Your home should be an expression of your personal style, so there’s no shame if you like to update it often to reflect your current taste.
Since the color of the walls can have a huge impact on the overall look of a room, it’s probably the first thing you change if you’re looking to spruce up your space.
But if you’re the type that likes to change the look of your home frequently, you might wonder if there’s a limit on how many times you can paint your walls. Since accumulated paint layers can affect your wall’s condition, is there a specific number of when you should stop?
Can you put too many layers of paint on a wall?
If you apply paint correctly, there’s no limit on how many times you can paint a wall. But without proper prep work, you can tell whether a wall has accumulated too many layers of paint on it.
That’s why sanding is a necessary step in painting prep since it strips off old paint so you can start on a clean slate.
If you skip sanding, old paint layers can accumulate over time – making it difficult to achieve a smooth finish. It can also affect the lifespan of the walls since it can trap numerous layers of dust, moisture, and mold in between.
What happens if you have too much paint on the walls?
Multiple layers of paint on the wall can feel rubbery, so it would be difficult to get a smooth polish if you want to repaint it. Plus, an inch of caked-on paint will never look good, no matter what color you repaint it.
It would also be difficult to tell if your walls have any damage since it’s covered under all of those layers of paint.
That’s why it’s always important to sand previous paint if you want to freshen up the room. If sanding the old layers doesn’t work, applying a paint stripper may help speed up the job. Just remember to wash and rinse it off properly so it won’t affect your new layer of paint.
How long should paint last on walls?
Interior wall paint can typically last between 5-10 years. But its lifespan can also depend on the type of room it’s applied to.
Bedroom
It’s easy to keep the walls in your bedroom clean because it’s a private space. So you won’t have to worry about repainting it for a few more years since it doesn’t receive a lot of damage.
But if you have younger kids, their bedrooms can be a different story – especially if they have the tendency to draw or stick things to the wall. If that’s the case, choose semi-gloss paint for their rooms since it’s easy to wipe off crayons and markers from their surface. Otherwise, you’ll need to repaint the surfaces sooner than you’d think.
Living and dining room
Although there’s a lot of traffic in your living and dining rooms, their wall paint tends to last long since the activities in these areas aren’t as heavy and don’t involve elements that damage the paint.
Since these are spaces where you entertain your guests, you typically want to keep them clean and tidy. So you make sure every spot is free from dust or stains, which helps preserve the wall paint from damage. You can opt to repaint the rooms whenever you like. But if you just need to maintain the color, you can get away with adding a fresh coat of paint every 5-7 years.
Kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room
If you like to cook often, the kitchen walls may be one of the quickest areas of your house that can show wear and tear. Considering there will be high heat and food splatters from cooking, you might need to apply a new coat of paint every couple of years if you want to keep it pristine.
But if you want to get the most out of your wall paint, use satin or semi-gloss paint in your kitchen. Since they’re easy to clean and wipe off any grime on the surface.
Bathroom and laundry room walls also have a shorter lifespan since these areas have high moisture and humidity. If you don’t want to repaint as often, providing good ventilation in these can extend your wall paint’s lifespan and prevent mold growth in the long run.
Exterior
Your exterior wall paint may have the shortest lifespan in your home. Since it’s exposed to the sun, rain, and snow, it’s more likely to show cracks and peels sooner than you’d like. The color can also fade quickly since its surface is exposed to sunlight daily.
If you want your wall paint to last longer, use high-quality acrylic paint. Its formula makes it more elastic to withstand temperature fluctuations. But you’ll still want to repaint every 5-7 years if you want to maintain the vibrant paint color of your house.
How do you paint a wall properly?
Experienced painters will tell you that preparing a room is an essential part of painting. So if you want to get picture-perfect walls, follow the steps below:
- Wipe your walls with a damp cloth to remove dust and stains from the surface.
- Sand the surface to get rid of old layers of paint.
- Repair any holes and cracks with joint compound. Then, sand any rough surfaces.
- Clean the walls with a damp towel to remove dust from the sanding process.
- Apply a coat of primer and allow it to dry completely.
- Cut in the edges of the walls with paint before filling up the rest with a paint roller.
- Allow the first layer of paint to dry completely before applying a second coat, and you’re done!
Need help with painting your walls?
If you’re in the mood to give your room a makeover, Soho Painters will ensure your walls get a smooth and long-lasting finish. They have a team of professional painters that are equipped with the best tools and materials so that you won’t see cracked and uneven paint. Aside from interior painting, Soho Painters also offer wallpapering, apartment, and commercial painting. If you have questions or inquiries, contact them now and get a free estimate.
