Did you just move into a brand spanking new home or at the paint store picking up your new wall color? You’re asked what finish you’d like and then ask which is the cheapest. They answer “flat”. Don’t do it!!!
I have never lived in a brand new spec house so I was astonished to learn the entire house was painted with flat paint. Bathroom, kitchen, living room. Every. damn. room. Within the first week, little grimy hands left handprints on my living room walls. Guess which wall got painted first?
Next were the bathrooms because even with the exhaust fans on, steam from the shower would condensate on the walls & then leave nice watermarks running down the paint. Mold anyone? Then came the bedrooms because I could not keep the wall by the light switches clean for more than a day. There are “cleaning hacks” out there on how to clean them off and I am telling you now, none work on flat paint. None.
Why do builders paint houses with flat paint?
It hides mistakes.
Having painted nearly every wall in our home, I can see there were lots of mistakes they were trying to hide. Screws that didn’t go all the way through, holes patched terribly, drywall hung unevenly.
What should you do if you are working with a home builder?
Make them paint interior walls with at least a satin finish in living areas and semi-gloss in bathrooms & kitchens. They are going to fight you but if they don’t make the painter do it before you move in, you will be repainting later. I’ve advised a good number of people to do this, none took my advice because their builders pushed back and guess who is repainting their walls?
Think you can just paint over the grime or the spot you mucked up by trying to clean with baby wipes? Not a chance. The new flat paint will stick out like a blueberry in tomato soup.
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