Living in a small London apartment can be challenging, especially when it comes to decorating. But one simple trick can make a big difference: painting. Using the right colours and techniques makes your space feel bigger, brighter, and more open. In this blog post, we'll share some painting hacks that will help you maximise the potential of your small London apartment.
Choose light colours
Lighter shades such as white, beige, and pastels create a sense of space and reflect natural light, making your apartment feel brighter and more open. These colours are great for small apartments, making the room more spacious and airy. On the other hand, darker colours can make a room feel smaller and can absorb light, so it's best to stick to light and bright colours.
Paint the ceiling
Painting the ceiling the same colour as your walls is a good idea. This approach can create a seamless transition between the two, giving the illusion of more height and space. Using a lighter colour for the ceiling is essential, making the room feel taller and more open. This is an excellent technique in small London apartments where the ceiling can be pretty low
Use accent walls
Accent walls are a great way to add a pop of colour or interest to a room without overwhelming it. Choose a colour that complements the rest of the room, and don't be afraid to experiment with different shades and patterns. Painting one wall in a contrasting colour can help to create depth and a sense of perspective in a small space.
Go for glossy finishes
High-gloss finishes reflect light and make walls appear smoother, giving the impression of more space. These finishes are great for small London apartments as they create the illusion of more space and make a room feel brighter and more open. However, be aware that high-gloss finishes can also show imperfections more quickly, so ensure the walls are smooth and well-prepared before applying the paint.
Paint the trim
Painting baseboards, door frames, and window frame the same colour as the walls can make the room feel more cohesive and visually larger. By painting the trim the same colour as the walls, you create an unbroken visual line that makes the space feel bigger and more open. This technique is especially effective when using light colours.
Use vertical stripes
Painting vertical stripes on the walls can create the illusion of more height and make the space feel taller. This is an excellent technique in small London apartments where the ceiling can be quite low. Vertical stripes can also add interest to a room and create a sense of movement.
Paint furniture
Painting light colours can help it blend in with the walls, creating a sense of continuity and making the space feel less cluttered. This technique can also create a visual break in a space and add interest to a room. Just be sure to choose the right paint for your furniture and properly prepare the surface before painting.
Choose the right sheen
Choosing the right sheen is important when painting a small London apartment. Matte finishes can absorb light and make walls look dull, whereas satin or eggshell finishes have a slight shine that reflects light and makes walls look brighter. Satin or eggshell finishes are great for walls, making the room more optimistic and open.
Keep it simple
Use fewer colours or patterns, making a small space feel overwhelming and cluttered. Instead, please stick to one or two colours and use them throughout the space. This will create a cohesive look and make the room feel more spacious. Keeping patterns minimum is also essential, as they can make a space feel smaller.
Consider painting the floor
Painting a wooden or concrete floor in a neutral colour can make the space feel larger and brighter. A light-coloured floor can also create a seamless transition between the walls and the floor, giving the illusion of more space. Just be sure to prepare the surface before painting correctly and to use a paint specifically designed for floors to ensure durability and longevity. This technique can be especially effective in small London apartments where space is at a premium.
In short, painting is a simple and effective way to make your small London apartment feel bigger and brighter. By using light colours, painting the ceiling, and incorporating accent walls, you can create the illusion of more space and depth. Using glossy finishes, painting the trim, and using vertical stripes can also help to create the illusion of more height and make the room feel taller. Finally, keeping it simple with just a few colours and patterns and painting the floor can create a cohesive look and make the room more spacious. With these painting hacks, you can transform your small London apartment into a comfortable and inviting space.
If you want to hire professional painters and decorators, consider APA Painters and Decorators.
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The demand for home décor plants has been rising for a while now. Today, more and more people want to have indoor plants in their homes. The reason is that these plants offer a lot of benefits. For instance, they can improve the look of your home and infuse life into the boring corners of your home.
Recent studies show you can enjoy several health benefits by opting for home décor plants. For example, they can boost your mental and physical being, provided you place these plants strategically. So now, let’s talk about some common benefits of home décor plants.
If you want to manage your stress, consider buying home décor plants. Gardening is the art of caring for your favourite plants. Engaging in this hobby can help steady your heart rate, boosts the sense of fulfilment, relaxes your mind, and lowers your blood pressure.
