The Washington Post - 29.08.2019

the washington post

.

thursday, august

29

,

2019

DC

6

Abby Hesketh,

paint product

manager at

Graham &

Brown, an

English wall­

paper and

paint design

company,

joined staff

writer Jura Koncius last week for

our Home Front online chat.

Here is an edited excerpt.

Q: What do you think of

temporary wallpaper? How do

you prepare your walls for paint,

and will my walls be destroyed

when I remove the temporary

wallpaper?

A: Wallpaper doesn’t need to be

scary or problematic. Graham &

Brown products are paste-the-

wall, which make application

and removal easy. In terms of

prepping for paint after

wallpaper, stick to these steps:

1. Repair any blemishes/holes
   on your walls and then sand
   down to ensure a flat, even
   surface. Wipe down after to
   remove any dust/residue.


2. Wash down your walls with
   sugar soap according to the
   product instructions.


3. Prep the walls with either a
   wall primer or a misting coat of
   the same color you plan use (use
   a 60-to-40 paint-to-water ratio)


4. Use a high-quality, thick-
   pile roller to apply two coats of
   paint (ensuring you always keep
   a wet edge and leaving adequate
   drying time in between coats).
   Always finish off the wall by
   rolling the brush/roller the same
   way for the final stroke.

Q: What’s the best liquid to clean

walls?

A: Sugar soap, a cleaning agent

decorators use to create an ideal

surface for painting, is the best

product for prepping walls and is

available online. Warm water

with dish detergent and a soft

cloth will also work.

Q: What’s the best way to hang

art on wallpapered walls, and

what should we consider when

selecting art?

A: You need to consider color,

style and whether you have a

theme in the room. Add

dimension to the space by using

varied wall-art finishes and

textures. Play around with styles;

though classical art can

complement a traditional space,

try using a framed, modern,

hand-finished piece to bring a

fresh look to your room. Don’t be

afraid to inject style and color

with wall art, and choose

complementary colors to your

wallpaper. Metal art products

are also great to complement

many wallpaper styles.

Q: Our small stucco beach

cottage in Santa Barbara, Calif.,

was pink at one point, but the

color no longer works because

it’s surrounded by gray cottages.

We’re thinking of a gray-white

color for the exterior with a gray

front door and a gray garage

door. What other colors should

we consider for the house?

A: A combination of soft neutrals

would work well with the gray

cottages around you while giving

your place a point of difference.

Ta upe tones are a beautiful

natural palette that never dates.

Have a look at our website; I’d

recommend Ta upe Twist,

Samantha or Dorian Grey.

Q: I’d like to paint the rooms on

my first floor different colors but

retain a unified, harmonious

look within the house. How can I

achieve that?

A: Here’s how I tie color schemes

together:

1. Skirting boards
   (baseboards) are a dream for
   continuity. Paint them a shade
   and tone that complements the
   other colors throughout your
   home and you have a fail-safe
   way to avoid the disjointed
   feeling that color blocking can
   sometimes give.


2. Accessories — cushions,
   photo frames, furniture, you
   name it. Any home accessory can
   be a great tool for adding color to
   rooms to help tie in schemes as
   you move through the house. For
   example, if I had a wall in my
   bedroom painted in our Eva
   paint (a dark, luxurious green)
   but my living room had more
   neutral tones, I may paint a
   photo frame in Eva and have the
   green tones running through
   some cushions. I would then
   complement both color
   combinations with pieces of
   dusky pink in the living room
   and the bedroom. It’s a great way
   of subtly matching colors
   together and keeping fluidity.


3. Wall art: Abstract wall art in
   complementing color tones can
   do the trick.

Q: I have an older wooden buffet

with a hutch that displays

dinnerware. The shelves on the

sides also have glass fronts. I’d

like to add a beautiful nature-

themed paper — birds, flowers,

etc. — to the back of the shelves

to lighten up the heavy look of

the dark wood. Any tips for the

paper and applying it? I’d also

like to paper a small powder

room that has wainscot about

40 inches high. Would a bold

look in both places be too much?

