Knowing what paint to use on your walls

It became apparent to me recently, that people I meet in business and personally have such a broad range of skills and knowledge. What might be simple and easy for one person, is complex and confusing to another.

This has prompted me to start a blog. A place to write about the things I have learnt in my industry, and the experiences I have within it. So, let’s kick things off and talk about paint. I’ve written two blogs about this to separate information about woodwork and walls. This blog is about wall paint or otherwise known as emulsion…which you can’t use on woodwork, just on plaster based walls inside your home.

I hope to help people make better paint purchases and to demystify the hundreds of brands out there selling different types of paint. So what types of paints are there? Lets start with buying paint for your home, what paint goes where, why I recommend it, what its made of and is it worth buying more expensive brands.

First of all, let me just say. Painting is a ball ache! No one wants to empty a whole room of their belongings and have to relocate it into another room for a week or two. Then theres sheeting up, the dust, the paint splats and the TIME it takes to do it. So do it once, do it well, and kick back for another 3-5 years after knowing you haven’t got to do it again.

Investing in a decent brand of paint is the difference between your new paint scheme standing the test of time, or it looking good for a week or two, then scuff marks reappearing.

Second of all, buy decent paint and don’t buy from retail shops. Shops such as B&Q, Homebase, Wilkos, Screwfix etc all sale retail paint. This is just a thinned out version of the trade paints available to trades people. It’s thinned out to make the coverage worse so you have to give it more coats and therefor buy more paint. I know this because I worked at Dulux, and the guy who trained us on the different types of paint told us this himself. Don’t buy retail, always buy trade!

You don’t have to be a professional painter with a trade account to buy at any of the trade paint shops. Dulux, Johnstone and Crown all have trade shops in every city. They give you a superior product, they know their shit, and they are actually interested in your project and want to help you. Don’t be scared, you’ll probably pay an extra £5-£10 per pot BUT it’ll stand the test of time…time that you don’t have to constantly be repainting your home! Time is money people!!!

So wall paint. Otherwise known as emulsion. Paint brands have different terminology for this, depending on how its made, what walls its used for, what conditions it needs to withstand (moisture, grease, high traffic areas) and how caulky it is.

WHAT IS PAINT MADE OF?

Every paint supplier has a different recipe for their vinyl matt. They are all made of the same stuff, however different paint suppliers use different ingredients, which range in quality. Various levels of pigment, titanium dioxide, extenders and water go together to make the mix. Then they add the binder which is known as Acrylic Copolymer. This is the compound that hardens in the paint and makes it tougher. The lower the acrylic, the lower the sheen, the more matt the paint is.

WHY DO PEOPLE RAVE ABOUT FARROW AND BALL?

Farrow and Ball has a completely different mixture to most paint companies as they use chalk and china clay in their emulsion. Whilst it looks devine when it first goes on, it does wear a lot quicker. Their colours are far superior to most other suppliers, however I’m still not convinced their paint is as tough as a Diamond Matt or Durable finish when you compare the cost of the tin side by side. Most companies can colour match or have their own colour variations of these companies so my advise to you, is go there if you want your newly painted walls to last longer!

VINYL MATT / COVAMATT

For ceilings, bedrooms and living rooms, where you are likely to be lounging, not moving furniture around frequently, where you don’t shower or cook food, or bump into walls…go for a vinyl matt. Vinyl Matt offers a matt finish which prevents the light from bouncing off your walls, preventing any lumps, bumps or dents from being highlighted. It absorbs the light, diffuses the colour evenly and is a fab all rounder for a low budget.

EGGSHELL FOR WALLS

For bathrooms and the kitchen where there is a high content of moisture in the air, walls take a lot of punishment whether it be grease from the cooker, or soap suds being flung into the air. Go for an eggshell finish. Walls in these areas needs to resist moisture, eggshell paint can withstand you going at it with the marigolds and soapy water. If you paint these areas in a chalky vinyl matt it’ll absorb everything and show up as grease spots, or discolouration on your walls. Be aware though, eggshell has a sheen. It has a much higher content of acrylic (which is a plastic of course!) so if your walls are lumpy and bumpy it will show the lumps up. If you can’t afford a plasterer, paint it a darker colour. Dark colours absorb the light.

ANTI MOULD ADDITIVE

For bathrooms which always struggle with moisture, add an anti mould additive. This can be bought for as little as £9 from Amazon and is mixed in with your paint before you start painting.

SILK EMULSION

If you can’t afford eggshell, then go for silk. Its the halfway house when it comes to bathroom and kitchen paint. Its not as tough, but it has got a lower sheen content to it (lower acrylic content). Don’t forget to add the anti mould additive to it!

SOFT SHEEN

This is the hybrid between vinyl matt and a silk/eggshell finish. Its not suitable for bathrooms or kitchens. It reflects the light subtly which can look nice in some rooms if you want to make it feel lighter and brighter. I don’t often use this paint, neither do people ever really request it. But for those who like shiny things then this is a nice one that offers a subtle glimmer to your wall.

DIAMOND MATT / DURABLE / SCRUBBABLE MATT

I LOVE THIS PAINT! If I could, I’d paint my entire house in it! Hard wearing, stain resistant, non colouring AND it goes up on the walls like a dream. Paint your hallway, stairs, landing, dining room and utility room in this. Its so much tougher than all of the above, its totally worth the extra money and your room will look amazing for a lot lot longer! For high traffic areas, where you need to scrub the walls without loosing that matt effect this paint is perfect.

Important Info*** YOU CAN’T PAINT A VINYL MATT ONTOP OF A SILK OR EGGSHELL EMULSION. Vinyl matt has a high water content and won’t adher to any paint with a high acrylic content.

So now you know about wall paint, let me explain about your woodwork in my next post. I’ll give you lots of tips about prep, and the importance of different paint finishes to help you get your head around what to buy and why!

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this, and its been of some interest to you! If you liked it, and want to tune into my next blog post please subscribe.

“Don’t buy retail paint, always buy trade! ”

“The lower the acrylic, the lower the sheen. The more matt the paint is, the less hard wearing it is on your walls. ”