In order to select correctly, I suggest to take into consideration the following five criteria.
1. PAINT TYPE
Emulsions are widely available paints designed to decorate walls within interiors. They are thick and have good adhesive properties to the surface, durable and resistant to scrubbing. They can be applied upon all types of surfaces: plasters, concrete, wood, bricks, plaster cardboard panels, and even some metals. Depending on used adhesive among emulsions we can distinguish paints as ACRYLIC, VINYL or LATEX. Nowadays, it’s not necessary to remember which types of emulsions are designed to which interiors since paint manufacturers make a particular product to specific premises. In a shop we look for a paint for our living room, children’s room or bathroom. Most often we choose latex paints since they are suitable to most rooms, including bathrooms and kitchens. They are resistant to humidity and paint manufacturers enrich them additionally of various substances enhancing their properties. For example, in Sniezka paints, designed for kitchens and bathrooms, we can find an additive of silver. Antifungal properties as well as very low allergenic properties of this precious metal make the paint both very efficient and safe.
2. PRICE AND QUALITY
The paint price which is displayed on the container is not an objective indicator how much money we will spend eventually to redecorate our flat. A price spread for 1 litre is enormous since it amounts from 4 to almost 40 zloty. More important is, however, the price ratio to the quality of purchased product. Covering properties decide how many times we will have to paint a particular surface in order to obtain a uniform coating without streaks. Finally, it may turn out that the cost of painting a room by using cheap paints will be similar to this one painted by expensive ones, despite the fact that the unit price per 1 litre was significantly different. The best products are those which have high covering properties and relatively lower price.
3. EFFICIENCY
The paint efficiency depends mainly on the painted surface and shade intensity. If we only want to refresh our interiors by painting them with a shade close to the previous one, we can make use of one-time paints. They have excellent covering properties and as a result another coating might be unnecessary.
When we paint the wall for the first time or repaint it into a radical different colour, it will be necessary to apply several coatings (two and sometimes three). Too thin or uneven paint coating may show through after drying. We must bear it in mind by calculating what quantity will be necessary to perform a particular job correctly.
4. COLOUR
In building supermarkets and shops we have access to ready-to-use paints as well as we can have them mixed. The first ones are available in attractive colours, keeping with latest trends and most frequently chosen by customers. They can often be seen upon colour samples in shops.
However, if we cannot find the colour we are looking for, we can have it mixed. Here, we have unlimited possibilities since the colour palette is enormous. If we are not certain in terms of shades, there is a possibility to acquire a colour sample (e.g. 0.33l) and apply it upon a part of the wall in our home. The purpose of it is to minimize the risk of making a mistake as far as colour selection is concerned.
5. HARMFULNESS
In rooms where children, sick people or those who suffer from allergies reside, it’s essential so that the paint contains as little volatile organic compounds, VOC as possible. Information about it can be found either on the container or at the manufacturer.