So, to keep stress at bay, we suggest you buy a few potted indoor plants and place them across your home. Taking care of these plants can help boost your mood.
Managing your stress level is essential to maintain productivity and to follow your routine. Many studies have shown that gardening is a hobby that can help manage stress and anxiety in most elderly patients.
So, having indoor home décor plants is an excellent idea if you are a senior citizen. You can head to your local home décor store to get suggestions. They can recommend good home décor plants. Then you can make a choice based on your personal preferences.
According to experts, taking care of indoor plants encourages a sense of self-care. In addition, watching your plants grow feels rewarding and gives you a sense of achievement. So, you must choose the correct type of plants, place them in suitable locations, water them thoroughly and ensure they are always in good shape.
Watching your plants grow and produce flowers can give you mental peace and satisfaction, especially when recovering from a disease or illness.
The air you breathe in may contain foreign particles that can be a health hazard. But, according to many studies, indoor plants can help filter the indoor air and improve indoor air quality.
For instance, indoor plants can remove harmful pollutants from the air, such as VOCs, benzene, and formaldehyde, to name a few. However, air purification depends on many factors like the level of toxins, plant size and area where you have kept the plants.
Breathing polluted air can cause many respiratory issues, especially if you are allergic to dusty air. So, we suggest you keep home décor plants to filter the air you breathe.
We can’t deny that indoor home décor plants make your home look more appealing visually. The good news is that you can find different types of pots for indoor plants. Pots are made from other materials like resin, terracotta, pressed paper, glass, stone, ceramic and metal.
You can buy big home décor plants if you have a big house. These plants can make your place more vigorous. Alternatively, you can buy small pots and place them on shelves, nooks, niches, and tabletops.
Home décor plants can have a healthy effect on your mental and physical health. For instance, people fighting disease may recover faster by adding plants to their rooms, according to many studies.
Many studies have found that surrounding patients with home décor plants reduce their reliance on painkillers. Apart from this, you can go for plants with proven medical benefits, like thyme, oregano, mint, lemongrass, basil, spider plants, turmeric, and aloe vera.
So, if you want to enjoy all these benefits, we suggest you choose these indoor home décor plants. The idea is to boost your physical and mental health without spending much money.
You can work on a home décor project yourself if you know it. But if you have no idea how to decorate your home by yourself, we suggest that you hire a professional home décor service. For instance, you can contact APA Painters and Decorators. They are the best home décor experts in town. So, you can call them to get a quote free of charge.
Thoroughly preparing and washing the walls before painting is one of the most ignored recommendations for painting projects. Even the most thorough and careful avid DIYers are tempted to do away with the wall preparation, especially when it looks clean. What many do-it-yourselfers do is add paint right away.
The results of skipping this step may not be evident right away. In many cases, the paint may last for years, but for some, they see the consequences right away.
Wall Preparation
Major paint companies suggest cleaning the walls before the application of paint. This may include basic wiping or scrubbing using cleaning solutions.
Wipe the walls if it is filled with dirt and dust. Get rid of wax stains, grease, or oil using a sponge dipped in a solution of water and mild detergent. After that, you should rinse the wall using clean water and let it dry.
Kitchen walls, which may have been exposed to oil or grime, should be washed with a solution that can remove grease. Once done, clean the wall using water to remove any residual cleaning agent. Then, wipe the walls using a damp cloth.
Will professional painters wash your walls?
Most professional painters don’t wash walls. Why? Because it’s not part of their job description. Their job is to paint the walls. But did you know that if you, as a homeowner, do this, you can significantly cut the time needed to paint the wall? And less time painting means less money spent to pay for their services.
You have the option to take the DIY route when cleaning the walls. However, If you can’t do this yourself, you can always hire a home cleaner to get this job done for you.
When can you skip washing the walls?
Here’s a list of instances when you can skip washing the walls before you paint.
When can you wash the walls with soap and water?
As previously mentioned, most major paint manufacturers recommend that you clean the wall using mild detergent and water before proceeding with the paint job. Even though modern paints are designed to adhere well to the surface, they will do so if the wall is smooth and clean.
The first thing you need to do is get rid of cobwebs and dust bunnies. You should use a detergent and water to clean visibly dirty and dusty walls. Then, the trim and baseboards should be cleaned with a lightly moist cloth. Next, vacuum any areas near the walls.
