Have You Heard of “Interior Paint Distress Disorder”?
It’s going around.**
Symptoms include:
1. A racing heart, wondering if expensive paint is worth it.
2. Breaking out into a sweat over which sheen to choose.
3. A sense of vertigo while picking out a white in a sea of white swatches.
(**Not a real disorder, silly. It’s just me, trying to help you out.)
Best Practices for Instant Relief:
1. Paint Expense Panic: Shell out a few more bucks for a higher grade paint.
You may be sayin to yourself, “C’mon Michelle, paint is paint. It goes on and you live with it.”
2. Sheen Terror: Know the cheat sheet for sheen choice.
Sure, I could go into lots more detail on what sheen to choose for each situation. There are good reasons why using flat paint in some spaces could be disastrous.
Most people want a quick no-fuss answer.
Here it is: In most cases, you’ll be happy with semi-gloss on doors, trims, stairs and fireplaces. And eggshell is great on walls and ceilings.
If you have a ceiling that isn’t very attractive, switch to flat except for bathrooms and the kitchen. You know what I mean: cracks, bumps, popcorn, etc
In short:
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- Walls = eggshell
- Trim = semi-gloss
- Pretty Ceilings = eggshell
- Ugly Ceilings = wet rooms eggshell, dry rooms flat
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There you go. Easy and done.
3. White Paint Dizziness: Yeah, that’s a tough one.
Why? Because all white paint has a tiny bit of color in it.
Whites will also look different depending on, sunlight from the windows, the floor color, furniture colors, yada yada.
But, we can look at some designer fav’s as clues to what you might enjoy in your own home.
Benjamin Moore’s Cotton Balls (Love that name! Hah!), Dove White, and Simply White are very popular choices because they go great in lots of situations.
Check out those alongside your furniture, your pictures and your other paint colors. And don’t forget, it’s wise to paint a large section of the wall of any color before saying yes.
So There You Have It, The Quick Cure for Instant Relief
You have a better idea of how much to spend on paint.
You know which sheens to use.
And you have a solid starting point for picking out a white.
Go forward and paint with confidence!
Live Happy, Design Buddy!
Michelle Winter
Hey There! I’ve been designing interiors for 20+ years, and I’m only 30. Go figure (wink) Enjoy reading for inspiration and information on interiors and life styling.