Tips on Choosing Interior Paint Types for Your Pittsburgh Home

If you're getting ready to choose paint for an interior painting project in Pittsburgh, you'll want the best type of paint for the job. Once you get to the store, you'll see tons of different paint, primers, wall coatings, decorative paints, oil paint, acrylic, and more. It can be overwhelming.

When painting your Pittsburgh home, you want to choose the right paint for the surface you're painting. You'll also want to consider the sheen of the pain to get the look you want. Plus, some paints are not a good choice for areas with high humidity.

To help you choose the right type of paint for your interior painting project, our Pittsburgh painting company offers the following tips.

Flat Paint and Where It's Best to Use

Flat paint has no sheen to it, it doesn't reflect light. Many people choose flat paint for their walls because a shiny wall can ruin the design they're trying to create. Flat paint is calming and comfortable to look at.

Flat paint is most often used only on drywall. It works best for rooms that get a minimal amount of wear because it's difficult to clean. Most often, it's impossible to clean the smudges and grime off and the surface will need to be painted over.

It's also not a good choice for an interior painting project like the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. It isn't waterproof and these areas get very humid. If you choose flat paint for the bathroom, get ready for the wall texture behind the paint to eventually peel off.

Flat Paint:

• No sheen for a stylish look
• Best to use in rooms with minimal wear
• Not good for rooms with high humidity

Satin & Semi-Gloss Paint and Where It's Best to Use

Satin paint is a low-sheen semi-gloss paint which offers waterproof protection for rooms with a lot of humidity. It's also much more durable than flat paint and can be cleaned. This is why satin and semi-gloss paint is so popular for all rooms including the bathroom.

A good acrylic satin paint is easy to apply, another reason why people choose it over flat paint. It's best to use a satin or semi-gloss paint type on trimwork, wooden interior doors, and the interior walls.

The sheen on satin paint is very subtle but it's still not the best choice for painting ceilings in your Pittsburgh home. The paint is reflective, so when you apply it to both walls and ceiling, you get a shiny affect all over which will confuse the eye.

Satin & Semi-Gloss Paint:

• Delivers a low-sheen to enhance your design and brighten the room
• Great choice for interior painting but not that great for ceilings
• Protects against humidity
• Easy to apply and clean

Glossy Paint and Where It's Best to Use

Glossy paint, if used at all, is most often best to use on trim, doors, and baseboards. It is the most reflective paint you can choose, so be careful where you use it.

You can choose glossy oil-based paint or water-based acrylic for your home's interior. Most professional Pittsburgh house painters still prefer to use oil-based gloss paint on trim and it's the most durable option for metal or fiberglass entry doors.

Oil-based paint of any kind is more difficult to apply right. It shows brush strokes and mistakes very easily.

Gloss Paint:

• Very durable
• Highest sheen
• Easiest to clean
• Careful about the oil-based gloss paint, the color tends to yellow!