The Outdated Home Paint Trend Pinterest Recommends Avoiding If You Plan To Sell

When you are looking to sell your home, it's not quite as simple as posting it online and waiting for the highest offer. In order to sell your home quickly, and for a price you want, there are a few things you need to do before a showing. This includes staging it and taking away most of your personal belongings so the potential owner can see themselves in the space. But beyond that, the most important thing you need to do if you plan to sell is paint. If your home is from the '90s, you may have an outdated trend in one of your rooms that needs an immediate update: sponge paint.

Sponge painting walls, which was popular back in the 1990s, will instantly make your home feel old and passé, according to Pinterest. As buyers look for things that are shiny, new, and trendy, a sponge wall can ruin a potential sale. Here's how to fix it, and what paint aesthetics you should lean into instead.

Faux paint on walls became popular due to wallpaper falling out of fashion in the late '80s. Designers, hoping to add some life to blank white interiors, opted for faux painting, which included sponge paint. The style, however, didn't last long, and while other methods of faux painting, like lime washing or colorashing with glaze, rose in popularity (and are still used today), your sponge-painted wall is something that must go before trying to sell your home.

To fix this interior design flaw, unsurprisingly, you need to get ready to paint. Use painter's tape on any molding and tarp the floors. If you hate the idea of having textured walls, you will want to first sand the wall down, but if texture doesn't bother you, you can skip that step. Once the walls are ready, clean them off, prime them (you may want to do two coats of primer, depending on the color you are choosing), and then paint with the hue of your choice.

Saying goodbye to sponge-painted walls is imperative when hoping to sell your house. If you want to repaint your faux walls with something buyers will love to see, consider earthy shades, which are a current big trend. Colors like deep, rich browns, natural greens, and warm reds are eye-catching but also give that homey, comfortable feel, perfect for potential buyers.

If you want to keep things more timeless, consider going neutral. While white walls can make a space feel cold, other neutrals can do the opposite. A warmer shade of white keeps things super inoffensive without giving hospital vibes, while greige and beige are great options for bathrooms. Bold colors like navy blue or black can be great choices to cover a sponge-painted accent wall. Not only will they cover up any imperfections the sponge painting left behind, they will also give that "wow" effect while staying on trend for years to come.