When it comes to renovation, one of the most important decisions you have to make would be choosing the color scheme to paint. Painting is one of the most immediate and significant change that can immensely transform the look and feel of your home interior and decor. Done right, the colors scheme of your home can vastly enhance and complement the overall look of your home.

This article is divided into two main parts and various sub-parts.. The first part discusses about painting a new house. And the second part if you're repainting your existing house. 

The first question you're probably asking yourself is, do you want to go the DIY route? Or like the vast majority, leave it to the professionals? It will largely depends on whether you're a hands-on person and have previous experience painting a house or apartment. 

It will also depends on the context. Let's say you bought a new house from the resale market. And you're not doing extensive renovations to the existing interior. Then perhaps a DIY project sounds sensible and manageable  if you have the time. 

However, if you've recently purchased a brand new unit and requires substantial renovations, then perhaps leaving the painting to the professionals makes more sense. Time to co-ordinate the various aspects of your home renovation can be quite challenging. 

On average, if you're renovating substantially, the cost of painting a home less than 1500 sqft shouldn't cost more than an additional $2000. 

Here's a guide for the estimate cost of professional painting. While this may varies from company to company, as well as the type of paint used etc, it does provide a general guide for your rough estimate.
Remarks: Some companies may charge additional costs for the painting of sewage pipes, door frames and metal gates. 

The fastest, quickest and cheapest way to dramatically change the looks and feel of your home would be repainting the interior. Assuming you're living in an HDB flat of under 1200 sqft, this could be reasonably accomplished in under 4 days going the DIY route.  Or even if you're living in larger homes, you might consider painting just a room like the living room. 

Should you choose the path of a hands on approach, congratulations. Nothing beats the self satisfaction of repainting your own house. Here's a quick video with some helpful points. 

First decide to what extent you want to paint? Would it be the entire house? Or a selected few rooms? On average, you will probably be able to cover a maximum of 2 rooms per day if you're painting all by yourself. So factor in the time it will take to paint the number of rooms. 

Think about the colors and themes you want to create for the new home. Go through brochures and magazines for some insights. Generally, colors affects the mood of the room. So think about what kind of mood you're after for each room you want to paint. The colors you have chosen should also complement the general theme of your decor and fixtures. 

When it comes to the bedrooms, make sure each and everyone is happy with the color chosen. It's important that whoever lives in the room feels happy about the new color scheme you have in mind. Consider colors that would reflect who you are. This should apply to other members in the family as well. You may also want to consider colors that are going to be calming and easing. Making sure it will feel just right and comfortable. 

Its beyond the scope of this article to discuss how color affect our moods. Suffice to say that each and everyone of us do have a generalization of what colors represents to us. Here is a general guide of what color psychology have found about colors and it's associated moods. 

Here are a non-exhaustive list of painting supplies you will need

Now that you have your checklist in place, it's time to head to your local hardware or paint shop and grab what you need. If you're unsure how much paint is needed, always check with the vendor as they have a pretty good idea what's required. 

Also factor in the number of coats needed. If your existing paint is of a darker tone and you're planning on changing to a lighter tone, consider a base coat of white so as to achieve the desired outcome. While this is not always necessary, it will save you the agony of completing your paint works and realizing it's not exactly what you want.

Well, OK, I guess most of us would much prefer we don't have to do a base coat as much as possible. Another fail-safe option is to paint over a small area first. Wait till the paint is completely dry. And determine if it's exactly the color effect you're after. 

If you have read the complete article and felt excited about your upcoming adventure of DIY painting, go for it! By now, you're well equipped with the theoretical side of choosing your color scheme and painting your home. We wish you happy painting. 

For more helpful information, consider reading the five essential steps to choosing paint colors for your home interior in terms of the mindset you should adopt taking on DIY painting.

However, if you're all exhausted just reading this all inclusive article, then perhaps you should consider engaging a professional for the job. Quite frankly, reading this article is probably the easiest part of the entire project to paint you home.