If you’ve just moved into a house with bare walls or if you’ve lived in a place for a while and want to change the look of the walls, you face a challenge that’s both exciting and daunting. Besides picking the right colors, there are so many types of paint to choose from. Which one is right for which room? Here are some tips from some of the best interior painters in Jenkintown and the surrounding areas on how to narrow down your paint options:
What Sort of Household Do You Have?
The makeup of your household has a bearing on what kind of paint to use. If you have young children, for example, you’ll need to choose a paint that’s easy to clean and doesn’t show off crayon scribbles or hand or fingerprints. Easy to clean paint is also a must if you like to cook and don’t want to scrub splattered oil and food off the walls and cabinets to the point where you strip off the paint as well.
What Sort of Ambiance Do You Want?
Being painting contractors in Bucks County, PA for a while now, we know that the type of paint goes a long way in setting the ambiance of a room. You’ll need to choose different types of paint for a bedroom that’s dark and a bit sexy as opposed to one you’d like to be bright and airy. Another thing to remember is that different types of paint show up colors differently. Colors tend to be rich and darker than you expect when you use to paint with a high sheen. High sheen paint will also show dings, cracks, and other imperfections in a wall, so the walls need to be well-prepped before applying this paint.
The Types of Paint
Most interior paint is either oil-based or latex. Latex dries faster than oil-based paint, doesn’t yellow as readily, isn’t flammable, and only needs water to clean it up. But because it dries so quickly you won’t have as much time to touch it up before it sets.
Oil paint is good at hiding imperfections, has a longer open time, and flows better as it’s brushed on. It’s long-lasting, resists moisture, but it gets yellow as it ages, has a smell that can be off-putting, and needs turpentine or another solvent for the cleanup.
After you’ve chosen oil or latex, you’ll need to choose the finish, or how much light the paint reflects.
Flat and matte paints don’t reflect light at all and are really hard to clean. They’re best for the ceiling and for walls in rooms that don’t get much traffic. Eggshell resembles the shell of a chicken’s egg, so there’s a bit of a sheen. It’s easier to clean than either matte or flat paint.
Satin paint has a higher sheen than eggshell and resists staining. It’s great for an accent wall, a door, or a window.
Because semi-gloss is easy to clean, it’s just the thing for a child’s bedroom, bath, or kitchen. While high gloss is very easy to clean, it may be a bit much for an entire room.
