Painting your home – A few common doubts cleared

Painting plays an important role in beautifying our house. However beautiful we design and construct a house, bad painting ideas can ruin the whole beauty. Similarly through well-planned painting plans, we can make our house more beautiful and also make rooms appear more spacious. Like any other, trends in painting will also have a seasonal change and very often we are confused with the choice of colours. Through this column I shall give you a basic idea about painting your home, some of the latest trends and will also clear your common doubts too. Read 10+ simple tips for painting here.

1. Can we paint home soon after construction?

After plastering, next step is to paint white paint or cement primer to reduce pH of cement on the walls. Minimum 2 weeks are needed for this purpose. Moisture content of walls should be absorbed completely. Using ‘Wall Putty’ all the defects of plastering are cleared first and then only painting is done. In some portions three or four layers of Putty may be needed to clear the defects while well-finished wall may not need Putty at all. If you use Putty or paint before the moisture content is fully removed, very soon patches will appear on walls, and paint won’t last long.

2. Distemper, Emulsion, Enamel – Paints are of different types. Which could be the best choice?

Distemper is the cheapest paint among all. It’s directly painted on walls without the use of primer, which can be seen as an advantage. But in terms of quality it lags behind all other types. It also easily sticks on to our body parts. It can’t resist water and easily fades under direct sun. For the same reason it can’t be used for exteriors. Separate emulsion paints are available for both exterior and interior, and they can resist water, sunlight and colour fading. They are long lasting too. Enamel is a glossy finish paint mostly used in metal mesh of work area, grill work of windows etc.

3. Weather proof paints are not affected by heat and rain. Are they suited in all Kerala homes as per climatic conditions?

Almost all paints available in market right now are weather proof, which can resist sunlight, rain and fungal attack for a few years. As monsoon and summer are severe in Kerala, weather proof paints could be the best choice. But in most cases, people prefer interior emulsion paint for their exteriors to save money. But there is no guarantee that it lasts long.

4. How can we fill room with light and make it appear spacious with the help of painting tricks?

Prefer light shades for your interior. Your rooms reflect light more and also appear spacious. Use glossy finish paint of light shade in the wall which gets direct sunlight (wall opposite to window). When sunlight directly falls on this wall, it reflects light everywhere inside.

While painting small rooms, never give borders or designs to doors and windows. Also choose a single only. Never choose two light shades to paint a single small room. Yet if you want to choose two different colours, choose two concurrent shades of same colour. This style is known as monochromatic painting and currently trending.

5. Can colours affect your mood?

Yes, colours can definitely influence human mind – says colour psychology. Good choice of colours can give a silent feel in your room. Red colour represents energetic and vibrancy and hence can be chosen for young couple’s bedroom. Yellow light can induce intelligence and hence the best choice for children’s study room. Blue colour gives deep sleep and hence can be used for shading senior citizens’ rooms. Lavender colour can be chosen for small rooms and for kids. Orange colour can induce hunger and hence be chosen for dining area.

Though colours have a deep influence on human emotions and mind, it doesn’t imply that the above colours should be chosen for all the four walls of your interior. You can choose those given colours for highlight wall or focal point of your room to get almost the same benefits.

6. What are the latest trends in paints?

Texture painting is the star among all. Countless texture paints are readily available in market right now. At first a base coat is given using some light shade. Before it completely dries, a dark shade top coat with texture is given and it can be done without the help of any expert. In normally painted walls also, using rollers you can make textures. Such rollers are also available with designs of leaves, flowers, branches etc.

Stencils available with paints can be used to create designs on walls. Stick stencils on walls and apply paint on walls. When the paint dries completely, remove the stencils from walls to get beautiful designs. It can also be done without expert’s help and currently trending also. Now glass paints are available in market which can be used for your exterior.

Neutral shades such as off-white and beige have admirers most. Earth tones such as clay colour and different shades of green are also trending right now.

7. How to reduce cost of painting?

If you want to make painting ‘pocket friendly’, you should take extra care from construction of walls onwards. If plastering process is not done properly, you may need several layers of Putty to make the wall surface even. It adds cost too. Even after plastering defective walls need at least one coat Putty so that paint stays for a long time. Yet you are not satisfied with the finish, use some dark shade paint to cover the defects, because defects are easily visible in light shades.

