Choosing the right paint and colours for your home
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We’re constantly barraged by ads on TV prompting us to buy particular paints, but what if they don’t have the right paint and colours for our home?
"This paint is best for outdoor applications and will last forever through rain and hail and fierce heat. That paint is great for your indoor spaces and will wash perfectly clean of everything from muddy paw prints to spilled red wine. This paint is ridiculously easy to apply; that one has just the right colour range for your needs." But how do we sift through the hyperbole and find out the truth?
"Every well-known brand has a top-quality product," says paint retailer Tully. "There’s no one brand that stands head and shoulders above the rest, despite what the marketing might tell us. If you buy the top-end product of any of the well-known brands then you’ll be happy with the results." For the past 20 years or so, most paints used around the home have been water based (the main exception is on timber surfaces, both indoors and out, where oil-based paints and stains tend to work best).
Water-based paint technology has improved so much over the past couple of decades that there are now on the market odourless paints, environmentally friendly paints, highly washable paints and one-coat paints; and on top of that the colours are always improving. The competition between the brands is such that new innovations are always coming onto the market, which can only be a blessing for the home owner.
According to Tully there are so many different paints available, specific to certain applications, that the wisest thing to do is seek professional advice before going ahead with that paint job. "No one paint is going to be fantastic for every application," he says. "That’s why it’s good to get professional guidance. Once we know what the job is we can advise on whether it’s best to employ a professional painter to do the work – and if you’re looking for a top-quality job and you’re not an experienced painter, then it’s always best to get a trained tradesperson in to do the work."And if you want to do the job yourself, we can point you in the direction of the best paint for the job."