Your living room walls bring alive visions of hosting intimate gatherings, drenched in warmth. The cheerful yellow of your bedroom evokes a sense of optimism to start your mornings. Wall colours have an uncanny effect on our moods and the vibe of our personal spaces. Choosing the perfect shades to paint the rooms of your home is an exciting endeavour for any design enthusiast.
This comprehensive guide covers all the key aspects to consider when picking wall paints for a home on a budget.
Importance of Choosing the Right Interior Wall Paints
Your home’s walls are a blank canvas that sets the backdrop for your beautiful furnishings and treasured belongings. The colours and textures you pick for this vast visual real estate shape how you experience each living space’s very mood and character.
The right wall paintings, aligned with your personal style, can rouse your creativity every morning, soothe your worries after a long day or energise gatherings with friends. The wrong choice can leave you feeling disconnected.
Since wall paint lasts several years, it pays to consider your selection carefully. Take time to understand undertones, experiment with samples and evaluate practical aspects like durability. In the long run, crafty walls that appeal to your senses prove well worth the effort and investment.
Tips to Choose the Right Interior Wall Paints
Decorating or redecorating your home brings great excitement, as you envision the stunning new colours and styles you’ll soon enjoy in your refreshed spaces. But before pulling out the brushes, thoughtful planning is key to picking interior wall paints that align with your aesthetic goals, functional needs and budget. Follow these tips to choose shades and finishes you’ll relish for years in any room’s makeover.
Define Your Decor Goals
In a diverse country like India that seamlessly blends traditional motifs with contemporary designs, the options for home decor themes are endless. Spend some time browsing through Google, Pinterest boards and decorator portfolios to understand the style that aligns best with your taste clearly-
- Earthy tones and handmade accents tie together a boho aesthetic.
- Stately colours like burgundy and deep green for a traditional, ornate look
- Clean lines and muted tones for modern, fuss-free spaces
You can also draw colour inspiration from vibrant Indian saris, local art forms like Kashmiri papier mache, or even classic Bollywood movie sets! Formulate a mood board with fabric swatches, paint chips and image clippings that capture the design spirit you wish to evoke. This will guide your paint selection process.
Compare Types of Paints
Once you’ve crystallised the colours and textures that speak to you, learn about the primary paint category options on the Indian market and their distinct pros and cons.
- Emulsion Paint: Water-soluble acrylic resins make emulsion, or acrylic paint, easy to apply. Plus, it is low-odour, quick-drying and economical. From pastel nurseries to quirky living rooms, emulsion suits most Indian interior walls.
- Oil-Based Enamel: The smooth, glass-like finish of enamel beautifully accentuates dark wood trims and carved furniture. However, enamels contain volatile organic compounds, take over 16 hours to dry fully, and have a strong lingering smell.
- Distemper: Made using chalk, glue and water, distemper imparts a matte powdery finish reminiscent of old havelis. It costs half as much as emulsion paint but also easily scratches and stains. Use distemper only for low-traffic areas.
- Textured Paints: Textured paints create stunning embossed finishes on plain walls, adding depth and tactile appeal. For modern Indian spaces, opt for subtle Nuvo textures over dramatic Venetian.
- Set a Budget: Premium imported paint brands in India command prices of up to approx ₹8000 per litre as compared to economy paints starting from just ₹80 per litre. Set realistic expectations by outlining your total painting budget beforehand.
Here are a few tips to arrive at an estimate-
- Accurately measure room dimensions and tally the area to be painted
- Research the indicative prices of the preferred paint type and finish
- Account for painting tools, drop cloths, primer, putty and repairs
- Add a 10% buffer over the quoted figure for unforeseen expenses
This will help you identify products matching your style and quality standards without overshooting your earmarked budget. Comparing rates across local hardware shops can also help score you discounts on bulk purchases!
Test Before You Commit
Never judge a paint just by its chip or computer screen visualisation. The only way to gauge the tone and feel of a particular colour is to experiment directly on your walls. This is especially important when planning features like TV wall designs, where the paint colour can dramatically influence the viewing experience and overall room ambience.
Invest in sample pouches, small cans and tester boards from your shortlisted paint brands. Paint trial 2ft X 2ft sections on key walls where lighting represents the actual mood of the room at different times of day. Notice how the colour reacts with the existing furnishings over a week before cementing your choice.
Evaluate Maintenance Needs
While you may be drawn to pick budget-friendly distemper over pricier emulsion paints, also evaluate long-term durability metrics before deciding. Premium quality paints often justify higher rates through:
- Longer-lasting, vibrant colours spanning over 5 years
- Enhanced stain-resistance and scrubability
- Quick drying times even in humid weather
- Low-VOC and allergen-free formulations
Prioritise finishes like satin and gloss over flat for high-moisture areas prone to mould growth. Analyse paint ingredients lists to rule out chemicals that may aggravate allergies.
The Bottom Line
Choosing the right interior wall paint is more than just picking a colour—it shapes the mood and feel of your home for years. By understanding your style, comparing paint types, setting a clear budget, and testing colours carefully, you can find paints that suit both your taste and wallet.
Remember to consider durability and maintenance to keep your walls fresh and vibrant over time. Thoughtful choices not only brighten your space but also make your home a place where you feel comfortable and happy every day. Taking time with this process truly pays off in the long run.