Taking care of your home, including keeping up with the maintenance of painted interior walls, is an important way to maintain its value. Repainting is a great way to update your home and it’s also a smart investment.
Homeowners often wonder how often they should repaint interior surfaces. There really isn’t one right way to answer that question.
In general, most interior paint jobs last between 5-7 years. If you invest in high-quality paint products that are professionally applied, some interior paint jobs can easily last 10 years or more.
Factors Affecting Interior Paint
There are several factors that speed up the need to repaint interior surfaces including usage, traffic, and exposure to UV rays and cigarette smoke.
Some rooms in your home need to be repainted more frequently than others due to daily wear and tear. If you have a large family, young children, or indoor pets, you will likely need to repaint more frequently than homeowners without pets or children.
Additional conditions that may affect interior repainting frequency include the following.
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Hallways and corridors receive the most traffic and often experience a lot of wear and tear as a result. Fingerprints, scuff marks, and even dents and cracks below the surface of the paint are common problems in these areas. Hallways often need to be repainted every two to three years to maintain their appearance.
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Mudrooms and entrances often require frequent touch-ups due to brief, but frequent exposure to the elements and steady foot traffic. Expect to repaint these areas every two or three years depending on the level of activity in your home.
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Children’s bedrooms often double as playrooms and get a lot of abuse. Using an eggshell or satin sheen when repainting a child’s bedroom results in a more durable and washable finish. Expect to repaint a child’s bedroom every 2-3 years depending on the amount of use it receives.
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Master bedrooms may only need repainting every 5-7 years since they are usually low traffic areas. The same is true for dedicated guest rooms or other spaces where traffic and activity levels are low.
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Living and dining rooms may receive quite a bit of traffic but the activity level is often pretty low. Durable paint and room decor can also protect walls in these areas from wear and tear. Painting formal living or dining rooms may only be necessary every 5 to 7 years.
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Kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms are often the busiest rooms in a typical household. The paint used in these rooms should be more durable and washable. It’s important to ensure proper ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms to prevent moisture and humidity from prematuring degrading paint. Many homeowners find that these rooms need to be repainted every 3-4 years.
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Ceiling paint tends to last about twice as long as wall paint. Over time, white ceilings may begin to develop yellow spots or look faded. You can expect a professionally painted ceiling to retain a fresh appearance for 10 years or more depending on several factors including sunlight exposure, moisture, cigarette smoke and other indoor pollutants that can damage the surfaces of ceilings and walls.
5 Signs It’s Time to Repaint Your Interior:
1. Peeling, Bubbling, or Cracking Paint
Peeling, bubbling or cracking are signs that the paint wasn’t applied properly in the first place. It could also be a sign that you’re dealing with mold, dry rot, or other moisture-related problems. It’s important to locate and correct the underlying problem before applying a new coat of paint.
2. Fading Paint
Darker paint colors fade more quickly than lighter tones and need to be repainted more often as a result. Exposure to strong UV rays often leads to premature paint fading. It’s time to repaint when your paint is no longer the same vibrant color it was when first applied. An easy way to check for fading is to take a picture off the wall and see what the paint behind it looks like.
3. Scuffed, Chipped, or Damaged Paint
Everyday wear and tear can damage even the best paint. Kids’ bedrooms, playrooms, hallways, and other high-traffic areas generally need a fresh coat of paint every two to three years. Interior paint is designed to protect your walls, doors, and trim. If your interior paint is showing visible signs of wear, its ability to protect the surface underneath is compromised.
4. You Want a New Look
You may decide to repaint simply because you’re ready for a change. A fresh coat of paint in a new color can be a fast and inexpensive way to update your decor and give your home, or just one room, a new look.
5. You’re Ready to Sell
First impressions are important when selling your home. The best staging and new appliances won’t compensate for outdated or damaged interior paint. A new coat of paint throughout your home will look clean and inviting to potential buyers. If you’re painting in order to sell your home, it’s important to select colors that will appeal to the most buyers. A recent survey from Zillow found that the right paint colors can significantly increase incoming offer prices on a home.
Trust Professional Painters to Repaint Your Home’s Interior
When it’s time to update your home’s paint job, call Adam Roe Painting to discuss your needs. Our skilled painting teams will expertly refresh any room in your home by preparing every surface properly and using only the most durable, high-quality paints to ensure your paint job lasts for many years to come.
In business since 1985, Adam Roe Painting provides the highest quality results and best customer service in the industry. We offer custom color matching, a residential exterior warranty of 5 years, and a one-year warranty on commercial and industrial projects. We look forward to working with you.
