Painting can be a confusing art, but we all know that it’s important for the maintenance of your home, both in making it visually appealing as well as helping with overall maintenance.
So, how often should you really paint your interior walls, and does it matter?
In this article, you’ll learn how often to paint interior walls, why it’s important, and how it can help improve your home’s overall appeal and keep it from harmful water and oil damage in high-use rooms. You’ll also learn about the benefits of hiring a professional painter versus doing it yourself.
How Often to Paint Interior Walls?
Interior walls do not fade like exterior walls do, but they can see a lot of wear that necessitates a fresh coat of paint to keep the color vibrant and cheerful. (1)
Before you dive into a project, it’s a good idea to check to make sure your paint hasn’t gone bad while it’s been in storage. Improperly stored paint can spoil or be prone to quicker peeling
Forbes
Likewise, you may just be ready for a fresh coat of color to change up the décor around the home and improve the living space. Interior walls should be repainted every 4-7 years, which is plenty of time for new trends to arise.
How Often Should You Paint Interior Trim?
Interior trim, such as the trim along windows and doorways does not need to be repainted often, as these areas do not see a lot of wear. If they are discolored or stained, they can be repainted.
Most homeowners have the trim painted when they refresh the color on the walls as well, to ensure each coat of paint is uniform and the colors are lively and vibrant in any part of the home.
How Often Should You Paint Baseboards?
Baseboards are the trim or paneling at the base of your walls which may see a lot of wear from furniture, pets, children and everyday foot traffic. These areas of the home can see discoloration over time, and painting is an easy solution.
So, how often should you paint your baseboards, and is it necessary?
If the baseboards are warped or water-damaged, you should replace them, rather than covering up the issue with paint. A little coat of paint is great to liven up and refresh a baseboard that is discolored, but it should not be used to cover up actual damage to the home.
A simple stain or discoloration, however, is easy to paint. Baseboards can be repainted with the rest of your house, since they need to be painted first before the wall is painted. There is no need to repaint unless wear is visible.
How Often Do Ceilings Need to be Painted?
Ceilings do not need to be repainted as often as the walls do, as ceilings typically see less traffic. While walls may have the occasional brush by, or be bumped by furniture, pets, or children, ceilings can be difficult to reach and often escape our attention when it comes to painting the rest of the home.
While some places will recommend that the ceiling is repainted every 5-7 years, this is often excessive for ceilings that are out of reach as they see such little attention and cleaning. The occasional dusting will not wear away at the paint so dramatically.
Unless you see signs of wear, such as fading, bubbling, peeling, or cracking, you should only need to repaint your ceiling every 8-12 years to refresh the paint.
Areas of the house that see more exposure to different temperatures, UV rays, and oils or residue may require re-painting sooner, such as nearby fireplaces, large windows or sliding doors, and in the kitchen area. These factors tend to wear on wall and ceiling paint.
Can You Paint a Wall Too Many Times?
No, there is no limit to how many times you can paint a wall. If you layer enough interior paint up, it will eventually begin to peel and show other layers underneath it.
While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, a poor painting job can cause issues by allowing moisture in underneath peeling layers, causing more allergens in the home’s air and degrading the quality and durability of the layers underneath it, bubbling the paint and causing it to peel even further.
During a professional painting, a base coat is typically required to remove any color underneath the original coat, to allow the chosen paint color’s true color to show, even if the walls show only a slight difference. A base coat can also help the new paint stick better and last longer.
If the layers of paint are preventing an even paint job, such as the case of peeling paint or uneven bulk on the walls, the layers should be removed, sanded, and cleaned to ensure an even and smooth paint job across the house.
Does Interior Paint Fade Over Time?
In the case of exterior paint, colors fade faster because of its exposure to UV rays, rain, sand, or other environmental hazards that can be harsh on any structure.
Interior paint is not subjected to the same harsh weather than exterior paint is, so many homeowners may wonder if the paint fades over time or loses its luster in the same way that exterior paint does.
Still, traffic within the house as well as regular cleaning can wear on the luster of interior paint, and indirect sunlight and UV rays from windows can cause the paint to fade over time.
While this is inevitable, interior paint typically fades a lot slower than exterior paint, providing the color with a lifespan of around ten to twelve years before it begins to show its age and need for a re-paint.
This timeline may be shorter than many homeowners suspect, but it is also a great excuse to refresh the color with something a little more modern, as each decade passes and new styles trend.
How Often Should You Paint Your Bathroom?
While a home may not need to be repainted often, the bathroom sees a lot of moisture and should be one of the places in the home that sees an updated, fresh coat of paint on a regular basis to prevent moisture from getting into the paint job.
Regular re-painting of the bathroom can even prevent mold and moisture issues within the wall, which is common if the paint begins to peel and moisture seeps underneath the layers of paint.
A durable, moisture-resistant paint should be used to prevent mildewing and mold problems from developing inside or on the walls. With this mildew-resistant paint, your bathroom will be renewed with bright new colors and durability for years to come.
But how often should you repaint your bathroom? This is a question that many homeowners struggle with. As one of the least visited places in the home, it can be easy to ignore a few patches of paint that needs repair, but with the humidity the room must endure, it’s an important part of the home’s regular maintenance.
A bathroom should be repainted every three or four years, with a maximum leniency of a few years.
What About Other Rooms?
Other rooms in the home do not see the same amount of humidity and may not be subject to repainting as often. Still, they will need to be repainted every now and then to refresh the color and keep the walls protected.
The kitchen is especially vulnerable, as cooking oils and heat can degrade the paint on the walls over time. The typical recommendation is to repaint the kitchen every three to five years, so it is common to have the kitchen and bathroom done at the same time.
The rest of the home can often last until it begins to show signs of wear, or if the paint begins to fade.
Is It Better to Roll or Spray Paint?
It is always better to use a paint roller when working with interior walls.
While spray painting may be suitable for exterior walls where there is a large surface area to cover without the need for much accuracy, these qualities are not often afforded by interior walls.
Low and high ceilings alike, indoor spray painting can be difficult to ventilate, and often any drift that is caught in the air can end up in undesirable places like the ceiling, floor, or countertops, settling underneath tarps or along doorways where it can be difficult to remove.
Switching between the two types of painting can cause a difference in how the paint dries, making the walls appear uneven and unprofessional.
Likewise, using a brush can help in hard-to-reach corners and small areas, but some types of paint will show these brushstrokes easily, making it difficult to achieve an even finish unless you use a roller.
Should You Hire a Professional to Paint Your Walls?
Interior painting can be a hassle to deal with, and no matter how studiously you tape off all the corners and trim, there always seems to be a mess waiting for you once you remove the tarps. To avoid messy mistakes and time-consuming, difficult manual labor, most homeowners choose to hire a professional.
After all, homes only need to be repainted on occasion, and a professional paint job not only looks better, but it can last twice as long as DIY work.
With a full crew of painters, plenty of painting experience under their belts, and a quick, professional sense of timing, hiring a professional is a must for any homeowner. Whether you are moving into a new place, moving out, or simply renovating, a coat of paint can be an easy way to refresh and liven up any room.
Furthermore, you’ll never have to deal with choosing from all the different types of paint available; simply leave it to the pros, and they’ll get the job done quickly.
If you’re looking for an easy way to hire a professional painter, look no further than Same Day Pros. Simply type in the services you’re looking for near your location, and we’ll provide you with a list of professionals who are ready to take on your project as soon as you are ready.
References:
- Forbes, How Long Does Paint Last?, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/home-improvement/how-long-does-paint-last/
