Americans love to paint. Each year they buy an average of 2.3 gallons of paint. A 2007 Environmental Protection Agency study estimates that about 10% of the house paint purchased annually ends up as leftover or unused. In Oregon and Washington State about 2.322 million gallons of paint is leftover annually. A study spearheaded by the nonprofit Product Stewardship Institute finds that people will hold their leftover paint for about seven years before they dispose of it through municipal household... more

Our tastes change over time; the floral motif wallpaper in the family room seems out-of-date, and the kids have outgrown the wallpaper with zoo animals in their bedrooms. Paint can revitalize these rooms but what about the wallpaper? Ask a room full of people and some will say, “Paint over the wallpaper. I’ve done it lots of times.” Others will say, “Painting over wallpaper is asking for a disaster.” Both thoughts are correct. It depends on the condition of the wallpaper, the type of wallpaper,... more

Using the right brush for a painting project makes the work go easier and faster. A premium brush will even make the painted surface look better and last longer. Quality brushes are an investment. They are not going to be found in the dollar bins at hardware stores. Depending on the size of the brush expect to pay between $10 to $25 per brush. The good news is that most painting jobs — including painting a house — usually can be done with about three brushes, and with care they can last for years. Natural... more

Several companies manufacture rubber roofs from recycled tires. These products are durable (many come with 50-year warranties), as well as fire and wind resistant. Metal Roofing With a long life, metal roofs keep composite material out of our landfills. Also 100% of the material used is recyclable. Solar-Powered Attic Fan Make your home more energy effcient and save money too. Attic fans operate by solar power from sunrise to sunset at no extra cost. It’s possible to reduce the workload on... more

Color, color everywhere: that’s the feeling customers get when they walk into a paint store and are surrounded by sample paint chips and cards. Dan Saunders, Marketing Coordinator for Miller Paint, explains, “A 14-foot wall display at a Miller paint store will offer 1400 colors to take home and study for free.” When it comes to painting, most of us are in love with paint cards. We grab them by the handful from every display we see. Todd Braden, Vice-President of Marketing for Rodda Paint, estimates... more

When mid-century modern houses were built in the 1950s and 1960s, the most striking feature of their interior was usually their open and flowing floor plan. Living room spaces flowed into the dining room, which flowed into the kitchen. A vaulted ceiling over it all really did make the core of the house one big “great room.” This was, after all, the era of “togetherness.” If the ceiling was vaulted,... more

A common reason for re-painting is the desire for a fresh, clean surface. But simple repainting will not remedy the most common cause of paint discoloration: mildew. Mildew is the common name used to describe mold and its discoloration, which often appears as black, green, or brown fuzzy, powdery, or slimy patches. Since mold is a parasitic fungus its web-like body can eat through and into porous painted surfaces.... more

While white reflects all the colors in the spectrum it isn’t a color but remains the most widely used interior hue. Painting a room white was once an easy decision but today paint companies offer thousands of shades of white. There is no such thing as “just” white paint. Think of the difference between matte white linen and bright white silk or the difference between a creamy rose bloom or a blushing... more