We all have that one wall at home which is prone to getting scratches and stains from time to time. It may be that the wall space around your cooker keeps getting little flecks of oil splattering on, or you might have that one spot in the hall which always seems to have stains showing up randomly. Unlike any ceiling part of the room that is not that often susceptible to scratches and stains as the walls. It’s because ceiling paints are much thicker and more difficult to wash than wall paints, and you can find those quality paint brands reviewed on OccupyTheFarm if you need a purchase guide.
Whether you’re looking to ensure the kids can’t do any major damage with crayons on the wall, or your pets want to jump up and get paw prints, you’ll want to get scrubbable paint on your walls. Never heard of it before? Well, here are 5 things to know about scrubbable paint.
1: Scrubbable paint doesn’t mean scrubbable
How can something you scrub not be scrubbable? Think of scrubbable paint on walls like treating your dining table. When you want to clean it, you’re not going to grab some steel wool or the rough part of a sponge and go at it.
Scrubbable refers to the washability level of the paint, so the higher the tolerance, the more giving the paint will be when you need to clean a stain away.
2: Gloss paints aren’t automatically scrubbable
It’s a mistake to think that if you opt for a semi or full gloss paint that it will be something you can scrub and wash off no problem at all. While most gloss paints provide a good sheen, the addition of water can dull it down and leave you with an obvious swirl if you don’t clean properly.
Remember that scrubbable paint should always be treated with just hot water first before using any cleaners.
3: Scrubbable paint is NOT stain resistant
For me, this is the most important thing to know about scrubbable paint. Having a few coats on the wall isn’t going to leave your walls as protective as a plastic tablecloth on the kitchen table when kids are eating.
Any kind of paint will not stop a stain completely in its tracks. While scrubbable paints help you remove the majority of a fresh stain or mark, if you’re looking to cover up stains or ensure stains can’t happen, you should get your primer sorted first. You need to give scrubbable paint the chance to bind from the second it is applied.
4: Keep scrubbable paint for high-traffic areas
While scrubbable is going to help minimise stains, do you need to have it in places where you know you won’t have these problems? Rooms like the living room and bedroom wouldn’t typically require durable paints as they’re not spaces people are likely to rub against the wall.
You may think it’s needed for the bathroom, but I would recommend looking for mould resistant paint, especially for the bathroom ceiling. It’s the area most prone to trapping moisture from your shower, and if the room is already poorly ventilated, you’re going to have a hard time from your bathroom turning into a problem area.
5: Most brands have their own iterations of scrubbable paint
Because the world of paint is by its nature confusing at the best of time, different brands will mention the durability of their paints in different ways. While some brands like Crown will come right out and tell you on the tin that they sell scrubbable paint, other brands will list it in the features. Take, for example, Armstead Trade which lists their scrubbable paints as simply “Durable Matt”.
I recommend having a good look through the features listed in each can before you buy durable paint, especially if you’re looking at a tinted or mixed colour.
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