Many of our readers, both on and offline ask a lot of questions about how to go about doing eco-friendly renovations. When we looked at online resources for do-it-yourself renovations a few weeks back, we highlighted The Green Home Guide, which is a great site for planning out ecologically-conscious home projects. But since this is a topic of such interest among our readers, we'd like to start our own on-going series here as well offering tips and tricks for making your renovations as green as possible. Today's topic? Paint.

Every renovation involves painting at some point. Whether you're doing a freshening coat, or building an addition to your home, at some point the walls are going to need some colour! That's why we want to start today with a look at how you can make this part of the reno earth-friendly.

Just to Clear the Air

When it comes to paint and the environment, the main consideration is the level of VOC's in the product. Volatile Organic Compounds are toxic fumes that leech out of the paint when you're working with it and afterwards. Many of these are thought to be carcinogens when exposure is prolonged. Obviously, the lower the level of VOC's in a paint, the better it is for both the earth... and your lungs. 

Paint companies have been making low and no-VOC paints for some time, but independent testers have found that each brand varies in the amount of smell they emit, regardless of labeling. 

One brand that has come up several times in our review of many comparative studies, however, is called Aura by Benjamin Moore.  So keep your eyes peeled for that one, available at any Benjamin Moore retailer. 

Other brands that have received top marks from independent testers are True Value Easy Care and Glidden Evermore. True Value is a US-only hardware store, but Glidden's should be available at any Color Your World location or ICI affiliate in North America.

What Goes Around...

While VOC's are the most common measure of a paint's ecological standing, another issue to consider is the life-cycle of the paint production process: the very system of creating paint (and disposing of it later) can be harmful to the environment in and of itself. 

One innovative company I have come across that tackles this issue is called Boomerang Recycled Paint.

Based out of Quebec, this company uses patented technologies to take unused, unwanted paint and mix it together to form completely recycled product for commercial or residential use. 

The color selection is more limited than most paint lines because of the challenges of combining multiple paint varieties into one can, but other than that, the paint is largely the same in finish and durability as any of the paints that go into it. And of course, you can rest easy in the knowledge that by using Boomerang, you're keeping toxic paints out of landfills, and that virtually no pollution was created to produce the product. Oh, and a a bonus, because of the savings of reusing discarded product, their prices are very competitive too!

You can visit their web site, linked above, to see if Boomerang serves your area.

Now the floor is yours: Are there any other Green-Painting tips that you'd like to share? If so, let us know in the comments, and we'll update the post with any additional tricks!

Whether you were trying to spruce up that old home of yours for resale, or looking to make your new house a little more homey and a little more personal, you've probably been bitten by the renovation bug at some point.

When the urge to revamp strikes, you could always call reliable contractors and get estimates to have them take care of the project (hopefully seamlessly.) 

But if that's not in the budget, or you prefer to do things yourself, you might find yourself in need of guidance on how to make your vision come alive. (Or else you might end up with a scene like the one depicted in that "unmotivation" poster above!)

In this post, we're going to provide you with five of the best resources we've found online for teaching you how to do almost any renovation or repair project on your home. So get out your pen and paper and write these sites down, so you'll know where to find them later when you just can't wait to start knocking down walls!

1) The DIY Network: 

This comprehensive site, which is run by popular home improvement network HGTV, is completely dedicated to providing easy-to-follow video guides for any do-it-yourself project you can think of, including home renovations. From Installing Cabinets to tricky Plumbing and Electrical jobs, this site has videos to tackle whatever you're trying to do.   

2) The Green Home Guide:

As concern for the environment grows (as well it should), it is becoming more and more common for homeowners to be worried about the green-ness of their renovations. If you fall into the eco-conscious renovator category, you won't want to miss this excellent site. 

It is provided as a free resource centre by the US Green Building Council (Creators of the LEED standards for green homes that is also promoted by the Canada Green Building council north of the 49th, and has been mentioned on this blog before.) It is all about ways to make your home renovations as green as possible.

3) CMHC Renovation Planner:

I'm sure you've heard old adages like "measure twice, cut once" and "an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure." (And then there's "don't use too many cliches in your writing in order to keep it fresh", but I digress.) The point is, with a renovation, like any other endeavour, it can really pay of to plan carefully before you start tearing down walls and replacing fixtures. 

Luckily, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Commission (CMHC) provides the most in-depth guide I've seen online for choosing and executing renovations based on need, cost and return on investment. Definitely worth a read.

4) eHow Building and Remodeling How-Tos

In this age of web 2.0 collaboration and wikization of the web, I would be remiss if I didn't include the foremost for-the-people-by-the-people how-to resource online, eHow. This site is a sort of grassroots organization similar to wikipedia, where anyone who signs up can write or edit articles on myriad different subjects. The only difference is that on eHow, articles must be guides for completion of specific projects, and members can vote these up or down so that, in theory, the cream rises to the top. These are also supplemented by a number of expert-written guides. 

The site features nearly half a million different articles, nearly 5000 of which are on the top of home remodeling and repairs (the section linked to above.) There is also a burgeoning how-to videos section of the site as well, the Home and Garden section of which can be found here. Between this site and the DIY network, you should be able to find step-by-step instructions for completing whatever project you have in mind.

5) BEHR ColorSmart Color Chooser

As the former owner of a professional painting company, I may sound biased in saying this, but we all know that every reno ends with a paint job. And whether you tackle it yourself or pay a pro to take care of it, at some point you're going to run up against the age old question: "What colours should we choose?" 

Of course, if you're priming your home for sale (no pun intended), I had some advice on choosing appropriately neutral paint colours in a previous article about prepping the interior of your home for sale. But if you're renovating and choosing paint colours just for you and yours, then the sky is the limit. The problem with deciding on colours, however, can often be that it is difficult to visualize them in your home from those small swatches. 

