Another guide on choosing paint
In normal circumstances, one can paint tiles, all kinds of wood, kitchen cupboard doors, plaster, pebbledash, masonry, render, metal – there seems to a type of paint for all surfaces! It is of course fairly obvious that one cannot paint all these different surfaces with the same type of paint and the first point in making a choice about your paint is to look at the surface you want to paint and ensure that the chosen paint is suitable and good enough for the job.
Bodging the job is, of course, always possible, and one would be surprised how many people (in both the trade AND diy choose this), but one would probably find that within a few months, maybe sooner, the paint will be cracking and it has to be started all over again – or worse still, the paint won’t adhere to the surface at all and will collect on the floor instead of the wall! (“Doh!”)
Choose the correct paint for the room
A second consideration in the choosing of paint is the purpose of the room that is to be painted. Bathrooms and also kitchens now have dedicated paint specifically for them, which contains special fungicide, because of course it’s anticipated these rooms maybe more damp or humid than the rest of the house. By the same token, some paint manufacturers sell ‘children’s bedroom paint’ which is very low on odour (VOC), and wipe-clean, and if your kids are anything like mine, that’s a good thing! Your home improvement budget may dictate that you choose not to spend the extra money on dedicated paint, but it’s worth knowing it’s available.
Quantity is related to quality
If a jobs worth doing, its worth doing right, and there’s no point at all in “watering down, literally”, your paint to make it go further, it wont!. Instead, make sure that you get the right quantity to cover your wall surface without missing bits, without leaving gaps (or “holidays” as painters and decorators call them, although why I don’t know….). Below is some information that may help you, although it’s generalised and it’s usually best to read carefully the paint manufacturers instructions which should be on the side of the paint tin.
* Metallic / pearlised paint: Coverage per litre: 8-10 sq.m
* Primer: Coverage per litre: 11sq.m
* Kitchen and bathroom paint: Coverage per litre: 10-13 sq.m
- Undercoat Coverage per litre: 13sq.m
- Ceiling paint: Coverage per litre: 12 sq.m
- Emulsion wall paint Coverage per litre: 10-13 sq.m
- One-coat paint: Coverage per litre: 8 sq.m
An important note is that if the budding decorator ends up with more paint than they need they can contact their local council because some local councils have a paint recycling scheme and can in some cases, collect it from the site or house, free! It is also VERY important to note that NEVER EVER should you pour unused or unwanted paint down the drains. Remember, all water that goes into drains often gets recycled back to drinking water, think about that…………….
Another handy tip, and especially as ones “carbon footprint” is mentioned in the news more and more, that if you have a quantity of paint left over, why not give it away to a good cause?
What look are you trying to achieve?
Normal interior wall paint for standard rooms usually comes in matt, silk or satin finishes. A matt finish has no shine, which is often the default option, but that lack of shine means that it can sometimes hide imperfections in the wall surface well. If you’re painting onto bare plaster, then, this might be a good option, however eggshell, velvet or silk finishes also work in most rooms; they clean up more easily than matt finishes and give a soft glow – that means that the colour works in a slightly different way to the matt finish.
However this finish maybe less tolerant of uneven and bumpy walls and less-than-perfect plasterwork. Satin finishes are more or less “semi-gloss” and they’re fairly easy to clean and quite good for highlighting details such as door frames, picture rails and features. They are also a popular option for kitchens and bathrooms, because each of these has a different rate of shine, exactly the same shade in matt, silk and satin will have different visual effects with the colour and light in the painted room.
Choosing gloss
Door frames, window frames and skirting boards are the most common recipients of a gloss paint finish, although often a semi-gloss paint can be a viable an option too. The glossier the paint, the less forgiving it will be with imperfections on the surface; so if in doubt, go for semi-gloss. You can choose between liquid (oil-based) and non-drip (sometimes water-based) gloss. Water-based paints emit less odour, dry more quickly and are kinder to the environment so are generally better if you are more environmentally aware. It is also worth noting that you must STIR a non drip gloss well before the paint application.
