Ah, a freshly painted wall. What a warm and cozy sensation a finished surface brings to the room. You’ve chosen a great color, the perfect backdrop to some beautiful wall art that will complete the mood of the room you’re looking for. Then you notice some marks on the wall that you didn’t put there….is that a crayon drawing????
I have a 3-year-old who fancies herself a budding artist. (Hmmm…. I wonder who she could have inherited that gene from?) And while I’m a big believer in encouraging kids to be creative, I don’t like it to be on my walls that aren’t covered with blackboard paint.
Whether or not you have small children, there will inevitably be dirt or markings of some sort on your walls. There are several products that you can use to remove them, but it all depends on what kind of paint you have used, and what kind of mark was made.
First, let’s talk about the surface of your wall. The general rule of thumb is the glosier your finish, the easier it is to clean. There are essentially 5 finishes to choose from:
- Flat or Matte Finish. While this is usually the least expensive and great at hiding imperfections on a wall, it does not stand up to cleaning well. Save this finish for the ceiling, closets, and any area of the house that doesn’t get much traffic.
- Flat Enamel. This finish has the flat or matte sheen but can withstand some cleaning. I have not found it to be a good choice for kids’ areas, but have used it in living rooms and dining rooms.
- Eggshell. With more of a shine than flat enamel, imperfections are a barely more noticeable, but the sheen does make it much easier to clean those scuff marks, crayon drawings and possibly even the occasional washable marker.
- Satin. My favorite finish for kids’ rooms, the kitchen and bath, it can stand up frequent cleaning and even light scrubbing. It’s also great for trim around doors and windows.
- Semi-gloss. Ideal for trim work and shelving and really shouldn’t be used for walls at all unless you’re trying to acheive a certain faux effect (more about that in a future post!). It is well-suited for cabinets and other furniture.
- Gloss. Again, use for trim only. I recommend it for furniture, especially furniture for kids, as it stands up to heavy-duty cleaning. It can give a high-style quality to almost any piece of furniture, especially your more formal pieces. But be sure to prepare the surface ahead of time since every imperfection will be magnified.
I’ll go more into wall preparations at another date. Until then, I think I’ll go paint some shelves for the boys’ room!
One of my main goals is to be ultra-organized. Who can blame me with a houseful of people? But trying to create a place for everything and putting everything in its place is an ongoing challenge.
This is one of my favorite questions when people come to our house for the first time. Upon entering the front door, you are flanked by the living room and dining room. The dining room has wallpaper on the upper section. The living room has painted stripes, but uses colors inspired by the wallpaper. 
Apply at least 2 coats of paint for your stripes and let it dry for at least 4 hours. When you remove the tape, do it slowly. I went a little too quickly with one of my stripes, which is easy to do when you’re anxious to see the results. Some of the plum paint did pull off, but if that happens you can touch it up with a very thin paint brush.