Decorated to Death (17 page)

To begin with, unlike other decors such as Art Deco, art nouveau, contemporary, and modern, country style is not one style but several styles such as English, French, American, and Tuscan. Tuscan country is currently enjoying immense popularity in the United States.

One of the nicest thing about country style is that it is eclectic and allows you to borrow from other areas. For instance, you can decorate a kitchen with a stenciled backsplash, painted open shelving, a maple trestle table, mismatched ladder-back chairs, textured walls, and an arrangement of apples or oranges in a Depression glass bowl you inherited from your grandmother, and you’ve got yourself a country kitchen that borrows from all of the country styles mentioned above.

So start looking around and go to that garage sale down the street or drive over to the flea market next weekend. You may or may not find exactly the accent or furniture piece you want to add to your country decor, but you may find that you enjoyed meeting a lot of nice folks. Remember, above all, country is never formal. It’s mix and match with ease and simplicity.

No matter what decor you settle on for your home, chances are unless you plan on paneling or wallpapering every room in your home, something that was popular in the 1960s, you’re going to end up painting. Here’s a few things I’ve learned over the years that I think you’ll find helpful in your next painting project:

Consider using a coat of high-quality primer on the walls, especially if you’re painting over a strong color with a softer color. It could save you from applying a second coat of paint.

Do not, and I repeat, do not paint when you are tired or if you’ve got a house full of unruly children under the age of twelve.

When you are painting don’t plan on cooking anything. Either make yourself a PB and J sandwich, order in, or eat out. If you eat out, go to a dimly lit restaurant because chances are you’re going to have paint in your hair, on your fingernails, on your clothing.

If you’re pregnant, I suggest you either get someone else to do your painting or postpone doing it yourself until after the birth of your baby.

Never paint without proper ventilation, good lighting, drop cloths for furniture and floors, and plenty of clean rags.

Be careful when using masking tape. It isn’t foolproof and you could end up with a mess should the paint bleed through the tape. Also, sometimes masking tape can pull paint off the surface when you remove it from the area you were trying to protect. If you’re not good at cutting in with a brush (it does take practice), then consult your paint dealer and ask what brand of tape he or she would suggest you use.

Although most people today use a water-based paint, oil-based paint is still readily available in a wide variety of colors. Should you select an oil-based paint, be aware that cleanup requires turpentine or something equally strong, unlike water-based paint where cleanup requires nothing stronger than soap and water.

Prepare the surface before painting. Oil-base high-gloss paint can magnify any surface flaws such as cracks, nail holes, and a lumpy, bumpy surface. A good washing, spackling compound, painter’s putty, and a light sanding can rid your walls of flaws before the new coat of paint is applied.

Because the drying time of today’s paint is considerably less than in previous eras, use the paint additive suggested for the type of paint you will be using to slow the drying time down and make the paint easier to work with. Again, don’t hesitate to consult your paint dealer. It’s their job to guide you through your painting project.

If the ceiling is to be painted along with the rest of the room, paint the ceiling first. Then move to any trim such as crown molding and work your way down, painting door and window trim and ending with the baseboard. Once that has been done, then you can start on the walls.

In real estate location is the thing and in painting good equipment is the thing. If you’re going to be using an oil-based paint, you should consider buying a high-quality natural-bristle brush. If you will be working with the more popular water-based paint, then purchase a high-quality synthetic-bristle brush.

If you find that you have to put your paint chore on an extended hold, clean your brush and then wrap it in plastic wrap. It will keep your brush moist and ready to pick up where you left off.

When painting windows, first push the inner sash up and the outer sash down until the two sashes have almost but not quite reversed their position. Start with painting the lower portion of the outer sash before painting the entire inner sash.

After the lower sash is completely dry, move both sashes back to their regular positions, leaving both sashes slightly open until all the surfaces you’ve painted are dry. Failure to do so can result in windows that are extremely difficult to open.

And finally, what color to choose? If you are totally confused by the virtual mountain of paint colors available and the stack of swatches you’ve accumulated in the junk drawer of the kitchen, it might help to take a good look at the clothes in your bedroom closet. See what color is the most predominant or the one you like the best because it flatters your coloring (everyone from coworkers to your mother thinks that you look smashing when you wear anything in that particular color). Perhaps you would like a room in that color as well.

When all’s said and painted, your home should be a backdrop for your personality and taste in colors.