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If you are waiting for repairs, but you do not want to glue the wallpaper, the question inevitably arises: how to cover the walls in the apartment instead of wallpaper. Leaving two: decorative plaster and painting. To work with plaster, it is desirable to have experience, but painting the walls in an apartment can be done at a fairly high level and without experience. You need desire, time and careful execution of operations. By the way, there is a paint that imitates some plasters well, but costs less.
Paints for living rooms
The most important thing in choosing paints for this group of rooms is their harmlessness. High demands are also placed on the decorativeness of coatings and resistance to sunlight. Such a characteristic as washing ability is not the most demanded, except that it may be necessary in a children’s room. It is very good if the paints do not smell, or almost do not smell during application, and it is also desirable that they dry quickly.
Water based paints
More than others, these requirements are met by water-based formulations. The binding component may be different in them, which is why some qualities also change, but one thing unites them: they are harmless to people, do not harm the environment, dry quickly and have almost no smell.
Water emulsion
The most popular in this group are water-based paints. These are compounds based on polyvinyl acetate (more familiar to us as PVA). This paint is easy to apply, has good hiding power – usually two coats are enough to get an even color. After drying, a dense film is created on the surface, which allows water vapor to pass through, they also say that such a wall “breathes”. Very well tinted – any color can have dozens of shades.
One of its main advantages is its low price. And this, perhaps, is the decisive factor that makes water-based emulsions the leaders in sales, even despite their rather serious shortcomings.
The first serious disadvantage is that it is not very resistant to mechanical or abrasive influences (it is easy to scratch). The second – it does not hide the flaws of the surface, it requires careful preparation. To make the wall look, it must be absolutely smooth. The third drawback is the fear of water. A wall covered with a water-based emulsion can be wiped several times with a damp cloth, but not all shades. On some, the stripes will be clearly visible. But the walls can be tinted – leave a little “in reserve” to eliminate stains and scuffs that appear after a while in the most “loaded” areas.
Water-dispersion silicone
These colors are almost perfect. They are easy to apply, and are able to tighten even quite decent cracks – up to 2 mm. The film remaining after drying does not fade, is not afraid of moisture, is heavily damaged (you can wash as much as you like). Painting the walls in the apartment with silicone paint allows you to get a very smooth surface even without perfect preparation and careful alignment.
The film after drying is so smooth that even microparticles do not linger on it, dust does not accumulate. What is important – the paint is vapor-permeable, which makes it possible to use it in wet rooms. High resistance to ultraviolet allows it to be used for outdoor decoration (its main application).
It has, in fact, one drawback: a high price. This is the most expensive paint for today (except for textured ones). This explains the fact that they are not very popular. But if you want to have a durable, beautiful wall covering in an apartment or house, choose silicone paint. In any case, it can be used in the hallway and kitchen.
Acrylic water-dispersion
This type of paint is perhaps ideal: it is perfectly tinted, does not fade, is well applied, even paints over cracks, though smaller in size – up to 0,7-1 mm. It has medium vapor permeability, the coating is difficult to damage, and can be washed even with detergents. She has no particular weaknesses. According to some parameters (vapor permeability), it is slightly worse than water emulsion, in some respects (covering power) it is slightly inferior to silicone paints, but in general it gives a very good result.
Painting the walls in the apartment with this paint will not be too expensive: the price is average. So if you take the combination of price / quality – this is the best paint, both for walls and for the ceiling.
Decorative texture paints
This is a relatively new trend. Painting the walls in an apartment with the help of textured paints allows you to get not a smooth, evenly painted surface, but one that has a certain or chaotic relief. The basis of textured paints is an acrylic aqueous dispersion with pigment and various additives – sand of different fractions, mineral fibers and other similar substances that form a relief.
These paints differ in density, respectively, they can be applied with a spatula, brush or roller. Some types allow the use of a spray gun. The texture can vary depending on the type of application, and significantly. For example, in the photo below, you see the result of applying one paint with different tools – a brush, various rollers and a spatula. In the photo – decorative paint for walls and ceilings of the German company JOBI. It is called PUTZEFFEKTFARBE (PutzEffektFarbe).
This composition is painted in any color from the palette, so there are a lot of options. Can be applied to drywall, concrete, chipboard, fiberboard, plastered surfaces. For the best effect, a preliminary primer is desirable.
There are decorative paints with imitation of fabric, suede, with mother-of-pearl stains, an aged surface and many others. The application is sometimes multi-layered – in three layers or more – using different tools. Typically, such compositions are accompanied by detailed instructions for application and operation, as well as recommendations for choosing a tool.
You will see several ways to apply decorative paint in the video.
You may be interested in reading about choosing wallpaper for the bedroom.
Paints for bathrooms, kitchens and corridors
For kitchens and corridors, the decorative acrylic and water-based silicone paints described above are suitable. They have sufficient resistance to abrasion and can be washed frequently. The use of paints with a pronounced relief in kitchens is not entirely justified – it will be difficult to keep the walls clean. But mother-of-pearl stains can make a small room visually more spacious, especially if the base color is light.
But there are several more moisture and temperature resistant paints that can be used in wet areas – kitchen and bathroom, but are undesirable in living rooms.
Alkyd compounds
Alkyd paints in their consistency are very similar to oil paints, but they have a significant difference both in the base (alkyd resins) and in performance. The surface painted by them tolerates high humidity, elevated temperatures, and exposure to ultraviolet radiation. It has an average vapor permeability, and therefore can be used in wet rooms. It works well on wood and metal surfaces. What else attracts in these paints is that painting the walls does not require significant investments – they are inexpensive. However, a well-prepared surface is required for a normal look. According to the type of surface created, alkyd paint can be glossy, matte, semi-gloss.
