Everyone loves a clean house, but everyone hates to clean the house. Cleaning can be tedious, especially when you see scuffs, stains, and scratches that ruin the look of your beautifully painted home. These stains on your interior walls can be a permanent sight unless you know which types of paints to buy. Yes, you read that right – paints.
Fortunately, several painters near me know manufacturers have introduced newer products that will make cleaning your walls much less burdensome without damaging the topcoat and the surface underneath it. These paints are dirt-resistant and can stand up to regular cleaning and scrubbing. You don’t even have to use special chemicals, prepare a cleaning solution, or use other methods to get the stains off the walls.
Paints that are easy to clean
When we say, “paints that are easy to clean,” we do not mean paints that can be easily rubbed or washed off when it’s time to repaint your walls (although there are such paints). Instead, it means paints that can repel dust, dirt, oil, grease, and moisture that can be easily wiped or washed off without leaving the topcoat damaged or worsening the stains.
These easy-to-clean paints will leave your walls looking as fresh and good as new:
1) Emulsion paint
Emulsion paints are water-based paints that contain tiny polymer particles that trap in the pigments. These polymer particles are suspended in water. After the paint is applied and dries, these particles will dissolve and fuse together, creating a coating film on the surface. When this occurs, the particles cannot be re-suspended in water. This is the reason why you cannot wash this paint back off the wall once it has dried.
Emulsion paints can be cleaned regularly with ordinary soap and water. They can repel dirt, making emulsion paints relatively easy to clean. However, certain stains can be pretty stubborn. These stains should be removed as soon as you spot them. The longer the stains remain on the surface, the more challenging it will be to remove them.
2) Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is another water-based paint similar to latex paint, except it contains significant amounts of acrylic polymers. Due to these properties, acrylic paints are more durable, adhere better to the surface, dry quicker, and have better damage resistance than latex paints.
Acrylic paints tend to be smooth and glossy (although matte finishes are also available), making them resistant to dirt and stains. They are easy to wash and clean.
3) Oil-based paint
Oil-based paints are one of the paints that provide the best finish. They consist of natural oil (such as linseed oil) or synthetic or alkyd oil. As an agent, the oil provides these paints with a smooth texture.
Oil-based paints form a hard and glossy finish that offers resistance to general wear and tear. Oil-based paints are also good in areas with high moisture and humidity, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Their ability to repel dirt and moisture makes oil-based paints easy to clean.
While oil-based paints apply smoothly, they require careful application and a clean, prepared surface. Also, their fumes can be overwhelming, so that oil-based paints would be better off for outdoor use.
The best paint finishes for easy cleaning
Some areas in a home get more traffic and abuse than others, requiring more frequent cleaning. This is why house painters near me suggest considering the finish when buying paints.
Check out these paint finishes that work best for medium- to high-traffic areas of your home:
2) Eggshell – The eggshell finish offers a faint luster, making it more resistant to dirt and scuff marks. It is also excellent in hiding surface flaws, not to mention easy to clean. It stands up to cleaning and scrubbing better than a flat or matte finish. You can use eggshell paints for living rooms, dining areas, guest bathrooms, and anywhere else with moderate traffic.
3) Satin – The satin finish is resistant to scratches, scuff marks, and moisture, making them ideal for areas with high traffic and humidity, like bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways. It stands up exceptionally well to cleaning and scrubbing. However, its shine and reflective quality can reveal surface imperfections.
4) Semi-gloss – Paints with a semi-gloss finish give off a much more noticeable sheen and reflectivity than eggshell and satin. They are more moisture-resistant and durable and can be scuffed and scrubbed. However, their sheen and reflectivity can show surface flaws and ugly brush strokes. These paints are typically used on doors, trims, and other areas where their glossy look won’t be too distracting.
5) High-gloss or glossy – The shiniest and most durable of all the paint sheens, high-gloss paint is hard, durable, and very reflective. The hard, sleek, and shiny quality makes this paint finish highly resistant to dirt, scuff marks, and moisture. High-gloss paint is the easiest to clean of all the paint finishes.
However, high-gloss paint can be challenging to pull off. If it lands on inexperienced hands, the paint will end up with tiny imperfections in your wall, such as brush strokes. Using this paint requires proper application methods and careful surface prep work.
We hope the article guides you in finding the best products for your house painting project. But if you want to forego the hassles of DIY painting, hire a licensed painter near me and enjoy the benefits and convenience of a professional painting service.