It may be a home's bottom level, but with the right colour combinations, basements can be transformed into a top choice for living spaces, says leading Canadian architectural paint brand PARA Paints.
Whether your basement is used as a family room, playroom, home theatre, gym, office, guest room or laundry area, all it takes is a small investment in paint to turn even the most dark and dingy space into beautiful surroundings.
The sky's the limit
Naturally dark, basements can be painted virtually any colour without having to worry about interference from natural light or reflections from windows. Bright or dramatic colour schemes using varying shades of red, blue, yellow, orange or green will add character to any basement. Before making your final colour choice, though, check with a paint or decorating expert about how particular tones may affect your mood. For example, pink is generally considered soothing, red is exciting, yellow is energizing, orange is cheering, green is calming and purple is comforting.
Keep water, mould and mildew at bay
Whether finished or unfinished, basements are easy targets for damage from excessive moisture. To protect your walls, use specially formulated paints that are designed to prevent mould and mildew growth. Before applying the first coat, it's important to clean unfinished walls to remove contaminants like efflorescence (a white, powdery substance found on concrete walls) using a bleach and water solution. If your basement is already painted, removing as much of the existing paint as possible and patching all holes or cracks will ensure a higher-quality and longer lasting job.
If you don't like it, hide it
Sometimes basement ceilings come with unsightly ductwork or gas lines. One way to hide unwanted features and help rooms feel cosier is to use darker colours such as navy blue or deep green -- and to paint pipes and ducts the same colour as their surroundings in order to make them disappear. Paint can be used to hide other architectural flaws as well. High ceiling can be visually lowered using a deep paint colour, while a low ceiling can be raised by painting it white or a much lighter colour than the walls.
Try a combo
An easy way to freshen up your basement, without changing the furniture, is to mix and match different shades of paint within the room. Using two, three, even four colours -- whether on walls, doors or trim -- is guaranteed to transform the room from basic to breathtaking. Look at a colour wheel (available at libraries, book stores, paint dealers or online) to discover what shades work well together. Select a dominant colour, then add other tones, such as monochromatic colours (from the same family), related colours (from colour groups which lie beside one another on the wheel), complementary colours (which lie directly across from each other) or split complementary colours (hues to the left or right of the complementary colour).
Keep durability in mind
Whether a playroom, home office or theatre, family room or bedroom, workout room or laundry area, chances are your lower-level living space is a high traffic area, prone to stains, spills and smudges. When selecting paints, choose a high quality product that is both durable and washable. Epoxy finishes, whether latex or oil based, are recommended.
Have fun
If it's a kid's playroom that you're looking to spruce up, try thinking like a kid. Unfinished basement floors, for example, can easily be painted to look like a chessboard, a game of Twister or any other board game, while imperfections in walls or ceiling can be hidden using flat interior paint to create the look of giant puzzle pieces. You can also give more creative appeal to a home office space by painting accessories such as bulletin boards, desks, shelves or light fixtures.
To learn more about basement colour and
paint selections, consult PARA Paints' Colour Planning Guide, available at PARA Paints dealers across the country, visit PARA's website at www.para.com or call 1-800-461-PARA.
