I need to paint the newly drywalled basement. It seems that various paints vary widely in price. As I have over 4000 square feet of drywall to paint, I would use cheap paint if the durability doesn't change much. I don't really care things like wash-bility, as I will probably just repaint if the walls get dirty.
Also, is eggshell a good choice for basement walls?
Thanks.
go to library and look at recent issues of Consumer Reports. They rated paints a month or so ago. Lots of great buys out there.
There is cheap paint and there is expensive paint. There is good paint and there is not so good paint. There is also the right paint and the wrong paint.
Most good paints are more expensive than the poor paints, but not always. Price is not a great guide to quality.
OK why is some paint better. Well consider they typical paint you might use. If they start with the best paint they can make for the use (some paints are better for some uses and not so good for others) then they decide they need to increase the profit, so they reduce the quality of the expensive stuff and add less expensive stuff, like water. So now they can sell it for a little less. However when you get it home you may find that rather than two coats it needs three.
There are special contractor paints. They hide almost anything. Very flat and lots of solids that help cover in a single coat. The only problem is you can't wash it after you put it on, but by the time you find that out the "contractor" has moved on.
If he's feeling lazy or doesn't know where his public limeberry is, he can go to
You might want to rethink the washability issue. If you ever get mildew on the walls, painting over it will be a mistake. You will HAVE to clean it first.
Think about what you just wrote, Doug.
If he's gonna repaint after he cleans off the mildew,,,then washability is still of no consequence.
This is more important for your use than anything. I'd put a primer and one coat of the eggshell or similar light color. You don't want cheap paint that needs three coats to get a good cover.
I've never found washability an issue. By the time it gets a few cleaning, it is time to repaint anyway. That takes away the need for hte most expensive.
Talk to a good paint dealer. I can buy better paint at better prices than the big stores from my local dealer.
What I meant is that in some situations, you can never really remove all the mildew. The spores eat their way into the paint. You paint over it, they come back, unless you add one of those little bottles of mildew killer, and even then, the mildew may return, surfacing right through the new paint. You can call it fiction, but I've seen it happen.
If drywall gets moldy, you usually need to rip it out. Mold doesn't just grow on the side you see, or just on the surface.
Anyhow, that has been my experience. Once drywall gets damp enough to mold, it is funky forever.
aem sends....
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