Choosing the Right Paint for your Home

Painting is one of the easiest ways to give your home an instant facelift. However, to get the best outcome and return on investment, you need to select the right paint for your home. There are several things to consider when doing this. Apart from color trends, you also want to choose paint that is easy to clean and durable. Here’s how to select the best paint for your home.

Choose the Paint Type First

There are many paint sheens available on the market, which can come in either oil or latex. Many people use latex paint for their homes because it is highly durable and easy to clean. Apart from that, experts also recommend latex if you want paint that breathes better. This means if you use latex paint for your walls, there will be less blistering and a better overall appearance.

If you want to paint trim, however, it is better to use oil-based paint. Professionals recommend it for this purpose because it tends to seal stains and knots on the wood. The only downside with oil-based paints is that they take longer to dry than latex paint. You can also use oil-based paint as a primer to seal the stains and knots, then use latex for your topcoat.

Selecting the Sheen

When it comes to sheen, there is a general rule: the glossier the sheen, the easier it is to clean. If you have kids and are painting an area where they frequent, selecting a high gloss sheen is advisable. A high gloss sheen is also recommended for areas that tend to get a lot of grease on the walls, like your kitchen. With this option, all you need to do when the walls are dirty is take a damp sponge and wipe the dirt off. High gloss is also ideal for trim, to give it a nice finish.

If you are not a fan of high gloss, you can use semi-gloss for the kitchen. It is perfect for baths as well. Semi-gloss has less shine than high-gloss, and it is easier to wash as well. A lot of people pick semi-gloss for their homes because it is a bit cheaper than high-gloss. Another option if you want a bit of gloss and ease of washability is a satin sheen. These paints have a smooth finish, making them ideal for the kitchen, bath, and hallways.

If your walls have many imperfections, you might want to go for flat or matte paint. While these paints might not be easy to clean, they are good at hiding imperfections. With a flat, in most instances, you will only need one coat of paint. Ideally, these paints should be used for the low traffic areas of your home. Unfortunately, they tend to show dirt more than other paints, and it is easy to leave fingerprints on them once you touch the wall.

Color Selection

Now that you have selected the type of paint and sheen, it is time to pick a color. Here, you want to pick a color that matches the furniture in your home. You must also keep in mind that colors evoke an emotional response. Therefore, you should choose a color based on the kind of emotion you want to evoke. Generally, cool colors like blue, green, and white generally come across as restful and soothing.

On the other hand, warmer colors like red, orange, and yellow inject a sense of drama and energy into your home. For your private rooms, like the bath, you might want to go for cool, calming colors like a shade of ice-blue. To liven your social spaces, like the living room and playrooms, warm colors would be the best option.

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Stephanie Ferner

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