Choosing quality paint is arguably just as important as choosing the right colour. While premium paint and cheaper paint may look similar at first glance in their respective paint tins, you do really notice the difference between the two after you’ve painted your walls.
Better ingredients
As the saying goes, you get what you pay for and when it comes to painting, there’s no exception to this rule. Higher quality paint contains better quality ingredients because ultimately the paint manufacturer spends more money on more expensive ingredients. The four main components that make up a tin of paint are pigments, binders, liquids and additives. Quality paint contains a higher volume of solid materials, that is of pigments and binders. This means that in acrylic paints there will be less water and more solid materials.
‘Wow, that was easy’
Hands down one of the worst things about painting is cleaning up the mess afterwards. Simply by choosing a high-quality paint you can minimise the mess, making it quicker and easier to mop up afterwards. Premium paint is also much easier to apply to a chosen surface, ensuring you spend less time brushing, rolling and retouching.
‘Check out the colour on that’
Premium paint just looks better on the walls. Since the paint’s pigments make up its colour and a tin of higher quality paint features higher solid content, the paint dries a lot thicker, resulting in a more defined colour. Thanks to the thicker paint film, another bonus is that we’re able to finish the job with fewer coats; this is especially important if we’re trying to cover up the previous colour.
Say no to painting defects
Lower quality paints are more prone to defects like splattering, whereby little paint droplets are left behind from the roller. It’s an issue that is mainly realised after you have painted the entire room. There’s nothing more annoying than having to redo everything due to no fault of your own but, rather, an inferior product. Higher quality paints are made to minimise splattering and other painting defects.
Covers well
The age-old adage ‘quality, not quantity’ would have us believe that if we go for quantity, quality is reduced. However, painting can be an exception to this rule. Better quality paints offer better coverage, as is often explained on the back of the paint tin. A high-quality paint will roughly cover 16 square metres per litre, but their cheaper counterparts sometimes cover as little as eight to 10 square metres per litre.
Longer lasting
You want your paint to last, right? There’s no denying painting is hard work and once you have painted your walls you want it to last until you fancy a change and not a moment sooner. High-quality paint is made to last. It is also much more resistant to peeling and flaking, and able to retain its colour better, so you can enjoy it for much longer than paint from a manufacturer who decides to skimp on high-quality ingredients. Premium paint offers a lot more durability and boasts higher resistance to exposure to humidity and UV light.
Added bonuses
Who doesn’t love extras? Higher quality paint contains a lot more bonuses than standard paint such as additives that resist mould and mildew, as well as antibacterial properties that you won’t find in standard paints. Good quality paint will have a thicker film and is typically less porous, giving you extra resistance.
Easier to clean
Let’s face it, no matter how hard you try, your coat of paint is not going to be squeaky clean forever. Fingerprints and scuff marks are among the biggest culprits. However, by choosing a higher quality paint, it is more resistant to staining and easier to clean. A good quality product should be easy to wipe over whereas with lower quality paint, unfortunately, you need to scrub it a lot more, resulting in permanent marks on the wall.
Less sticky
Don’t you just hate it when you shut a door, closet or cabinet and you find it hard to open because a painted surface is sticky and won’t loosen its grip? The good news is choosing a higher quality product can reduce the chances of this happening – once the paint is dry it is much less likely to stick to another surface compared to an inferior quality paint.
Saves you money
With paint, you tend to get what you pay for and higher-priced paint will feature better quality materials. I know it seems counterintuitive but spending more money now on quality paint can actually save you money in the long run. Most of the cost of painting a room is actually made up of labour costs and the time expended. A higher-quality paint is durable and will last longer, so you won’t have to decorate as often.
You also get a lot better coverage so you will need to buy fewer tins of paint. However, be careful because painting a room in the wrong colour can be a costly mistake. That’s why you can potentially save money now by using an online colour consultant who can help you choose colours with confidence. You can also realistically visualise how colour ideas will look when painting exterior surfaces or interior spaces of your home before physically painting your walls thanks to digital renders, helping you achieve the best possible look for your home.
Just like ‘location, location, location’ is everything in real estate, ‘quality, quality, quality’ is what you should be thinking when it comes to painting. Spend a bit more now to save in the long run. Treating your home to the best paint possible will not only impress your visitors, but it will also ensure better colours and a longer-lasting finish that’s easier to clean.
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