With their knowledge, experience. and expertise, the best commercial painters in Fremont will guide you through the best paints for your own commercial space.
Stepping inside the paint store, you are faced with numerous color and finish options. Trying to pick the perfect paint for your home or office can be daunting and stressful. You know that choosing the wrong paint type, color, and finish can derail your entire paint job, so here are some tips which will help you to buy the best paints for either interior or exterior areas.
Latex and oil – which is better?
Paints mainly come in two varieties: latex (water-based) and oil. Choosing one of them would depend on your space, the type and condition of the surface, your preference, and your budget.
To make decision-making for paints a bit easier, the following lists the advantages of latex and oil paints.
Advantages of latex paint:
- It dries faster.
- It is easier to apply.
- It spreads easier compared to oil.
- It is non-flammable.
- It can be used on nearly all types of surface.
- It is easier to use for touch-ups.
- It doesn’t yellow over time.
- It comes in a variety of finishes: flat (or matte), eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and glossy.
- It is more environmentally friendly as it does not have the strong odor of an oil paint – which means it has less VOC’s which can harm the health of those painting or inside the building being painted and is better for the environment.
- It is more widely available than oil.
- Cleaning brushes is easier after using latex paint since it doesn’t require solvents.
Advantages of oil paint:
- It is easier to clean and wash.
- It resists stains better than latex.
- It resists chipping better than latex.
- It provides a smooth finish.
- Priming may not be needed when using oil paints.
- It resists heat and moisture better than latex.
Finding out whether the current coating on your wall is latex or oil paint is easy and simple to do. Wet a clean white cloth or cotton ball with regular rubbing alcohol and rub it on the wall at a more discreet spot. If you see stains on the cloth or cotton ball, it is latex. If the cloth or cotton ball comes clean, it is oil paint.
Types of paint finishes
A paint’s sheen gives the surface a certain finish and quality. The most reliable way in choosing the ideal paint finish is to find out whether a certain area or building receives the most (or the least) amount of traffic.
- Flat or matte – it has little or no sheen. It is excellent in hiding surface flaws but is tough to clean. Flat paints are best for low-traffic areas such as a board room or executive office.
- Eggshell – it has a faint, velvety sheen. Compared to flat, eggshell paint is easy to clean. However, it is poor in hiding surface flaws. Best for board rooms, executive offices, and classrooms.
- Satin – it is a little shiner when compared to eggshell. It is excellent in resisting stains but is poor in hiding surface flaws. Best for most areas and most types of business buildings.
- Semi-gloss – it gives off a considerable reflective quality. It is durable and excellent in resisting stains but is poor in hiding surface flaws. Good for kitchens, hair salons, bathrooms, restrooms, and clinics.
- Glossy – it has a high reflective quality. It is durable, excellent in resisting stains and easy to clean, but is poor in hiding surface flaws. Its glass-like finish is ideal for smaller painting work such as trims, molding, doors, windows, cabinets, banisters and railings. It is also good for detail paintwork.
Paint colors
Perhaps the most intimidating and stressful aspect of choosing an ideal paint is the color. People cannot be blamed for feeling overwhelmed about this task since there are thousands of color options to choose from.
But it doesn’t have to be stressful! A strong caveat: do not pick a wall paint color from the paint store, as conditions there will be different from your own space. Here are simple but foolproof ways of choosing the best paint colors for your space:
- What is your favorite color? If your favorite color is blue, for example, then use it as a base color and build a color scheme around it. You can add several shades of blue for harmony or something more different to blue like green, white or red for contrast and visual interest.
- Look for color inspiration from various sources such as magazines, catalogs, and design websites.
- Consider the size of your space. If your space is small, use bright colors to give it off a spacious look. But it doesn’t have to be all-white: play up with those neutrals such as several shades of white (ivory, eggshell, and vanilla, for example), soft grays and pastels. If your space is big, use dark colors to give it a more comfortable feel. Choose rich tones such as forest green or chocolate brown. You can use brighter ones for the trims to make an interesting contrast.
Many paint manufacturers’ websites offer color visualizer applications which allow you to digitally “paint” your room with a chosen color. It will give you a better idea of what a particular color will look like on your space.
But if you want a more comprehensive guide and personal approach to picking the ideal paints in your commercial space, seek professional advice and service from the best commercial painters in Fremont.
