Paint Makes a Difference!

When it comes to improving one’s home, perhaps one of the easiest, quickest and least expensive ways to create a stunning, significant impact to a home is to consider painting. I guess nothing revives perks-up tired walls, weatherworn siding, or adds a touch of style and some sorts of uniqueness better than a new coat of paint. When you say painting, it can be like an instant renovation.

Painting is actually cheap, not to suggest. The truth is, there is something more than just it’s being cheap. Painting in fact involves a serious commitment of time, money and of course, effort. Note that this is a requirement, whether you do it yourself or hire a professional. You want to get it right the first time, so you won’t be back on ladders in a couple of years, right?

Choosing the Right Paint

As you may realize, one of the most important decisions you will encounter when planning a home improvement through painting is choosing the right paint. To tell you honestly, this is so critical to whether or not your paint job will look good and last for a number of years. However, there are instances that choosing the right paint can be tricky. The paints today have gone through such dramatic changes in the past few years that it is now becoming hard for us to know what to purchase. But, don’t despair. There is still a hope for that.

The following information will give you a closer look on how to choose the right paint so you can make clear, informed decisions. Just read on.

The Paint Basics

Essentially, paint is a mixture of pigment, resin and a carrier. The main, white pigment is said to be the titanium dioxide, and relatively small amounts of other pigments are added by the paint dealer to tint the color. Resin, on the other hand, is what makes paint adhere to a surface. And, the carrier is the evaporative liquid that is usually added to thin the mixture so you can brush or roll it on water for latex paints or a solvent for oil or alkyd paints.

Paint also contains clay or other inert ingredients which are added to adjust the paint’s sheen. It may also contain small amounts of secondary solvents that help gloss, drying characteristics and the like.

Further worth noting is the fact that the amount of quality of every ingredient is what determines the performance and price of paint. Paint with plenty of titanium dioxide, for example, has strong hiding characteristics, and since this pigment is the most expensive ingredient, the paint no doubt costs more. On the other hand, those oil or alkyd paints that use odorless mineral spirits as a carrier are pricier than those with regular solvents. Given this fact, it can be concluded then that price is a good indicator of quality.

Latex Paint of Oil/Alkyd?

The most perplexing question for homeowners when it comes to house painting is “Should we use latex or oil/alkyd?” Well, according to some experts this common confusion is rooted in history. It was noted that for years, solvent paints were favored for trim, woodwork, most exterior and some interior surfaces for the reason that they flow uniformly. Also, many have noticed that these solvent paints have superb leveling characteristics, and adhere well particularly to poorly-prepared or chalky surfaces. They even give a tough, hard-shell finish, and most of the exterior alkyds can be utilized in sub-freezing conditions.

However, such conception has been changed nowadays. The change is in the wind, so to say. The fact is, today both state and federal air-quality laws are clamping down on the use of solvents in oil/alkyd paints. Well, the problem is, a gallon of solvent-based paint contains about two quarts of mineral spirits. It is these solvents actually that evaporate into the air as volatile organic compounds, resulting to air pollution.

In the near future, it is commonly heard that the federal Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to issue certain guidelines to all states, setting minimum standards for the paint formulas. As you may know, there are a number of state regulations these days that align-with or exceed-these standards. And, some of the experts say that solvent paints that comply with these standards don’t really have advantages over the water-based paints. The fact is, they dry slower and are more difficult to apply. They even cost more.

After saying all of these, I think the bottom line is this: the technology has changed so dramatically that the considered best paint option in most situations will be the latex. It may eventually become your only option.

Alkyd-Modified, Vinyl-Acrylic, or Acrylic?

So it is given that the most favored type of paint these days is the latex. Now, latex paints are not all the same. Note that although the first known latex paints were named after their synthetic “latex” rubber base, the synthetic rubber is not used anymore. So, now when you say “latex”, it refers to all water-borne paint. However, within that category, you have three choices: vinyl-acrylic, 100 percent acrylic, and alkyd-modified latex.

So, what is best option?

In the first place, the vinyl-acrylic latex is by far the least costly latex paint. But, this is considered appropriate for most interior walls as well as for shorter-durability exterior walls.

The well-known high performance interior paints on the other hand are 100 percent acrylic. Many have claimed that this kind of latex paint has better color retention, better adhesion, and in better gloss than vinyl-acrylic in the case of the enamels.

