What Type Of Paint Should I Use In My Home?

It’s time to remodel your home, and that means applying a fresh coat of paint to freshen up every room. Different rooms need different kinds of paint, though. How do you ensure you buy the right paint and get the best effect? Here’s a run down of the best type of paint to use for each room in your home.

Living Room and Bedroom Paints

These areas of your home are very low impact, so you can go for any type of paint that catches your eye here. Paints that come in flat matt colors are all going to work fine here. However, you won’t be able to wipe the walls down, you’ll just get a great color combination.

If you have kids or pets, you may want a satin or greater paint, as in these cases you may want to be able to wipe the walls down. Remember that this will change the finish of the paint, so test some paints out on your wall before you commit to one.

Hallways

These are more high traffic areas, so you want a type of paint that can stand up to it. People moving through may knock or bump the paint, and arks are more frequent as a result. As this is the case, you’ll need a satin or silk finish to help combat this. Satin paints can be gently sponged to remove marks, while silk can be fully washed if needed.

Bathroom

In your bathroom, you can’t use any old paint. It’s a high moisture room, and if you use any type of regular paint, it will just peel right off the walls again. To avoid this from happening, you need better paint for the job. You’ll see most brands offer bathroom specific paint, so ensure you pick one of these for your bathroom.

These paints work because they’re a satin finish, and have a tighter molecular structure. It not only makes it easier to wipe the paint down, but it also allows you to paint bathroom walls without them peeling.

Bathtub or Shower

You may have heard of bathtub paints, and are wondering what they can do for your home. These aren’t actually true paint, but actually, an acrylic resin that creates a new layer on the enamel of your tub. It’s a good idea if your tub is looking old or marked from use.

If you do want to do this, it’s better to call in a professional as they’re a dangerous substance to work with. Once it’s done though, it makes your tub look a lot better and will help you avoid having to replace the whole thing.

Kitchen

Similar to the bathroom, you need a type of paint that’s easily cleaned down in your kitchen. As you’re cooking, you’re prone to splashes on the walls, so they need to stand up to regular wiping. You don’t need to buy a specific kitchen paint for this room, but you’ll want to avoid flat or eggshell paints in here. Some homeowners even go for semi gloss paints here, just to be sure.

Ceilings

When you’re painting a room, don’t forget about your ceilings. A fresh coat of ceiling paint will really liven up a room and help reflect light into it. For this reason, most homeowners choose to use a flat white for it. This is easily found in most homeware stores, usually labeled as ‘ceiling paint’. Glossy paints aren’t as ideal for this, as they actually make the space feel more limited.

Cabinets

What about painting your cabinets and wood work in your home? Things like doors and railings will all need to be painted. In these cases, you’ll need a harder wearing paint for these jobs, as these areas of your home are in high use every day. A semi gloss or gloss paint will be the right choice here.

When shopping for paints, you’ll often see paints marked out specifically for cabinets or wood work. They usually have an oil or acrylic latex base. Acrylic latex is a good option if you’re picking white paint, as it stops the paint from yellowing over time.

Unpainted Drywall

If you have fresh drywall, the unpainted wall soaks up liquid unevenly, making it hard to paint. The trick is to buy a specialized drywall paint, that gives you an even surface to paint on. It’s 100% acrylic latex, and will often be labeled as drywall or wallboard paint. Use this as a primer to give you a good surface, before you put the final color on.

Basement Walls

Finally, if you’re painting your basement walls, you’ll need a specialized type of paint for this. These walls are prone to weeping water, so they’re difficult to paint normally. Basements paints are designed to stand up to the moisture, and call even fill up some small cracks. It uses elastomeric action. That means it expands to fill the gap and then resumes its original shape once the pressure is gone.

Picking the Right Paint For You

In certain rooms, you’ll need to pick a certain paint style to work with it. For example, in the bathroom, you’ll need bathroom paints that are high gloss, in order to keep it in good shape despite the water in the air. If you’re painting your bathroom or kitchen, go for high sheen paints that can take water and cleaning. You’ll also need a higher sheen in your hallways, to stand up to traffic.

In lower traffic rooms like your living room or bedrooms, you can pick flat colors that don’t need to stand up to moisture. Remember though, if there’s a mark on the paint though, it will be harder to get off.

If you’re unsure which type of paint to use, talk to staff at your hardware store. They will help you get the right paint for your home.

There are all kinds of paint for your home that you should consider. Many are devised especially for certain rooms or jobs, so know what you need before you head out to buy your paint.