Understanding and choosing paints

Most of anyone who hasn't painted before thinks of painting as slapping a coat of semigloss paint on a wall...

Well, actually a lot more to know and learn about paint. One of my fears when I got into painting was having to learn about every single paint that companies have, such as Sherwin Williams, Behr, Olympic, Kelly Moore, etc.

Most of us don't have the money or patience to sample every different type of sheen, brand, base of paint. When thinking about it, just take a deep breath. I try and keep it simple.

I'll start off by recommending nothing but Behr paint. It's at Home Depot, its cheap, covers better than the most expensive paints, and has such an incredible color to it because of the amount of pigment in it. I get Behr for interior and exterior painting because I have never had a problem with it, it never creates lines or streaks.

On another note, if you are a do-it-yourselfer, always get good tools. There is a huge selection of brushes and rollers. Make sure you get the wool rollers, they hold more paint, and you won't miss a spot.

There is also the selection of sheens. You have your flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and high gloss sheens. A flat sheen gives the appearance of a more professional completion, eggshell works good for kids rooms or halls, satin works well with kitchen and bathrooms, and finally you have your semi gloss or your high gloss for trim work.

There is also the choice of oil base and latex base paint. Most paint these days will be a latex based, but be careful of getting oil base. I met someone who's dad painted for 30 years and loved painting with oil base for trim work. Well, now he is fighting many illnesses such as alzheimers and cancer. Don't get me wrong, latex can be damaging too, but it is the better alternative. And when looking for a good latex paint, make sure it is acrylic, it bonds a lot better than conventional paint.

Again, I am the owner of Modern Villa Painting. We are located in the DFW area and do interior and exterior painting and remodeling. If you or anyone you know has any painting or remodeling that you need done, or have any questions, please contact me via email at modernvillapainting@gmail.com or at (972)922-2769.

Jeff Weimer