Categories of Interior Design Paints
By Michael Jumba
In interior design, paints play a special role in the entire interior design process. They bring the interior space to life. Combined with lighting, paints have the power to give meaning to any interior space depending on the overall objective of the interior design project. However, besides giving interior space meaning, based on the colour chosen, paints are applied for different purposes. Among them are protecting surfaces from the elements and enhancing cleaning when the interior space becomes dirty.
There are different types of interior design wall paints. However, all these paints fall into two broad categories namely oil-based and/or water-based paints. An oil-based paint gives a slightly glossy appearance on surfaces that wears off within a month or so. The paint is easier to clean where a wet cloth is usually used. This especially comes in handy when young kids are in a house. Because the paint is oil-based, it smells for a couple of weeks after application; it takes a longer time to dry and because of its nature, fire spreads faster in the event of a fire incident.
Water-based paints give a much smoother finish to surfaces (matte effect). These paints have no smell and are more expensive but are required in low quantities for application. Further, the paint dries up faster and has no characteristics of enhancing the spread of fires in the event of an accident. Lastly, this kind of paint is harder to clean compared to oil-based paints.
Even though there are several paint companies in Kenya making and/or selling imported paints for interior design, All of them are more or less the same and can be categorised as either oil-based or water-based paints.
Download the article here