Mix warm water and mild detergent in a bucket. Start wiping down the wall using a damp sponge dipped in the cleaning solution. After washing, rinse the walls carefully using clean water and a damp sponge.
You should clean the walls with trisodium phosphate if it’s filled with oils and grease. TSP is also ideal for lightly etching the surface as preparation for applying a high gloss paint finish.
Painting the exterior of your home will beautify and increase the house's value. Also, repainting will prolong the structure as it will protect it from wear and damage that will affect the exterior properties of the house over time. Therefore, homeowners should invest in painting the exterior of their homes, and they should consider top agencies to ensure quality works that will protect their structures.
As one of the top agencies in the industry, APA Painters and Decorators are not only providing painting services but consultation on the best materials and how to get the best exterior paintings. You do not want to waste funds on painting your exterior without getting the desirable results, and that is why we are providing you with tips that work.
Wash dirt off your wall
Before you paint the exterior, you should get rid of dirt and dust, which would have accumulated over time. It would be best if you understood that the exterior is the most exposed place of the house to external factors, and they get all the beatings from rain, dust, sun and other weather factors. Thus, over time, the paints wear off, and before repainting to increase the value of the home and protect your wall, it is only right your pressure wash the wall using a pressure washer. After the pressure wash, leave the wall for some time to dry off before you start painting to get clean work and prevent dust from ruining your work.
Fix up damaged surfaces before you paint
Go to the entire perimeter of the external wall, check for damaged surfaces, and fix them up. You have to fill them for cracked walls, and for broken wood or glass, you will have to replace them. Painting over a damaged surface will mar your work and expose the wall to a greater risk of damage, and these damages will likely expand and widen. Get them fixed and paint to protect the entirety of the wall and improve the value of your home
Remove loose paints from the wall
Painting is a skill, and ensuring neat work goes beyond using the right colours but managing the wall appropriately, especially for repainting work. Losing paints on the wall ruin the quality of jobs when you paint over them. Also, painting over loose paintings will make the walls vulnerable to cracks, exposing the previous paints and defacing the walls. You do not want your walls to have different shades of your preferred colours, so you should check for and remove loose paintings before you repaint your walls. Go round the exterior walls and remove loose paintings with a paint scraper of medium grits sanding block
Protect doors, windows and light from paint stains
At APA Painters and Decorators, we ensure that all external items are covered with plastic bags to prevent paint slips from staining them. It is better to avoid these items from paint stains than clean them up. Wrapping these items will also reduce the workload of cleaning them up after painting.
Determine the suitable exterior paints
It would be best if you understood that there are different paints; while some may be suitable for exterior painting jobs because they can withstand external conditions, other paints will wear off quickly. Also, exterior colours dry up faster and can prevent the buildup of moulds on the walls. This is where you will need the services of professionals for consultation, as the painting of your external wall goes beyond your best colours but getting a suitable exterior paint.
Mind the weather when painting
The weather is another factor to consider when you want to paint your exterior wall. It is usually best to do the painting during the summer or on a day when the sun is at its highest. This period will ensure quick drying of the walls and avoid circumstances when the rain will ruin the work, a colossal waste. And the sun will help the pigment of the paint settle in as the solvent evaporates faster, leaving behind a solid job.
At APA Painters and Decorators, we have experienced professionals to ensure you get the best services. For proper management, always consider repainting the exterior after a period to protect and prolong the span of your house.
Painting is a form of art. In fact, to some people, painting is life. People paint for different reasons; it could be the professional painters who paint for a fee, or it could just be that regular guy or lady that just loves to paint. Whatever the reason for painting, one has to be sure they preserve the painting tools. Painting tools are not usually so cheap, and even high-quality tools are difficult to come by. So if you have the right painting tools, it would do you a whole lot of good to prolong the life of these tools, so you do not have to get another set too soon while you enjoy the benefits and advantages of quality painting tools.
To get the best out of your painting job, you need to use top quality tools. With the right type of care, one can be sure that the rollers, brushes, and other painting supplies are ready for use the next time.
