Maintaining the beauty and integrity of your home’s interior is essential, and a fresh coat of paint can work wonders. In this article, we will explore the factors that influence the frequency of house painting, offering valuable insights to help you make informed decisions about keeping your home looking its best. 

Whether you’re considering painting your whole home or just a room or two, let’s dive in and discover the ideal interior painting schedule for your house.

A General Rule

Reapplying a new coat of paint is a good idea to maintain the appearance of your interior walls and ceilings. The frequency of interior painting depends on a few factors, such as how often a room is used, the quality of the previous paint, any existing damage, whether you’re selling the home, and the amount of natural light the room receives. 

Generally, it is recommended to paint the interior of your house approximately every 5 years. However, high-traffic areas may require more frequent painting.

Why Interior Painting is Important 

Interior painting is a fundamental part of keeping your house looking great. When you paint the interior of your home, you’re investing in: 

• Protecting your walls: a fresh coat of paint keeps out moisture, preventing mold or mildew from building up. It also repels dirt, dust, and allergens from your walls. If you live in an older home that has plaster walls, the paint can prevent dust from forming where the plaster would otherwise deteriorate
• An update to an outdated look: nothing makes a home feel more outdated than colors that take you to the previous decade - what was in style 10 or 20 years ago is likely not the trend today. A fresh coat of paint will fortunately allow you to update your home to the current style while coordinating with new furniture and decorations.
• Preparation for selling: homebuyers don’t usually love the idea of a fixer-upper. With new interior paint, your home will look newer and more aesthetically pleasing which may in turn drive up the home’s value. 
• A new mood: Even if you’re not selling, applying new paint to the interior of your home can help evoke a new mood in old spaces. Unused spaces will have a fresh feel and can be evolved into different purposes. Even just repainting an accent wall can do wonders for the feel of your home. 

Signs It’s Time to Paint 

Interior painting every 5 years is not a hard and fast rule, however, there are a few tell-tale signs that it’s time for some new paint. 

Fading Paint

Darker colors fade faster than lighter colors. Today’s modern paints feature fade-resistant technology, however, they will still need to be renewed after a certain period of time. Walls, which are constantly exposed to sunlight, fade faster than the walls in shaded spaces. Fading may also occur due to poor-quality paint or incorrect painting techniques.

Cracking

Paint cracking and peeling is a common problem for interior and exterior walls alike. Three of the most common causes of paint cracking include improper surface preparation before painting, extreme temperature, and aging of the paint. Cracking not only looks bad but it can also be an entry point for pests. Read our discussion of common mistakes to avoid when painting your home interior to make sure you don’t create these issues yourself.  

Damaged Walls

Friction marks, holes, and debris reduce the attractiveness of walls in a house. In the case of multiple damaged areas on a wall, things will only get worse leading to larger areas of damage. Damaged walls should be repaired, and then professionally painted for the best results.

Selling the House

Painting a house before offering it for sale may seem like a big investment, but it will ensure a good first impression and allow you to get top dollar. Freshly painted walls increase buyers’ interest and can be a contributing factor in helping your home to sell faster.

Interior Painting Frequency by Room 

How often you should paint your home interior can also depend on the room. 

Bathrooms and Kitchens: These two types of rooms tend to have a lot of traffic throughout the day. Furthermore, these areas are especially prone to moisture, heat, and odors. Because of all this potential for wear, we recommend repainting these rooms at least every 5 years or sooner if needed. 

Bedrooms: Bedrooms generally experience less wear and tear than other rooms, but children’s rooms are one exception. Younger kids will likely have more marks and scuffs on their walls. Also, since children grow up quickly you will likely want to keep their wall colors updated to fit their age and interests. We recommend repainting children’s bedrooms every 3 years and adult bedrooms every 5-7 years. 

Living and Dining Rooms: Living and dining rooms are places where people go to relax so they often aren’t subject to the wear and tear of other rooms in the house. Many people have formal dining rooms that they don’t even use except for holidays or other special gatherings. For these gently used rooms, we recommend painting every 5-7 years. 

Interior Painting Project on the Horizon? 

With the cold Colorado weather quickly approaching, there’s no better time than the present to knock painting off your to-do list. In fact, our team is offering 15% off interior painting projects from October through December!  Contact the interior painting experts at Horner Painting today with any questions or to get started on your painting project!