Five Back-to-School Tips for
Incorporating Paint and Color in Your Home
By Debbie Zimmer
The Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute

The quickly approaching school year is an exciting time for students, whether it’s a youngster entering kindergarten or a teen nearing graduation.

To help the shift from laid-back summer days to the school year’s busy pace, utilize the following design and paint decorating tips to help ease your student’s back-to-school transition.

1.	Plan Your Exit and Entrance! School bags, back packs, musical instruments or sports equipment all need a place to reside. A laundry room or mudroom is a perfect spot to act as a drop off or pick up area. Add a few hooks for additional space use and paint the walls with a durable, satin or semi-gloss quality paint for maximum durability.To learn more about how best to apply paint, visit the Prep, Prime and Paint section.
2.	Designate a School Communication Space Colorful painted baskets are a great way to keep track of papers, homework assignments or other materials that come from school to home and need to return to the classroom. Locate this space in the kitchen or some other family area to allow for easy access. Each child should have their own basket, painted in their favorite color!
3.	Rethink That Study Spot Is your high school student using the same desk or chair for homework as when they began school? Work with your children to design a space that makes them feel comfortable and promotes solid study habits. By simply repainting the furniture or changing the wall color, your learner may actually spend more time in their updated and personalized study space. To organize your paint project, use the helpful Project Planner tool.
4.	Show Your School Spirit Need a new color idea for your tween or teen bedroom? Why not incorporate their school colors into the decorating scheme! Simply paint the walls with their school hues and stencil the mascot name in a prominent area. Include pictures of their school activities and favorite friends for added personalization.
5.	Create an Art Wall The refrigerator shouldn’t be the only space to hang artwork that arrives home from class! Select a hallway or room wall to showcase those special paintings, drawings or other projects that your student completes. Paint your “museum” wall a light color and add several color blocked areas which will act as the framework for your artist. You and your family will enjoy the ever changing scenery as new projects are added and older ones are removed.

For additional information on paint, painting, and color selection, visit our How to Paint section on our website www.paintquality.com - where a great paint job begins!