Emulsion - matt or silk?

TomsMom

We are in the process of buying a house that needs a lot of work including complete redecoration. For ease of future redecoration we will be using paintable wallpaper. I have a couple of questions:

1) I like vinyl silk emulsion because I like the sheen. However, after a recent water leak which caused part of the ceiling to be damaged requiring patch plastering/repainting, I was amazed that the previous vinyl silk on the (plastered) ceiling actually peeled off in a thin, stretchy, plasticy type layer. What I'd like to know is the difference between matt and silk and which should I use?

2) Some of the paintable papers are "blown vinyl" and some "paintable" but not vinyl. Is one better than the other?

3) Where there is a range of "paintable" paper which also has a matching wallpaper, already coloured, can this be repainted in the future? Doesn't say vinyl on the wrapper but it doesn't say paintable either.

Hope this makes sense

brownbake

Wallpaper is a complete bind to sort out and paint over. Unless it is lining paper perfectly hung.

In almost all properties we have had the first job we have done is removing previous owners horrible wallpaper.

Wallpaper is only worth hanging if you plan to stay for a few years and choose the pattern that suits you. IMO.

9 times out of 10 it is poorly hung or not to your taste and you just want shot. Any textured wallpaper is the worst of the worst. We are not in the 70's and woodchip is, I think universally, out!!

Spend the time and money getting the walls plastered perfectly and use wallpaper sparingly if you like it and intend to stay. Mixed patterns and borders are very 80s and out of date.

Each 2 their own I suppose. Would put me off as a buyer immediately.

brownbake

If you intend living there for a good few years and you can prep before moving in I suggest stripping back and getting major messy works out the way before you move in.

Vinyl wallpaper is usually hung in damp areas like kitchens and bathrooms and is not designed to take paint full stop!!

Take a step back and think of what finish you want. Paint is irrelevant until you sort out the base and what it is gonna adhere to. Sorry.

TomsMom

OK, thanks, I'll be a bit more specific.

This will be our last move. I am 60, hubby 61 with an illness that means he wont probably see his retirement pension.

We are having this house done up with a view to making life easier for me in the future when he is no longer here, i.e. I will be able to repaint walls but not hang wallpaper and repainting will be the cheaper option for me. It will be professionally decorated as hubby cannot do the work. All the work will be carried out before we move in.

We want a plainish, understated look but not just plaster that's why we're thinking of the paintable wallpaper. We have it in our present house and mainly it is very subtle pattern, not swirly or flowery, but similar to this:

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=20001&partNumber=828503&c_3=3%7Ccat_9580310%7CTextured%7C9949498&c_2=2%7Ccat_9576983%7CWallpaper%7C9580310&c_1=1%7Ccategory_root%7CDecorating%7C9576983

http://www.ukwallpaper.co.uk/products/creams.htm - scroll down to third one - 820906 - linear

The house is an older house and modern, contemporary, minimalist style wont suit it.

I wasn't talking about painting vinyl wallpaper but the blown vinyl stuff (the modern day anaglypta stuff) that is paintable.

Am I making more sense :rotfl:

maypole

So sorry to hear of your situation.

As to the paint, I personally prefer matt.

Bungarm2001

Personally, I prefer a matt finish, particularly on the more plainer type of paintable wallpaper. (Can't stand the shine of silk emulsion kind of 'following' me around the room.)

Paintable wallpapers differ in what they are made out of. Some are just textured thick paper whereas others are blown vinyl on top of a paper base. We've used both in various properties and to be honest, we can't tell which type is easier to either put up or paint over.

We've painted over some papers more than once (students in the house!) and it always comes up looking good as new.

We've just hung a load of blown vinyl that doesn't specifically say 'paintable' but we've painted it anyway with good old trade magnolia, mainly because the colour of the wallpaper is awful (it was cheap!) Apart from it taking more than the usual time to dry, it goes on okay and looks pretty good. Time will tell if we should have left it without painting it.

misgrace

TomsMom wrote: »

We are in the process of buying a house that needs a lot of work including complete redecoration. For ease of future redecoration we will be using paintable wallpaper. I have a couple of questions:

1) I like vinyl silk emulsion because I like the sheen. However, after a recent water leak which caused part of the ceiling to be damaged requiring patch plastering/repainting, I was amazed that the previous vinyl silk on the (plastered) ceiling actually peeled off in a thin, stretchy, plasticy type layer. What I'd like to know is the difference between matt and silk and which should I use?

2) Some of the paintable papers are "blown vinyl" and some "paintable" but not vinyl. Is one better than the other?

