How often should you paint your interior?

Typically, a well done interior paint job will last 5-10 years. However, there are many factors that could effect to the longevity of the paint job!

Here are some factors that can effect your interior paint job:

Lifestyle – Households that are active, or bigger families tend to result in more wear and tear on the walls.
Pets / children – tend to be rambunctious and damage walls. Whether that is throwing toys, sticky fingers, scratchy claws, or using the wall as their personal canvas!
Preference / Renovations – Maybe your tastes have changed, or a renovation is taking place. This is a great time to paint!
High traffic areas – Areas of the home that see more activity like the kitchens and hallways will need to be painted more frequently

Here are some signs that it is time to repaint your interior:

The paint is fading
Cracking, chipping, and peeling paint
The walls are damaged
You are about to move in or move out
You’re bored of the colour and want to switch things up!

A general guide on how often you can expect to have to paint these areas of your house:

Hallway (every 3-5 years)

Check the area for scuff marks, finger prints, dents, dings, holes, and worn corners.
Hallways are one of the most high traffic areas in the house

Kitchen (3-5 years)

Check for grease, food stains, smoke stains
The kitchen is a hub where a lot of activity occurs! With all of the cooking that takes place here, you can expect a build up of mess and stains over time.

Bathrooms (3—5 years)

Look for moisture and humidity damage.
Note: Some paints are designed to hold up better in moist environments, such as Benjamin Moore’s ‘Aura Bath and Spa’ line. Therefore, you should opt for this kind of paint in high humidity areas.

Kids room / playroom (3-5 years)

Rooms that kids play in typically build up more damage to the walls quickly!
As they grow, their preferences may change quickly – leading them to wanting to switch up the colour on the walls more frequently.

Dining rooms, adult bedrooms, and spare bedrooms (5-10 years)

These areas tend to need less frequent painting.

Ceiling (10 years)

Re-painting the ceiling can brighten up any room!Ceilings will naturally discolour over time. Sun and moisture cause a yellow tinge or spots to appear. Furthermore, ceiling paint lasts twice as long as wall paint, so you can expect to redo your ceiling every decade or so.

Trim / baseboards (varying)

In high traffic areas you can expect the baseboards or trim to become scuffed and scratched up more quickly than other areas.

Tips for increasing the longevity of your paint job!

Hire professional painters – like Gen/X, if you’re in the Okanagan area!
Proper preparation of the wall prior to painting
Use higher quality of paint
Use more than 1 coat of paint
Use primer / top coat if neccessary

At Gen/X Painting in Kelowna, we take the utmost care to make sure your interior paint job is done to perfection! This is why our processes are designed to ensure the longevity of the paint job. We are so confident in our work that we always offer a 5 year warranty.

Contact Gen/X in Kelowna if you need to spruce up your interior! We would love to work together. Let’s refresh and revive your space!