Are you considering a new paint for the Festive holidays round the corner? Should you use Odourless paints and what are the benefits of using Mozzie-Guard or even Anti-Mould paints in protecting your family?

Use this Ultimate Homeowners’ Guide 5 to learn more about the different types of paints and the suitability for your Kids Room, Living Room and even the Kitchen! Let’s understand more about the types of paints in the market first.

Different Types of Paint

Oil-Based Paint
Also known as alkyds, these paints are most commonly reserved for high-moisture areas such as bathrooms and kitchens and those subject to heavy wear or prone to impact including trim, floors, and sometimes cabinets. Made up of natural oils or synthetic alkyds, an oil-based paint is most suitable for outdoor use and stained surfaces such as wood and metals that rust. They’re rarely used on interior walls.

Water-Based Paint
Water-based paint, also known as latex, is the most common type of paint for home use. This fast-drying paint cleans up with soap and water, is environmentally responsible with fewer VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and has excellent performance. Latex paint is also known for its flexibility to withstand movement and its ability to prevent mildew and moisture from getting into.

The types of paint you use indoors vary greatly from the ones outdoors as they’re made with different purposes in mind. Here are the various characteristics of interior and exterior paints!

Interior Paint
Interior paints are made to resist staining and abrasions from scrubbing and cleaning. They’re typically made with low amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), to keep the indoor air quality safe to be in. There are also near zero VOC paints like Odour-less All-in-1 that are odourless, benefitting both people and the environment!

In the market, they’re available in a wide variety of colours and levels of sheen, with various innovative features. These include ease of washing, mosquito repelling and anti-bacterial properties.

Exterior Paint
Specially designed for outdoor walls and roofs, exterior paints are formulated to withstand harsh conditions like heavy rainfall and strong sunlight. They don’t crack or fade easily, and they usually have anti-fungal and anti-mildew properties

What Are VOCs and Are They Harmful?
Depending on who you speak with, the smell of fresh paint is either one of delight or disgust. This unique smell arises from the volatile organic compounds in the paint (VOC). They are found in many paints, protective coatings, and solvents. What are these chemicals exactly? Formaldehyde, d-Limonene, toluene, acetone, and ethanol (and more) fall within this category. Consumers have experienced short and long-term health effects from exposure to VOCs.

VOCs have extremely low boiling points. This means they will begin to boil at even room temperature, evaporating and releasing gas into the atmosphere. This is particularly dangerous if you are exposed to them for a long period of time or within a confined space.

VOCs are added to paint to stop mildew forming and to extend the shelf life of the paint. Many VOCs are dangerously toxic to human health. Even in less dangerous varieties, exposure to them can produce nausea, headaches, and dizziness.

ODORLESS PAINTS & THE BENEFITS
Odourless paint typically has a very low concentration of VOCs in its makeup. These paints are often water-based as opposed to petroleum-based. You may see both odourless and low VOC paints advertised. They are extremely similar in their makeup. Both will also cover the same surface area as other paints, though they can often be slightly more expensive.

Types of Odourless Paint
There are three types of odourless paint: Clay, Milk, and Limestone based. Each is slightly different from the other. Limestone based paint is typically known as limewash. It is durable and one of the few recommended paints for outdoor use. Thicker, more durable water-based paints are now also becoming available. They replace harmful alkyd and solvent-based enamels with water-based alkyd features. They are ideal for areas that will take a lot of environmental damage, such as windows, doors, and outer fittings.

Benefits
Odourless paint is ideal for anyone who may be painting a nursery or child’s room. The lack of VOCs will not impact the child, who may have to breathe it in when they occupy the room. If you have a child on the way, you will also want an odourless paint so the smell disperses quicker and does not hang around when the baby comes. It should also be used for preparing rooms and halls in any place where occupants have respiratory problems. This can be everything from mild asthma up to more serious, life-threatening problems. It is imperative you keep the air clean in this situation, and the high qualities of VOC from oil-based paints will not do that.

Environmentally Friendly
Odourless paints are a lot more environmentally friendly than their traditional counterparts. First, they are not oil-based so any waste paint breaks down with water, unlike oil. Second, they contain less of the harmful VOC based chemicals you will find in other paints.