3) Where there is a range of "paintable" paper which also has a matching wallpaper, already coloured, can this be repainted in the future? Doesn't say vinyl on the wrapper but it doesn't say paintable either.

Hope this makes sense

Silk paint does come off in stretchy strips, its a nightmare to strip if its on paper.

I know what you are talking about, you have your ordinary 'anaglypta', which has no backing paper as such, but can be horrible to hang, as if its too cheap, it will rip and tear, plus the but joins can look flat when you smooth your paper with a hanging brush.
On the other hand, 'Graham&brown' embossed blown vinyl is a dream to hang, some come in a plainish pattern which will be cheaper a roll, and others come in different patterns, some can be in your face lol.
There is also the coloured G&B, which does not need painting, but the beauty of this paper, is that it can last for some years on its own, for example, pink roses with green leaves on a beige background :eek: ( somewhere in the recesses of my memory I must have had this when I was a kid);) , so after a few years when it gets dirty looking, you can paint it over.

Plain vinyl, (flat paper) your not supposed to paint with emulsion, unless you buy a product to go over it first, or strip the whole paper off.

You dont have to buy G&B wall paper, but its in all the DIY stores, as well as thier own brand, but dont get the ordianary anaglypta, look out for either the G&B or have a look at the sample rolls in thier own brand, and the one you want has got like a backing paper on it, whereas the Ana just has the actual paper, and is very thin.

If your going to paint your blown vinyl/embossed paper from scratch, dont use paint straight out of the tin, the first coat takes ages cuttin-in, as you have to get into the pattern, so the best thing to do is to thin your first coat down, the thinner paint will get into any of the lines in the pattern very easily.:D

shoperholicnot

i would choose matt.
matt has a better effect and will make poor walls look better.

aliasojo

I have done this in my time ...with both silk and matt. I used silk for years before being weaned onto matt and I think the matt is definitely the preferred option now. As said above, it's much more forgiving about any flaws and doesn't highlight things as much as silk.

Also if you paint with silk paint first and decide to repaint in matt a couple of years later, you may have problems as matt will not adhere to silk well, you're supposed to sand it first but on a wallpaper you couldn't do that so you'd have to go from silk > soft sheen > matt to help avoid the matt cracking. So if you're going silk, best to stay with it.

http://www.dulux.co.uk/advice/questions/faq/faq_001.jsp

(Found this out to my cost once.)

Btw, I saw a young (very!) trendy couple fighting over which Graham & Brown pattern to get in B&Q the other day, so you're in good company.

brownbake

Tomsmum - thanks for making the situation clearer.

As you are not considering moving then get it all done entirely to your taste!! Could you let us know the age / style of your house please?

My Dad had a big old Edwardian house and though not entirely to my taste he put up some very bold, dark, traditional wallpaper in his study and it looked lovely. He is an absolute perfectionist and a great wallpaper hanger!!

He also used Laura Ashley paper on the chimney breast and stairs and hallway.

If going for wallpaper definitely use good quality, heavy paper. The best you can afford - it will really make the difference.

Back to your original question. Silk paint is definitely out of favour. Matt or Flat Matt - applied well really looks a lot better and does not have sheen.

I have just decorated my bedroom in Pure White and Bathstone Beige Flat Matt Dulux Georgian Heritage Range. They do all sorts of periods, Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian in authentic colours but using modern techniques.

Farrow and Ball also do a wide range of lovely colours traditionally made paint with high pigment content - the colour, but are costly!!

I have used B+Q, Crown and Dulux emulsion and found the branded ones better. However the best white for gloss and satinwood I have found is B+Q - it really does stay white.

Hope this helps

TomsMom

brownbake wrote: »

Tomsmum - thanks for making the situation clearer.

As you are not considering moving then get it all done entirely to your taste!! Could you let us know the age / style of your house please?

This house is a bit of a one off! It's in a seaside area where lovely old stone houses (100-200 years old) are the norm. However, this one was built approx 50-60 years ago, only the chimney breasts are stone, the rest is rendering - an ugly brownish but that will be painted at some time. There's a little cottage attached on the left and a pair of semis to the right - both traditional stone. That's the outside then! By the way, it's not pretty but the inside has a nice layout and the area is perfect for us.

http://www.walterlloydjones.co.uk/detail.asp?propcode=WALT_000200

The inside will be gutted, as you will see from the lounge it desperately needs it :rotfl: and redecorated tastefully! The conservatory isn't too bad though!

So you can see it's not a period house so no clues there!

Any suggestions welcome. We need a fireplace too and are pondering about that at the moment. Kitchen sorted - we've already chosen the new units.