The new paint will be noticeable at certain angles of light for up to 4 weeks due to curing. Flat paint is the easiest to touch up but the least durable, so it usually requires more touch up than other glossy paints. While touch-up paint can provide a quick and easy solution, painting the entire wall will ensure a flawless finish that will last longer and provide more value for your biggest investment. In any case, consulting a professional can help you get a good idea of how often you should repaint the interior of your home depending on your unique lifestyle.
If you use a brush, start toward the center of the retouching area and apply it lightly to the surrounding paint until you achieve the desired coverage. In general, if the damage to the walls is small and contained or if the paint is less than a year old, you should be able to touch up the small area instead of repainting the entire wall or room. The main problem is that moisture absorption will not occur at the same speed in a retouching job as in the original top layer. It is practically impossible to reproduce the exact rate of absorption, so retouches usually have a slightly different color than of the original painting.
Before you start thinking that you need to go around your house and touch up a bunch of trinkets and scratches, start by trying to clean these areas. Even the slightest retouching can be difficult to combine or blur, leaving walls with different shades of paint or sections that don't match the surrounding areas. There are some circumstances where it can be done with good results, but in most cases the retouched stain will not fade, but will result in a slightly different color than the original stain. Sometimes it may make sense to simply touch up these small areas, but at other times, it's usually best to hire a professional painter to repaint the entire wall the area.
The larger the defective area, the more likely you are to see the difference in paint in the retouched area. Professional painters have the skill and experience to deliver beautiful results, whether you need to retouch a wall or repaint the entire interior of your home.
