Enamel finishes — the paint that stands up to daily use.

Why enamel rather than acrylic?

Not every surface needs the same paint. Substrates exposed to moisture, frequent washing or knocks need a specific finish: that is the job of lacquered enamel.

• Moisture resistance — suited to bathrooms, kitchens and utility rooms.
• Washable — withstands regular cleaning without wearing down.
• Lasting performance — a finish built to last under normal use.
• Appearance — satin or gloss, slightly brighter than a matt acrylic paint.

Surfaces we treat in enamel

• Wet-room walls — around the shower/bath, the worktop wall, kitchen splashback, utility room.
• Interior doors — flat entrance door, room doors, cupboard doors.
• Frames and architraves — increased resistance to traffic and contact.
• Skirting boards — withstand floor washing without warping.
• Built-in furniture — wall shelving, radiator casings, kitchen units.

Application calls for a precise protocol

1. Degreasing the surfaces — enamel will not hold on a greasy substrate.
2. Light sanding to open up the porosity of the substrate.
3. Bonding primer matched to the substrate (wood, metal, existing enamel).
4. Roller-applied lacquer or a flat brush depending on the surface — two cross-laid coats.
5. Drying and de-nibbing between coats.
6. Final coat applied under controlled temperature and humidity.

Enamel leaves no room for improvisation: too thick a coat runs, too thin a coat fails to cover, and a poorly prepared substrate causes the paint to peel. It is a craft within the craft — and one of our core specialities.

What drives the duration of an enamel job?

Enamel sets its own pace: each coat must dry before de-nibbing and the next coat — it is the drying time between coats, not surface area alone, that paces the job. The number of faces to treat (doors, edges, architraves, built-in furniture) and the condition of the substrate do the rest. The duration is set out with you in the quote.

Bathroom and kitchen — where enamel is all but essential

In Geneva, some rooms cope poorly with standard matt or velvet acrylic paint. When traces of mould, flaking, ingrained fingerprints or glossy patches from washing start to appear after a year or two, it is usually a sign that enamel would have suited the room better.

Typical cases seen across Geneva’s housing stock:

• Bathroom with no mechanical ventilation, or with inadequate ventilation — around the shower, the bath panel, the wall behind the basin. Ambient moisture condenses constantly on acrylic paint and makes it peel. A satin enamel solves this for good.
• Kitchen open to the living room — the wall behind the worktop, the cooking splashback, the extractor wall. Grease spatter and condensation quickly wear down a matt paint.
• Utility room or technical space — moisture, spatter, mechanical contact. Enamel is essential here.
• High-traffic hallway — where walls are regularly rubbed (pushchairs, dogs, suitcases), a satin enamel on the lower section, up to the first 1.20 m, allows for regular washing.

Lacquered enamel — which level of sheen to choose?

Lacquered enamel comes in three main finishes that Renovhome SA can apply depending on the room and the effect sought:

• Matt enamel — discreet, with little reflection. Suited to living spaces where you want the durability of enamel without the sheen. It calls for very careful application, as flaws show up more than on satin.
• Satin enamel — the most versatile finish, slightly reflective, washable, and better at masking minor substrate defects. It is the standard choice for bathrooms, kitchens, skirting boards and doors.
• Gloss enamel — highly reflective, a pure lacquered effect (entrance door, built-in furniture). It calls for very careful substrate preparation — the slightest irregularity shows. It also calls for application free of runs, which takes real skill.

The advantages of enamel over acrylic

Criterion	Matt acrylic	Lacquered satin enamel
Moisture resistance	Low	Excellent
Washability	Limited (matt paint degraded by regular washing)	Excellent, can be washed regularly
Lasting performance	Adequate in a dry room	Built to last, even in a wet or high-traffic room
Appearance	Deep matt, little reflection	Slightly reflective, “silky”
Application difficulty	Standard	Calls for specific skill

Lacquered enamel and wet rooms after a claim

If the room has suffered water damage, enamel alone is not enough. Our water-damage repair protocol begins with a stain-blocking coat before the final enamel paint. This step strongly limits the return of water stains through the finish, so the damage does not resurface later on.

A room that wears too quickly with acrylic paint? Enamel is most likely the right answer. Request your quote — Renovhome SA will get back to you promptly.