Select the Right Paint and Color For Your Home
Choosing the right paint and color for the project is the first key to a successful outcome!
With so many painting scenarios and so many retailers each selling their own array of painting products…. how do you choose the best paint for the job?
This page will help answer those questions. We will discuss various painting projects and the kind of paint you will need for each.
So roll up your sleeves and let’s get started!
Painting The Interior Room
Let’s talk bed rooms; family rooms; dining rooms; and halls.
Do you have small kids? Are you worried about those stray greasy hand prints on the wall as they run down the hall? Then you need to use a paint that has a higher gloss level than “flat”. Flat paint will absorb that greasy smudge and be next to impossible to clean with a wet rag. Eggshell or a semi gloss would be a good choice. It will reflect light a bit more than flat paint and will clean much easier with a wet cloth.
No kids? No worries about the stray hand prints? Then a flat paint will work best. Flat paints are more easily touched up. Much better than their glossier brothers. As long as you have the original paint color, you can get a pretty seamless touch up months after the original paint job is finished. (Yes sunlight will have an impact on your success – paint exposed to direct sunlight will fade over time and be difficult to match)
Painting a Bath / Kitchen
Admit it… your bathroom and kitchen both get splattered routinely with all of life’s bits of goodness.
The choice of paint here is clear…. No, silly not a clear paint! A paint that is highly reflective and thus easy to wipe clean! Flat simply won’t do in this application.
You need semi gloss.
The higher the gloss level the easier it will be to wipe clean and quietly remove that “situation”.
You will need a good brush – Not all brushes are created equally….
Don’t bristle at the idea of getting a good brush. If you want professional results you really need to use professional equipment! Luckily a good quality brush is not going to bust your budget. The angle paint brush is the one to get if you are “cutting lines” (the edge work… the line at the top of the wall and the ceiling… or the line at the bottom of the wall and the trim.)
Painting Concrete
Basement walls / driveways
As mediums for painting go, concrete is not one of the better ones. It transfers moisture from the ground or surrounding dirt, and it breathes and sucks up paint like a kid with a soda. Concrete requires special paints that contain binders that contract and expand right along with the surface. Do not use oil-based or acrylic house paints on concrete or you'll just have to paint it all over again, because acrylic paints peel, crack and just can't take the abuse that concrete patios, sidewalks and driveways undergo.
Painting New Drywall
Paint vs Primer … what’s it all about
“Should I put primer on my brand new drywall?” A common question that reflects a misunderstanding of paint. Let me give you a couple of background points to help you understand….
1. In almost every case new drywall will need 2 coats to cover well. It soaks up the first coat and will inevitably streak and leave thin spots in the paint.
2. There are quality differences within a brand of paint….and that reflects in cost differences.
A contractor, painting new construction, will use 2 coats of good paint to achieve a good result at an economical cost.
A home owner should use a better paint for a first coat and a best paint for the second coat to achieve a superior result. This will obviously cost more. But the home owner is not interested in passable results. Instead they want to achieve a result that will last for years to come.
The primer in both cases here is the first coat of paint. There is no need for the home owner to spend the additional money to make the first coat of paint a “best” quality. Instead get a “better” quality in exactly the same color and use the “best” quality as the second coat.
Get the right roller for the job – Choosing the right roller will speed your project along
If you are doing a close quarters space… a kitchen, bathroom, or the inside of a closet… use a 9″ roller. Any other large volume area… invest in the 18″. The 18″ will move you along at a higher volume and still give you a quality result. Be warned: It will give you a calorie burning workout!
Handyman Tip
Take a piece of blue tape and lay it on your new roller cover. Repeatedly putting it on and pulling it off will remove all the stray fibers the new roller cover has …. keeping them out of your paint and off your wall!!
When To Use A Primer
There are specific situations where a real “primer” is needed.
You have read the section on “Paint vs Primer” and are wondering… “Well when do I use a ‘Primer’ then?”
You have read the section on “Paint vs Primer” and are wondering… “Well when do I use a ‘Primer’ then?”
A fair question. There are a couple of places to use a real primer in a home and not just a first coat of paint. Picking the right primer in these cases will be key.
You will use this primer when:
1. You are covering up a water stain on drywall.
Make sure the drywall is sound. Clean it with white vinegar to remove mold.
2. You are covering smoke damage
Use ozone treatment if necessary.
3. You are covering pet urine on wood sub floor
Clean with a pet deodorizer.
Brushes For Oil Based Paint – And a few other things you will need
The brush type for oil based paint is different from latex paint. Here are a couple of things you will need for the project.
Qualities of a good paint
You get what you pay for!
Yes … with paint you definitely get what you pay for. But what should you be looking for in the Quality of a paint product?
Yes … with paint you definitely get what you pay for. But what should you be looking for in the Quality of a paint product?
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