Are white walls a bad idea?

[meandmytwo]

Hi!

I need to choose a wall paint colour. Moving into a new home in about a year. Yes, we have lots of time.
I would LOVE all white.

Anyone with white walls that are able to be kept muck free? Not muck free exactly - but can you keep on top of the wiping?

My boys don't brush up against the walls but they do stretch against them and of course fling eye boogers and sneezy stuff. I figure if the muck is there anyway I might rather be able to see it so I know where to wash. With the right colour, I guess I would not have to wash cause I wouldn't see it but is that actually better? Our white window sills look a mess most of the time but they clean up fine when I get to them (they don't stain). Hoping a vertical surface may be ok...

My biggest problem right now is a smeary finish after I have spot washed, regardless of the wall colour. That is not specific to the kits messes - it's wiping walls in general that I can never get a streak free finish.

Thoughts?

 

[Yoda mom]

I built a house and have all white walls
I recommend a good quality paint -
There is a definite difference inmho

( most recently had the exterior painted with a well known paint from a well known paint store - what a difference in quality right out of the can noticeable compared to many of the big box brands-even neigh who had his house painted commented on the paint difference and the price for 5 gallons was very comparable to big box store paints )


Many of us use the magic eraser pads for interior walls
I found quality matters there too
Always test in an inconspicuous area
I have used their huggies natural baby wipes for marble window ledges
And the corner molding my one boy rubs against

Shop for paint for sphynx homes like you are buying paint for a kids room Lol
I don’t have kids but definitely shop like iI do

Congrats on your upcoming new home!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Agree with advice from @Yoda mom we just had a painter in to give us estimates. I told him the issue we have especially the eye boogers and paw prints under windowsills from them stepping down touching the walls. He said it is best to go with the highest quality paint you can afford. We had white walls for years and and we found no difference in cleaning white compared to color, it was about the paint.

 

[MelissaAlice]

If you have a good quality paint it's no problem getting it off. Just depends on how often you want to go around cleaning the walls really.
My girls are awful for rubbing against the doorways to EVERY room in the house! I am at war with the trim to keep up with the cleaning!

 

[Condo commando]

OK so I moved in July and I had this discussion with my contractor. I ended up going with Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint from Home Depot with an eggshell finish. I was willing to pay for better but he talked me out of it. I did hold firm on getting an eggshell finish. The finish refers to the amount of sheen that the paint has, such as matte, gloss, etc. and it's actually pretty important for "wipe-ability."

Matte finish has no sheen at all. It's what the painter recommended because it hides imperfections the best, especially if you buy an older home. However, matte is the hardest finish to clean. Heaven knows what we deal with for having cats.

Glossy finishes clean the easiest, but they magnify every imperfection in the wall, the paint job, etc.

The eggshell finish that I went with has a tiny amount of sheen. I had matte paint before this and I think the eggshell is definitely easier to clean without being too glossy.

I use a magic eraser sometimes but you have to be careful because if you wipe too hard it will take off some of the drywall and leave a little indentation in your wall. I always try a wet paper towel first. Hope this makes sense.

 

[Toa and Ross]

Agree with the advice given. You can perfectly go for white walls. I have all kind of colors on my walls and you see eye boogers on all the colour. Guess you would need to go for dark red or black walls to not see the boogers. But don’t know if that will give a cosy look;-)

 

[meandmytwo]

Thank you so so so much, all of you, for the advice and ideas.
@Yoda mom @Catzzzmeow @MelissaAlice @Condo commando @Toa and Ross

I feel much better. I will go with white!

All of the paint in my current home is matte, kitchen, bathrooms, all of it. I do believe I chose it at the time. I do like the look of matte in general but it looks terrible now, though it's ten yrs old so maybe that's normally time for a paint job. Having cats has definitely made my home look more "lived in" in the last 2.5 years lol. The paint still looked like new before that!

 

[Condo commando]

Having cats has definitely made my home look more "lived in" in the last 2.5 years lol. The paint still looked like new before that!

Yup, this is why I went with some sheen.....I love my cats but not all those eye boogers

 

[oolahappi]

I love all white walls! I have Wevet by Farrow and Ball - a cool white. But I'm thinking about painting high traffic walls with an accent colour. Specifically the entrance, where coats, bags and whatnots touch the wall, and also the wall along the staircase where people tend to touch the wall as they go up and down. I'm thinking shades of dark grey as I'm SW facing. If you don't get a lot of sun, maybe consider a brighter colour.