Living Room Paint: The Right Way

Choosing the right living room paint can be quite a difficult decision. If you're thinking about painting your living room please take time to consider these few tips. The goal here is a quality job that doesn't take a long time or make a huge mess.

Choosing a Paint Type

Just what kind of living room paint should you use?

Before you grab the rollers and brushes, there are several things to take into consideration. Do you want the paint to be a flat, semi-gloss or high-gloss.

Flat and satin paints, while they do hide wall imperfections, also hold dirt and are hard to clean. The higher sheen gloss and semi-gloss are easier to clean but are harsh on the eyes. Glossy paints may not be the best if your room takes in a lot of natural light.

Satin finishes works well in living rooms and hallways where it will help hide imperfections. Acrylic Latex Semi-gloss works better in kitchens and baths for cleaning reasons and its durability.

Oil based paints are great for one coat coverage because they adhere to difficult surfaces, like textured walls. They also last longer, and resist sticking and abrasions. The biggest disadvantage to oil based living room paint is that's it harder to clean than latex.

Latex paints are available as vinyl acrylic or acrylic and they resist cracking and chipping over time. They also resist yellowing with age where areas are protected from the sunlight.

Always check the paint company's color samples to get just the right sheen you are looking for and always stay with the same paint company from the beginning to the end of your job.

Want help choosing paint colors? Visit this page on living room paint colors.

Eager to learn the basics of living room decorating? Then sign up for our e-mail course, 5 Steps To A More Stylish Living Room. You'll get a new lesson in your inbox every couple of days!

Detrim, Mask and Clean

Before you start painting, clear your shelves and mantles. Move furniture out of the room or, at least, into the center. Use drop cloths or plastic tarp to cover your furniture and carpet.

Remove all art from your walls and take down light switches and lighting fixtures. Although some people try to fine line around trim, we always recommend using blue painting tape to tape around your trim and to tape off areas, like an accent wall or ceiling, that will be painted a different color.

Next, wash the walls down with a liquid cleaner such as TSP which can be obtained at any hardware store. Liquid cleaner is easy to mix and doesn't have to be rinsed off. Just let it dry for a short period.

Want to learn more about styles and specific ideas for wall colors? Check out living room wall colors.

Priming and Painting

If your walls have been painted with an oil based living room paint and you want to leave the color the same, just clean the walls are repaint. However, if you're changing the wall color, use a primer before applying the color coat. This will improve the coverage and keep your original color from changing how the new color looks. A popular technique is to tint the primer to match the color you are using. This helps the coverage.

Coverage is especially important. Tinted primers often keep you from needing a second coat, however there are times when you still will need to apply more than one coat due to poor paint coverage. Apply your first coat and give it an opportunity to dry. Then, check your walls thoroughly for thin coverage areas. Apply a second coat where needed.

This page is more about choosing paint. For a full set of tips on painting your living room, visit this page, Tips and Techniques for a Great Paint Job

You have some ideas but you want to make sure you put your colors together the right way. Go take a look at this page about living room color schemes.

Who Has the Best Paint?

Jen and I have painted 3 rooms in our various houses over the years. Each time, we used a different paint manufacturer. In the first room we painted, our dining room, we used Shewrin Williams Cashmere in Restrained Gold. The color was awesome and the coverage was pretty good. The paint wasn't cheap, though.

For our kitchen, we used Behr from Home Depot in a darker brown. We weren't impressed. Very spotty coverage, but the paint was much cheaper. Finally, in our living room, we used American Traditions from Lowe's. We needed a second coat (we didn't prime) but overall the job was very good.

Here's something to think about. We hired a professional to paint the master bedroom in one of our houses. He used Glidden and the quality was amazing. He told us Glidden is as good as anything. I think he was underestimating his own abilities.

If you're doing it yourself, use a good quality living room paint that provides good coverage. Spend a little more. If a professional is taking on the project, ask them for their advice. I bet they'll know what lower cost paints work really well.

If you're still stumped, grab a copy of Consumer Reports. They review interior and exterior paints each year.

You know the basics, but you want to try something new. You need to see our living room painting ideas.

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Living Room Paint: The Right Way

Choosing a Paint Type

Detrim, Mask and Clean

Priming and Painting

Who Has the Best Paint?

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