What about colour?
In considering the information above, you should be pretty aware now of exactly what type of paint you are going to need to buy, however with almost all painting jobs, the colour is the most important choice. Here at NPA, we are famous for transforming homes all across Europe, and have many happy and satisfied customers, but almost always, the final decision when we are pricing up a painting or wallcoating job is the colour. Men aren’t always that bothered and normally leave it up to their partner (anything to keep her happy they say!) and it is normally the woman who chooses the colour that we apply to the exterior walls of their house, however men SHOULD take more of interest and here’s why…………..
Does the room or wall you are planning to paint have a colour scheme? Even if it’s not a deliberate one, you might well find that you’ve put one together by accident – you may love that dark wood table, the terracotta floor tiles or the pine ceiling, and when you think about it, maybe that cream leather chair does go well with it all. These are the sort of things that are to be considered when choosing a paint colour scheme for the walls. It needs to complement what’s in the room already, there’s no point in painting the room a certain colour, only to find that your furniture now clashes badly with the walls!
Painting your walls is about the easiest and cheapest way of totally transforming a space in your house. Play around with different ideas, maybe get some paint samples and put paint on a bit of thick card, and then put colour paint next to it and see if it works!
Lighting as a consideration when decorating
No matter how and with what, you paint your interior walls with, the light, or more accurately, the daylight that comes into the room, has a massive impact on how the room looks and how the light makes the painted walls look. If like me you normally live in England, then the light is often dull and grey!
You’re done with the walls, but now look upwards!
Now you’ve painted your interior walls and they look great (hopefully!), the next task is to paint the ceiling. Look upwards. What does it look like? If you are a smoker, or there are smokers in the house, you may be shocked, especially if you plan to paint it white and the first lick of paint goes on and you realise how stained the ceiling is! Also if you have ever had damp coming in, maybe in a stain when your daughter left the bath to overflow (!), then a good time is now to get rid of it., With some stains, they may not be covered with paint and you may have to apply a stain blocker before you paint, and they can be obtained at any DIY store.
For a lot of my decorating materials at home, I shop at Wickes. Click the link below to go their paint department
You can actually buy ceiling paint, often supplied in a tray, and usually white although you don’t have to choose white, but as the ceiling in your house will normally be unlit, a light colour is often best. Make sure you use a good roller too and put down plenty of dustsheets, especially if your ceiling is textured, with artex, for example, as this may “flick” fine bits of paint everywhere.
So are you set to paint now?
Well make sure you are equipped with the following suggest items and remember, preparation is the key!
Don’t start a job that you can’t finish, and don’t rush ahead of yourself. You want to make sure that when you finish your decorating job, that it looks good, corners and edges are finished off neatly, granny’s sideboard isn’t covered with paint, and the carpet doesn’t now have a camouflage pattern on it of paint drips and spots!
DIY painting work safety
Although this page is aimed at the keen DIY’er, it is your duty and responsibility to make sure that you work safe. Make sure everyone who is not decorating is out of the room. Every bank holiday weekend when many Europeans do work on their homes, many hospitals also see an increase in patient numbers. If you are using a stepladder or something else to reach high bits or the ceiling, make sure it is safe, it is suitable to carry your weight and make sure that if you are stood on it by a door or entrance, make sure that no-one can suddenly come in and knock you off.
Also remember that paint, and especially chemicals like paint stripper or white spirits, can be fatal if swallowed by kids or pets. KEEP ALL CHEMICALS OUT OF THE REACH OF KIDS PLEASE.
This also applies to scrapers and knives and any other sharp object. Above all, take your painting seriously, and if you feel you can’t do that, DON’T BOTHER, GET A PROFESSIONAL TO PAINT YOUR HOUSE INSTEAD!
Happy decorating!
We hope you enjoyed this article which was adapted and heavily edited from a credible information source in the public domain.
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