The colors you choose for your home say it all. Confidence, caring, creativity, whimsy, hospitality? A spectrum of colors is available for interior and exterior paint and it’s up to you to make choices which most closely reflect your personality and also enhance the value of your home. Your favorite color is Green? You love blue? Brown makes you comfortable and relaxed? It’s all about you and researchers have studied exactly what your choice of colors, means. According to an article recently published at http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html

• Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless.
• Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything.
• The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.
• The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. People are more productive in blue rooms.
• Green symbolizes nature and is currently the most popular decorating color. It is a calming, refreshing color.
• Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism.
• The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic.
• Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

Now that you understand the meaning and power of each color, here are some simple tips to take with you to the paint store.There are several different types of interior wall paints and it’s not unusual to “mix ‘n match” within one room. There are essentially two kinds of paint: oil based and water based. But you will also find primers, enamels, acrylics and many others.

Primer is not usually considered paint, but it is needed in many painting projects and is found in the paint aisle. Primer can be oil based or water based. Always use one that matches the type of paint you are using. So, if painting with oil based paint, use oil based primer etc.

You will see paint labeled as interior or exterior. You can use water based paint, commonly known as Latex or Acrylic on the interior of your home, but exterior paint is best left to oil based varieties. Oil based house paint, commonly referred to as Enamel, takes longer to dry than water based paint. The finish of oil based paints is glossier and harder than water based and is used most frequently around windows, doors and trim.

When choosing paint the next thing to consider is he finish. Matte color is the most common of interior wall paint finishes. There’s no shine or sheen. It’s easy to apply, although it can often take more than one coat for uniform coverage. Matte paint can be applied with a brush or roller and works well on walls that have imperfections. Matte enamel is much easier to clean and rarely needs retouching, giving it a great advantage, especially if you have young children. It is also excellent for the kitchen, where you’ll regularly need to wipe walls.

Satin finish is one of the types of interior wall paint that many people know of, but few really understand. The finish is somewhere between matte and gloss and produces a low, soft sheen. You shouldn’t use a satin finish where you have a wall with imperfections because it will make them more apparent.

An eggshell finish has a shine that’s extremely subtle but without the same smoothness as a satin finish. Thus, it doesn’t highlight imperfections quite as much, making it much more suitable as interior wall paint.

Semi-gloss is another common interior paint, although it’s more frequently used on trim rather than walls. It offers a hard finish, is suitable for heavy use and is easy to clean with just soap and water.

Apart from matte paint, gloss is the most common interior wall paint. It’s one you can use on most walls, although some people use it sparingly on these surfaces and prefer to use it on woodwork because of its high shine.

Remember, high traffic areas do better with satin or gloss finishes as they are subject to fingerprints and scuffing and these finishes clean-up better. A more matte finish may not clean as easily but it also doesn’t show imperfections in the wall as much.

Final tip...don’t go for the cheapest paint on the shelf. Do your homework on various brands before you buy. Although you may pay a little more, a quality product is important and pays off in the long run. It’s worth the investment to ensure that all the hard work you put into painting your home results in a beautiful, long lasting paint job that you’ll point to with pride.