When your home is for sale, it is now a product that needs to attract the largest number of buyers. The walls, along with the floors, are the bones of a house and must be in good condition and have a neutral appearance in order to do attract the largest number of buyers.
- People are heavily influenced by color and it is difficult for buyers to look past dark purple or other strong colors on the walls.
- Paint is an inexpensive but effective way to redecorate a room. You can update a kitchen or bathroom, make a small room appear larger, and make architectural details, such as moldings or built-ins, pop.
- Dirty, scratched walls and peeling paint scare off shoppers.
- Potential buyers will be thinking about how they should take the time and spend the money to repaint; or even worse, thinking ‘I don’t want to buy this place’.
- Picture does it they cost money in both labor and materials, but their benefits far outweigh their cost. Even if the buyer is willing to make an offer, you can bet it will be less than asking for compensation for the paint job you will have to do.
Paint glitters (all Benjamin Moore Regal)
Follow these guidelines to choose paint finishes:
Flat – good for ceilings (use Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White). It can also be used for walls if the walls have a lot of imperfections, as these would be more noticeable when painted in gloss or gloss. However, matte paint is more difficult to clean than gloss or gloss paint.
Eggshell Good for bedrooms and living rooms and dining rooms. Highly washable, durable and stain resistant.
Mate – good for busy areas like hallways and children’s rooms as it is a matte but highly stain resistant and durable paint.
Pearl – Good for hallways, kitchen and bathroom walls, and children’s rooms as it is very durable and can withstand repeated washings.
Semi bright – Good for moldings and doors, and also kitchen and bathrooms. It is very durable, scrubbable and washable. Use a color from the white family to make the ornaments pop.
If you prefer to choose a finish for the walls in all rooms, Eggshell is recommended.
Paint colors
Before you buy paint, test a sample on the wall. Benjamin Moore now sells small jars of the most popular colors or invests in the purchase of a quart. If the wall is dark in color, hold up a white sheet of paper next to your sample. Look at your painted sample at different times of the day to see if it changes color with lighting.
When painting a house that is for sale, it is best to stick to neutral colors. And that does not mean white, as it is very raw and cold. It also doesn’t mean it has to be a variation of off-white or beige, but it can be a certain shade of green, blue, brown, gold, or earthy red.
If you want to “play it safe”, the following is a list of colors that are in the off-white or beige category.
Neutral paint colors recommended for walls
- Natural wicker (OC-1)
- Elephant Tusk (OC-8)
- Muslin (OC-12)
- Cedar Key (OC-16)
- Collingwood (OC-28)
- Beige Tapestry (OC-32)
- Misty Air (OC-44)
- Foggy Skies (OC-48)
- Soft cream (OC-96)
- Pale celery (OC-116)
- Celery salt (OC-136)
- Shelburne upgrade (HC-28)
- Edgecombe gray (HC-173)
- Manchester Tan (HC-81)
- Rich cream (2153-60)
Note: All Benjamin Moore
Do you have a favorite neutral color that you wear or recommend? I would love to add them to my list.
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