Enter BEHR's excellent ColorSmart tool. With this utility, you can choose a model of room that is similar to the one you'll be painting, and then simply point and click to see how different colour combinations will look together. The site also makes suggestions for complimentary colours and the like. All in all, well worth checking out for anyone struggling with visualizing that final touch.

 

There is also a paid service offered on the same site that allows you to upload actual photos of your home and colour them using the ColorSmart system, instead of using computer models. I'm not sure this is really necessary for most people, but if it interests you, it's only 5 bucks a year for unlimited use.

Of course, this list could go on, there are hundreds of thousands of sites on home improvement on the web, but these are the five that we've found to be the most thorough and comprehensive of the bunch. 

What do you think, do you find them helpful? Are there any resources you would add to the list? Let me know in the comments, and I maybe lengthen the list to 10 at a later date. 

An attractive entryway. (Creepy head statue optional.)

SELL THAT HOUSE: It's What's Inside That Counts

Two weeks ago, we looked at 3 Ways to Give Your Home Killer Curb Appeal and promised that we would follow up soon with a guide for how to spice up the inside of your home for selling as well. Here it is.

As with the exterior of your house, the first impression that any prospective buyers will have when they enter your home is always the most important thing to consider when trying to sell. So here are The Best 2 Ways to Make Your Home Interior Irresistible.    

The Grand Entrance

When a prospective buyer walks into your home, what is the first thing they will notice? Will it be scuff marks on the floors and baseboards and nicks and stains on the walls? Or will it be a pristine entryway that shows everyone just how well you take care of your home.

This is one of the easiest, but most effective things you can do to up the resale value of your home. Those nicks, scratches and holes in the walls? A little putty and patience will make quick work of those. This helpful guide can help you with smaller repairs, and this nifty trick is great for larger holes.  

Once the repairs have been done, a couple quick coats of a neutral colour like a light beige or off-white will give the room a certain newness that will speak volumes to anyone thinking about buying your home. (More on paint colours in the next section.) 

If the thought of repairing drywall and spending two days painting gives you the willies, it may be worth looking at hiring a professional to do the work. You can often find some reliable contractors to provide estimates on sites such as Craigslist.org and Kijiji.

Or, if you are located here in the Ottawa area, drop me a line here and I'll be happy to put you in touch with some reliable local painting companies -- I owned a painting company here myself for four years and know the industry well.

As for the floors, most stains on ceramic and hardwood or laminate can be removed with a little soap and elbow grease. (Be careful not to use abrasive cleaners on hardwood, however, as they may damage the veneer.) For really weathered hardwood, hiring a contractor to sandblast them can be a great option to renew the look. 

If you're working with old linoleum, you might consider putting down ceramic tile or laminate, as the cost can be quite affordable considering the improvement that such a makeover will make.  

Neutralize, Neutralize, Neutralize

While painting the entryway may be one of the most important things to do, there are probably some other walls in the house that could use the touch of a brush and roller, too.

Ask any realtor or home renovations expert and they will tell you that applying a fresh coat of paint to the interior of your home is one of the best bang-for-your-buck ways to increase its appeal to potential buyers. 

Your main concern here, if the header above didn't give it away, should be to keep a consistent, neutral tone to the colours on the walls. 

I know, I know, you thought that eggplant and khaki green motif in the living room was positively to die for, but, well, taste is a funny thing, isn't it? 

It's best to stick with colours that have some life, but don't detract attention from the home itself and the furniture. For this reason, I usually recommend going with a warm beige like the one in the picture at the top of this post, rather than a muted off-white, but both are preferable to vibrant primary colours and the like.

By the way, this goes for kids' rooms too. You know Little Joey's childhood refuge, with a jungle motif plastered on all four walls? Well some prospective buyers may have wanted that room for an office. Or to house a child who has outgrown that particular safari obsession. 

As much as it hurts, it's best to cover any elaborate motifs and kid-friendly colours with neutrals as well. 

(Hint: If you're covering a mural or bright vibrant colour, use a solid white primer before painting. You'll thank me later. By the way, aside from the use of tinted primers as bases when painting rich colours, the former is the only time you need to do a full prime indoors. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.)

While we're on the topics, I'd like to warn you against some common shortcuts people will take, or ask their painting contractors to take when doing a "freshen-up" paint job on a to-be-sold home. 

• Doing, or asking a contractor to do only one coat. On anything. A proper paint job always requires two coats and it will only look streaky if you skimp. Yes, this includes painting white over white walls, because your old walls are no longer white but actually yellowed.
• Painting the baseboards and trim the same colour as the walls. The amount you'll save on paint and labour doing this is not worth it for how stupid it will look when finished. Trim is meant to frame the room, and can only do so when it is white or off-white (or in some cases varnished natural wood) that contrasts with the wall colour.
• Worse still, painting doors the same colour as the walls. Again, this will not save you enough money to justify the tackiness of the end product. Also, as an aside, intelligent people will still be able to find the door, so even the camouflage argument does not hold up here.

If you are planning to do the job yourself, this guide can be helpful to get you started. If you see the value in paying someone else to do the work, see my notes above for help in finding a reliable contractor.

Next Stop: SOLD!

Once you've applied a nice neutral colour to all the walls, and really taken the time to make the entryway pop, you'll be well on your way to wowing potential buyers right off the bat, and putting them in the right mood to see your home in the positive light it deserves. 

If you have the time and the budget, other places worth sprucing up are the kitchen, the master bedroom and the master bathroom. Sometimes the smallest improvements can make a big difference in these hyper-important areas of the home. 

So, what do you think, have any tips and tricks to add? Have you had any experiences, good or bad, in making these types of changes? Did they help sell your home? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!