Paint is a wonderfully flexible material. When seeking the best look for your home, there is a massive array of colour options and a choice of finish your paint offers. Whether it is matt, silk, eggshell, flat or other, or the finish created with the different tools for application, you can personalise your finish.
Here we explore the different decisions you can make and when they might be the best solution for you.
When you need to camouflage imperfections
A family home is a tough environment for décor. While the immediate finish might be glorious, it soon comes under pressure from the dinks and dents of family life. A flat finish is standard wall paint that offers no shine and a slightly chalky texture. If your walls are full of small cracks and chips, this paint can hide them from view. It is also easy to touch it up should it get marked with a simple brush.
The good news is that big expanses of walls are easy to cover with this flat finish in a paint sprayer. You can easily get a smoother finish without the potential for brush marks on the surface.
For the occasional clean
There are rooms in the house where you sometimes need to give the wall a wipe down. Flat enamel or matte paint is the perfect option if you have bathrooms or guest rooms that you don’t want to decorate often. As it dries, it forms a thin film over the top, which allows for light cleaning. If you wipe down the chalky flat finish, you might lift the paint too. Again, using a paint sprayer – or a roller in a bathroom – will give a smooth look.
Where the pets might shake
If you have dogs and like to shake dirt everywhere, you need paint you can wash. Even if you have children with crayons or the odd splash of food, a slight sheen is a good idea. For all these reasons, eggshell is a popular finish in most hardworking homes. It comes with the light hint of a shine, much like the shell of an egg, and so does have the same glare as a gloss.
As it doesn’t reflect light, eggshell is perfect for walls and can be applied easily with a roller in bathrooms and kitchens, where it is likely needed most.
If you feel like you will need to give the walls a good scrub, such as in a kitchen, then a satin finish is the best option.
Your room is quite dark
If you need more light reflected into a room, again, a satin finish might be a great option. It is a paint that is generally used on door frames and windows, but it can be used on walls. It is a paint with a smooth, velvety look with a touch more gloss.
In rooms with lots of cabinets, you can add a semi-gloss paint to increase the reflection of any light that comes in. However, be careful with your pre-paint preparation as poorly prepared surfaces show all their imperfections when using semi-gloss.
Although you wouldn’t choose a high gloss look throughout a room, you might want to use some delicate brush touches to selected areas, even if it’s dark. Choose these areas carefully, though, as it is a paint that shows all imperfections.
Painting the ceiling
Most ceilings need a basic flat finish, though you can go for something with a little more gloss to reflect the light in dull rooms. You should only add a glossier paint with a flawless surface, as all perfections will show clearly.
What is most essential is a smooth look to the finish. It is best to use a paint sprayer or roller, especially to save your arms and achieve the perfect look.
It is also a great idea to go for high-quality paint for the ceilings that will last the test of time. You don’t want to keep repainting the ceiling, so doing right when you do will save you a lot of effort.
Decisions, decisions
When choosing your paint, you also need to choose the perfect tools for the job. Be sure with flat finishes to use a roller or sprayer if you want a smooth look. A brush is fine with high-gloss paints but can show the brush marks if not applied with care.
In conclusion, choosing paint isn’t as simple as mere colour. You want to make sure that you are choosing the finish which is correct for your home and lifestyle, too. This may seem like a lot of thinking just to paint a room, but a little extra thought and care goes a long way – and might even save you time and money further down the road!
