Choosing the Right House Paint | DIY Painting | House Paint
Choosing the right House Paint
A little research can go a long way taking the pain out of DIY painting
Choosing the right type of house paint
Gloss, Matte, Silk – what do all these different words mean and what do all these paints do?
House Paints are either Alkaline or Oil Based:
- Gloss Paint is for windows and shiny metal surfaces – but be careful. Light attracts, and if there are any flaws or faults on these surfaces, they will show up. Also used in bathrooms and kitchens for easy scrubbing.
- Matte Paint is for painting the inside of the house – this deflects the light, so if you have anything to hide, like uneven surfaces, this is the paint to use. Matte paint is not as a hardy as the Eggshell, though, and needs a little bit of paint kept aside for bangs and scratches for touch-up jobs.
- Egg shell Paint is a soft and shiny paint like the shell of an egg. This paint is hardy and can be used for walls – can be scrubbed – good for when your toddler decided to imitate Picasso!!
- Satin Finish Paint is a Velvety and soft paint, and is good for high traffic areas
- Semi Gloss Paint is used in kitchens and bathrooms mainly, and is an easy to wash paint.
Painting the House Exterior
How does one go about choosing the right colour paint for the exterior of the house? A good tip would be to take a camera and take a walk around the neighbourhood and perhaps take a couple of pictures of the houses you like.
When I was in the Middle East, it struck me that where I was, none of the houses had any colour to them – they were the colour of the desert sand surrounding them. That was when I realized that we are surrounded by colour and the choices of paint colours are vast.