Finally, most of the high-quality exterior paints are either 100 percent acrylic or alkyd-modified latex. Both of these types are excellent though. However, if the siding was previously painted with an alkyd or is chalking, considering alkyd-modified latex is a nice move to take. It has been said that the alkyd-modified latex does an excellent job of penetrating and anchoring the coating on a chalky surface. But, many of the manufacturers these days consider the 100 percent acrylic as their best products.

“One-Coat Hiding” on the Label

When choosing the right paint, also look at the coverage, sometimes called “hiding”. For many experts, the “hiding” is another distinguishing property of a good paint. So, when a label says “one-coat hiding”, read the fine print. Be aware that an interior or exterior finish that is guaranteed one coat should cover in one coat when properly applied, without any exceptions. I guess it is quite obvious that one-coat hiding is a major label saver and well worth paying a premium to obtain.

There is one particular determining factor for good hiding – the level of titanium dioxide in the mixture. As often said, the more the paint contains titanium dioxide, the better the hiding. Today, most of flat paints use cheap fillers to attain high levels of hiding. The downside is that, the rest of their characteristics, such as scrubbability fall short.

The Scrubbability Rating

Interior paints have a scrubbability rating, which is formed through standardized testing. Basically, this is a good indicator of the toughness of the paint’s film, as well as its ability to withstand physical abuse. However, there are some instances that this rating may not be posted on the can. So if this is the case, a paint retailer should have information on the rating. What you can do is to compare the ratings and you will obtain a good idea of the quality of the paint.

If you are using a flat paint on the interior walls of your house, just note that there is a tendency that it can be washed, but it doesn’t take kindly to scrubbing. If you scrub it with a damp cloth, you will only remove the dirt or smudge but exposed pigments particles actually become burnished or polished, which in turn damages the finish. So, how to avoid this? Simply choose a high performance eggshell paint rather than flat paint.

The Paint’s Sheen

Paint may have any of the several lustres. From dull to shiny, the paint could be flat, eggshell, pearl, satin, semi-gloss, or gloss. Essentially, the paint’s lustre depends upon its mixture of pigment, resin and inert ingredients. It is often considered that the paint with les pigment and more resin is glossier than the reverse. Enamel is also a term that usually denotes an extra-smooth, hard surface coating, which is typically the result of using a lot of resin in the paint formula.

As a homeowner who wants to apply paint for home improvement, it is important for you to know that the glossier a finish, the more durable and washable it tends to be. Perhaps what is important for both exterior and interior walls is the use of flat paint, which is deemed great at hiding irregularities and surface imperfections. The pearl and eggshell paints are a compromise. As commonly noticed, they hide imperfections partially and are more washable than flat paints.

For painting the interior, many experts often recommend flat paint for ceilings, eggshell for walls and semi-gloss or gloss on doors and trim. On the other hand, the exterior calls for flat or satin wall paints and semi-gloss on trim.

Knowing Which Room

When considering painting for home improvement, it is always important to have an idea of how a particular room will be utilized. This is also very critical for choosing the right paint. In functional rooms like kitchen, baths and bedrooms, for example, you might want durability and easy maintenance first. In more decorative rooms, such as living rooms, master bedrooms or dining rooms, note that appearance is often the key factor. And, in a child’s room, safety is very critical. So, choose the right paint that suits best on every room.

Be Brand Conscious and Meticulous

So you’ve made a clear decision regarding the type of paint. The next thing to do now is to go with reputable brands. Of course, you need to tailor your choices to the project, but avoid wasting your time, effort and money on low-quality paint. There are a lot of significant differences between cheap and quality paints, and these differences are often seen in characteristics such as washability and hiding. There is also a possibility that you’ll find a more extensive color palette in the quality lines.

Lastly, always remember to check the warrantee on the label, which is a benchmarking device that typically provides you a fair measure of the differences between quality levels of different paints.


Estimating House Paint Quantity

So, you’ve learned a lot of about the types of paint, the quality, and some factors to consider when choosing the right paint. Now, let us figure out how much paint you will need for your home improvement project.

The first thing to do to identify the needed quantity of paint is to know the square footage of the area to be painted, as well as the spread rate of the paint. Note that the spread rate is typically about 400 square feet to the gallon. But, still check the can to be sure.