Adding paint to the wall or other surfaces can help us feel better about our living spaces and is relatively easy and inexpensive to do or have done as a great aging in place strategy
In honor of May being National Remodeling Month, there is a simple and effective way that every person – around the world – can improve their homes without investing much money. Some people can do this themselves. For the others, we can help them.
This will assist people as they age in place and allow them to feel better about themselves in their home environments.
Notwithstanding other solutions that will help people or that might be indicated or necessary as they remain in their present homes, a quick, easy, and practical way to improve any home – regardless of someone’s budget – is by applying a fresh coat of paint. It can be exactly with the same color that already exists, or it can be something a little different to very different.
Even with homes that might not be in that great of a condition, fresh paint will add an improved outlook and appearance. It’s really amazing what a new, clean, brighter look on any wall, piece of furniture, or other surfaces can mean to the overall appearance and mental attitude we bring to our homes. While other changes can then be contemplated, paint does wonders.
Consider that anytime someone moves into an apartment or a new home (except new construction and even here sometimes as well), paint is the universal tool for turning what existed into what can be. It removes any leftover impressions from the previous occupants and turns the home into the current resident’s. It says that this dwelling now belongs (even for rentals) to the one occupying it rather than anyone who used to live there.
That colored liquid we call paint has the special ability to be applied over any surface (smooth or rough) to refresh, change its outward appearance, hide blemishes or its previous history, or create a new look. Sometimes all that is necessary is to repair what already exists by painting over a surface with the same paint and color that was used previously. Sometimes a brighter color or one with a different hue is desired. Regardless, painting is a magic that we can all perform – and it’s no trick or illusion except for the way and old or dated look can be transformed in a fresher one.
Painting works best when the surface has been prepared by sanding it smooth and patching obvious imperfections such as cracks, dents, holes, or depressions – unless a distressed look is desired.
Regardless of what painting is done, the end result is a freshened appearance. This can’t help but give people a better feeling about their living space. The fact that it can be a do-it-yourself project means that timing is not crucial. A project can be started at any time and continued as desired. An entire room can be completed in a day, or it could take several days, doing just one wall or a partial wall at a time. It’s results we are after, not setting records for completion of the project.
For those ready to get everything done quickly, professional painters, remodelers, and handymen can be brought in to complete the job – quicker than would be the case by doing it ourselves. As with anything where we are experienced, professionals can do the job quicker, easier, with less mess, and with a better outcome. This is what they do, so they know how to achieve the proper results.
Sometimes, we just want to update a look – like putting on a new outfit for a party. Applying new paint in a room – even if it’s just one wall or possibly just one room in the home, which means it can be done quicker and with less disruption and expense than a more extensive project – will help to change or brighten our attitude as well
Color has a therapeutic aspect to it that brightening wall colors can help us achieve. It can enhance safety, navigation of a space, reflective properties of various surfaces, and generally enhance our mood by making us feel better and happier about our living environment – especially when brighter shades or our favorite colors are used.