Painting Do-It-Yourself For Dummies (Do-It-Yourself for Dummies)

Painting Do-It-Yourself For Dummies (Do-It-Yourself for Dummies)
By Katharine Kaye McMillan, Patricia Hart McMillan

Publisher: For Dummies
Number Of Pages: 212
Publication Date: 2007-11-28
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0470175338
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780470175330
Binding: Paperback

A full-color do-it-yourself guide that walks people step by step through painting and papering projects

Painting & Papering Do-It-Yourself For Dummies gives do-it-yourselfers all the information and advice they need to take on the most common painting and papering projects and fixes. From obtaining the right tools and selecting the right colors and styles to priming and prepping walls, ceilings, and floors, this colorful guide, which features over 40 projects, walks readers through each and every step, accompanied by a color photo or illustration. This book also covers various finishings (faux, sponging, colorwashing), borders, papering walls, matching textures and patterns, and making repairs and touch-ups.

Summary: Perfect to get beyond slopping paint on a wall...
Rating: 5

Painting Do-It-Yourself For Dummies by Katharine Kay McMillan, PhD and Patricia Hart McMillan is one of those books that you probably look at and say, "I already know how to paint a wall!." But if you're anything like me (and I hope not for your sake), your skill in doing more than slopping paint around is not all it could be. This book uses the traditional Dummies style to show both the basics and a number of techniques you may never have considered in your decorating plans. My wife and I will be trying some of these out this summer as we gear up for some bigger redecorating chores.

Contents:
Part 1 - Preparing for Your Painting Project: Gathering What You Need; Readying Your Room and Surface; Making Necessary Wall Repairs; Brushing Up on Painting Basics
Part 2 - Painting Walls Like a Pro: Faux Finishes with Shapes and Patterns; Faux Finishes Using Glaze; More Fun Decorative Techniques
Part 3 - Covering Other Areas of Your Home: Coating Ceilings and Floors; Turning Your Brush to Trim, Windows, and Doors
Part 4 - The Part of Tens: Ten Tips for a Practically Perfect Paint Job; Ten Tips for Picking the Best Color
Index

The first part covers all those things about painting that seems to take all the time and are no fun at all... the prep work. Tools are explained, as well as how to properly prepare the surfaces for painting and how to make the necessary repairs involving those gouges and cracks that tend to occur over time. Even though you've done all these things before if you've painted, it's a good refresher on just why it's important and what you gain by doing it correctly. Then it's on to the fun stuff... actually putting paint on the wall! The authors show you, complete with plenty of pictures, how to try some of the things that you usually only see in houses that have decorators on hand. There's horizontal and vertical striping, clouds, color blocking, and tone-on-tone checkerboarding. They are very striking techniques, and obviously would not work in every room in every house. Still, it'll give you ideas you may have never had the courage to contemplate before. Personally, I was most excited about the glaze and texture ideas. If I can talk my wife into it, I'd really like to try the painted tissue wallpaper. Texture for the wall, coverage for the lathe/plaster cracks and irregularities, and something really "different". The part on covering other surfaces is not quite as long or perhaps exciting, but again you'll get the proper technique for doing things so that the results come out looking professional.

This is one of the few books I sat my wife down and went through with her. While we might not agree on actual colors and styles, we at least had a shared perspective that was more than her giving ideas and me saying "whatever". I look forward to actually painting a room or two this year (did I actually write that?), and this book will help me improve the outcome dramatically.