The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Paint for Your Home

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Paint for Your Home

Factors to Consider When Choosing Paint

Different paint is designed to compliment different types of surfaces. Considerations when deciding on your paint will include the finish of the wall, the texture of the wall, the materials involved, complimentary decorations like the trim or the molding, and how that wall contrasts nearby walls and ceilings. There is a big difference between exterior painting and interior painting,  the amount of sunlight or rain, heat and humidity, and considerations your budget and how it looks. 

The folks in the painting department at your local hardware store undoubtedly hold some of this knowledge (1). But since they are not the ones coming to your house and seeing all the colors fit together it will be tough for them to give accurate advice. The single best way to make sure your  paint compliments your home is to invite someone onsite. 

Types of Paint Finishes: Glossy, semi-gloss, satin, eggshell, and matte

Glossy Paint

• What is it? When you walk in and the light seems to bounce off the paint with a good shine that is likely glossy paint. 
• Ideal for: furniture, cabinets, bathrooms, front doors
• Why? Glossy paint is easy to wipe dirt off of and provides a vibrant finish. Anywhere you expect smudges or want to leave an impression the high gloss makes a lot of sense. 
• Cons - Because it is so bright any imperfection will be very noticeable. High gloss is not great for hiding errors and is more difficult to apply than other types of paint.
  
  

Semi-Gloss

• What is it? A mellowed version of the high gloss with a more subdued finish and a bit better coverability. 
• Ideal for: doors, baseboards, window casings, door frames, kitchen, and bathroom. It is used sometimes for refinishing furniture blemishes. 
• Why? Semi Gloss was designed to have some of the brightness of high gloss but be easier to use with soem of the pros of matte paint. Because it works well with humidity its used on places that could get wet more often like the kitchen and bathrooms. 
• Cons - still not simple to apply as it shows imperfectsions

Satin 

• What is it? The gloss continues to get subdued with better coverability. Some people call it Low-sheen or pearl
• Ideal for: Kitchen, bathrooms, high traffic areas, millwork
• Why? If you are painting yourself this is fairly easy to use but lacks some of the shine of other paints. Because it is more matte it covers up imperfections well. 

Eggshell

• What is it? This is a more matte patt with a bit of shine. It’s the most popular paint finish because it has enough gloss to compliment and not contract with the semi-gloss or high gloss in other areas of the house. 
• Ideal for: Bedroom walls, living room walls, hallways, areas without moisture
• Why? This level of finish covers up imperfections well and holds color. It is easy to clean and is considered very hearty and durable. For concerns about longevity this one is great. 
• Cons - Does not quite have the bold finish of other paints but for many that is a good thing. 

Matte 

• What is it? No shine, just a simple covering. 
• Ideal for: Hiding imperfections or blemishes on the surface. It is a great beginner paint because of the way it dries up - you can make changes and correct mistakes quickly. 
• Con: This paint doesn’t do well with moisture so keep it out of the bathroom and kitchen. It’s a bit of a bear to clean as well but offers a unique type of look from the others. 

To make matters more complicated you have different types of paint to choose from as well. Water-based paints are the most common and cheapest but they don’t last as long as more oil-based paints. Oil-based are very hard to work with and should be left to a professional - especially if you don’t want it on your furniture or floors! 

Choosing the Right Paint Color

There's a lot of advice out there on choosing the right colors for your home.  instead of following the old cliches and rules of thumb we recommend starting with finding a color scheme.  specifically instead of burdening yourself with trying to choose colors that may or may not match We have found it's easiest to find a piece of furniture or piece of art whose colors you love. Once you have your main three colors take them to the store and get sample strips for each.  when you return home you can hold the sample strips up against the wall and make your selection.  The other two colors can be used for fabric and furnishings. 

Adjacent rooms can be one of the other three colors and the remaining too can be for fabrics and furnishings.  I think you're starting to get the drift. 

Take it up a notch by choosing a fourth color to use as an accent.  that color accent on pillows or artwork can be used as a small bridge to connect the spaces. 

Other ideas we've heard of in the past is to explore the psychology of color to decide the mood and temperature of each room ahead of time. We also have experience in the adage that says lighter lighter colors open up a room and darker colors tend to shrink a room. 

There are so many different theories about color and paint. We have found the best is to choose something that you love and then you can find the group of people who agree with you. 

Modern technology has some tools to help as well.  Sherwin Williams offers a paint visualizer (2) where you can upload a photo of your room and see the different colors on it. 

For a more rustic approach there is always the lessons you learned on the color wheel. 

In conclusion, there is a lot to consider when painting your house. Types of finish and choosing the color can feel like a journey of a thousand decisions. Don’t be afraid to find someone to consult with on your paint colors - it’s supposed to be enjoyable. If you have any trouble or need an ear give us a call at Integrity Painting. 

References:
Home Depot "How to Choose a Paint Color" https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/how-to-choose-a-paint-color/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90751d18df

Sherwin Williams Paint Visualizer https://www.hgtvhomebysherwinwilliams.com/en