Naturally, every homeowner wants to add some zing to the interior of their home, so it always looks impressive. As such, you may want to paint your interior walls to achieve and maintain an attractive look. But, how often should you hire a house painter to give your walls a touch-up?
Generally, the interior of your house needs a repainted at least every 2-4 years to maintain its appearance and protect it from wear and tear. That said, different rooms in your house will need to be painted more or less often, depending on various factors. Let’s discuss some of these variables are hopefully shed some light on the frequency of repainting your interior space.
- Room Use and Traffic
How much traffic do specific rooms in your house get? Do your kids or pets play in a particular room often? Your answers can help determine how frequently the individual rooms need a repaint.
Put plainly, the rooms that experience the most traffic need to be repainted more often than others. For example, a house with small children may experience the rigors of daily use (and require more regular paint jobs) in the playroom than in any other room. Here’s a breakdown of how regularly you may have to repaint specific rooms in your home:
- Your bathroom will need a paint job more regularly as they are prone to high humidity levels – this causes paint to peel, so you’ll need to keep an eye on your bathroom and repaint it as necessary to prevent cosmetic damage. As such, a repaint every 3-4 years will do.
- Your kitchen is also a prime candidate for a repaint. Usually, kitchens are high-traffic areas: we all tend to congregate in the kitchen when we need a bite and when guests come calling. That means the walls get a lot of wear and tear from all touching. Consequently, a fresh coat of paint can brighten up your kitchen. So, consider repainting it every 2-4 years.
- The living room is arguably where most of us like to hang out – or maybe not. Fortunately, the walls in a formal living room are not prone to much wear – as your furniture usually serves as a buffer, keeping people from bumping into or touching your walls. Consequently, the walls in your living area can make do with a repaint every 5-7 years.
- Colors and Sunlight
The color of your walls and the sunlight each room gets can also affect how often you need to repaint your interior. For example, light colors show dirt and grime more easily than dark colors.
If you have a light-colored room that gets a lot of sunlight, you may find that it needs a fresh coat of paint more frequently than a room with dark walls that receive less sunlight. Similarly, ultraviolet rays cause the color to fade. Plus, this may occur over time, even if there are no visible signs of wear.
- Quality of the Paint Job
In most cases, a high-quality, professional paint job will last longer than a DIY paint job – unless you know what you’re doing in the first place. After all, painting a house isn’t a matter of dipping a brush in a can of paint and getting to work. A lot goes into the process, including choosing the right paint, preparing the surface to be painted, priming, and applying the color using the proper technique.
If you’re unsure about the quality of your previous paint job, it’s best to repaint sooner than later. You don’t want to wait until your paint starts peeling or bubbling before you act. Also, take a close look at the condition of the paint and trim. If the paint appears chipped or cracked, it’s probably time for a new coat.
- Personal Choice
Sometimes, you may want to switch up the look of your space. Maybe you feel like the current paint doesn’t reflect your taste, or you’re just ready for something new.
If that’s your predicament, go ahead and repaint your walls more frequently. It also helps to note that such a choice doesn’t have to be a reflection of the paintwork (wear). Instead, you’re simply changing the color scheme because you want something different that matches your need at the time.
Principally, enhancing the stylistic appeal of your home starts with a proper paint job. And as you have noted, various elements come into play as you consider how often to repaint your interior surfaces. But ultimately, the decision is usually a personal one. So, consider your specific circumstances as you decide when to give your home a fresh coat of paint.