When you’re on TikTok or Instagram, you might have seen DIY painting hacks for would-be-decorators. There are a lot of painting misconceptions flowing all about the internet, like adding essential oil to your paint or mixing certain colors to make your room appear bigger.
We talked to some of our in-house interior decorators to clear the air and remove any second guesses about painting. With this, you won’t waste your paint supplies on bad techniques that will ruin your DIY project. You’ll also learn expert tips and the best way to approach a new painting task. Let’s get into it!
Myth One - “You Don’t Need To Prep Before Priming“
Sure, prepping can be very exhausting, so we understand the urge to jump into priming immediately. As far as professional painters are concerned, prepping is a necessary evil. You must try to scrape off all the dirt and old paint to ensure a clear finish. If you prime/paint on a prepped wall, you will surely get shoddy results.
According to the director of design and construction at Evolving Home, Joshua Blackburn, priming alone is insufficient to cover gouges, old paint, and accumulated dirt on the surface. Many professional painters always recommend cleaning and sanding the surface to ensure that the paint applies evenly.
Myth Two - “White Ceiling Makes A Room Larger”
The white ceiling design in most homes stemmed from the belief that this contrasting shade would make the room appear brighter and larger. However, many interior decorators have come out to debunk this claim. Though a white ceiling is a safe bet, you can paint your ceiling with more appealing tones for a soft, cozy appeal.
Chloe Warner of Redmond Aldrich Design describes leaving your room white as a missed opportunity. You can explore your creative side by combining contrasting shades like lavender and a glossy coffee hue. According to interior decorator Gil Wash, painting the ceiling with another color will also attract attention and create the effect of a higher ceiling.
Myth Three - “You Cannot Paint In Cold Weather”
It’s common to hear statements like this since many believe painting at any temperature below 50 degrees will ruin the paint. Although many commercial paints aren’t made to handle the cold, you have plenty of other options. You can use water-based or latex-based paint with an anti-freeze resistance for your paint job.
Alternatively, several kinds of cold-resistance paint will work well in temperatures as low as 35 degrees. Though painting in the cold may require more prep work, you’re sure to get good results with the right paint. This means you no longer have to wait until summer or spring to start your painting project.
Myth Four - “Neutral means only Beige, Gray, and White”
When most home decorators think of neutral options, they immediately think of classic shades like beige, gray, or white. However, times have changed, and neutral can describe softer, calming nuances of color. Designer Phillip Mitchell explained that these hues could have soft undertones.
For instance, lavender can have a greyish undertone, and beige can have undertones of pink, tan, or gold. And rather than using a classic white, you can go for a softer hue with ivory, yellowish or peachy undertones. Additionally, neutral colors can be perfect for a minimalist, quiet look or background colors for dramatic accents.
Myth Five - “Stained Wood or Painted White Are The Best Trim Options”
Some homeowners use the same colors of trim throughout the house to provide more unified effects. However, this is not a hard-set rule; you don’t have to stick to just plain options like painted white and stained. As far as designer Susan Simonpeitri is concerned, “Colorful trim often helps a space feel more thorough and immersive.
You can try unique wall and trim color combinations for a soft, whimsical effect. For example, you can paint all trim to match a wallpaper accent color rather than the basic white. It helps to add excitement to space, and many designers often recommend home decorators go as bold as they can with trim color options like dark blue and burgundy.
Myth Six - “Interior Paint is Also Good For Floors”
Many people make this claim mostly thinking of how to save money from buying floor paint. Painted floors can be quite appealing and help you make a bold statement but only when you use the right paint. Interior paint is made for wall surfaces, so using it on your floors can have bad effects in the long run.
Professional carpenter Sean Chapman shared that wall paints are not made to withstand wear from dirty shoes and footprints. It will get dirty and worn less than two months after you get the paint job, so you might have to retouch the paint constantly. Therefore, it’s best to stick with the suitable paint for each surface.
Myth Seven - “You Can Save The Remaining Paint For Later”
Many professional painters have shared the paint starts to lose quality once the paint can have been opened. Therefore, storing paint for months is a bad idea, and many
commercial painters will only agree to use new paint.
Sean Chapman also debunks this claim by stating, “Avoid leaving opened cans of paint to use later as the quality of the application will degrade.” In addition, since paint wears out so easily, it’s always best to buy a fresh can of paint for every project. To prevent waste, you can buy a smaller can for simple projects.
Myth Eight - It’s Unnecessary To Use A Primer”
Professional painters believe priming is not debatable and is the most important part of any paint job. It helps to ensure that the new color stick to the walls.
In addition, priming also helps to enhance the paint and create a glossy smooth finish. No matter the surface, you must use the right primer; otherwise, you won’t like the outcome. Hence, priming is the key to a perfect paint job.
Conclusion
We’ve done our best to cover the most common myths about painting widespread among homeowners. However, this list is not extensive, and more misconceptions are spread across the internet. Fortunately, you now know what actual professional painters have to say about these claims.