Tips to choose your interior paint

pots-de-peinture-et-charte-de-couleur

As there exist a growing choice of paint products on the market, which are always more efficient and feature a wide array of prices, it’s not always easy to select the right paint for one’s home or store. Here are a few points to take into consideration.

Color

Choosing their paint color is normally the first thing homeowners and store owners think about when the time comes to refresh the walls. The best color obviously depends on your tastes and the trends, but also the effect you want to give to the room. Do you desire to make it look bigger, warmer or something else? What will this room be used for: will you need to be able to focus or relax?

Substrate

There’s no need to tell you that we don’t apply the same type of paint on gypsum walls than on wooden banisters. Read carefully the label during your paint purchase, or better yet, ask questions to a specialized professional.

Surface’s condition

If the surface has been damaged or if its condition is not optimal for the application of a paint coat, for example, if it’s yellowish from cigarette smoke, you will need to clean or repair it before painting. In some cases, the application of a primer could be necessary. The holes must be filled with plaster and sealed properly before starting to paint. Sometimes, we advise using a primer and paint all-in-one. Most of the time, a primer is not necessary for interior surfaces. As for a damaged surface, or a surface which does not present a high level of adhesion, we prefer a 100% acrylic paint to a latex paint.

Inhabitants’ health

If the building you are planning on refreshing is occupied by kids, babies, elderly persons, pregnant women, or persons suffering from respiratory disease such as asthma, make sure you choose VOC-free products. It’s good to know that VOCs contained in chemical products can be released in the atmosphere several weeks after their application on a surface. Generally, products which smell are harmful to your lungs.

Finish

The flat and matte finishes are used for ceilings, which allows you to cover the imperfections. Pearl finish is used on doors and moldings, and we typically prefer an egg-shell finish for walls in general. As for the hallways and other high-traffic spaces, we choose a glossy paint to make the cleaning easier. A higher degree of gloss also makes it more resistant to stains.

Ease of application

If you are an amateur painter and you wish to paint yourself, first choose a paint that will apply easily, meaning that the roller marks won’t show and the final appearance will be naturally smooth.

Other paint characteristics

For damp spaces like bathrooms and laundry rooms, you should prefer a moisture and mold resistant paint. For high-traffic rooms such as kindergartens and children playrooms, we advise the use of a paint which can be washed without fading and that will be resistant to scrubbing.

Finally, a wide array of products exist on the market. The best tip I can give you for your paint project is to get helped by a specialized paint manufacturer or a professional painter.

Dave Beaupre Master-painter