Are you looking forward to painting your new home, but you are still wondering how to choose the best paint that will give you the desired outcome from that HGTV show you saw while looking for design inspiration? Yes, remember that painting gives your new home a good appearance and protects it against the various infiltrative elements and actions such as decaying, weathering, and corrosion. However, it is important to note that the paint film may weaken due to factors such as applying low-quality paint, environmental conditions, and the nature of your new home surface. It is therefore very critical to understand some of the things you should avoid by all means when choosing the paint to apply to your new home; otherwise, you won’t achieve your objectives, and at worse, the paint may deteriorate very fast, thus forcing you to repaint again and again. So read on to learn how to pick out paint that will look great, protect your home and family, and keep you happy without breaking your wallet.
Don’t choose a paint that is cheap and likely to flake.
Are you aware that applying a low-grade /cheap paint on your new home walls is the number one cause of high rate paint defection? Although other factors contribute to painting defects, a low –grade paint is more prone to these common paint defects that super-grade paint. Some of the defects are likely to affect a low-grade paint, including but are not limited to Flaking / cracking and Blistering/ peeling off. Flaking/ cracking is the splitting of an already dried up paint coating resulting in a complete failure of the entire paint. Early one, it appears like small hairline cracks that later progresses to flaking of large paint chips. Blistering on the hand occurs due to an air bubble forming under the layer between the paint and the wall. This is particularly due to the accumulation of oil or grease matter.
Note that most low-grade paint has limited/ inadequate flexibility and adhesion, limiting their effectiveness. Besides, over thinning of a low-grade paint coupled with poor surface preparation contributes to a high paint flaking rate. Do you know the cheapest paint, especially the water-based paint tent, to dry very fast, especially when applied under the windy and hot condition, and this too facilitates the flaking of your paint?
Don’t pick paint with a laundry list of unknown chemicals.
Are you aware that the paint you are looking forward to applying to your new home contains some toxic chemicals that cause serious side effects in your body and into the environment? Yes, both the oil, waterproof, and acrylics paints are made using certain types of chemicals that can cause health complications to humans and damage to the entire environment, especially when applied without following the manufacturer’s guidelines. However, it is important to note that some paints are made using toxic metals such as turpentine and lead pigments, which are extremely dangerous.
Why is it important to know the type of components making your paint? Note that most paints are made using two or more components, namely the vehicle and the pigment. Acrylic paints contain an additional compound known as the binder. The ‘vehicle’ is the liquid part in a paint that keeps the pigment in a suspension state, while the binder is the cement that binds the pigments together, thus forming the paint film. The binder and vehicle in oil paint are just one component, which is highly polished veg oil in most cases. Oil paints do not release any harmful chemicals unless used together with other solvents or other mediums containing petroleum components. Acrylic paints have their vehicle made of acrylic polymer emulsion, which means they can release dangerous chemicals during the dry up. Ensure to properly ventilate the room you have just applied the acrylic paints to and pick out something that is proven to be safe if you have any children or pets around that might accidently eat paint chips in the future. A proven track record is important because remember at one point people thought lead paint and asbestos was also safe so make sure you do your research before quickly buying the first thing that looks right.
Please don’t choose a paint that is a different color than you think it is.
Do you know one of the most common painting mistakes is choosing your paint color according to a color chip? Yes, imagine picking out a wonderful color based on the strip at the shop and finally placing an order, and once you apply the paint on your new home wall, it fails to match the color you picked out. It isn’t comforting. The best way to avoid such a mistake is by requesting the paint store handlers to mix a small sample of the paint you wish to take at home for experimental purposes. Such an experiment will explain how the real project will appear both in artificial and natural light.
Don’t choose paint styles that are wildly different than the rest of your house
Surely, your bedroom shouldn’t feel completely in a different house than your living room. For instance, you can select the right color but a wrong hue, which is the darkness or lightness of a certain color. Remember, darker color hues are better when applied at the bottom part, such as the floor, while lighter hues at the top, i.e., on the walls. For example, if you decide to use a neutral color in your living room, say, coastal chic or relaxed paint color, you can match it with your bathroom decadence color. However, this doesn’t mean using the same color in the entire building. The trick is just finding colors that make your rooms feel connected to each other. A two-three color scheme can prove to be a great idea as long as they are correlating. Obviously if you are making your rooms different themes than it’s ok if the paint is a different style but if the interior design schemes are similar than it would be weird to make one wall randomly be 1970s tie-dye.
Avoid paint and flooring with shifty fine prints.
Yes, ensure to consider the warranty of the paint you wish to use. Does the company have a refund policy in case of the paint’s poor performance on your new home surface?
It is very important to note that most paint manufacturing companies and stores offer warranties protecting homeowners against typical paint defects that may result in bubbling, peeling, non-uniform fading, or cracking within a certain time frame once the painting is done. A high-quality paint manufacturer should offer an extended warranty period as they trust their product will last significantly longer to save their clients’ money and time in the long term. Besides, a trustworthy paint manufacturer or dealer should be willing to accept liabilities resulting from a tricky marketing ploy such that the paint doesn’t serve the purpose as advertised through a refund policy.
Don’t forget to consider the painting labor, such as the number of coats you need to create using that particular paint?
Are you aware that most paint projects fail mainly due to poor workmanship? Remember, each paint type requires different application techniques and coverage area varies greatly from one paint type to another. Besides, some paint types require installing a temporally wooden floor to avoid the paint splashing on the wrong walls or floors, especially in non-solvent-based/ water-based paints such that the paint is irremovable once it dries up.
Don’t forget to include your family in your paint choice
If you are painting common areas like the living room, dining room, or kitchen get your families opinions on what they think should be the new color and find a common color that the majority of people can agree on. Definitely consider your spouses opinion as well, if you are a guy and you paint your living room the colors of your favorite college football team without your wife knowing about it you’re likely to be sleeping on the couch for in that room for as long as an entire college football season lasts. Also by including your kids opinion or siblings or aunt sally who lives with you, it makes everyone feel included and will be more welcomed while they are spending time in that room knowing their opinion was included.
Take aways
Painting a room can bring new life and energy to a room as well as improving your mood while you are spending time in it. Now that you have these 7 things to avoid you can have more confidence in the decision you make and improve your ability to pick out a paint that can last the next decade. Let us know below the details of your painting projects and feel free to send us pictures and we just may include them in our blog.
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