Painting and Finishing

Adding a fresh coat of paint can greatly bring a dull room back to life.  If you’ve never painted before then it may difficult for you to decide which type of paint is best for the task at hand.  Most paints are either eggshell, semi-gloss, flat or gloss.  These types of paints are all you should need for your home remodeling project.  Sometimes a primer is needed to coat the surface depending on what you are actually painting.

Flat is a latex-based paint and is mostly used on walls and ceilings.  Flat paint can be used to paint both interior and exterior finishes.  It’s great for helping to absorb moisture that happens with exterior painting.  This paint can be applied with a brush, roller, pad and sprayer.

Egghell has a bit of sheen and it more durable than flat paint.  You will mostly likely use this on interior wood finishes.  It is much easier to clean than flat paint and can be used for painting walls as well.  Using a good primer before applying this type of paint usually works best.  Use a brush, roller or pad for its application.

Gloss and satin are used mainly on either metal or wooden surfaces.  Satin is a bit less shiny than gloss.  Its sold both as a solvent and as a latex based paint.  Both are suitable for interior and exterior use.  This paint is quite durable and usually a coat or two should be plenty when used with a primer.

Primers are used to coat and protect the surfaces underneath.  New surfaces such as drywall need a good primer coat before a first coat or a finish can be applied.  Good quality paints will always perform well with your home remodeling project as long as they are used on the right surface they were designed for, along with the right primer.  Be sure to test the surface you’re painting to make sure its the look you want.

photo credit: geoftheref