The perfect paint finish for the private rental sector
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Paint is about more than just aesthetics. This is especially so for the private rental sector, where surfaces (like walls) need to be able to stand up to the demands of everyday life. With increasing pressure on landlords to maintain their properties to a high standard, paint can play a key role.
Read on as we explore how high-quality paint can help meet the needs of the private rental sector…
Durability and scrubbability
Often an underappreciated attribute, a paint’s durability is one of the most important factors of a formulation.
From a tenant’s perspective, it can make it easier to keep their home looking fresh for longer, without worrying about scuffs or accidentally marking the walls. While, for a landlord, the durability and scrubbability of a paint can help streamline the changeover between residents, with no need for full-scale refurbishments or time-consuming paint touch-ups.
For paint to be classed as scrubbable, it can be easily cleaned with warm, soapy water, all without visually damaging the paint finish. Products that have achieved Class 1 under ISO 11998, a test standard which evaluates the resistance of the paint to repeated cleaning, are the top performing – such as Valspar Trade Tough Matt. To achieve Class 1, the paint loses less than five micrometres of film after 200 scrubs.
Colour
While high-end design isn’t always the primary concern for a private rental property, providing a good, clean foundation for tenants to build upon is key to making a property feel like a home. For this reason, it’s important to ensure a consistent finish throughout a property, with a perfect colour match at the heart of this. Whether it’s delivering on a uniform colour scheme, adopting the same colours across multiple properties for a group approach or facilitating easy paint touch-ups, an accurate colour match can be essential.
That’s why it’s good to know we offer a Perfect Match, with 2,000 pre-selected colours and a database of 2.2 million shades. Able to colour match to a sample the size of a fingernail to 99% accuracy and with best-in-class tinting machinery, we pride ourselves on our colour matching capabilities. In addition to this, all colours are saved to a colour file, meaning they can be easily located if needed for further work – maintaining colour consistency.
PROMOTING WELLBEING
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is also crucial. Within paint, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) serve the purpose of aiding the application and drying process, ensuring the paint functions as intended. That said, these compounds can (in high doses) be potentially harmful. However, by opting for paint products with lower VOCs – like our water-based range – you can minimise this risk and create healthier indoor environments.
Look out for the globe classification label on the paint can to help you identify the level of VOCs. These classifications can range from ‘Very High’ (more than 50% VOC content) to ‘Minimal’ or ‘Trace’ (0% - 0.29%), with ‘High’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Low’ in between. This will not only promote the wellbeing of tenants, but also those applying the paint within a property.
Our Tough Matt range has achieved Indoor Air Comfort Gold certification, in recognition of its low VOCs and positive impact on indoor air quality.
ACHIEVING THE PERFECT FINISH
Ease of application is another priority, ensuring your chosen paint is quick and easy to apply, allowing you to stick to deadlines and prevent a property being ‘off the market’ for too long.
Depending on your preference, paint can be applied either by brush, roller or sprayer. Whilst using a roller is the more traditional method, many in the housing sector have begun to use sprayers, speeding up the process of completing individual spaces.
Good coverage and extended wet edge time are both crucial, ensuring that each wall is finished to a high standard. Paints with good opacity – meaning it will cover the existing colour in minimal coats, preventing bleed through – are ideal for private rental sector properties.
Discover our full product range, here.