You always want the inside of your home to look fresh and inviting. However, taking on a home painting project can be time-consuming and stressful at times. You don’t want to let the paint on your walls peel or fade, but you also don’t have time to constantly repaint your home’s interior. So, what’s the healthy balance? Just how often should you paint the interior of your home?
Which Rooms?
Most homes feature several rooms, each serving different purposes. A completely different set of things happen in the kitchen than in the bathroom or living room, for instance. You want each of these rooms to stay up to date, but each one has different needs. So, depending on the room in question, the necessary frequency of interior painting might vary.
For instance, kitchens and bathrooms might need a new coat of paint every few years. These areas experience wide variations in temperature and moisture on a regular basis. Even while running good fans, steam from stovetops or shower use can wear away at even the most durable paint. Additionally, these rooms are more susceptible to messes. Food spills and grease can do damage in the kitchen, while soap scum makes its mark in bathrooms. So, a new paint job might be on an as-needed basis in these rooms, but two to three years usually does the trick on average.
For rooms that see less action or risky business –rooms like the living room, dining room, or master bedroom – you can typically wait longer to apply a fresh coat of paint. These rooms don’t suffer from radical heat changes or sudden moisture and are meant for calmer activities. Still, their walls will need a touch up eventually. Barring a major incident, these can go six to eight years before needing a new coat. Also, in general, ceilings don’t need as much touching up as walls and can go about twice as long for residential painting.
What Type of Paint?
The kind of room isn’t the only factor in determining how often you should paint it. The kind of paint you use will also partly play into whether a room needs to be painted sooner or later. Some paints are better for certain situations and some are simply more durable than others. If you’re unsure of which paint is best for which room, you can always ask your painting service for advice.
The two major paint types for interior walls are oil-based and latex. The former will last longer but the latter requires less dry time. Some homeowners use both types of paints for different rooms or areas of a home’s interior. Areas that tend to take more abuse can benefit from oil-based paints, while latex is often used for living room walls and ceilings in general.
For finishing, you have the choice between flat, matte, gloss, semi-gloss, eggshell, satin, and some variations in between. Each type comes with its pros and cons. Matte, for instance, hides imperfections well, but can be more difficult to clean due to its texture. Glossier paints have the opposite problem, being easier to clean but more noticeable when marked up. Many homeowners opt for an eggshell finish, which finds a happy medium between matte and gloss.
Paint Whenever You Want!
So far we’ve only discussed regular maintenance. But, of course, you should paint the interior of your home whenever you want to change things up or try a new color scheme. House painting might feel like a chore, but it can be fun, too.
Whether your walls need a facelift or you just want some new colors in your home, consult a professional painting service. All American Painting Plus, Inc. has been providing homeowners with painting services and more for over 25 years. Give us a call today at 703-620-5563, or email us at info@aapplus.com for a quote!
