![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
To make the maximum profit on your investment properties, you'll need to save money wherever you can. One way to save significant amounts of money is to mix your own paint.
I recommend that you use only water-based paints. Technology improvements in latex and acrylic paints have made painting easier than it was with the old fashioned oil-based paints, and the new acrylics provide a great-looking finish. Purchasing "oops paint," marked down at home improvement and paint stores, can save hundreds of dollars on your painting projects.
By mixing your own paints, you can also guarantee a harmonious result for the entire house, blending the colors from the exterior to the interior and from room to room. For instance, during one of our projects, we purchased ten assorted gallons of paint from the Restore thrift shop. The paint hade been donated by Lowe's after having been returned by the original buyers, and included a lot of blues, greens, and grays. We used a fifteen-gallon plastic kitchen trash can to mix all the paint together, and then poured it back into the original cans. The color ended up a complex sage-green, which perfectly complemented the existing teal-green tile floor.
We used the original trash-can paint outside first, and then added white interior paint as we continued our color scheme inside, first painting the living room and a bathroom. Then I added a little green to the remainder and painted a bedroom. For each room, we added a little more white semi-gloss paint. As we went along, we saved a glass jar full of each paint blend for touch ups.
Paint experts suggest mixing only the same type of paints: exterior latex with exterior latex; interior acrylic with interior acrylic; interior latex with interior latex, and so on. But we routinely mix exterior and interior paints, and have never experienced any difficulty. The amount of sheen makes little difference in mixing paints, either, unless you're looking for a particular finish.
For one project, I started with five gallons of thrift store baby-blue paint, and then added a quart of black, in order to "gray down" the baby-blue. As we progressed through the bedrooms, I added a little more white semi-gloss latex paint to the mix. When I was done, the entire upstairs of the home blended harmoniously, yet each space had its own color and personality.
For another doghouse transformation, I added amber pigment, which you can pick up at most paint suppliers (but use it sparingly, because a little goes a long way), to five gallons of boring beige paint. We started in the main bedroom with the darker color and added white as we went along. The lightest shade ended up in a living room with a 23-foot-high ceiling.
Remember: oops paint is no different from regular paint. It was just a mistake, for whatever reason, and in case you're wondering how long oops paint can last, we recently drove by our very first doghouse-to-dollhouse home in Apple Valley, California, and the paint still looks great, even though that home was originally painted in 1979.
(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.
Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhouse fordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm
One of the most common statistics used when gauging the... Read More
You may have heard all the buzz about the newest... Read More
People sometimes confuse a home inspection and an appraisal when... Read More
Delaware, and the rest of the original British Colonies, has... Read More
When I was a young child I had many annoying... Read More
Earlier this month, Realtor Magazine announced that they would be... Read More
Who are you preparing your home to sell to?You, as... Read More
Why are real estate investors having so much success offering... Read More
Do you remember when real estate financing meant you saved... Read More
When you call sellers, what do you say? When you... Read More
In many parts of the country, selling a home during... Read More
Solving problems while maximizing valuesThis story has a few good... Read More
New concepts in Interior Design Psychology are helping home sellers... Read More
All of us have emotional preconceptions and assumptions. They are... Read More
Shopping for property in Belize is not as simple an... Read More
After years of experience in the real estate industry I... Read More
When managing residential properties one bad tenant can often undo... Read More
We all know that a home or property of any... Read More
There are two sides to real estate development feasibility study:... Read More
Do strangers scare or intimidate you? If you're planning to... Read More
We probably answer this question for someone a couple times... Read More
One of the biggest mistakes people make when selling a... Read More
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's wide path of destruction,... Read More
For those of you who were not psychology majors the... Read More
Fractional shares ("fractionals") are sometimes confused with other vacation property... Read More
In many places you can buy a house and a... Read More
Congratulations! You've decided to purchase a home. We all know... Read More
1. What happens to the seller's credit rating when they... Read More
Real estate investing begins when you move to the starting... Read More
While most investors have got involved in property investing because... Read More
One of the most important considerations you will need to... Read More
The typical landlord starts off life as a light hearted... Read More
I am a total geek.A few weeks ago, late at... Read More
Resort home ownership, such as condo hotels and fractional shares... Read More
As an active real estate investor you probably already know... Read More
A New Way to Own a Vacation Home - For... Read More
Now that you've chosen a real estate professional to sell... Read More
Your house is for sale by owner (fsbo), Along with... Read More
Building a house (or lots of them) seems to be... Read More
From the mountains to the valley, there are many types... Read More
If you are thinking about buying a second home, you... Read More
There's no question about it: Buying a first home is... Read More
Among your many responsibilities as a landlord, the law provides... Read More
Here to stay and firmly established in the U.S. mortgage... Read More
Why Do Realtors Advertise Your Home in Print,on the Radio,... Read More
In rural home purchases, the transaction is often subject to... Read More
Real estate investing professionals look for all possible tax deductions... Read More
We are selling our house. We have lived here for... Read More
Buying Off PlanIt can be difficult to decide when every... Read More
When trying to sell a home, silence isn't always golden... Read More
Real Estate Real Estate |