There is a measurement of paint needed for each square feet area. Very often this surface coverage calculation may go wrong because of low quality primer used. If primer is not coated nicely, you may need two or three coats of paint. If you use good quality primer, two coat of primer plus one coat of paint gives good finish to your walls.

Spray painting is yet another cost reduction technique. It takes less amount of time to complete thus reducing labour cost. Now rollers have replaced brushes thus turning painting process more cost effective. It reduces the loss of paint in brushes by dripping.

Now painting is also done in such a way that bricks are visible from outside. If this design suits your house you can choose this design for highlight walls.

8. What are the important points to be noted while repainting house?

To retain fresh look of house, you can paint your home once in three years. Before painting process, the exterior walls should be cleaned thoroughly to remove dirt and dust. To remove ferns and fungus use pressure pumps. Some walls like those of bathroom or close to them may have moisture content, and paint may be visible as bubble structures. Use a sandpaper to rub the moist surface and then apply Putty. Put waterproof compound before you paint the surface.

If the wall has been given texturing design before, use a sandpaper to rub its surface and spread it. Apply a layer of Putty and then paint or do texturing.

9. Can paint cause health issues?

Certain contents in paint such as lead and VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) make paints harmful. Such components are harmful both to humans and nature. Now most of the paints available in market are lead free. Also choose paints with less VOC content. Non-volatile paints are also available. Wood primer and polish can also harm human beings. Wide open windows and doors while painting and ensure free circulation of air at least for next three days. Paint’s smell may cause discomfort for a few people. Odourless paints, perfumed paints and eco-friendly paints – paints are now available in different species.

10. What are the points to be noted while repainting houses affected by floods?

Flood affected homes may show moisture content on walls as well as patches. Painting should be done only after walls are fully dried. If sky is clear for next few days, it takes only a short time. Otherwise you need to wait till those patches completely disappear. During rainy season too, walls of homes may be attacked by moisture. If dry leaves on terrace block the flow of rain water, water may penetrate into walls and roofs giving moisture content. Resolve that problem first and give a coat of water proof/leak proof compound on walls before you repaint.

11. What’s the easy method to remove dirt and stains of walls?

All emulsion paints are washable, and hence with the help of water you can clean the walls. Use some shampoo water and cotton to clean such stained surfaces. Some paints are resistant to stains while a few are washable. Choose such paints for kitchen area as well as those homes with young kids. Texturing done with sand or granite can easily get stains and dirt. Use a moist cloth to remove the dirt.

12. How to repaint surfaces with wall covering?

Certain wall coverings assure 100% guarantee to walls, but may not fulfil the promise. Use a sandpaper to rub in those portions where you remove wall covering and polish it well. Then you can repaint those walls. As wall covering is done on walls which have been levelled and finished by Putty, there is no need to repeat the same process once again. Painting is sufficient.

13. Can painting be used as a technique for house makeovers?

If you want to give a fresh look to your home within a short time span, painting is the no: 1 option. Colours can add new life to your home. When you choose colours for interiors, assure that selected ones well suit furnishing materials and furniture. Cushion, curtain and similar soft furnishing materials can also be changed to the colour of walls.

Interiors with grey colour tones can choose soft furnishing with contrast colours or curios. Grey shade will never disappoint you with room size and its appearance. You can experiment with different colours for doors, and same colour with two shades for kitchen cabinet. These are some simple and easy techniques for easy makeovers.

14. Can we paint and preserve washing machine and refrigerator?

Paints can be used to beautify old home appliances and equipment. It also helps the instruments from rusting, scars, patches etc. Transparent glossy and mat paints are available for this purpose. After a few days of usage, dirt, black spots and scratches may appear on the surface of washing machine and refrigerator. Though you can wash it off, to retain the original beauty and finish, you should repaint the instrument with same shade. First apply primer coat, followed by PU coated enamel and spray paint. If you use paint brush or roller, you may not get perfect finish.

15. Terrace painting to reduce heat

Paint your terrace with white colour. It’s one of the best options to reduce overall heat. When sunrays fall on white surface, they get reflected, and that’s why it helps in reducing heat. But if you use ordinary paint for this purpose, due to exposure to rain and sunlight, it gets damaged easily. Terrace paints are available in market, which are made adding glass particles so that light gets reflected more. They are water-proof and less damaged in sunlight. When you construct terrace roofs for your homes, never use dark shades along with tiles. It will only increase heat inside home.

Image source: Pixabay

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