One of the primary elements often wrestled with for the longest time by folks who are considering getting their house painting done is the eternal question of – is it really worth it? Or more specifically, how much should one really invest when going over the monetary decisions of a house painting project. We thought it may be a good idea to shed some light on the subject of spending a little more on quality and what you may expect in return for that additional investment into your house painting efforts.
Climbing the house painting ladder
There are all kinds of options to explore and the range is extensive if you’re in the market, you can evaluate a variety of brands and categories. Here we take a look at the broad categorisation and what they promise you in return for your investment.
Distemper Tantrums
For the longest time, and in many cases till date, the most popular type of paint has been what is known as Distemper. Sometimes referred to as cement paint, because it can be applied directly onto cement without much additional fuss, this is the low cost paint used by the masses. Popular mainly because of it’s affordable range, while distemper can be categorised as the economical choice, it comes with its own share of problems. It isn’t very durable and is susceptible to wear and tear much more than the paints of the slightly higher grade quality. Not being waterproof, Distemper has the disadvantage of being restricted to only internal usage as it cannot really stand the test of the elements outdoors.
The Tractor factor
Next up in line is the Tractor emulsion category of house painting options of paint types. Often known as the natural and advisable upgrade from Distemper, Tractor emulsion gives the benefits of higher durability and longer lasting effects than Distemper. While it still has a few restrictions in terms of benefits than the types of house paints a little higher up in the ladder, Tractor emulsion gives you a lasting benefits for about 3 years on an average. The Tractor range of house painting options are more for use on walls that require temporary fixes as it does not offer any of the premium benefits of Apcolite emulsion.
Keep Apcolite in your sight
Sitting pretty uptop in the premium position of house painting options, is the Apcolite Emulsion range of paint choices. These are further broken up into semi- washable and washable types of paints, to suit a variety of needs and budgets. While the semi-washable Apcolite will be a much more durable choice than the Tractor emulsion, it ends up adding about 2 years to the life of the walls when compared to Tractor. By semi-washable, what this really means is that it can be washed about 4-5 times without it really damaging the quality of the paint, after which there can be some visible effects of the wear and tear due to the washing. The washable series on the other hand are the most durable house painting option of the lot. These end up adding upto 5 years and in some cases even up to seven years to the life of your walls. Not just that, this series of paints come with a ton of added benefits that make maintenance of them a breeze. Firstly, they are highly washable and we mean highly. This type of house painting range can last upto 12 thousand wash cycles, which by any stretch of imagination may as well be an unlimited number of washes. This can be a real boon for those with small children or pets at home that are more likely to dish out damage to the walls. There is the additional benefit of the higher quality and options in the finishing of these types of house paints. Happy customers can choose from a range of sheen and matt finish, each bringing their own benefits to the experience. A high quality sheen basically means that it will reflect more light off the surface of the walls. A note of caution here, we only recommend going for a high level of sheen finish on walls that have near perfect surfaces, as the sheen finish highlights the walls and therefore can also end up highlighting any imperfections or damages on the walls. Apcolite range of emulsions also come with additional benefits of additive properties such as Anti bacterial, anti fungal and something that has become a lot more important in today’s age, antiviral properties. According to this article <link article> there are now Apcolite emulsions that have been tested in Wuhan, China to support the fight against the virus. What this basically means is the chemical composition used in these paints does not allow any bacteria or virus to breed on the walls and that can be quite useful in today’s environment.
So, is it really worth it?
We think yes. Let’s take a simple example to break this down. The lower rung of house painting options give you some relief on the wallet but are not very durable at all. When you make the move from Tractor to Apcolite semi-washable or semi-washable to washable Apcolite, you end up making a price jump of about 15-20% in each case. However, what these additional costs get you is essentially three things – Durability, washability and flexibility (sheen / matt finish, additive properties such as anti-fungal etc). These benefits buy your walls more years and that additional cost which you have now invested in better quality paint, saves you having to redo the entire house painting job much more frequently. This reduced frequency of wear and tear and therefore spend on the entire job makes investing in higher quality of paint worth the additional investment. Ofcourse, there are no blanket statements that apply as everyone’s situations, needs and budgets are different and unique. At Aapkapainter, we understand and appreciate this variety of needs and are ready to help you take your house painting plans to fruition. Give us a call today to get a free inspection done for your home and get the clarity you need on the eternal question here, is this even worth it for me.