Misconception #1
Price over quality
When buying paint for walls, a lot of people place their focus on the price instead of the quality. Some believe the more expensive a paint is, the better its quality. Therefore, they tend to buy the priciest paint out there.
In contrast, some believe ‘the cheaper, the better’. This cuts cost only at the beginning. As the paint ages, the quality of the interior environment will drop and ironically, cause you to pay more for touchups.
Therefore, besides the price of the paint, you should always purchase from trustworthy brands.
Misconception #2
Packaging over content
Judging a paint by its packaging is important, but a nice packaging does not naturally entail a good paint quality.
Some manufacturers might exaggerate the quality of their product by listing numerous benefits and functions of the paint, which it might or might not possess.
This is why besides looking at the packaging of the paint, you should also read the specifications and specific content of the product.
Misconception #3
Trusting the colour card too much
A lot of consumers think that the colour cards provided by paint manufacturers can accurately show how the paint looks on the walls.
In fact, due to different sources of light and variations of reflection, the paint tends to look darker than how it looks on the colour card.
Applied paint rarely looks exactly like what you see on the sample card.
Therefore, when purchasing a colour, opt for a shade lighter than the colour you see.
Misconception #4
No estimation of total paint amount
When people forgo the process of estimating the amount of paint needed, they tend to buy way more than they need, for fear of having not enough.
This results in wastage and an increase of renovation cost. Storing a large amount of paint in the house also causes potential hazards.
This is the reason why you should ascertain the total area you need to paint, and estimate the amount of paint needed accordingly.
Basic formula for the amount of paint needed:
(Wall area x 2.5)/ coverage area per litre
Misconception #5
Odourless equals environmentally friendly
Some home owners believe that odour levels reflect the safeness of the paint.
This is a misconception because by simply adding fragrance, and using low-odour materials, manufacturing a low-odour paint is easily achievable.
The most prudent way to judge whether a paint is safe, is to read the labels.
The three keys to an eco-friendly paint are: VOCs, formaldehyde and heavy metal levels.
