Choosing paint colors can be overwhelming, and it’s SO easy to pick the wrong ones, even if you are just looking for the right white! With thousands of colors to choose from, it’s easy to make a wrong move, so it’s a really good idea to get a color consultation from your local stager or designer.
A good color consultation will leave you with a staging-friendly paint color plan for all of the walls, ceilings, and trim, and for the exterior of your home as well. For a list of home stagers in your area, check out the Real Estate Staging Association website.
Six Simple Rules To Choosing Interior Paint Colors for Home Staging.
But if you’re not able to arrange for a color consultation, here are some things to consider when choosing your staging paint colors:
1. Avoid Strong and Dark Colors.
Stick with light, neutral colors for home staging.
2. Stick with Neutral Trends.
Research which neutrals are currently on trend by doing a quick online search. At the moment, whites, creams and off-whites are very popular for home design and they work great for home staging too.
3. Match The Undertones of Your Fixed Elements
Fixed elements are the parts of the room that you won’t be changing. So, in kitchens and bathrooms, choose paint colors that work with the undertones of your tiles, counters, and cabinets if you’re not changing them. If your backsplash and counters are tiles and stone that have green undertones, you’ll want to choose a light neutral that works with those green undertones.
In living and dining rooms, keep floor color in mind: if your wood floors have yellow undertones, you don’t want to choose a neutral paint color that has pink undertones. Choose a white or cream that has a very subtle matching undertone to the floors. Determining undertones can be very tricky for most people, so again, I recommend that you consult with someone that is trained with this if at all possible.
4. Don’t Complicate Matters Unnecessarily.
Keep things simple. The trim colors and the ceiling colors can often be the same throughout the home.
5. Color Flow.
Wall colors should flow from room to room and work with each other. When you hold the swatches of the paint colors for all of the rooms together, they should look nice together. No color should feel like it doesn’t belong with the others. The exception for this would be children’s bedrooms, but even there, it is better to keep them neutral and let the accessories add some color to the room.
6. Use Contrast to Showcase Selling Features.
7. Paint is not a selling feature, so in most cases, let it play a back seat. Having said that, it can be used for dramatic effect to highlight a selling feature. If you have a gorgeous fireplace or woodwork detailing that you want to stand out so that buyers notice it, choose contrasting neutrals so that those selling features stand out.
Wait, Before You Start!
Now that you know how to choose paint colors for your home staging, make sure you do a good job! Here are two key steps to painting like a pro.
1. Before painting, declutter and prepare your walls. Take down all of the existing nails and hooks, and patching the holes left behind. Home staging demands a less-is-more, depersonalized look so you’ll probably need to remove a lot of the photos and artwork when you style the room for staging, so take them out before you paint. Also remove old phone jacks, wiring, and cables that are no longer live.
2. Choose the correct paint sheens. Here is a guide that works for most homes.
- Woodwork and trim: semi-gloss.
- Ceilings: Flat or ceiling paint.
- Walls in kitchens and baths: Pearl.
- Walls in other rooms of the home: Eggshell—or Flat if the walls are in bad shape, you’re painting with a dark color, or the room is in a low-traffic area.
Want some more home staging tips? Check out my complete guide to home staging: Secrets of Home Staging: The Essential Guide to Getting Higher Offers Faster! https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Home-Staging-Essential-Getting/dp/1642505544/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=secrets+of+home+staging&qid=1613606776&sr=8-1
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