Magnolia paint

ag359

I need to repaint a small area of the wall and ceiling in the living room of our rented property, after a small accident with a pot of ink!

I have spoken to the landlord who says that the colour of the current paint is magnolia, and that I need to make sure the new paint matches well.

Having never done DIY before, I'm a bit of a novice...Is one 'magnolia' the same as any other? I've had a look on the dulux site and the magnolia on there looks slightly different to the current colour, but it's pretty hard to tell on the computer. Is there any way of testing it out to make sure it matches? Also, what kind of paint would people recommend for this - there are about a million different types.

It is currently paint over wallpaper (I think), and the wallpaper is textured will tiny random lumps all over it (not sure of the technical term!)

Any advice very welcome...

Ted_Hutchinson

If it has been some time since the room was last decorated it is almost inevitable that any patching will show up. I think you would be best advised to give up the idea of patching and simply wash all the affected areas completely with sugar soap then give the ink stains enough coats so you cannot see any trace, and then give the affected wall/ceiling a coat all over.
You will probably get away with not having to repaint the walls adjacent to the affected wall as the way the light shines on each wall means that slight colour differences won't be noticed, but on a flat wall or ceiling it's very difficult to repaint a section and not have it detectable. Though of course you can try and see if you get away with it.
I don't find with emulsion there is that much point, (especially as it's not your property) in paying for a brand name. Wilko's is good enough.

ag359

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

If it has been some time since the room was last decorated it is almost inevitable that any patching will show up. I think you would be best advised to give up the idea of patching and simply wash all the affected areas completely with sugar soap then give the ink stains enough coats so you cannot see any trace, and then give the affected wall/ceiling a coat all over.
You will probably get away with not having to repaint the walls adjacent to the affected wall as the way the light shines on each wall means that slight colour differences won't be noticed, but on a flat wall or ceiling it's very difficult to repaint a section and not have it detectable. Though of course you can try and see if you get away with it.
I don't find with emulsion there is that much point, (especially as it's not your property) in paying for a brand name. Wilko's is good enough.

Thanks for your reply.

The room was painted in August, so fairly recently. I was hoping I might be able to find an exact match, to avoid doing the whole lot, but as you say, patching could be a problem. Do Wilko's have a wide range of colours etc - to be honest, I've never bought paint before, so I'm a bit at sea.

Also, what is sugar soap?

Fullup

I would also be tempted to paint the whole wall/ceiling as it will be difficulte to find a true match. Each batch of paint will be slightly different.

Have a look on this site for ideas/tips on how to prepare and paint a wall/ceiling. http://www.helpwithdiy.com/painting/painting_ceiling.html

The sugar soap is a strong detergent which will remove any dust/grease and help prepare the area for painting (wear some disposable gloves when using it because it will remove the grease from your hands).

I would also buy the cheaper brands of paint/brushes etc.

HTH

ag359

Fullup wrote:

I would also be tempted to paint the whole wall/ceiling as it will be difficulte to find a true match. Each batch of paint will be slightly different.

Have a look on this site for ideas/tips on how to prepare and paint a wall/ceiling. http://www.helpwithdiy.com/painting/painting_ceiling.html

The sugar soap is a strong detergent which will remove any dust/grease and help prepare the area for painting (wear some disposable gloves when using it because it will remove the grease from your hands).

I would also buy the cheaper brands of paint/brushes etc.

HTH

Thanks very much.

Would you recommend using a 'normal' paint brush, or one of the 'roller' style ones? The wall isn't entirely smooth (it is sort of textured) so I wasn't sure if the roller would work?

Where would I get sugar soap from?

skintchick

You only need to do the one wall, as if you look at the room now you'll see that the light/shadows make hte walls looks different colours at the point where they meet anyway.

You could always paint one wall a weekend and it will be done in a month!! If you're worried about losing your deposit.

Ted_Hutchinson

Magnolia is a standard colour so everywhere that sells emulsion will almost certainly stock it. You just need to find the cheapest and Wilko's will probably be as cheap as anywhere. The also sell sugar soap but as the room has only recently been decorated you can probably get away without bothering with it.

It's very good to prepare walls/ceilings where they might be greasy or smoke stained but in this case it probably isn't necessary. You'll need a brush anyway to do the edges so if you aren't intending to repeat this get the cheapest widest brush you can find (about £1.50ish).

Fullup

You may find it easier to use a paint pad rather than a roller. If you use a roller too fast you'll find you and everything else gets covered in tiny splatters of paint. Either the pad of roller will be fine for the embossed/textured walls.

The paint pad is a bit like a flatened out roller which you just rub over the wall.

You will still need a brush for going around light switches and the corners etc.

Have a look in Wilkos and again I would just go for the cheapest.

Lemoncurd

I don't think any one has mentioned this but make sure you get the right paint finish too - i.e silk(this will be a shinier finish)/matt or soft sheen(some paints come in a finish halfway between silk and matt).
I don't suppose your landlord has any leftover paint from when it was done if it was only August or do they know the brand? We were lucky when we moved out of our rented place in that they did have some, the walls had been painted just over a year before and I did a few touch ups and they all blended perfectly so if you do get the right paint you might be lucky and not need to do a whole wall.

sooz

i would suggest buy any brand of magnolia - just make sure if it's matt of silk finish first - if it does not match [or you smoked like chimneys for the last few months] add a bit of black artists acrylic.

mix up in really small batches til you get the right colour.

Str4berr3

the Magnolia I had when I was living with my grans House was kinda cream colour but when I lights are on in the evenings it would look pinky.

Does you Mognolia look pinky with the lights on?