When remodelling your home, the usual instinct is to think about what colour scheme to follow. This is because colour helps to bring out the character of the room. However, in doing so, we forget about a bigger problem — choosing the right type of paint.
The kind of paint that you choose affects the overall appearance of your project. For example, the saturation of the paint chosen might be too intense for the project. Having to redo your paint would be a waste of time. As such, it is very important to consider what type of paint best suits your project before you begin.
Let us explain more about the different types of paint you can use to remodel your home.
Types of Paint
During your decision-making process, don’t be afraid to take and try as many samples as you can get. It isn’t hard to find, most paint shops are able to provide you with a sample. With samples, you’ll be able to fully visualise the end-product of your project. Samples allow you to see how each type matches against your space and how it pairs with the furniture around it.
With the wide variety of paints that you can have literally at your fingertips, feel free to go ahead and experiment with them. Get yourself a poster board and paint on it. Note how the paint covers an area — does it go on smoothly? Once it has dried up, are you able to clean it off without much hassle? Things like these have to be considered too. With the poster board, there is no need to paint on the wall itself. Instead, you could move the board to see how the paint will look under different circumstances.
1. Water-based Paints
For Water-based paints, here are a few things to note:
Most wall paints are now water-based for they can be used on most surfaces. Water-based paint also dries up very quickly and if a mistake were to be made, it can be easily cleaned up with water. They do not need pre-treatment and have low levels of toxic emissions. What’s more, its elastic and flexible finish prevents cracking as well as the molding of the walls. Lastly, the colour is able to last in the long-run and does not yellow or fade.
In case you are painting over a surface that used to be painted with an oil-based product, you might have some difficulties in trying to get the water-based paint to stick. Try washing the area and use a medium to smooth sandpaper to clean and dry the area so that the new coat will not peel over time.
Additionally, turn to “waterborne alkyds” or “waterborne enamels”. These are water-based paints that are similar to oil-based in terms of obtaining a smooth finish.
However, the colour of water-based paints is not as rich or long-lasting as oil-based paints. Similarly, if water-based paint gets slightly wet it will delaminate.
2. Oil-based Paints
Oil-based paint can also be used for almost any surface. It has a very attractive gloss which gives the wall a very rich finish. Compared to water-based, it has high durability, good for high moisture rooms like bathrooms and takes a longer time to dry which allows for more time to make last-minute adjustments.
However, oil-based releases a lot of toxic emissions which can be rather unhealthy. On top of that, using oil-based can be a rather messy process and it will be difficult to wash the paint off if needed.
3. Matte, Eggshell and Satin Paint
When it comes to painting finishes, there are two other types of paints that you can consider: matte paint, eggshell and satin paint. They give different types of sheen when painted onto a wall.
Matte paint has the least reflective shine and gives off a greater depth to the colour of the overall project. It gives off a very soft feel to the project and the matte finishing can cover up imperfections in ceilings and walls. Note though that it can be hard to clean off at times.
As for eggshell and satin paint, they have a bit of a reflection when under a light. These paints would be best used in areas with smaller space and limited natural light coming in. Satin paint, for example, is great when it comes to reflecting the light, hence it helps to enhance the overall look of the room. Compared to eggshell, satin paint is a little bit more glossy. Eggshell paint is also good for hiding faults on your wall and is scratch-proof. Both paints provide you with better durability and mostly used in places such as kitchens or areas that get wet easily.
4. Semi-Gloss and Gloss Paint
Another option to be considered would be semi-gloss and gloss paint. These are extremely durable and do not fade or peel even after many cleanings. They are also very useful for places such as window trims, kitchens and even accent walls. Gloss paints are very shiny and can, therefore, help you make a bigger statement to the style you are trying to achieve. Unfortunately, while doing this, it also accentuates the flaws on your walls.
Sometimes, a mixture of different types of paint can be the best solution when it comes to enhancing the overall appearance of your space. For example, a colour trend and forecast specialist at Valspar, Sue Kim, advises the use of both gloss and matte paint within the same room. By using gloss for the accent walls while painting the rest of the room in matte, it gives the room a pop of energy.
Now before you go off and decide what type of paint you would like to use, it is also necessary to have the right tools in order to get the best results. Spray painting is also an option. It is not only much more convenient than rolling but it also removes the stress of having roller or brush marks. While it is very satisfying to buy cheaper paint brushes or rollers to paint, their quality can affect the end-product, defeating the whole purpose of picking the right paint!
