6 Ways to Make Your Home’s Painted Surfaces Look Great and Last Longer

New paint can make your home look great, feel cleaner, and can even protect you and your family from exposure to negative health impacts, such as lead. Many homeowners want to maximize the longevity of their paint job to protect and elevate their investment. If you’ve had your home painted recently or want to get it painted, here are some ways you can maintain your painting project to ensure it lasts as long as possible.

1. Prepare Your Home

Preparing your home is an important first step in the painting process to ensure that your paint project will look better for a longer period of time. Make sure any cracks or holes are fixed, your walls are properly cleaned, and that your existing paint is either in good condition or stripped from your walls. Properly prepared walls and other surfaces will help your paint go on smoothly, stay on longer, and look its best.

2. Store Leftover Paint Properly for Future Touchups

Once your room has been painted, it’s a good idea to keep any leftover paint from the project so you can fix small details. Storing your paint properly will prevent it from drying out before it expires. If stored properly, you can use latex paint for two to five years to cover defects and to keep your paint job looking fresh. To store your extra paint properly, keep it in a cool, dry location away from sunlight. Place plastic wrap over the opening and replace the lid. Seal the paint can with a few taps to the lid with a rubber mallet.

Ask your painting contractor for any leftover paint so you can maintain touchups. Some painting contractors offer free annual touchups so you’ll want to be sure to have usable, unspoiled paint on hand.

3. Check for Defects Often

As your room is used, you will begin to see wear and tear on your walls. To prevent a small problem from becoming worse, make sure you check your walls often for potential problems, such as small cracks, chips, peeling paint, or discolored paint. Small defects can often be easily fixed, but if left unchecked, they can turn into much bigger issues that may call for an entirely new paint job.

4. Take Humidity into Consideration

In Boston, we have very humid summers and our homes are subjected to a lot of moisture. The moisture can cause warping and bubbling in your paint, especially the exterior paint. If your home’s paint has too much bubbling, you may start to see problems in your trim, siding, and other parts that are made of wood. If possible, controlling the humidity inside your home can help keep your paint looking its best.

5. Clean Your Painted Surface

One part of maintaining your painting project is properly cleaning your walls. Dirt, dust, and scuffs will naturally happen on your walls as your room is used, and your cleaning technique can lengthen your paint’s life. You should wait at least two weeks after your home gets painted before you attempt to clean your walls. Then, test any cleaning solution you create on a small patch of paint in a hidden place to ensure it won’t ruin or strip away the paint.

Sherwin-Williams suggests using a mild mixture of soap and water or a gentle household cleaner on a soft cloth or sponge. Once you clean your walls, dry them quickly to avoid too much moisture on the surface.

6. Hire a Painting Contractor

Your painting contractor will prime your walls properly, use high-quality paint, and have a warranty for any future touch-ups your paint job may need. They can also help guide you with your initial paint selection, making sure that you have the correct sheen, color, and grade of paint for your painting project.

Big Dog Painting provides the highest quality interior painting services, cabinet painting and refinishing, and other custom design work. Our experience and expertise allow us to handle projects of all sizes, whether it’s a historical renovation or a kitchen painting project, we'll complete your project with the highest quality and efficiency.

Get in touch today for a free estimate for your painting project and on-site tips about making your paint last longer.