Choosing Paint For Interior Painting In Farmington
If you’ve ever been in a paint section at a local home improvement store, you’ve noticed how many paint cans there are. At first look, it seems that the choices are similar from brand to brand, so you tell yourself that you just need to pick the right brand and you’ll be alright. But unfortunately, you soon find out that the brand isn’t the only choice you’ll need to make.
When you’re a homeowner planning to paint the interior of your house, your head can literally swim with all the products you have to make choices between. But before you even get into what colors you want, you’ll need to figure out some other things.
Here are some great tips from our Farmington, CT painting contractors at Perkins Painting, LLC.
Paint Types For Interior Painting
When it comes to interior painting, you’ll first need to figure out what type of paint is best for the area you are painting. Different surfaces may need different types of paint. For instance, it’s best to use a flat paint to paint a popcorn ceiling. Also, your finish can turn out differently depending on what material it covers.
You’ll also want to know what type of paint covers different textures better. Quick tip: Don’t use a high gloss paint on a textured wall with high peaks unless you want it to really be blinding when the light’s on.
Tips On Varnish, Oil, & Water-Based Paints
When you break all the choices down to the basics, there are only two types of paint; oil or water based.
Oil based paints are solvent based, which means that they need to be thinned with lacquer thinner instead of water and clean up of painting equipment has to be done with a solvent instead of soap and water.
Oil based paints are durable and provide good protection for surface materials. They are best used on areas receiving tough wear, such as wood and metal surfaces. Cabinetry, shelving, door frames and the like do best with an oil based paint.
Varnish is normally applied over a stained surface. It is a clear finish used for protecting paint and stains. You can get varnish in a matte finish (low gloss), satin finish (medium gloss), or a high gloss finish.
Water based paints can be applied anywhere on the interior of your home and are what you would use to achieve flat finishes, whereas oil based paints would be glazed looking, low gloss finished or even high gloss.
Generally, you can choose to use water based paints anywhere you like. You’ll also have choices of low gloss, medium gloss, or high gloss finishes, but also with water based paint you’ll have a choice of flat or no gloss paint.
Flat paint looks great on textured walls or non textured walls or ceilings, but generally people tend to put some type of texture over the drywall. You can have a very smooth looking texture with a flat paint applied that looks nearly completely smooth but isn’t. The texture and paint work together to help protect the drywall from moisture.
But in high moisture areas like the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry areas, you’ll probably want something that will better withstand the moisture. If texture isn’t protected by a good finish, it can easily absorb moisture and begin to peel away. Once that happens, the texture will need to be repaired, replaced, and refinished.
Finding Interior Paint Colors You Like
The interior of your home makes a statement to your design and how you feel about your living space. The right paint applied in the right places can create elements in your design that reflect your tastes. For instance with certain colors in certain areas, you can achieve a comfortable, homey feel or go the complete opposite and create a sophisticated, elegant design for your space.
It’s really all going to be up to you when it comes to choosing your design style and paint types. With our professional painting team at Perkins Painting, LLC, we can give you all the advice you need for your interior painting project. Just give us a call and we can sit down with you and go over your plans and options.