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· Emulsion
Water-based. Ready-mixed or made-up from colour card. Matt finish suitable for all walls, silk finish tends to show-up imperfections so better suited to smooth walls. Some emulsions are branded as wipeable, washable and even scrubbable.
· Ceiling Emulsion
Almost always white. A useful alternative if you don’t want a stark white ceiling is to have it tinted with something like Gardenia (10B15) which is a soft white.
· Oil Based
Oil-based paints are generally hard-wearing. Usually gloss, eggshell or satin finish. Spirit clean-up.
· Water Based
There is no doubt that water-based paints have pretty much revolutionised DIY painting. They offer a more environmentally-friendly alternative to oil-based paint with simple water clean-up and are significantly faster-drying. They also have the advantage that several coats can be applied if required within the day; no more waiting until the following day to apply a second coat or to remove masking-tape cleanly! When used in conjunction with water-based primers they have the potential to cut the finish time by a big, big margin. Also... any mishaps are easily taken care of without the need for white-spirit.
An increasing number of manufacturers are moving towards these in place of oil-based. High-quality water-based paints are generally high-adhesion products with good coverage and hiding power. They are, however, quick-drying which means you need to work quickly on larger surfaces in order to avoid painting over semi-dry paint which will give an uneven finish.
Finishes...
· Full-gloss. Shiny finish easily wipeable. Hard wearing.
· Eggshell or Satin finish – semi-gloss also easily wipeable. Just a personal note here... my opinion is that satin finish paint tends to be less smooth and more chalky than eggshell. For makeovers I always use eggshell.
· Dead-flat finish – certain manufacturers offer a flat-finish paint which is well suited to older properties. Almost no sheen at all. Beautiful period finish; more difficult to keep clean.
· Varnish
Varnish comes in a variety of finishes from full, oil-based gloss to water based satin or matt. Oil-based varnish tends to be thicker in consistency than water based; Solvent cleanup. Water-based products are more environmentally-friendly but thinner consistency.
Both oil-based and water-based varnish can be difficult to apply. Many people load far-too-much oil-based varnish onto their brush with the consequence that it runs down the surface in “curtains” or drips. Load less onto the brush and brush-out well.
A useful way to avoid drips is to dip your brush into the varnish then dab the brush onto the lid. This means that the brush is not overloaded with varnish and can be smoothly transferred to the surface. And remember! Four evenly-applied coats without drips are infinitely better than two coats overly-applied.
Water-based varnish is of a very thin consistency and needs the same careful approach as oil-based. When you have finished applying water-based varnish clean your brush out in water, dry it and go over what you have just varnished. This way you will remove any excess varnish neatly. If you try to do this with a brush coated with varnish all you will do is keep applying varnish over the areas where you want to remove it!
There may be occasions where you want or need to paint, for instance, bookshelves with emulsion paint rather than eggshell, satin or gloss. Although you can buy the same colour in both types of paint, the base is quite obviously of a different composition and therefore the finish is similar but not identical.
The downside is that the constant pulling and pushing of books for instance will cause scuffing and general wear and tear which will spoil the appearance in time. A coat of matt finish water- based varnish will solve this by coating the surface with a hard-wearing finish that looks identical to the surrounding paintwork!
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· Ready Mixed Paints
Choose from a colour card, buy off the shelf.
· In-store Colour Mixing
Increasingly popular and available in hundreds of colours and shades. Choose from a colour-card and the DIY store will mix the colour using a tinting-machine and computer-based formula. The container is then placed in a mixing-machine to produce the desired colour. Many manufacturers are moving towards this method of distribution as it cuts down the negative impact of slow-moving off-the-shelf colours. As long as the in-store mixing-machine is working your local DIY store will always have the colour you want in stock!
It is possible to select a colour and have it made at ½ strength, ¾ strength. 1½ strength etc. This means that if you like a colour but feel is might be too dark you can ask to have it made lighter and vice-versa. Very useful for instance where the lighting in one room may differ from that of another; you can keep the same colour and have them look very similar.
Ask your DIY Store if they can offer this service.
· Special Paints
There are certain paints on the market such as Zinsser Perma-White™ which are better suited to areas with damp conditions such as shower-enclosures and bathrooms than ordinary ceiling emulsion paints. See the chapter on “Shower Enclosures and Bathrooms”.
Many manufacturers are offering paint ranges which are targeted at damper areas. Check their colour cards or ask at your local DIY store.
· How much do I need?
Lots of books go into paint coverage in square metres and the like. Manufacturers clearly state how much each can will cover under certain circumstances but the reality is that paint generally comes in a number of can sizes which will govern how much you will need to buy and it is usually emulsion paint that people are concerned about.
Emulsion generally comes in 2 ½, 3, 5 or 10 litre cans. For most rooms you will need to purchase 5 litres – not that you might use all of it but 2½ litres is generally too little for two coats on anything but very small rooms. A Hall, Stairs and Landing area generally takes between 5 and 7 litres for two coats. For much larger rooms buy a 10 litre bucket if you are using a made-up paint. It will work out cheaper and you will get a consistent colour.
· How do I know what it will look like on the walls?
First of all, remember that the same paint applied to different walls can and may look totally different. This is because natural and artificial light has a big part to play in how the final colour will perform.
· Paint-Pot Samples
Some paint manufacturers supply small paint-pot samples for purchase. Typically though, most people apply a bit of sample paint on top of the existing colour and try and judge from that.
The problem with this is that a) it can give a distorted appearance and b) if a lot of different samples are applied to a wall and some of them are dark you end up with the problem of trying to hide them if a lighter colour is selected.
· Ready-Painted Colour Cards
Other manufacturers now have ready-painted colour samples available to buy. This avoids the need to buy sample pots is more likely to give a better approximation of the true colour. They also mean that you can easily move the colour-card around the room to check how the colour looks under different lighting conditions.
· White Card
If you need to buy a paint-pot sample then paint it onto a piece of white card. As with the ready-painted card this will allow you to move the card around the room and judge more realistically how the final colour should look. It also avoids the problem of having to obliterate darker colours.
Disposing of Paint
Paint should always be disposed of at a recycling facility and never in the general rubbish or poured down drains. |
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