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Pat Sullivan: Indoor painting done right

January offers homeowners a perfect window to refresh a room or two with a new coat of paint.

INDIANAPOLIS — A perfect cost-effective indoor project for a winter day that adds to the atmosphere of a home is a new coat of paint.

Pat Sullivan from Sullivan Hardware and Garden said, "One thing that you can do to the inside of your home that is the least expensive and will give you the biggest impact is a new coat of paint."

First, if you can't afford an interior decorator, just use the pamphlets from paint companies to pick colors from the curated palettes of complementary hues that best fit your home.

Sullivan refers to it as mannequin shopping. "You go to the store. You see what the mannequin is wearing," he said, relating picking out paint the same way you buy clothes.

Every paint company aggregates complimentary colors for walls and trim in their pamphlets.

If you aren't sure how the color from a chip will look on your wall, buy a small sample can of the paint and apply that to your wall. Make sure you see how the paint looks at different times of the day in natural and artificial light. Then you can invest more confidently in a gallon or more of the color.

Prep the wall as best you can with a good primer to hide any stains before you cover it with new paint.

Choosing the right finish can also enhance how your new color looks on your wall. Flat finishes show fewer imperfections on walls that have been patched or dented. Eggshell or semi-gloss finishes are better for bathrooms because they resist water spotting.

A good rule is to use flatter finishes for walls, and more glossy finishes for doors and trim.

If you invest in high-quality paint, consider spending a little more on your brushes and rollers, too.

Credit: WTHR
Choosing a wall color from a paint chip display can be overwhelming to some.

And when you apply the paint, try to finish each area of the wall or ceiling by pulling the last roller pass in the same direction. Doing so keeps the knap lines left by the roller consistent and ensures a more even finish.

Watch Sullivan's full Sunrise segment in the video player.

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