One of the unexpected side-effects from everyone staying indoors is that a lot of people have taken the free time to fix things up around the house. Some of us are getting a hammer and nails out to get pictures hung up finally, or maybe you’ve taken to fixing odds and ends in every room.
I know that a lot of people have been scrambling around to buy paint. Giving rooms around the home a fresh coat or making the most of the good weather to paint the garden fence, has seen everyone around the country picking up brushes and adding some colour.
Now, one problem that may arise for those unfamiliar with painting is knowing what paint to buy. You might not know that your bathroom wall would need completely different paint from your garage door, or that there are more types of white paint than you can even imagine.
Thanks to our friends at The Paint Shed, we’re going to give you a quick breakdown of what the different types of paint you can buy are, and where you use them.
Matt Paint
Matt paint is the most popular to buy, and there are a few good reasons why. It works best as the paint you want to use when working with a problem area. Matt coats tend to be thicker, making them good at hiding imperfections and cracks.
This type of paint is best used on interior walls that people wouldn’t tend to touch or be near. It is sometimes referred to as “flat” paint, but the paint can will always say matt.
Vinyl Matt Paint
The more hardened cousin of matt paint. Most people tend to get confused when looking at matt and matt vinyl in the paint aisle, but the only difference between the two is durability.
Vinyl matt paint will have a resin mixed in which makes the paint “tougher”, with the ability to take a few more knocks or hide scuff marks when painted over. People tend to avoid vinyl matt as they think the resin leaves a certain sheen on the wall compared to matt paint.
Satin Paint
A highly-reflective and durable paint that gives off a particular shine, satin paint works best in rooms you want to have some vibrancy or brightness. With it sitting right in the middle of paint types in terms of how easy it is to clean and its sheen, people tend to use it in hallways or on furniture.
Eggshell Paint
While satin has a slight gloss to it, eggshell gets its unique name from supposedly giving off the appearance and texture of an eggshell after drying in. It will tend to avoid reflecting light as much as vinyl meet or satin and works best if you want a smooth wall.
Semi-Gloss Paint
Some rooms at home are going to have water and moisture on the wall no matter what. Think of spaces like your bathroom after a shower, or your kitchen when oil might splash off a wall. To avoid stains getting locked into the paint, semi-gloss paint helps provide a top layer which you can wipe on without leaving a mark.
Semi-gloss also has a slight shine to it, which is why it gets used on cabinets and interior doors.
Gloss
Ideal when you want your kitchen or bathroom cabinets to have a shiny finish, that gets more reflective and plastic looking the higher the gloss.
Like vinyl matt, gloss paint has an alkyd resin binder that adds lustre and durability. Someone looking to paint skirting boards, frames and cabinets would opt for a full gloss.
In the mood to do more DIY work indoors?
Visit the décor section of the blog here, where you’ll find recent articles on kitchen trends to embrace and the best tips for decorating your patio.
