How To Choose The Right Paint
You would like to repaint one of the living room walls with a beautiful vibrant color, or dress up the kitchen with a tonic and gourmet shade? Yes, but which paint to use exactly? A mat, gloss, or satin finish … Glycero or acrylic … To guide you through the jungle of formulations and make the right technical choices, follow the guide and the advice of the pros.
Prefer a “glycero” or acrylic paint?
To make a choice, it is necessary to distinguish between the different existing formulations. There are two main types of paint on the market:
Solvent-based paints, or “glycerophthalic” paints. These paints are formulated on an oil basis and dilute with white spirit. Known for their resistance to any test, they are nevertheless difficult to clean and emit a strong odor. They are also less and less represented on the market. In question? Their level of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) of pollutants present in our interiors, including formaldehyde, responsible in particular for allergies and respiratory disorders.
Acrylic paints are made of water and acrylic resins. Today they constitute the bulk of the public market. Practically, odorless, resistant, they are also significantly less polluting than glycero paints. They meet the new standards against indoor pollution, which, since 2010, have established a rate of less than 30 g of VOC per liter of paint.
Which paint for which room, which medium?
“When you decide to repaint a support, you first think about color”, notes Christophe Blondelle. “But even before choosing the shade, it is advisable to ask the question of the destination part of the paint and the nature of the surface to be repainted, he continues. This will condition the choice of the formulation to be adopted. “
For the walls: matte, satin, glossy finish, what do I choose?
Does your project concern a dry room or a pond? Is your wall placed in an area heavily used by passages, such as the entrance or the hallway? You just have to keep a few main rules in mind so as not to be mistaken.
Thus the bright paint is intended mainly for wet rooms and woodwork. They offer a taut finish that perfectly reflects the light but does not tolerate any imperfection. We therefore avoid using these paints on damaged supports and for passage areas.
Trendy, matte paints have a cozy and enveloping powdery finish. They are perfect for concealing flaws in walls. While they were previously not recommended in high-traffic rooms, this is less true today. Manufacturers have in fact developed new mat formulations that are more resistant and above all washable.
Finally, satin paintings are a bit like the Swiss Army Knife of wall paintings, they can be found in all rooms of the house, from the living room to the bathroom. Easy to live with, they are very resistant and are generally available in the widest range of colors from the manufacturer.
Renovation paints
For renovation paints, we also take care to take stock of its support (vertical, horizontal, subjected to frequent passages …). Because, even if renovation paints tend to be more and more versatile, some media are confusing. For tiling for example, we will not choose the same formula depending on whether it is a vertical tiling.
Don’t know what color to buy? Contact us
Signature House Painters in Washington DC is made up of painters who carry out all interior and exterior painting work on behalf of individual, companies, and administrations. They also offer wall and floor coverings, and facade treatment. Their sole objective is customer satisfaction, they have the human and material resources necessary to carry out each project with careful work. Respect for standards, speed, and creativity are their main watchwords.
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