Which paint?

[WitchetyWoman]

Hi

I'm going to be colour drenching in my bedroom which will include:

• skirting boards/architraves
• already matt emulsion-painted walls / ceiling
• pre-primed moisture resistant MDF.

I'm looking at a very dark, inky blue.

I was considering using a paint sprayer to make the job a whole lot quicker and hopefully to get an even coverage, especially on the doors. Any brands you'd recommend?

I see people using paint brands like Lick for example, but then I hear that they are possibly difficult to apply, and wondered if there were any additives or anything that I would need to add to make them easier to work with (or for them to be used more effectively with a sprayer).

And which brands people would recommend. I'll be looking for matte, or a matte that might have more of the properties of a semi-silk (potentially).

What are people's thoughts / experience? It's quite a big area, so the more expensive brands could be too costly so something like Valspar (for example) is still a possible.

For what it's worth, my advice.
Don't spray.
Do use trade paint.
Do use one of the top brands- Dulux is my go-to for all but lime plaster walls. At trade level they have lots of different finishes for lots of different applications.

I think spraying is unsuitable for amateurs. I've done it at work in the past (wearing a proper mask) but even I would not do it at home. Vapours from modern paints can be bad enough, I don't think you want droplets as well.

Buying cheap paint is a waste, you often need more coats, which not only costs more in the end, but wastes a lot of time. Better paint has a higher % of solids in it so it covers better. Trade paint costs more than the equivalent consumer brand, but is thicker. This means you can thin it if you need to (a little) but if you need it thicker, then it is. Consumer paint if trade paint + water. I don't see the point buying water.
More expensive does not always mean better quality. Fashion comes into it as well (see also- Farrow and Ball).

If you're planning a big colour change, or tone change (tone change = dark to light or vice-versa) take advice about how to do it. Sometimes using a base coat of a different colour (in your case maybe a grey part way between your dark blue and a light coloured wall) may give better coverage in fewer coats. A good decorators' merchant should be able to advise, or contact the manufacturer- they can be very helpful if you ask.

When it comes to any woodwork, that will need special preparation and almost certainly a different paint to the walls even if the same colour. If it's currently gloss or satinwood or similar, it will need sanding and undercoating first. Again, take advice, this time on surface preparation as well as the colour of the undercoat.

Thank you!

We have a Dulux Trade Centre in my town - would that be the place to go?

The wardrobe doors, MDF, will be plain, ready to paint, and I had thought (seen already think), that sanding was going to be needed to ensure a reallly smooth finish.

Really helpful info, thank you.

If you have a Dulux Decorator Centre, yes, I'd go there. I can't speak for your individual one, but I've found the ones I've used to be very helpful. If I need advice, I go at times when tradespeople aren't in a rush in there getting stuff for their jobs.
MDF will need a primer and an undercoat, or something which does both. I don't use MDF so I don't know which product would be best, but they ought to be able to advise you. Dulux have a trade website and there's lots of stuff on there, though it's a very annoying site at times....😬(you find something, then can't find it again).
https://www.duluxtradepaintexpert.co.uk/en/products

Ah, just looked, they have this: https://www.duluxtradepaintexpert.co.uk/en/products/filters/p_Interior/t_Primer/s_MDF

I thought they'd have something! 😊

MDF I wouldn't sand directly- or if I had to, I'd do it outside with a mask on. The dust is not good for you. I'm surprised MDF would need sanding TBH, it's usually pretty smooth.

If I had to do it without advice, I'd probably go for a primer, then an undercoat, or an all-in-one, then sand that with fine paper. If it's water based the paint will tend to make the surface a bit rougher, but don't worry, you just sand it smooth- not back to the wood, of course. Another undercoat and sand if I wanted it really smooth. I've taken actual wood that was filled and joined and where the grain was raised and by doing several layers of undercoat and patiently sanding between I got it as smooth as glass on the gloss coat.
With painting, good surface preparation is everything, be patient, get that right, and it's easy. Take short cuts with it, an you're fighting yourself all the way and the job will never be right.
Also- if you want a smooth finish on woods, brush each coat out thoroughly so it's a thin layer. Then you won't get brushmarks. With wood, 2 thin coats is better than one thick one.

I used dulux trade paint mixed in inkwell and I love it-just one wall in the living room but I'm going to do my whole bedroom in it next.

Ooh, what is inkwell? ! Is it a colourant for adding to paints or a paint itself?

Thank you for this fantastic info! I'll check out these links and thank you for the tips on prepping for a good finish - just trying to get my second carpenter on board (waiting for a quote). My last firm let me down 72 hours before they were supposed to start - I've been holed up in my son's bedroom, living out of removal boxes since October!

Johnstones trade acrylic durable Matt is the best paint ever. They colour match and the match is great (I always match to F&B and it's spot on) and you can use the same paint to paint woodwork too so it's perfect for drenching.
It's completely scrubbable.

Dulux Heritage. Our Dulux Decorator Centre is great!

Another vote for Johnstones, the paint is so easy to work with.

little Greene for woodwork and furniture. Our painted bedsides required no sanding and look as new about 3 years after painting

Thank you! I will need to match it to the darkest blue on my mural.

Feeling lucky I've got one right here in my town!

Awesome, thank you!

That's good to know, many thanks. I'm deciding what to do with the white upvc window frames - whether to leave them white, or paint them.

Sorry that was confusing-inkwell is the dulux colour

Yep, Johnstones and Leyland Trade are good too. I get both of those for smaller jobs from my local little shop, earthborn I order locally again for the old walls, Dulux from a merchant for the bigger modern walls.

I'm literally doing this right now, one coat into the job! I've undercoated walls and ceiling with a base coat the primed woodwork, trims and radiator with Zinsser 123 plus and now colour-drenching with Farrow and Ball Dead Flat which can be used on all surfaces. This was on the advice of my local trade paint centre and so far so good. I've gone for green though so can't advise on blue shades.

Ah ok, thank you 🙂

Thank you 👍🏻

Ooh, exciting!

I bet that'll look wonderful.

All this info everyone's giving will undoubtedly help when I get to the paint ordering point.