Basic Techniques for creating color schemes

The color wheel or color circle is the basic tool for combining colors. The first circular color diagram was designed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. The color wheel is designed so that virtually any colors you pick from it will look good together. Over the years, many variations of the basic design have been made, but the most common version is a wheel of 12 colors based on the RYB (or artistic) color model. Traditionally, there are a number of color combinations that are considered especially pleasing. These are called color harmonies or color chords and they consist of two or more colors with a fixed relation in the color wheel.

Below are shown the basic color chords based on the color wheel.

Complementary color scheme

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary colors (example: red and green).

Analogous color scheme

This color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They usually match well and create serene and comfortable designs.

Triadic color scheme

It uses colors that are evenly spaced around the color wheel.

Split-Complementary color scheme

It is a variation of the complementary color scheme. In addition to the base color, it uses the two colors adjacent to its complement.

Rectangle (tetradic) color scheme

This color scheme uses four colors arranged into two complementary pairs. This rich color scheme offers plenty of possibilities for variation.

Square color scheme

It is similar to the rectangle, but with all four colors spaced evenly around the color circle.

Mixing Colors

Natural light contains all the colors of the stectrum. By breaking light down into its component parts, or spectral colors, it is possible to combine and mix the individual colors to form new ones. Additive color is the process of mixing colored light. The most common application of this can be found in theater lighting. For example, a red light overlapping a green light produces a yellow light. Colored pigments, however, behave very differently than colored light when combined or mixed. The primary colors of light are red, green, and blue; the primary colors of pigments are red, yellow, and blue. When all three primary colors of light are combined, they form white light, and, when two colors of light are added together they always produce a color of lighter value.
The principles of additive color are most critical in theater or other dramatic lighting. For the purposes of interior color design, it is important to understand the effect of artificial lighting on the perception of color. For example, incandescent light brings out the warm colors of an interior while fluorescent light emphasizes the cool colors.
Subtractive color is the result of mixing pigments, dyes, or other colorants. The apparent color of a surface is based on what part of the visible spectrum of light is absorbed versus what portion is reflected back to the viewer. Since the main concern is the color of interior finishes, an d not lighting, the focus will be on substractive color, rather then additive color.
The primary subtractive color are red, yellow, and blue. These are called primary colors because all other colors are derived from some combination of these three. When all three primary colors are combined in equal amounts the resulting color is a deep, blackish brown. Note that the primary colors are spaced exactly equidistant from one another on the color wheel. Midway between each primary color is what is called a secondary color.
When two adjacent primary colors are mixed together they form the secondary color found between them on the color wheel. For example, yellow and blue paint mixed together makes green. The other secondary colors are orange and purple. When adjacent primary and secondary colors are mixed, they form tertiary colors. Between each of the six primary and secondary colors are the tertiary colors i.e. red-orange, orange-yellow, yellow-green, green-blue, blue-purple, and purple-red.
When a very consistent, fine pattern of two distinct colors is viewed from a slight distance, the eye tends to mix the colors optically and derive a third color. This is called partitive color.
A commonly used example of partitive color is the post impressionist painting technique of pointillism, where small dots or points of different colors are placed on the canvas to create an extremely rich, vibrant color. In architectural color, the greatest richness and depth is achieved with partitive color mixing, such as in glazing or in the stippling techniques of decorative painting. The subtle, multicolor effects of stone or wood are examples of partitive color used in natural materials. When granite is viewed very closely, numerous shades of gray are apparent, yet when viewed from a distance, all the little specks of color blend to form a complex, rich gray which would be unachievable with a uniformly colored surface.

Painting Concrete Paving and Floors

Floor coatings are specially designed to be tough and abrasion resistant. Special properties such as acid and oil resistance may be required for certain floors, e.g. in garages and workshops. Cast in situ concrete is often used for driveway and other paving applications. This material is often nor cured properly (i.e. using an impermeable menbrane such as a polythene cover) and subsequently the surface layers fail to cure adequately and a sandy, friable surface is produced.

Surface preparation
This is the critical part of any painting project: poor preparation is the principal cause of coating failure. The object of surface preparation is to provide a strong surface before applying any paint.  The necessary steps are as follows:
1. Wash the surface thoroughly using water and a strong brush. This should remove all loosely bound sand particles and any poorly adhering paint coatinds. A high-pressure water jet is recommended.
2. Rinse the floor with clean water and then leave it to dry out. The moisture content should be below 15%. This can be measured using a moisture meter.
3. Check the adhesion of any existing paint coatings by pressing adhesive tape (e.g. masking tape) onto the dry surface. Pull the tape off the surface and inspect the underside of the tape.

Paint application
1. Acrylic Coating System
Use a roller, brush or by airless spraying. Two coats are recommended for optimum durability and quality finish. Allow the first coat to cure for at least 2 hours before applying the final coat.
2. Epoxy Coating System
Mix the two components (4 epoxy base + 1 hardener, by volume). Add 15% lacquer thinners. Apply to the surface using a brush or mohair (enamel). Leave to cure overnight then reapply without diluting the paint. Note that this product has a pot life. It its consistency starts to thicken, do not use the product.
3. Enamel Coating System

Know The Basic Theory of Color Before Painting the Walls of Your House

The first step in understanding of color is to learn about the basic attributes and how they can be used to achieve dramatic and effective color design. There are three attributes of color, hue or color, value or lightness, chroma or saturation. The three attributes of color are what defines every color. Hue is the name for a color, such as yellow, red, blue, green. We used the color wheel to represent the basic hues of the visible spectrum. To simplify, the most common color wheel is made up of 12 color gradations, but there are actually an infinite number of gradations possible on the wheel. 

The second attribute of a color is value, or the relative lightness or darkness of a color. Lighter value is achieved by adding white to a color, and vice versa, darker value results from adding black. 

The third attribute of color is chroma, or saturation, the relative purity, or intensity of a color determined by how much or how little gray is added to the color. The value of the colors on a chroma scale do not change, only the intensity of the colors varies. 

Other terms that useful to a basic understanding of color theory are tint, shade, and tone. These are colors of full intensity or chroma mixed with white, black or gray.