Best Finishes for Easy Maintenance

Renovating is exciting, but choosing the right finish for each room can be intimidating. You don’t want to pick the wrong paint, tile, or backsplash. Especially if you’re concerned about upkeep and durability.

Here, we’ll talk about some of the best finishes for easy maintenance, so you can spend more time enjoying your home and less time cleaning it. Why spend all day scrubbing when you could wipe it and forget it?

Gloss Paints vs. Matte Paints

There’s some discussion between matte and gloss finishes. While matte does offer a more luxurious feel, the gloss paint is better for counteracting grease splatter and steamy showers.

We recommend opting for something glossy in the kitchen and bathroom to make clean-up simple. The problem with matte paint is it goes on more porous than its glossy counterpart. This means dirt transfers to it more easily, and grease can and will stain it. Worse yet, you must be very careful cleaning matte surfaces because the paint transfers easier, even after drying completely.

As a third option, you could go with a semi-gloss, which isn’t as intense as a high gloss sheen but cleans easier than a matte or eggshell finish.

Forget the Grout

Tile is a widely popular finish for floors and backsplash, but like matte paint, the grout which lies between each tile is rough and porous. When dirt gets caught in the grout, it’s difficult to clean. Most grout eventually looks stained, no matter how often it gets cleaned.

A solution? Choose a tile without grout. Or select a small tile with very minimal grout between each tile. The less porous surface in your home, the easier it is to maintain with minimal elbow grease and cleaning chemicals.

Stove Surface Styles

Another finishing touch in your home comes in the form of your stovetop. Many North Americans are forgetting about the gas cooktops to focus on smooth black induction surfaces. While the purists in your life may try to persuade you to stick to a gas stove, you’ll be thankful you don’t have to clean those burners every time you cook.

Be careful which cleaners you use on an induction flat top as you could scratch the finish. Follow the cleaning directions of your manufacturer to keep your stove looking cleaner and newer for longer.

Use Simple Cabinets and Frames

If you’re going for easy maintenance over aesthetics, we recommend foregoing the fancy carpentry and edge work on cabinets, cupboards, baseboards, and door frames. The more tiny grooves you have to navigate during cleaning, the more difficult it is to completely sanitize your home.

There are many beautiful high-end cabinets with smooth natural finishes and no need for extra scrollwork. Create a minimalist space you can easily clean once and forget about.

Think about upkeep when choosing hardware for cabinets and drawers as well. If you use simple hardware, you’ll have an easier time wiping it clean than you will with intricate handles and knobs.

Oil-Based Paints for Durability

When choosing paint, there’s more to consider than matte vs. gloss. There’s also the chemical makeup of the paint to consider, and whether it will stay put over the years. Oil-based paints last longer than water-based paints, which break down more quickly, especially with regular washing.

You can also choose your paint based on durability in terms of being washable or scrubbable. Washable paint is designed to repel stains and clean easily. The downfall of a washable over a scrubbable paint is that washable paint, when rubbed too hard, will be leached of dye or fade.

Easy to Clean Countertops

The easiest countertops to maintain are single slab products like quartz, marble, or stainless steel. You can also go with a porcelain slab in bathrooms, although we don’t recommend porcelain in kitchens, as it may get chipped over time.

Marble and quartz counters cost more but are easier to maintain than wood or laminate. Single slab countertops can be wiped easily, while wood counters require oiling, and laminate needs to be carefully cleaned without harsh chemicals which could cause the topcoat to peel. Tile counters, like tile floors, usually use porous grout, which collects dirt and is difficult to clean.

Call Striking Remodels by Bell Today for More Info

The team at Striking Remodels by Bell is proud to serve clients across Denver. Want to learn more about how Striking Remodels by Bell can help you with your home maintenance projects? Give us a call today.