a few days to see which color I liked the best at different times of day. I know it's silly, but I even put a star beside my favorite for different times of the day. The most stars by the end of my trial period WON! Silly I know, but I hate winding up with a color that I am unhappy with. I chose the bottom right sample which is Abalone by Benjamin Moore. I took a color chip to Lowe's and they did a color match for me.

To get the best results out of your interior painting, here are a few helpful hints:

• PRIME! Especially on a raw, newly mudded sheetrock wall, this is an ABSOLUTE must! Even if you mud/spackle a spot over a painted wall, prime that spot. Otherwise, you will have a different sheen to your paint due to the different absorbency of the surface. I use Kilz Latex 2 as my primer. *If you use latex as your color, use latex as your primer.* Cut in around the trim (ceiling/floor) with your primer (you don't have to paint under where you will install trim). Anywhere you want to have color, PRIME!

• Get a good roller and cut in brush. 
• 
  
  
  
• Get a good extension pole that will allow you to get almost to your ceiling. Be sure to check your pole length and compare it to your ceiling height. 
• For my paint tray, I buy an inexpensive tray that I can throw away. I'm lazy and don't like to wash it out each time. Or you can buy a good tray with disposable liners. Anything to shorten clean up time! 

•  My go-to interior wall sheen is eggshell. I do not like flat at all...unless you are painting chalk boards. Flat absorbs oil and grime and is impossible to clean. Eggshell is the perfect blend of flat and satin. I don't mind satin too much, but it can look too "plastic-y" and shiny in well-lit rooms. 
• For my trim (crown moulding, baseboards, doors, door frames, window trims, etc) I use white semi-gloss. I like that crisp "pop" that it gives. 
• I paint my trim FIRST. Be sure to allow each coat to dry before beginning the next coat. Especially with a glossy latex, if you do not give ample time to dry, the paint will pull and ball- up giving you an unflattering finish. 
• Generally, one coat of primer and two coats of color will suffice for your wall color. Since you painted your trim first, you can paint up to and even the edge of your moulding. With a wet rag, the color wipes off easily leaving a crisp, straight line.