Decorating a nursery is incredibly exciting. You’re creating a special space in the home, and you want everything to be just right. The first big obstacle anyone faces when getting a nursery in good order is knowing what paint to use. Unlike painting the halls a basic colour or doing other rooms around the home, the nursery is somewhere you won’t want to make any mistakes.
And I’m going to help ensure no mistakes happen by filling you in on how to choose the right paint for nurseries. I can promise that there won’t be any mention of what blue or pink to go with (it’s quite an outdated concept anyway), but I will clue you in on how to pick a paint which won’t cause any problems, especially if it’s something you’ll be staring at while half-awake in the wee hours.
Get “Soft” Paint
Never ever paint a nursery with a bold colour or any paint with a higher gloss level. Intense colours and sheens are not the way to go in a room which is meant to be calm and inviting.
So what do I mean when I say “soft” paint? I’m referring to neutral tones and matt paints which will mute the space. While you might think a bright and high-gloss paint is going to inject colour in a nursery, ask yourself do you want a paint which will give off a glare anytime you have lights on? Matt or eggshell will work in your favour. Choose any paint which even hints at mentioning “gloss”, and you’re looking at shiny walls for years to come.
If you wanted some degree of colour, look for pastel shades of what would usually be deeper colours.
Get Paint You Can Wipe Clean
You want your nursery to always look as good as possible. So when you inevitably get crayons, hands prints, and all sorts on the wall, you want a paint that won’t scuff or start to mix when you’re scrubbing the wall.
Find paints which are advertised as Scrubbable Matt or made for use on high-traffic areas work as they’ll do the job of acting tough for years. I’d also suggest looking at some of the products on offer at The Paint Shed for an idea of how much paint for the nursery would cost. Oh, and don’t forget that if you’re painting over walls which have dark colours, you’ll need an undercoat of white on there to help the new paint give the right tone; otherwise you’ll end up with paint that looks half done and won’t be easy to keep clean.
Avoiding A Lingering Smell
The lingering smell of new paint can put someone off spending time in a room, and it is definitely somewhere you don’t want a small child spending much time. If you have a sensitive nose, you may notice that you’ll sometimes easily pick up when the likes of benches in the park or fences have been painted, even while you’re outside. It’s down to exterior paint being enamel based. Anytime a paint has a higher level of enamel, it will inevitably have a stronger smell.
If you’d rather have paint that won’t have a lingering smell for a while, or you’re in a hurry with painting your nursery, get water-based paints which dry in quicker. It’s also worth knowing that water-based paints usually have synthetic resins to help stop lighter shades from getting that musty yellow look you’ll get a few years after a gloss has been on the wall.
Let The Room Add The Color
Texturing is your best friend when it comes to decorating a nursery. Going back a little bit to what I said about softer tones in your paint, try and leave any bold colors or texture to the furniture and things you can optionally have in the room. Adding texture through blankets, chairs, and rugs works best.
You may even want a shock of colour or dark tones by picking one key piece of furniture and painting it a darker grey or even black. Yes, a black crib can look the part when the rest of the room compliments it through supporting colours.
In the middle of decorating your nursery?
Make sure you get your nursery, or any room at home, looking as fantastic as possible by checking out the home décor section of the blog. You’ll find articles which help with everything from refreshing old cabinets in the kitchen to redecorating on a budget.
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