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Pat Sullivan's interior painting tips

No project refreshes a room more than a fresh coat of paint.

INDIANAPOLIS — Winter days that keep us inside are a great time to tackle indoor projects. And painting a room can be an excellent DIY task that will provide immediate impact.

No project refreshes a room more than a fresh coat of paint.

But picking the right color and shade for your room can be daunting for some people when they see the wall of paint chips with all the gradient shades of blues, browns, grays and other colors.

In his weekly installment on 13Sunrise, Pat from Sullivan Hardware and Garden shared how to navigate the paint wall and how to choose the best products for your job.

First, instead of contracting 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.

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.

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.

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

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 Pat's 13Sunrise segment in the video player.

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