Laundry Room Getting You Down? Time To Break Out The Paint!

drab laundry room

One of the rooms most often passed over when it comes time to remodel is the laundry room (unless you’ve got a show box sized laundry room). It’s relatively unvisited by strangers, unless you’ve got a really fancy one. And everytime you visit this room it’s just to load dirty laundry, move laundry to the drier, fold laundry, hang laundry, etc. So why bother putting much effort, or thought into the perfect paint colour for your laundry room?

You have to choose some colour for this room, but leaving it good old “contractor white” is usually never a good idea. So, do you use some leftover paints from one of your other rooms? Do you delve into colour psychology in an attempt to brainwash your significant other to handle all the laundry room chores? Or, perhaps you can find a colour that’ll fill you with bliss in an attempt to make the doing the chores more enjoyable? Goodluck! The truth is that you can do more with your laundry room than just leave it the boring, stale, lifeless husk this room tends to be.

It’s common to find many laundry rooms using the standard neutral adorning the rest of the home. So, what are your options? Generally you’ll want to stick to some sort of a neutral colour but simply add some spark to the room. For instance, take a look at your floor and find a paint colour that’ll go with the styling of your floor is a great way to pull the room together. Most laundry room appliances will be black or white based colour schemes and will go with just about anything. So consider choosing a colour that matches your countertop, this is another way to tie the room together. If this is still putting you to sleep, you can try a cool coastal colour. Consider a light blue or soothing green which tend to be very soft and relaxing, the perfect balance to monotonous boring chores.

If you’re looking for a more dramatic experience with your laundry, brown is definitely a great place to start. Most browns will go with your standard cabinetry, counter top, and run of the mill appliance colour schemes. Brown is a great colour since it plays well with others but still has enough presence to make a statement, also it will do a good job to cover up any bumps and scuffs which inevitably happen during your standard laundry room adventure.

Now, if these colour schemes still aren’t tickling your fancy, it’s time to get more serious. You might want to try a bright, bold, or vivid paint colour. Make sure you pick something that does not stand out incredibly from the rest of your home, if you’re keen on maintaining a harmonious look that is. If in doubt it’s not a bad idea to consult a professional.

In the end, spending a bit of time considering how you want your laundry room to look can really help improve the look of your home. You will end up spending a considerable amount of your time in this room, often simply doing chores, so ensuring that it looks it’s best will help to improve the quality of your life substantially.

3 Signs Your Home Is In Desperate Need Of A Paint Job

beautiful home in toronto after maintenance

As we head into the fall, our houses need to be in the best shape to fight off the cold and wind. After all, this is our solace from the winter winds, or protection from the spring showers. But while most of our homes will literally stand up to the elements, that doesn’t mean they’ll keep us comfortable. Exterior walls can sometimes crack and leak and a small repair coupled with a new coat of paint can often be the best way to protect our homes and ourselves from whatever winter has in store. So how can you tell if your home needs a new paint job? Here are three telling signs you’re in need of, at a minimum, a fresh coat of paint.

1. Cracked Stucco
Back in the day, stucco was marketed as the invincible siding that would stay resilient until the end of days. This is a little bit untrue, however, and even stucco will need some attention as it gets older, especially as many homes built during the “Stucco Boom” are reaching 20-30 years old. If you see cracks forming in your stucco, you’ll want to paint it to protect your home’s frame from the dangerous elements. Sorry, stucco isn’t the be all and end all of home siding. It may need some tender loving care after a couple of decades. Fresh paint can seal up those cracks and make your home waterproof once more, for less money and time than you might think.

2. Dry Rot
If you notice some beams on your home are looking a little strange in shape or size, you may be staring at dry rot, a way your home can start to decay from the inside out. Dry rot is very dangerous and needs to be taken seriously. It can spread to other parts of your home, causing structural damage on top of leaving your home vulnerable to water damage. The best way to take control of the situation is to waterproof your home’s exterior with a new paint job.

3. Flaking paint
When paint no longer wants to stick where it always was, you have some serious moisture issues. Water can leak through paint and cause serious structural damage, but it will first take away paint. Bulges, flaking, and bubbles are all signs that your home is no longer water-tight. A fresh coat of paint and some washing off of old paint can do wonders for your home’s exterior, though. So inspect your home carefully before it gets cold and paint wherever it’s needed.

Our homes protect us from the rain, the cold, the snow, and whatever else our Canadian climate throws at us, but it needs protecting as well. Exterior maintenance is an important part of any homeowners autumn checklist and checking for signs of exterior wear and tear is an essential part of that list. Look for signs of dry rot and water damage and treat your home to a new coat of paint.