There is only one serious drawback – they are diluted with organic solvents – white spirit, gasoline, turpentine. Therefore, when painting and drying in the room, there is a persistent characteristic smell. Also a minus – they eventually lose their color brightness, a yellowish coating appears. The option is inexpensive, but not the best in terms of durability. They are very good for painting radiators and heating pipes – they can be heat resistant – but for walls it is worth using a different composition.
Paints based on silicates (liquid glass)
If we talk about the specific properties of the silicate coating, then for the bathroom it is a good choice: the chemical composition is such that fungus or mold never appears on the painted walls. If there is such a problem, this is one of the options for solving it. The coating turns out to be very strong and durable, and the vapor permeability is the highest among all paint and varnish compositions existing today. Therefore, you can use these paints in the kitchen and in the bathroom.
But there are significant downsides. First, until it dries, the composition is very unhealthy. You need to work with him in protective clothing and respiratory protection (good respirator). After drying, the film is absolutely harmless, but it is impossible to stay indoors before crystallization. Secondly, silicates are not compatible with other types of coatings. They do not adhere to surfaces previously painted with any other paint. In the same way, no other surface will “lie down” on a surface painted with silicate paint. In both cases, complete removal of the previous layer is required. Thirdly, the compositions are tinted only with mineral pigments, and this significantly narrows the number of colors and shades.
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Wall painting design
There are a lot of options for painting walls, because there are no restrictions on the number. It is important to find the right suitable combination of colors when painting walls. The easiest way to do this is to select shades according to the tables that designers use. They are grouped into shades that can be used in one room, while the interior will be harmonious.
Now about the methods of combined wall painting. There are quite a few of them, they will look differently in the interior. Choose the one you like.
Horizontal division into two or three zones
This method is traditional. Usually the room is divided into two zones. The bottom is painted with darker shades, at the top – with lighter ones. The classic version is the division into three parts in height – the lower third is painted with a dark shade, the upper two are lighter. But this is only a classic, in fact, dark paint can end in the middle or almost under the ceiling. Only with this technique you need to be more careful: it visually makes the ceilings lower. An exception is a light strip almost under the ceiling.
The border of two colors, if the painting of the walls in the apartment is done independently, is rarely ideal. To decorate the flaws, you can glue the molding, some kind of flat stripes. Another option is to glue masking tape along the border evenly, along the ruler, before applying the second shade. After painting, remove it, you get the perfect line (if you stick the adhesive tape evenly).
This technique can be used in rooms for any purpose, and the style can be any. Only with moldings – this is more of a classic, it is acceptable for country style, for one of the ethnic styles. Just a clear border or a division decorated with a shiny stripe is already minimalism or high-tech.
Wall accent
A fashionable trend in decorating rooms is highlighting a wall with color. There are two options here:
- a darker shade of the same color;
- another color from a compatible palette.
With well-chosen details in the interior, both methods look attractive. This is the easiest way to make the interior more memorable and bright.
Just keep in mind that in bedrooms, for example, it is better to use not so harsh combinations – the atmosphere in such rooms should be softer. Sharp contrasts are good in living rooms, children’s rooms. Children generally like bright combinations.
horizontal bar
This is a fairly wide strip that runs approximately at eye level. Most often, this type of room coloring is resorted to if it is necessary to pay attention to some decorative elements – paintings, for example.
This technique looks good in the corridors – by lowering the height of the ceiling, it makes it seem to be wider. Another popular application is children’s rooms: children’s drawings look very good against a prominent background.
striped walls
An interesting technique, but you should not use it for the entire room. So you can decorate one wall – one of the varieties of an accent wall – or only part of it.
An interesting effect gives a combination of stripes of the same color, but different textures – matte and glossy. Strictly speaking, these are not two colors, but they look exactly like that.
Highlighting some interior details
Often a different color – brighter or calmer – emphasizes some details. For example, niches, frames, placement of an interesting shelf, etc.
One option is to draw a darker stripe around the walls along the contour, thus highlighting all the corners. This method will help to make a small room more spacious: it will appear taller and wider.
To learn how to design a kitchen-living room, read here.
How to paint the walls in the apartment with your own hands: video
Choosing the type of paint is good, but you also need to know how to work with it. Each of the paints has its own characteristics of application and surface preparation. But in general, the following steps are almost always present:
- Removal of the old coating, if any. The thoroughness of this stage depends on the compatibility of the old finish and the new layer. If they are compatible, only detached or poorly adhering fragments need to be removed. If the coatings are incompatible, you will have to clean everything completely.
- Wall putty. The technology is standard: they take a suitable composition and apply it with a spatula, covering up cracks and irregularities.
- Surface grinding. Use either sandpaper or a special mesh fixed on a holder or a wooden block. In a circular motion, remove all unnecessary, leveling the walls.
- Dusting of the polished surface. It is better to carry out with a vacuum cleaner, but you can wipe everything with a dry cloth several times, but each time it is clean.
- Primer. Primer for each surface and paint must be selected separately. It is advisable to purchase it along with paint. Priming performs two tasks: it improves the adhesion of paint to the surface (it will not flake off) and reduces paint consumption.
- Painting. Painting usually in several layers, applying the composition in different directions. if we talk about the walls, then from top to bottom, and then from right to left. Each layer is applied after the first has dried. The instructions usually indicate this time and it is desirable to withstand it.
That’s all. Painting of the walls in the apartment is completed. But a verbal description cannot convey some of the features of working with paints or putties. Watch the video tutorial, some subtleties will become more clear. After viewing it, painting the walls with water-based paint with your own hands will not be a problem.
How to create the effect of decorative paint on the walls with simple means, see the video.