Repainting: The Cheapest Way to Improve the Value of Your Home

By Jonathan Berohn

When it comes time to spruce up your old décor—especially if you are considering selling your house any time soon—it’s hard to beat repainting in terms of bang for the buck.

Sure, we’d all love to redo the kitchen with granite countertops, cover all the floors in the entire house in hardwood, or drop a Jacuzzi into the master bath, but budgets have a tendency to get in the way of at least my grandiose plans.  With a little creativity and some work, a fresh paint job will not only brighten up your house but also make it more attractive to potential buyers down the road.

Color Selection

If you plan to never sell your house, color selection is not that big a deal.  Pick something you like and go nuts.  On the other hand, if there’s even an outside chance you might relocate one day, you probably want to take a pass on the hot pink.  People generally don’t like to buy houses that they feel they need to repaint immediately upon moving in.  One way to avoid this, of course, is to use a neutral color like white or off-white.  While that’s always a safe choice, it’s also a boring choice—especially if you aren’t moving out right away.  A middle of the road option that’s becoming more popular these days is to use color as an accent.

Accent Colors

The accent color approach basically starts with a fairly neutral color for the main walls and ceiling, and then adds in a contrast color for one wall and the trim.  My wife and I just finished using this approach on our first floor, and we are thrilled with the results.  We used Behr paints, so you can go to the Behr site to either see the colors we used or create your own color scheme.  We started with Navajo White for the walls and ceiling.  It’s a light khaki/cream.  We chose Ultra Pure White for the baseboards and doors.  Pretty standard so far, I know, but here comes the fun—at least as much as you can have painting.  For one wall we chose Egyptian Nile—which is a dark green—and for the banister, windowsills, and mantle, we opted for Tamarind Fruit, a deep brown.  As the first floor was totally white before we got started, the change is pretty radical—and very welcomed.  The whole house feels warmer and more personal with a splash of color—all for under $300.

Paint Choice

As I said before, we bought Behr paint.  We’ve had good luck with Behr on both the interior and exterior of our house.  You can buy it at Home Depot, so it’s easy to find.  Just as important as the brand, though, is the finish.  I would recommend satin finish for walls and ceiling, and semi-gloss for banisters, doors, and anything that gets a lot of touching—it’s much easier to clean.