Caring For Your Painted Walls
Originally posted to Sherwin-Williams.com
Painting is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to transform a room or an entire house. But after spending time and money painting your walls, it’s important to maintain them and extend the life of your paint.
With the right tips, your walls can look as fresh as the day you painted them. We’re here to help you through this process with easy-to-follow tips from cleaning to touch-ups.
Taking Care of Painted Surfaces
Maintaining your interior and exterior painted surfaces will keep them looking great from year to year, and it can also extend the life of your paint.
In time, your newly painted surfaces may require some maintenance. Cleaning is vital to preserving the overall beauty and extending the life of the paint. For best results, wait at least two weeks before washing. And always test your cleaning solution and technique in an inconspicuous area to ensure that it does not damage the paint film.
Interior Painted Walls
Use a soft cloth or sponge with mild, soapy water to a general-purpose household cleaner. Apply gentle pressure when wiping. Penetrating stains and marks may be removed by carefully using an abrasive cleaner and water or solution of household bleach diluted with water. Rinse with clean water.
Exterior Painted Walls
Remove dirt using a soft bristle brush and detergent solution – working in smooth up-and-down or side-to-side motion. Rinse thoroughly. Repeat if necessary.
Tips for Touch-ups
It doesn’t take long for furniture- or foot-bumps to accrue some common wear and tear on your painted walls. Cover up those scuffs with these tips for touch-ups.
Nicks and dents happen in every home. When they do, make any repair match the surrounding area as close as possible in appearance. You may need to feather the patch into the surrounding area to reduce abrupt changes in texture or visible humps in the wall.
If you don’t have leftover paint from the original batch for your touch-ups, be sure to purchase new Sherwin-Williams paint in the same color and sheen. Use the same tool to apply the touch-up paint as was used to apply the original coat and carefully feather the touch-up into the surrounding area. Thinning the paint may help it blend into the surrounding finish.
