Choosing the Right House Paint | DIY Painting | House Paint
Choosing the right House Paint
Perhaps you and your partner cannot agree on a house paint colour, or perhaps the choices of paint are so are so vast it has become an arduous and time-consuming process. DIY painting need not be such an onerous chore after all – why not make it a fun project and involve the whole family – even bribing friends to help offering a reward of a wonderful celebration afterward? After all, it is only a matter of a little research to find out which paint is the right one for the job.
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
Firstly, one does not want to be the pimple on the nose in the neighbourhood – in other words the odd one out – the one with the weird pink or purple house that looks really odd and strange amongst all the other ones in the neighbourhood.
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.
Any reputable paint outlet would be able to advise you on the best quality paint to choose for the outside of your abode.