When we talk about quality painting, few people do it better than APA Painters and Decorators. As professional painters, it is their job to make sure that your interior and exterior painting needs and decorations are met. So as professionals, we will be discussing some ways we have been able to preserve our painting tools to give you the best quality of service over time. Some of these great tips are;
Ensure that the brushes and roller frames are preserved: Many painters are of the impression that the rollers and brushes covers are the only things to be cleaned after painting. That is not true, as the frames need to be cleaned as well. As soon as you are done painting, remove the roller or brush cover from its frame to prevent it from sticking and then clean thoroughly. This is easy if your tools are of higher quality. APA Painters and Decorators use products of top quality, one reason to contact them.
Make use of tray liners: Instead of buying new trays for your paint rollers, you can always buy a good number of plastic tray liners to help you carry out your painting effectively.
Clean your brushes and rollers the right way: If you do this right, your brushes and rollers will last a few more years. Upon finishing a painting job, remove as much paint as possible and then use a rag to wipe out what is left. Soak the rag with the right solvent (in this case, water for latex or paint thinner for alkyd) and wipe its bristles thoroughly again. Then, rinse the brush in water and wipe again.
Try to always soften stiff brushes and rollers: Even after washing and drying paintbrushes, they may still become stiff being dried. Soaking it in a solution of hair conditioner and warm water will do the trick. You wouldn't want your paintbrush stiff when you want to use it, would you?
Keep the stir sticks properly: It is improper and hazardous to not have one stir stick in hand when you want to use it. To avoid this, simply wipe the stir sticks after using them. The dried film of oil paint remaining on the stick won't affect the next stir.
Freeze rollers after proper wrapping: It is possible to clean a paint roller after use, even if it may be a little demanding. However, if you plan to use the same colour to continue your painting shortly, you might want to reuse the roller without cleaning. Simply squeeze the excess paint into its can, wrap the roller in aluminium or plastic foil, and store it in a freezer. This will make the roller useful for many days. It works perfectly for rollers or brushes used with latex or oil paints.
Store your brushes in their jackets: Buying quality tools like paintbrushes means it comes in a cardboard jacket. Upon its first use, try not to throw away the jacket as it may prove useful in preserving and storing the brush. If the paintbrush has become hardened with oil-based paint, wash it with vinegar and rinse with water, then sun-dry.
Conclusion.
There you have it; tips to prolong the life of your room painting tools. If you require professional painting and decoration, you can always contact APA Painters and Decorators. You will be glad you did.
Although depending on a professional designer to decorate your place is the easiest way to obtain excellent interior, many people decide to tackle the task alone. While there is nothing wrong with having faith in your own creativity, you should know the job requires more than relying solely on your imagination. As a non-expert designer, you can make mistakes that are sometimes difficult to fix. Continue reading, so that you can discover which are the greatest renovation mistakes amateurs often make and make sure you don’t let them happen:
Making any of these mistakes would leave you far away from your dream design. Make sure that you have a good plan and always look for a peaceful, yet practical design for your place.
Are you dreaming of adding extra comfort to your place by escaping from these pale, unwelcoming walls you see every day? If that’s the case, you probably think about refreshing your home by painting the rooms in beautiful, modern shades. Simple as the task may seem, it requires that you deal with a few things before grabbing the brush and start with the real job. Don’t rush into painting without completing these important steps. You can achieve great results and be proud of your amazing interior, as soon as you are ready with:
All of these five steps are equally crucial for a rewarding painting job. Follow them in the exact order for an outstanding home interior.
Painting is probably one of the most popular DIY jobs that people initiate without the help of professionals. And while it is not an overly complex task, it does require a little planning and careful consideration. If you are not careful, you may end up making some of the most common mistakes with painting, which will jeopardise the final result. In this guide, we will take a look at what you should consider the next time you grab a brush and paint. Let’s begin.
Knowing how to avoid all of these mistakes will ensure that you make the most of your paint and see the project to successful completion.
Painting is probably one of the most popular DIY jobs that people initiate without the help of professionals. And while it is not an overly complex task, it does require a little planning and careful consideration. If you are not careful, you may end up making some of the most common mistakes with painting, which will jeopardise the final result. In this guide, we will take a look at what you should consider the next time you grab a brush and paint. Let’s begin.
Knowing how to avoid all of these mistakes will ensure that you make the most of your paint and see the project to successful completion.