Correct Use of Paint Finishes in the Nursery
Posted: Friday, May 30, 2008
by Robert Meier
Decorating the new baby's nursery is one in a long list of tasks at hand for new mothers. Nursery furniture, crib bedding, wall decor, baskets and other storage items these are just some of the items that must be studied, picked, and purchased. Paint colors to coordinate with all of the other nursery dcor must then be selected. With all of these decisions to be made, a simple matter that may mistakenly be ignored is the various finishes of paint that should be considered in your nursery painting plans for both decorative and practical reasons.
At one extreme of the sheen spectrum is flat paint (sometimes referred to as matte paint). Dried flat paint has a chalky appearance and reflects very little light. Its important characteristics are as follows: (1) Because it diffuses light instead of reflecting it, flat paint is more effective at hiding nicks, dents, repaired holes, drywall seams, and any other irregularities on the surface being painted. (2) Lacking a glossy finish, flat paint tends to be least effective at resisting scuffs and stains. (3) Flat paint is the least washable finish, because it tends to absorb stains and because rubbing it during the cleaning process tends to "polish" the finish and make it look different than the surrounding surfaces. (4) Imperfections during the application of flat paint brush and roller lines, drips, and varying rates of application are the least noticeable of all of the sheens. It is also the easiest to touch up, with the new paint's sheen, or lack thereof, blending very readily with the existing paint surface.
At the other extreme is semigloss paint. Dried semigloss paint has a smooth surface that reflects the most light. Its important characteristics are as follows: (1) Its gloss causes this paint to accent, not hide, underlying irregularities on the surface being painted. (2) The glossy surface of semigloss paint makes it the most effective at resisting scuffs and stains. (3) Semigloss paint is the most washable of all of the sheens. (4) It is the least forgiving of application imperfections and the most difficult to touch up because the old painted surface tends to lose some of its sheen over time.
For nursery walls, eggshell paint is most recommended. Nursery walls will likely require more than average amounts of cleanings (because kids will be kids) and touch ups (because you are likely to remove/replace wall decorations before the next painting as your child grows). Eggshell paint, with just a slight sheen, should provide just enough cleanability while retaining the ability to touch it up reasonably effectively. For those who desire more washability with somewhat more difficult touch ups, satin sheens provide somewhat more gloss than eggshell.
Use flat paint for nursery ceilings. Surface and application imperfections on the vast expanse of a ceiling can be particularly annoying and are best hidden through the use of flat paint. Washability should not be an issue for the ceiling.
Finally, use semigloss paint for the trim. The shinier surface of this paint creates a decorative contrast with the walls and ceiling, is more durable and washable (protection against vacuum cleaner scuffs), and can enhance the grain of wood trim.
Robert Meier is President of Baby Supermall, an online retailer of baby products, including nursery bedding and baby clothes. Baby Supermall also offers a variety of baby nursery decorating ideas.
This Article has been viewed 2,003 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.