Creating Stunning Interior and Exterior Finishes
We're excited to offer expert solutions to make your living spaces look their best while safeguarding your property's exterior. Libby Painting is dedicated to providing marvelous interior and exterior painting services along with our outstanding finishes and wallpapers, prioritizing quality craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail. Trust us to deliver comprehensive solutions customized to meet your unique needs and exceed your expectations.
Choose from Our Array of Different Finishes
Paints offer a unique spectrum of finishes, encompassing a variety of gloss levels. Ranging from low to high, most brands categorize these finishes into five distinct categories. Delving into these options and discovering the perfect one for your project is an intriguing journey, made seamless with professional painting services.
Matte/Flat
Matte finishes are smooth, non-reflective coatings with a consistent color profile, making them ideal for covering imperfections on ceilings and walls in low-traffic areas. However, they can be prone to stains, scuffs, and moisture damage, so avoiding them in high-moisture areas or spaces with heavy use, such as kitchens, bathrooms, and children's rooms, is advisable. With proper care, a matte finish can enhance your space and last for years.
Eggshell
Eggshell finishes, with a slight sheen, offer more excellent durability and resistance to scrubbing than matte finishes, enhancing surfaces with depth and warmth. Commonly used across interior walls due to their balanced durability and aesthetics, they are especially suited for areas not subjected to rigorous cleaning. For high-traffic or frequently cleaned areas, such as bathrooms, kitchens, and children's rooms, the glossier satin or semi-gloss finishes are recommended for their enhanced durability.
Satin
Satin finishes, known for their durability and moderate sheen, are preferred alternatives to eggshells due to their slightly glossier appearance and enhanced durability. However, it's important to note that the gloss level of eggshell finishes can closely resemble that of satin finishes across different brands. Commonly, satin is chosen for areas prone to moisture and wear, such as bathrooms, kitchens, children's rooms, and trim work. While satin is versatile for various applications, preferences might lean toward the less shiny eggshell for interior walls, a glossier semi-gloss for high-traffic areas, or more detailed trim work, depending on the desired aesthetic and functional requirements.
Semi-Gloss
Semi-gloss finishes offer enhanced durability and shine compared to matte, eggshell, and satin finishes. Typically reserved for high-traffic areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms, semi-gloss is ideal for spaces that encounter moisture or require frequent cleaning due to its high gloss level. However, it could be more shiny for general use, as it can highlight surface imperfections and cause an uneven color appearance.
Glossy
The gloss finish is the least commonly utilized finish in interior painting. Many paint brands do not even offer an interior gloss finish. Gloss paints are highly durable and resistant to stains. They dry to a nearly laminated appearance. Gloss finishes are not typically used for interior painting but can be used for artistic embellishment on cabinets or trim.
Faux Finishes
Modern Approach to Decorative Painting
Faux finishing, or faux painting, is a specialized decorative technique to replicate textures and patterns using paint. This method requires additional training and expertise in construction painting. The recent rise in faux painting's popularity can be attributed to the decline in wallpaper use.
The Art of Faux Painting
Faux painting entails mixing and layering paint glazes and plasters to achieve striking effects and textures such as sandstone, marble, wood, and clouds. This meticulous process, done by hand, is more labor-intensive than traditional painting methods. Whether creating subtle or bold finishes, faux painting always adds elegance and refinement to any space.
Advancements in Wallpaper Technology
In recent decades, wallpaper has undergone significant advancements in design and durability. Technological progress has made it highly resistant to staining, peeling, moisture damage, and scuffing. Additionally, installation and removal processes have become much more accessible. While aesthetics are important when choosing wallpaper, durability is equally crucial. In this discussion, we will explore the factors that affect wallpaper durability and examine the strengths and weaknesses of common wallpaper types.
Factors to Consider Before Picking Wallpapers
Durability: It is essential to choose wallpaper that can withstand moisture, temperature fluctuations, and frequent cleaning, especially in high-traffic areas like hallways and kids' rooms.
Cleaning: When selecting wallpaper for areas that are prone to stains and spills, such as kids' rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms, it is essential to choose one that can withstand cleaning chemicals and scrubbing. Even areas with minimal traffic may require occasional cleaning, so durability against scrubbing is essential for the wallpaper's longevity.
Types of Wallpapers
Vinyl-Coated Paper
The most common type, vinyl-coated paper, offers durability and easy maintenance. Moisture-resistant and scrubbable, it is suitable for various applications, including kitchens, bathrooms, and kids' rooms.
Paper-Backed Vinyl or Sheet Vinyl
Like vinyl-coated wallpaper, paper-backed vinyl provides moisture and stain resistance. While scrubbable, it may not withstand excessive scrubbing and is susceptible to abrasion damage.
Fabric-Backed Vinyl
Primarily used commercially, fabric-backed vinyl offers exceptional durability, scalability, moisture, stains, and grease resistance. It is ideal for residential and commercial use and provides long-lasting performance in high-traffic areas.
Wood Stains & Finishes
The main objective of staining and finishing wood is to enhance its visual appeal while safeguarding it against various elements that may harm the wood. These elements include frequent usage, ultraviolet damage, and moisture. Depending on the exposure to wear and tear and the type of products used, the surface may require periodic recoating to prevent physical degradation or loss of its aesthetic value.
Stain vs. Finish
There are two main types of wood products: stains, which are used to change the wood's appearance, and clear wood finishes or topcoats, which are used to seal and protect the wood. However, most products available today are a combination of both.
Prep Work
Applying stains and topcoats to wood can be challenging and time-consuming, as it often requires removing any previously used products through sanding and stripping. This is particularly important because not all wood products are compatible. Even if the first coat was applied years ago, using two incompatible products on top of one another can lead to disastrous results. Therefore, proper surface preparation is crucial to ensuring a successful outcome.
Product Selection
This leads to our next topic, product selection. There are many stains and sealers on the market today, and choosing the correct product set for a project can be overwhelming. It is good to start with the desired outcome and work backward to determine what aesthetic and protective qualities will be needed. Later in this article, we will discuss the different types of products in detail.
Application
Proper application is crucial for achieving a beautiful and durable finish. As previously mentioned, thorough preparation work is critical to achieving this. Additionally, following the instructions for the selected products and applying an adequate number of coats to achieve the desired level of protection and aesthetic appearance is essential.
Let’s Get Started
Your house is your sanctuary and deserves only the best. Let us work our magic to bring your vision to life. Discuss your next home improvement project with us.