A: Our Amalfi White wallpaper

is perfect for your buffet. The

colors within the paper would

work well with the dark wood.

You can apply using a good-

quality wallpaper adhesive, but

lightly sand the surface

beforehand. Have fun with your

powder room — it’s a place

where you can be bolder with

pattern. Use wallpaper above

your wainscot, and paint the

wainscot in a color that matches

the background color of the

wallpaper.

Q: What’s the simplest way to

remove wallpaper? The wall has

cracks in it from when we

bought the house, but they’re

superficial and not structural.

A: If the wallpaper is “paste-the-

wall,” r emove the paper dry from

the wall by peeling it off in one

piece. All the Graham & Brown

branded wallpapers are paste-

the-wall. If it is paste-the-paper

(the traditional specification) the

best way is to steam it. You can

purchase wallpaper steamers at

most hardware stores.

Q: My sofa is a deep green with a

gold pattern. It’s time for a new

paint job, but I’m having a hard

time choosing a color. The walls

are a warm mustard color right

now. What would you suggest?

A: Deep green is my favorite

color at the moment, especially

paired with gold. We have a

gorgeous paint color called

Canvas; it’s a muted pink with

warm undertones, which is

beautiful with gold and green. If

this isn’t right for you and you

fancy a bold look, our Rhapsody

paint is a dark navy and would

look moody and interesting.

Q: What is the best paint finish

for a kitchen?

A: Kitchens are messy and busy

and the center of a household —

well, mine is. So I’d always go for

a paint that can be easily wiped

without lifting any of the color

from the walls — especially if

you’re using a bright or deep

color. Tr y to look for paints that

have specific ingredients good

for kitchens: low mold or dirt

buildup. I would always go for a

water-based paint, too. Our

Resistance Paint is fantastic for

kitchens and resists grease, dirt

or mold buildup while still being

easy to clean.

Q: I’ve downsized to a smaller

space. Both the living area and

the dining space are one room,

and about 20 percent of room

contains the kitchen. The

kitchen opens to the living and

dining room with a slight

proscenium wall to separate the

spaces. Since the place is small, I

painted it all the same color. I’m

considering painting the

proscenium wall a slightly

darker version of the same color.

Will this make the room look

smaller or larger, and do you

have any ideas to address a small

space?

A: Personally, I always keep

smaller rooms as bright and airy

as possible, because dark colors

could close the room off and

make it feel smaller. Instead of a

darker tone, have you thought

about a contrasting smaller piece

of bright color? This would help

to reflect light and give an airier

feel to the room. Another tip is to

paint the ceiling the same color

as the walls rather than a

standard white emulsion.

Painting the ceiling white creates

a natural cut off for the eye,

whereas if you continue a color

over the ceiling, it can play a

trick and remove that cut-off

point.

Q: We’ve painted all the main-

floor walls in our open-concept

home a light gray with white

trim, but I’d like to do something

a little more interesting in the

basement. We have some navy

and light blue paint and decor in

other rooms of the house. There’s

also a chair rail and picture

frame molding in the basement,

so we could paint the upper and

lower wall different colors. I’m

not particularly interested in

wallpaper. Do you have any ideas

for fun paint?

A: Color blocking using chair

rails is a great idea for an easy

way to create a playfulness

within a room. You could

continue the blue tones but paint

the lower wall navy, upper wall a

light blue and the chair rail itself

in the white or gray of your main

walls or trim. This would ensure

the whole house ties together.

You could then introduce

different colors by adding bright

furniture and picture frames.

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 Also at washingtonpost.com

Read the rest of this transcript and

submit questions to the next chat,

Thursday at 11 a.m., at

live.washingtonpost.com.

LIVE Q&A

Graham & Brown’s Abby Hesketh on livening up your walls

Home

Abby Hesketh

GRAHAM & BROWN

The bold colors in Graham & Brown’s Amalfi White wallpaper are

perfect for brightening up a space.