How Often Should You Paint Your Walls?
- By Angela FitzGerald
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- 11 Jul, 2018
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There are lots of reasons to repaint your walls. Over time, walls earn battle scars from kids, pets and furniture rearranging that dull and mar the paint. You might also be inspired to repaint as styles change. But how do you know when it’s time to paint the walls?
Paint Finish Considerations
Which paint finish you choose could define the paint job’s lifespan in your home. Consider your lifestyle when choosing the finish of your paint. Flat finishes cover well, for example, but are more difficult to clean than glossy or satin finishes. You’ll likely need to repaint more often if you use a flat finish in a high-traffic area.1
Professional Recommendations
Some walls will need to be repainted more frequently due to the amount of activity in the room. Bedrooms will likely need to be repainted more often than dining rooms because they’re used in a different way. Here are some recommended repainting timelines from professionals:
Living and Dining Rooms
You won’t need to repaint these rooms very often, particularly if you use reliable and durable paint products. Even though you probably use these rooms all the time, the durable paint will protect the walls from the typical causes of wear. The activities in these rooms also extend paint life because they are generally relaxed. Because of this, living and dining rooms should only need to be repainted every five to seven years.2
Kitchens and Bathrooms
Kitchens and bathrooms are the places where paint is most likely to experience a lot of wear. Food splatters, messy fingers and moisture – whether from cooking or showering – can really take a toll on your paint. In these rooms, professional painters use gloss and satin paints on walls to ensure the paint lasts. Kitchens and bathrooms will probably need a fresh coat of paint every three to four years.
Bedrooms
Paint in adult bedrooms can last anywhere from five to 10 years because these spaces are generally used less frequently, though you may want to switch up the paint more often as a style choice.
Kids’ bedrooms are an entirely different story because children use their bedrooms as a place to both sleep and play. Leave some markers or crayons in your kid’s room, and you might find yourself repainting a lot.
Professional painters generally use an eggshell or satin paint for children’s rooms so the walls can endure being scrubbed down multiple times. The paint will probably need to be reapplied every two to three years to keep the room looking fresh.
Hallways
Everyone who enters your home will walk through one or more of your hallways, leaving marks and dirt along the way. Over the course of a few years, your hallways will see more dents, scuff marks and wear than you thought were possible. Call in your professional painters to paint these spaces every two to three years.
Your Walls, Your Call
Though professional painters make recommendations, there’s no set rule that says you must repaint your walls after a certain amount of time. The frequency solely depends on you and your family.
As time goes on, your style may change, and you may want to repaint the walls to go with your new furniture and accent pieces. Or, you might need to paint after a child draws on the walls or your spouse leaves scuff marks while moving furniture. Whatever the reason, the decision to paint is all yours.
Could Your Home Benefit From a Fresh Coat of Paint?
If your walls start to appear dingy and worn, call the professionals at Arizona’s Best Family Painting to freshen them up. Our staff of professional painters can help you find the best paint finish to fit your lifestyle. We offer residential painting services for homeowners in the greater Phoenix area.
Join our ever-growing family of satisfied customers by calling (602) 606-2200 for your free estimate.
1 https://www.ehow.com/info_10066596_long-paint-last-walls.html