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How am I so bad at painting?!?!

34 replies

ilovefood643 · 08/06/2022 15:21

Could cry I’m so frustrated.

Newly plasterer wall. Did three coats of bare plaster white paint. Had considered leaving it just white hence the three coats, but decided it looked a bit too bare. Have done two coats of Dulux “once” in denim drift. Coverage is great if you look face on but look at an angle with light on it looks awful!

What am I doing wrong? Wish I had the money for a decorator as I’ve got a few rooms left to do still!

How am I so bad at painting?!?!
OP posts:
Aop · 09/06/2022 06:50

HyggeTygge · 08/06/2022 23:19

Can I ask what colour F&B you were using? I am considering painting a room with a darkish F&B...

I forget the name but it was the darkest Navy blue, Hague blue perhaps?

Boredboredboredboredbored · 09/06/2022 06:54

Did you use a silk or a matt paint? Always use matt it hides a multitude of sins.

stuntbubbles · 09/06/2022 07:04

Don’t ever as pp suggested seal plaster with PVA 😱 You don’t even need special paint either (didn’t click on your link), just matt white emulsion diluted with water.

Dark colours always take 3 coats in my experience, and are often better with a dark grey undercoat or primer underneath vs over white. Dulux Once won’t have helped: it’s not you, it’s the paint.

ChewOnAPickle · 09/06/2022 07:09

Can I just clear up the PVA comment, you don't need to use PVA to seal plaster. Times have moved on. Screwfix have basically ripped off the Leyland Contract matt 10 ltr which is also for bare plaster. I have used the Leyland version for a decade. It is fantastic stuff. The Screwfix version has incredible reviews so I would trust that the base coat is fine. Screwfix No Nonsense products are really good.

It probably is the top coat, I have never used Dulux once paint. Have a look at some decorators on YouTube showing you how to paint a wall so you get the right technique. I have been decorating rooms in my house for over 30 years. I would buy another tin of Dulux paint in the same colour but not the Once paint, paint one wall and one wall only, recoat it, see how it is rather than doing the whole room. Best to paint the worst wall to see if there is any improvement.

ChewOnAPickle · 09/06/2022 07:12

@stuntbubbles the bare plaster paint is so good it literally covers in one coat. It is mind blowingly good. I always do two coats but far better than the watered down or just normal cheap white emulsion. I used it 1 month ago on a newly plastered wall.

Mar2022 · 09/06/2022 07:22

A decent roller makes a big difference. Also paint at angles not just up and down in a straight line.

catsoop · 09/06/2022 07:23

HyggeTygge · 08/06/2022 23:19

Can I ask what colour F&B you were using? I am considering painting a room with a darkish F&B...

F & B pant is awful but gorgeous colours - I get the colour matches mixed at johnsons.
I have a few in my House (tanners brown & mahogany are my darkest) and i've used them in clients homes too.
No issues at all.

JuneJubilee · 09/06/2022 07:29

Floralnomad · 08/06/2022 16:26

I can’t paint , in fact my painting was so bad that I was even banned from painting the interiors of our stables , fortunately I have a husband who not only is an excellent painter but is also a perfectionist who would rather be left to do all the DIY .

@Floralnomad

Anytime you feel you need a break from him, I can look after him for you!!

BlueMongoose · 09/06/2022 20:27

It looks from the photo like it's a problem with the paint surface rather than the actual colour coverage. If it looks OK face on and the colour is even, then it's a problem with the texture you have given it rather than the coverage as such.
First off, forget the once stuff, with Dulux I'd always stick to Dulux Trade in either bog standard matt emulsion, or one of the fancier matt emulsions if you want a particular surface. Look for a Dulux Decorator Centre near you if there is one. I find them helpful if I ask for advice. They'll mix whatever Trade colour you want, even old ones that are not on the charts any more. Trade paint is thicker, so pros can thin it if they want. I don't thin paint, except for a mist coat (and for that I use Contract Emulsion anyway- never use PVA).
I also like clay paints, they go on like a dream, cost a bit but you need fewer coats and the surface is soft and matt and even. (But not hard-wearing and the colour range is limited.)

Next, the roller. The thicker the fur on the roller, the more textured the final surface. I like a shortish pile one for a flat matt surface on a very flat newly plastered wall, though not the very short pile ones, which are for gloss. Your decorator centre may be able to advise. If you're not experienced, use a roller tray. Put paint in the tray bottom. (I use a big ladle, it's less messy than pouring and the can lid doesn't get all painted up.) Roll the roller in the paint, roll it off on the slope, do this gently again and again until the roller is fully and evenly covered, then, again gently, roll off any excess so it doesn't slop when you put it on the wall, and then roll onto the wall. Roll evenly and don't be tempted to press hard because your roller is running out of paint and not covering- this will make it patchy- when you need more paint, just refill from the tray, rolling it gently on the tray slope to keep it even. I roll on angles, crossing over as I go, with a hand roller, but in strips with a pole roller. Youtube has examples to watch. I do ceilings and large walls with a roller on a pole, takes a bit of getting used to but is faster as you don't need ladders and you can use longer strokes. The main thing is, once you have rollered a patch, leave it alone. Don't go over it again until is has dried. If you roll over it when it has begun to dry, you will get a patchy surface. Always keep the edge(s) of the area you're working on 'wet'- keep working out from the edge(s) while it/they is/are still fresh and wet. I try to keep just one edge to work out from. And where you have to use a brush round things and edges, that's called 'cutting in'. Some people do it first, some do it after. I prefer to do it first as a rule, and then roller up to it when the edge is dry. Others prefer to do it as they go to keep all the edges wet. But you have to be very fast with the cutting in if you do it that way. All the best, you will get the hang of it if you keep at it, I'm sure.

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