Painting 101 - What Paint To Use Where
By Zephyr and Stone
You’ve found the perfect white or feature colour for your walls — but which type of paint should you use for different surfaces? From flat to low sheen, gloss and semi-gloss, choosing the right paint for the job can be as overwhelming as the countless colour swatch options!
With that in mind, we’ve compiled this simple guide which covers all the standard paint finishes and where to use them - to ensure your walls, doors, ceilings and skirting boards look the part, and your paint goes the distance!
• Zephyr and Stone • Studio Feature Wall painted with Taubmans Endure Low Sheen Interior Walls in colour ‘Barely Beige’
Walls
When it comes to painting any internal walls, a paint that’s durable, easy to wipe clean and provides a smooth finish is essential. For internal walls, a quality Interior Wall Low Sheen paint will provide all these benefits.
Choosing premium paint like Taubmans Endure Interior Walls ensures the life of your paint job so you’re not having to repaint with every new small handprint! Premium paints like Taubmans Endure, result in a finished wall surface that’s stain resistant and easy to clean. Plus Endure has the added benefit of being approved by the National Asthma Council Australia’s Sensitive Choice Program, which makes the product safer for your family whilst also featuring anti-microbial technology to inhibit the growth of mould, mildew and bacteria around the painted surfaces - #essentials!
• Zephyr and Stone • Studio White Walls painted with Taubmans Endure Low Sheen Interior Walls in colour ‘Tahira White’
Ceilings
When it comes to ceilings, paint that minimises the appearance of any surface imperfections and streaks is essential. A Flat Finish paint does just that to provide the perfect result on ceilings.
In the Z+S Studio, we used Taubmans Easycoat Ceiling, which is specially formulated to provide above average coverage to save time and effort. Plus it has built in Bacteria Shield Technology to protect your ceilings from mould and ensure a paint finish that looks clean and crisp for years to come.
• Z + S Tip • When painting walls white in any home, tinting your ceiling paint in the same colour as your walls ensures a seamless transition between surfaces #zandstip
• Zephyr and Stone • Studio White ceilings painted with Taubmans Easycoat Ceiling, tinted in colour ‘Tahira White’
Doors, Skirting and Architraves
Doors, skirting boards, architraves and other painted timber surfaces in homes generally see more wear and tear compared to walls. This is where Enamel Paint is essential to ensure longevity.
In our recently-completed studio space, we tinted our enamel paint to Taubmans ‘Tahira White’ to match the wall colour. We used Taubmans Water Based Enamel for its anti-yellowing, easy-to-clean formula in a semi-gloss finish. Both gloss and semi-gloss paint works well for woodwork, with semi-gloss providing a flatter, less shiny finish compared to gloss.
• Z + S Tip • If you’re re-painting previously painted woodwork, it’s vital to check whether the existing paint is water or oil based. For existing oil based painted surfaces, you can lightly sand the surface and re-paint in an Oil Based Enamel. When painting over oil based enamel with a water based paint, sand the surface first and then prep with a product like Taubmans 3 in 1 Prep, before applying the new Water Based Enamel.
• Zephyr and Stone • Studio Skirting painted with Taubmans Water Based Enamel in colour ‘Tahira White’
Feature Walls
Just like any walls, you’ll want to ensure the paint finish on any feature panelling is smooth, seamless and washable. Feature panelling can generally be painted in an Interior Wall Low Sheen paint, which provides the convenience of easy cleaning of the odd scratch or scuff that daily life might throw.
For our Z+S Studio feature wall, we used Taubmans Endure Interior Walls tinted in the colour Taubmans ‘Barely Beige’. The panelling was painted with a quality paint brush to ensure a beautiful, even finish that highlights the textured material nicely.
• Zephyr and Stone • Studio Feature Wall painted with Taubmans Endure Interior Walls in colour ‘Barely Beige’
Painting your own home is one of the easiest DIY projects you can undertake, and achieving a beautiful, seamless finish is really as easy as arming yourself with the right paint and equipment. We hope we’ve somewhat demystified your next painting project and that you feel ready and confident to choose the right paint for every surface!