Did Quarantine Get The Best Of Your Interior Paint?

We’re nearly 8 months into the COVID-19 quarantine, and the interior paint in your home is probably looking a bit dull and begging for a refresh. In fact, you may not remember what your interior paint looked like back in March. Even if you have a relatively fresh coat of paint, quarantine probably stressed it more than you think.

Extra Wear And Tear Might Require New Interior Paint

Although many businesses have opened back up at limited capacities, most Americans find themselves working from home and managing their children’s education from the same space. If you’re like me, 8 months at home has taken a toll on my interior walls and trim. There are scuffs everywhere from my son’s soccer ball, and it seems like every wall is a whiteboard for my grandaughter. The interior walls of my house look dingy, beat up, and tired. We need a new interior paint job in a bad way.

Re-Purposing Rooms Might Require Fresh Interior Paint

Furthermore, we’ve made adjustments to some of the rooms to accommodate for an office, a classroom, and of course, a yoga studio/spin room for my wife. Fortunately, we have space, but I’m not so keen on the new rooms’ colors. My new office is baby blue. Great color for my son’s nursery, but he’s a teenager now, and I’m tired of getting asked on Zoom calls if my wife is expecting, or can we see the baby? The classroom and yoga studio/spin room are located in our basement that doesn’t get much natural light. Not very inspirational for recreation and learning. Plus, we never fully completed that project, so it just has drywall—no paint whatsoever.

The Office? We May Never Go Back

Many companies are discussing work from home as a permanent solution, or flextime when things get back to “normal.” Regardless of when that time comes, we still need fresh interior paint to clean up the wear and tear, and new interior paint for our additional rooms. Those will become permanent spaces in the house.

Lead Paint Stabilization

It goes without saying that if you have lead paint on your home’s interior walls, it needs to be addressed immediately. Now that children spend more time at home attending school remotely, any lead paint must be stabilized, removed, or abated. The EPA stated in 1991 that lead-based paint is considered the “number one environmental threat to the health of children in the United States.” We are careful to follow strict EPA guidelines when painting in areas where lead paint is a concern. Even the possibility of these toxic paints only serves to reinforce our already strict procedures when stabilizing lead-based paint.

Being Cooped Up At Home Can Add To Your Stress

The interior paint you see every day in your home can increase or decrease your stress level. Maybe it always did, but you just couldn’t tell because you didn’t really spend much time there. Specific colors can trigger or calm. Using colors strategically throughout your home’s interior is a good idea, and this is why we recommend a professional color consultation.

• View Sherwin Williams 2021 Color of the Year
• Consider a Chalkboard Wall for the Virtual Classroom
• Consider a Whiteboard for the Office

Updating your interior paint will refresh your home and make you fall in love with it all over again. Let’s face it. We’re all a bit depressed from this quarantine, and this might just be what you need to lift your spirits—not to mention boosting your home’s value in the process.

Now Is The Time To Schedule Your Interior Paint Job

You might be surprised to know that fall/winter is the perfect season to get your home’s interior painted with a new fresh coat of paint. You can use this time to your advantage and schedule your interior painting today. Most painters focus on exterior painting in the Spring and Summer, and that’s when most painter’s schedules in the Pacific Northwest are jam-packed.

Thankfully, the Fall and Winter months slow down, and with a surplus of labor, paint crews turn to interior paint projects to fill the void. Luckily for homeowners, the void doesn’t always fill as designed. Many companies offer their best deals in the Fall and Winter. Do your due diligence and don’t bite on the most significant discount. Find a contractor you like and then ask for a discount if they don’t offer one. Most painters will negotiate in the Winter.

5 Things To Consider When Hiring An Interior Paint Contractor

1. Be sure they are licensed, bonded, and insured.
2. Check their company COVID-19 policy and make sure they follow it properly.
3. See how flexible they are to working around your schedule to minimize contact.
4. Make sure your interior paint contractor has the proper lead paint stabilization certifications.
5. Consider hiring an interior paint contractor who will include a professional color consultation in the bid.