Everyone who looks after paint for interior or exterior home decoration, seeks to choose the most reliable product. Going to a hardware store, you can get lost in the assortment: on the shelves of the paint and varnish department are materials of various colors from Russian and foreign companies. But among this variety it is difficult to find good paint.
- Price targeting
- Tinting Features
- Whiter than white
- Matte or glossy?
- Imaginary security
- Universal compounds
We will tell you secrets that sellers and manufacturers of finishing materials usually keep silent about. If you are waiting for wall painting or a full repair, these tips come in handy.
Price targeting
Focusing on value in this matter is the most difficult. Only the complete lack of finances makes the choice easier: then you can take the cheapest material without expecting a decent result from it. But usually there is still a budget, it remains only to spend it wisely: buy a color scheme with the necessary characteristics at a reasonable market value.
Having carefully studied the offers of the market of paints and varnishes, you can see that under a sounding foreign brand a product from Russia or the CIS countries with an increased price is often hidden. The cost of goods of European or American production is sometimes higher than domestic. But the quality of imported products differs from ours for the better. This is due to more stringent requirements for compliance with safety standards, wear resistance and others.
If you have to make a quality repair, it is better to think about a one-time purchase of safe and durable material from Europe or America. In the future, this will help to avoid not only unnecessary expenses for constant improvements and alterations of existing repairs, but also possible health problems.
Another important point that must be taken into account is consumption. Here you need to consider the price not so much for a can of tint, as for the area covered by it. Poor quality materials, although they cost less, their covering ability is very low. This means that it will be necessary to purchase such paint in large volumes. Not only that, the final result is likely to disappoint, it is unlikely to save money in this situation.
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Tinting Features
The first thing we think about when choosing a paint is which color to stop on and whether the chosen shade will look beautiful indoors. Some companies take advantage of this and actively promote products, focusing solely on a rich palette of colors, but silent about any quality information.
Manufacturers declare that only their tinting materials can give the substance a specific tone. But the fact is that all water-based dyes have identical color parameters. The difference in colorant brands or tinting methods (manual, computer) can hardly affect the final result.
to contents ↑Undoubtedly, it is worth taking into account the shade of the coating, but it will be much more important to pay attention to the conformity of the product to established standards, its composition, environmental friendliness, adhesion to the surface, coating density and specifics of use.
Whiter than white
As a basis for tinting, not every paint is suitable. Some materials used for decorating the ceiling are not particularly snow-white.Even if whiteness immediately after application is present, over time the coating dims very much and loses its brightness.
The degree of whiteness is determined by the type of pigment, its concentration and quality. The most successful in this regard is titanium dioxide, it is he who does not allow the paint to acquire a yellow or gray hue. This substance is produced both in Russia and in other European or Asian countries.
In cheap products, an additive supplied from China is used, but there is no need to talk about quality. But in premium paints they use high-quality pigment, which belongs to the American company DoPont.
An important role is played by the percentage of additives in the composition. The greater the ratio of the substance to the total mass, the higher its whitening ability. If the seller in the store does not provide the necessary information, you can check it personally on the manufacturer’s website.
to contents ↑Matte or glossy?
Own preferences - not the only thing that should determine the choice between matte and glossy finish. Designers and psychologists unanimously argue that to create a sense of comfort and a relaxed atmosphere in the house, it is advisable to avoid interior decoration with the inclusion of gloss. Glare can significantly reduce the concentration of attention, irritate the nervous system, reduce the feeling of relaxation.
In addition to the psychological component, it is necessary to take into account the practical side of gloss. The main negative point of this finish is the emphasis on any irregularities and flaws on the surface. Therefore, such a coating will look good only on perfectly smooth walls. In addition, glossy finishes lose their luster over time, especially in places of constant friction.
Gloss is inferior to the mat in its characteristics. But with this coating, not everything is clear. For the effect of haze in the substance, various binder components are added. The absolute absence of glare is able to provide marble finely ground or other matting component of the same degree of granulation. But manufacturers, as an economical alternative to marble, mainly use vinyl acetate, the particles of which are much larger.
As a result, the buyer gets dubious dullness at a high consumption, since the layer of the finished paint is quite thick. The optimal cost and quality will be the choice of material based on acrylic styrene. Such a substance provides a thin coating and a deep haze.
to contents ↑Imaginary security
Not everyone knows what building materials can carry. Some types of paint, due to the high content of certain harmful components in them, are intended only for exterior finishing work. Manufacturers do not disseminate this information and give their product as safe. And buyers, because of ignorance or their own inattention, purchase a product that is harmful to health, and use it inside a residential building.
Universal compounds
At some manufacturers in the product line you can find paints called universal. It is assumed that such mixtures can be used for painting any room and any type of surface, they can be washed, cleaned, and give the desired tone. But in practice, compliance with all these conditions at once becomes practically impossible. The result obtained after such coloring is often unsatisfactory.
The operational parameters taken into account during the decoration are individual for each particular room. If the material for the living room should have maximum dullness and color saturation, then the main condition for paint in the nursery is hypoallergenic.
For a bathroom or kitchen, you should choose a finish with an emphasis on its resistance to moisture, as well as look at the antibacterial properties that can prevent mold. In some cases, a perfectly white tone may be required. And sometimes a high level of wear resistance is required.
It is impossible to combine the listed features in one paint without compromising quality. Therefore, it is advisable to buy a color scheme taking into account the scope of its application.
When choosing a paint you need to be sensitive to different nuances. After spending a little time and understanding all the intricacies, you can economically make a decent repair, which will delight the owners of the house for more than a decade. It is necessary to take into account not only the tone of the paint with a price for capacity, but also the total consumption, the resistance of the material to external factors, as well as the presence of certificates of conformity.
