Have you ever wondered about interior repainting schedules? How often you should repaint the interior walls of your home really depends on several factors:

• usage – a kitchen will most like need repainting more frequently due to grease exposure and a bathroom due to moisture exposure
• traffic – a hallway and the kid’s bedrooms experience more wear and tear and will need repainting more often than a living room would
• exposure to smoke or other pungent smells.

Heavy usage and exposure can deteriorate the paint on the walls quickly. They can get dirty-looking, stained, chipped off, and cracked. As a rule of thumb, high traffic rooms may require a more frequent repainting than low traffic ones. So, let’s take a closer look at the interior repainting requirements of different areas in your home.

Interior Repainting Schedules for Different Rooms

These recommended interior repainting schedules are based on a typical family with children.

Hallways, Corridors, and Kid’s Bedrooms: The recommended repainting schedule is every 2 to 3 years.

These are typically the rooms in your house that have the most usage and activity. Hallways and corridors are used by everyone, multiple times a day. Therefore, it is not surprising that the paint on these walls deteriorates quicker and ends up looking damaged or dirty much sooner than you think.

The same goes for the walls in the children’s bedrooms, where kids hand out and play. Rough play can result in dings, nicks, and paint chips falling off and your “young artists” might use their crayons to write on the walls or stick things on them.  The result? Clear signs of wear and tear, grungy-looking walls or walls in need of repair.

Kitchen, Bathroom, and Laundry Areas: The recommended repainting schedule is every 3 to 5 years.

Although these areas are also frequently used as well, the durable paints typically used here will keep them protected longer. The walls near the cooking area and counters for food preparation are the most exposed and vulnerable to premature paint wear and tear. Grease or oil spots are the most common causes of paint damage to these walls.

Humidity and moisture are the primary culprits in your bathrooms and laundry room. Constant moisture exposure will cause the growth of mildew on the walls over time which will result in obvious stains. Over time, it can cause the paint to peel off, not to mention become a serious health hazard.

Dining Room, Living Room, Home Office, and Adult’s Bedroom: The recommended repainting schedule is every 5 to 7 years.

Although these rooms are also used daily, the intensity of the activities done here is quite low. Let’s take the case of the living room. Even if the family converges in this area daily, this room is used to talk, watch TV, or do other low impact activities.

The same goes for the dining room, where people just sit and eat. There are no activities conducted that would damage the walls or paint.

What about the adult’s bedroom? Unlike a kid’s room, the adult’s bedroom is not exposed to the same level of activity therefore, the wall paint can last for a long time.

Painting Schedule for Ceilings: The recommendation is to have the ceiling repainted every six to eight years.

Let’s not forget that your home’s interior also includes the ceiling. The ceiling is the most forgotten part of the house, one that does not often get affected by human day-to-day activities. However, the ceilings in your home are still exposed to moisture and heat which may cause stains and watermarks. In addition, over time the paint color eventually fades.

Smoke Damage and Pungent Smells: As needed

Obviously, nicotine staining is the result of people smoking cigarettes indoors.  Soot and smoke damage can come from wood-burning fireplaces, a kitchen fire, or candles. But regardless of the nature of their origin, they all present the same problem: They are extremely difficult to eliminate without the stains and/or odor bleeding through the paint. Unfortunately, there’s no miracle paint on the market that will successfully cover most of these stains, so the best solution will always be to remove and block the stains and odor before repainting.  In this case, prevention is better than a cure.

In closing,

These suggested interior repainting schedules are meant as a guide. We know that each situation is unique. Some external influences such as putting the home on the market or a desire for a new updated look may necessitate a repaint sooner.  To ensure excellent home interior painting, get help from professional painters. Call us now at (707} 727-0445 for a Covid-Safe estimate.