Don’t paint yourself into a corner

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When I became a homeowner, my priorities took a sudden turn for the mundane.

I used to want to paint the town red. Now I get excited about painting my living room red. Merlot Red, to be exact.

ShopGuy and I have different paint philosophies. I pick by color, he picks by name. We’ve gotten into heated debates over such shades as Buxton Blue and Stolen Moments. The latter won out, and I spent the better part of my vacation shacking up with Benjamin Moore in the guest room.

But let’s leave my private life out of this.

Once upon a time, before everyone and their brother developed paint collections (I’m waiting for the Queer Eye line), things were simple. You went to your local hardware store and picked up a gallon of white or – if you were feeling really adventurous – off-white paint. The truly bold opted for Navajo White.

Today, the choices are limitless – from Martha Stewart’s bright, light Pea Shoot at Sherwin-Williams, to Behr’s more demure Geranium Leaf, or my pal Benjamin Moore’s classic Seacliff Heights. And these are just the greens. I haven’t even touched the faux finishes yet.

With so many paint options out there, it’s hard to choose a color and so easy to go wrong. A friend of mine has painted his bathroom twice in two years, and he’s been agonizing over a living room for at least a year. And while it’s easier and cheaper to paint over a botched job than to rewallpaper an entire room, time is time and – as every savvy shopper knows – money is money.

The new painting innovations that have graced the market recently could save you time, effort, and the psychological strain of spending 10 years with a bad color, not to mention up to $30 a gallon.

Of course, I recently wasted an hour in front of the Behr Smart Color computer at The Home Depot. Pick a color, pick a room and voila! You can see how Primrose Bouquet or Blooming Aster will look in a living room similar to yours, pick contrasting colors and print out the whole shebang. If you want to know how a color will look in your own bedroom or kitchen, you can pick a CD-ROM (Glidden and Benjamin Moore both sell them), scan in or upload a picture of said room, and virtually paint your world. The only downside to this technology is the colors aren’t 100 percent accurate, because monitors and printer colors vary.

Still, that didn’t stop me from looking up Stolen Moments on BenjaminMoore.com – it looked pretty close to my guest room, although I couldn’t paint the floor Misted Fern as I had hoped. Oh well, it’s free.

For those of you want the real deal, check out Benjamin Moore’s Color Samples, which give you just enough paint to cover a 2-by-2-foot swatch of wall. That way, you’ll know whether or not Semolina is right for you, and if it isn’t, you’ll only have spent $3.49. The samples aren’t available at all Benjamin Moore dealers yet, so you should call first. Ralph Lauren has also introduced Color Testers for $3.99 apiece.

And the swatches have gotten bigger and better, as well. Martha Stewart Signature swatches at Sherwin-Williams have holes in the middle that you can punch out to see how Cupcake or Bluebird will meld with your wallpaper, textiles or flooring. Most paint dealers offer chip cards with coordinating color schemes for individual rooms or period houses, which eliminates some of the guesswork. California Paints, which makes the gorgeous Historical Colors of America collection, even offers giant paint sheets (11.5-by-13 inches) to give you a better idea of how a color will really look on your wall. Though Penobscot Paint in Bangor sells California Paints, the closest dealer with the large chips is Paint Pot in Portland.

I think my favorite innovation is Glidden’s new ceiling paint, which goes on pink but dries white. I only wish I had known about it sooner. I spent what felt like days painting, repainting and touching up the infinitesimal ceiling in the guest room, only to find that I missed a spot – or 20 – when it dried. Live and learn, right?

As for faux painting techniques, it’s all I can do to get my walls painted the regular way, without the added labor of brushing, rolling, ragging, sponging or carding. If I were to invest the energy, I’d do Ralph Lauren’s denim technique, which requires glaze (around $20), a metal tool that resembles a very expensive pastry cutter (about $22), and a fair amount of patience.

And what about all these designer paints? Are they worth the extra money? It depends. Most of them are made by other manufacturers, so you’re really paying for the name. Is it worth it? Well, my friend Emily didn’t think so. She took a certain chi-chi label’s chips to the Home Depot, scanned them into a colormatch computer and got the same shades for about $10 less a gallon.

But name brands aside, in paint, as with anything you don’t buy on clearance, you get what you pay for – pigment, coverage and durability. As a rule of thumb, less expensive paints require more coats for even coverage. Novelty paints, such as metallics, glazes, and textural elements, add to the cost of a finish, but not necessarily the quality. I’m a Benjamin Moore gal – I consider it the Coach bag of paints – classic, durable and, at $30 a gallon, a bit more expensive than other brands, but worth every penny. Of course, there are Louis Vuittons out there, too, such as the Fine Paints of Europe collection, but those are way out of my range.

That’s not to say you can’t get perfectly fabulous shades at a discount. ShopGuy and I recently scarfed up Benjamin Moore primer and white Pittsburgh enamel for trim at Mardens for practically nothing. You can pick up cans of oops! paints at the Home Depot for as little as $1. And Park’s Hardware in Orono has a limited selection of Benjamin Moore exterior paint shades for $9.99.

Of course, even the good brands have their bad days. There’s no way Macaroni & Cheese is going on my wall, unless I slip and fall with a bowl full of Kraft dinner.

Reader question

Hello Kristen,

I just read your article and I think it is cool letting us know where good deals are! I am a college student and just wanted to find myself a few winter jackets and warm clothes. I am at South Hadley, Mass., and so I usually go to the Holyoke Mall.

Which shops have great deals for winter stuff?

I would really much appreciate your response to this.

Thanks,

Dee

Hi, Dee

Thank you so much for writing!

I haven’t seen any real winter jackets yet, but fall jackets and warm-weather clothes are everywhere right now. I just checked out the Holyoke Mall Web site and I’m so jealous!

I think Old Navy and Target would be your best bets for inexpensive, cute fall clothes. I really like the corduroy jackets, the wrap sweaters and the three-quarter sleeve cardigans at Old Navy, and they cost around $20 each, except for the blazer, which costs $26.50. Also, not sure what your style is like (If you’re in college, I’m about 10 years older than you), but the boucle jackets at Target are adorable. Also, have you tried Forever 21 and H&M? If we had either of those here, that’s where I’d shop all the time.

I don’t know if you have a Kmart nearby, but they just revamped their clothing lines and the stuff is cute, and SUPER cheap. Also, not so cheap but to die for are the boatneck glamour-girl sweaters at Banana Republic, which cost $68 right now. Love the green.

I hope this helps! Good luck in school!

ShopGirl would love to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions by e-mail to: kandresen@bangordailynews.net, by U.S. mail to: Kristen Andresen, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329, or by fax to: 941-9476. Tune in to ShopGirl at 5 p.m. Fridays on WLBZ-2.