5 Items in Your Home That You Should NEVER Paint

You don’t need to be a magician to transform a room. A fresh coat of paint can go a long way in freshening up your space,  but it’s not always the best solution for everything in your home. Painting walls, thrifted accessories, and furniture may have lovely results, but haphazard paint jobs can result in expensive fixes or even health risks. Here are the five items in your home you should never paint.

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Wood Flooring

You may be tempted to paint over your worn-down floorboards, but that’s only a temporary fix. Many types of paint will affect the wood’s natural fibers, damaging it and making it less durable in the long run. Paint can also chip away in areas with high foot traffic or make the floor slippery, posing a safety hazard. If you’d like a new look for your floor, hire a professional to sand and stain your wooden floors.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors rely on sensors. If you paint either of these, the paint may obstruct the sensors, leaving you at risk of harm in an emergency. In this case, safety is far more important than aesthetics.

Doorknobs and Hinges

While you can always paint a door, never paint its functional components like knobs and hinges. The paint can jam the hinges, preventing the door from opening and closing smoothly. Repeatedly opening the door will cause the paint on the knob to chip away, and the paint also shows fingerprints more clearly than metal.

Electrical Appliances

Never paint your refrigerator, washing machine, oven, or other large electrical appliances. They produce high levels of heat that can cause the paint to wear away more quickly, and a haphazard coat of paint can potentially damage the appliance’s electrical wiring, causing it to malfunction. If you want a new look for your refrigerator, consider using removable wallpaper.

Fabric Furniture

You should always avoid painting furniture made of fabric or soft materials like leather. Paint can damage these materials and cause them to lose flexibility, leaving you with an uncomfortable seat. If you want to revamp your fabric furniture, buy a slipcover or have it professionally reupholstered.

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