A Safer Choice
Even after drying, paint can emit harmful vapors into the atmosphere up to six years later. These paints often contain a lot of harmful chemicals such as metals, formaldehyde, and vinyl chloride. Odourless paint cuts down on these harmful substances, meaning family, friends, and workers are not exposed to them.

ANTI-MOULD PAINTS
Finding signs of fuzzy or slimy mould growing in your home can be disturbing and a potential health hazard. It grows in damp and moist conditions, thriving in humid climates such as that found in Singapore. Anti mould paint is specially formulated to prevent the growth of fungus on surfaces such as walls and cupboards. Its anti mould properties include a biocide called benzothiazolinone that stops fungal growth even in areas with high condensation such as the bathroom.

Applied as a top coat paint, it’s easy to use and has a durable finish. A premium-quality anti mould paint product can protect home surfaces from fungal growth for up to five years.
1)Prevents older or sick people from getting more sick
2) Decreases the chances of irritations and rashes on your family members’ skin
3) It can protect family members who have weakened immune systems
4) Reduces the Risk of Liver Damage

Mould growth in the home increases the number of fungal spores in the air. If the spores land on food such as bread, they’ll multiply and produce mycotoxins. This toxic substance is dangerous for every organ in the body, but mostly the liver. If ingested in high quantities, the mycotoxins will cause liver damage.

MOZZI GUARD PAINTS

MozzieGuard is a special coating with insecticide encapsulated in the polymer for interior use.It has excellent knockdown property against Aedes aegypti mosquitoes through contact.
It offers consumers a safe and convenient solution to fend off the mosquito and provide protective benefits to the community. The most popular mozzie guard paint that we could find is the Nippon Paint Mozzieguard.
It is a special acrylic emulsion paint with active ingredient encapsulated in its polymer. It has excellent knockdown property against aedes mosquitoes through contact. The active ingredient enters the aedes mosquito when it lands on the painted surface. The active ingredient disrupts the aedes mosquito’s nervous system, leading to paralysis and mortality Nippon Paint engaged a certified third-party laboratory to conduct tests in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) test methods. The Aedes Aegypti strain of mosquitoes exposed to Nippon Paint MozzieGuard have achieved > 90% mortality.

Interestingly, the active ingredient in the dried paint film will last for at least 24 months.

The frequently asked questions are here:
https://www.nipponpaint.com.sg/wp-content/uploads/uploadedimages/NP%20MozzieGuard_Eng_A4_1217.pdf

Now that we have learnt of the different types of paints and some of the features, let’s zoom in to identify what kinds of paints are best for the different family spaces.

KIDS ROOM

Kids sometimes express their creativity by drawing on the wall. Therefore, you’ll want to be able to clean the walls easily without worrying about the paint fading. It’s best to choose an odourless paint that’s durable and slightly glossy so it’s easy to clean!

Most suitable types of paint
Solvent: Water-based
Type: Indoor
Sheen: Satin or semi-gloss
Properties: Durable, Odourless, Easy to clean

KITCHEN

Nice Kitchen

Since kitchens are exposed to cooking fumes and splatters, you’ll want to opt for higher sheen paints as they’re easy to wash and maintain. A durable, anti-mould wall paint is also ideal, since this is a highly functional room that’s often exposed to moisture.

For greater durability, oil-based paints are commonly used. Depending on the product, water-based options are sometimes preferred as some tend to give off lower VOC emissions.

Most suitable types of paint:
Type: Indoor
Sheen: Satin, semi-gloss
Properties: Anti-mould, not easily stained, easy to clean, durable

LIVING ROOM

Cozy and stylish living room interior design

When choosing designs for your living spaces, you can create certain moods with the paints you select. To do this, you may opt for the best palettes or two-colour combinations for your living room and bedroom walls. You can also create a more vibrant space with glossier walls, or go for a sophisticated matte look.

The possibilities are endless since walls in these rooms require less durability, letting you get by with the most cost-effective basic paints.

Most suitable types of paint:
Solvent: Water-based
Type: Indoor
Sheen: Flat/matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss
Properties: Aesthetically-pleasing, hides wall imperfections

So many choices to make, so little time, why not leave them to the professionals while you just decided on the best for your family.

Engage our Ovvy Painters to advise on the right paint, right brand and even the colours suitable for the space that you would like to spruce up!

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