The silk paint finish has seen a solid spike in its popularity recently due to it reflecting less light in the room than a gloss or semi gloss finish allowing it to be used to create a more relaxing feel. With so many people leading busy life’s these days, we can definitely understand why these mid and low sheen paint finishes are seeing a huge spike in their popularity right now and doubt that this is going to change any time soon.
One of the more commonly asked questions that we have noticed people reaching out and asking about the paint is if silk paint is washable or not. As the majority of people like to keep their home looking as clean and tidy as possible, it is only natural that they will want to wash and clean the surfaces of their rooms they have painted with silk paint, especially if they have small children or pets.
Due to there being a number of factors that you have to take into consideration when it comes to if silk paint is washable or not, we have decided to publish this dedicated article on the subject. Our hope is that we are going to be able to help our readers understand how they should be washing their silk paint as well as more importantly, when they should be washing their silk paint.
Is Silk Paint Washable?
Silk paint is washable but the majority of silk paint formulas are not as tough and robust as gloss or semi gloss paint formulas. Frequent washing of a surface painted with silk paint will quickly lead to degradation of the paint and result in issues with color fade, feeling, and flaking amongst a number of other things.
This is why we only recommend that you paint areas of your home with silk paint where adults will frequent and not pets or young children. For example, your master bedroom of your house rather than the hallway leading from your front door. These less trafficked areas will have less wear and tear on your silk paint and require it to be washed less frequently that’s other areas of your home helping to ensure that your silk paint will last you for as long as possible.
If you smoke in your home then it can be common for the pale silk paint colors to start to rapidly yellow too, even if you use a more expensive, high quality silk paint formula. As this yellowing effect is due to the actual pigment in the paint tinting from the chemicals in the smoke rather than dirt, it can’t usually be washed off and should be avoided if you want to keep your silk paint true to its original color.
How To Make Silk Paint Washable!
Some people do use a paint sealing products n their silk paint once it has dried after the initial application to make silk paint easier to wash. Although this can technically work, it is usually more expensive and time intensive than it is actually work and most people will be better off using a semi gloss or full gloss paint instead.
In addition to that, many of the indoor sealant options currently on the market are expensive for the ones that actually work while the cheaper ones tend to do little to nothing. This is why we usually recommend against our readers actually using any of these sealing products on their silk paint in the hope of making it washable.
Stick to using your silk paint in areas of your home that are less trafficked too prevent you from having to wash it on a regular basis. In the areas of your home that do get more traffic, try to stick to gloss and semi gloss paint finishes as they are more washable than silk paint and will perform much better when washed on a regular basis.
How To Clean Silk Paint!
Due to silk paint not being as easy to wash and clean as other paint types, the best way to clean it is to dab a cloth on the area of the paint that needs cleaning. Add a small amount of warm soapy water to the cloth prior to dabbing it on your silk paint for the best possible results.
We know that this takes more time than many people have and this is when some people who use silk paint or other medium sheen paint finishes simply paint over the area when it gets dirty. This tends to be even more effort than the dab method but it is becoming more and more popular as people realise how much of a paint it is to wash silk paint on a regular basis.
As we touched on earlier in the article though, an even better approach that you are able to take when it comes to silk paint is to keep it in the low trafficked areas of your home. This ensures that you won’t have to clean it on a regular basis and will keep your silk paint looking its best without issue from washing for the longest possible time.
Is Silk Paint Easy To Clean?
Although silk paint does not tend to be easy to clean in most cases, this will depend on what you are actually trying to clean off your paint. Some easy to remove stains and marks can be cleaned from the paint with a dry cloth without presenting any risk to the paint allowing you to clean it quickly.
Unfortinatley though, this is rare and the weak bonds of silk paint can sometimes be worn down by a simple dry cloth too, especially if you apply enough force to it to cause the paint to break. Over time, this can then result in flaking or peeling of the paint across the surface making everything look worse.
We have noticed a number of products being added to the market that are advertised as being able to easily clean or wash these mid sheen paint formulas such as silk. Although some of them can help, their results do tend to be hit and miss with the actual paint formula you are using coming into play on the quality of the results you will see. For the most part, they can help with a high quality silk paint formula but are usually useless on the cheaper silk paint formulas as they will do more harm then good.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over if silk paint is washable or not to an end. In our opinion, you should do everything in your power to avoid having to wash or clean silk paint as it is not a very robust paint formula by design. It is best used in low trafficked areas of your home where it will see minimal wear and tear leaving it to stay in a good condition for as long as possible without you having to actually wash it or clean it.
