How to Choose Paint

When doing any kind of residential painting it is essential that you choose the best paint for the job. Looking at all the different types of paint can be overwhelming when it was difficult enough to just choose the color you wanted. Here are some tips on which paints work best for different types of projects that you may undertake in your home remodeling projects.

There are two types of paints, one for outdoor painting jobs and another for inside projects. Of course for outdoor painting you’ll need a solid oil based paint that will be durable through all sorts of weather. It must also be able to handle extreme heat or cold temperatures.

Exterior paints are either alkyd or latex. Alkyd paints will begin to get brittle after some time of exposure to the elements. It gets kind of chalky. You will want to use this kind of paint if you are painting over existing alkyd paint though. Latex paint is a lot more elastic and will endure the weather much better than alkyd paints. It will also resist mildew.

Interior paints come in several different types of finishes. The kind finish chosen will depend on what is being painted. The types of finish for interior paints are gloss and semi-gloss, satin, flat and eggshell.

Gloss finishes are not used for walls. This type of paint works great on wood. So it should be used for furniture, trim or cabinets. Semi-gloss paint is also not generally used on walls. It is good for those areas that have a lot of traffic and get lots of fingerprints as it is easily cleaned.

Satin is a frequent choice. It is easy to clean and is very eye-catching. Since it is easily cleaned it works very well in areas such as the bathroom or the kitchen. It is also a great selection for any type of area where kids are likely to play.

Flat paints are the most popular finish. The catch to its great look is that it doesn’t tend to reflect light, which protects it from making its own blemishes visible. Ceilings are generally painted with flat paints. It looks great, but it is not as easy to clean as other types of paint. Paints with an eggshell finish have a little more shine than flat paints. Its only advantage is that it will hold up a little better than flat paints.