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Best way to cover red walls?

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Hi, I'm planning on painting my sons room in 2 weeks while he's away for 5 days with school. I need to know the cheapest way to paint over the red walls so I can paint them blue.

I've looked on the B&Q site at some undercoats, they grey ones seem to be for wood or metal so I was wondering if I could buy a grey emulsion to use as an undercoat? Would grey cover better than a white undercoat?

I knew those red walls would bite me on the behind eventually :rotfl:
Even if you stumble, you're still moving forward.

Comments

  • Browntoa
    Browntoa Posts: 49,602 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    i'd use cheap white emulsion as a base coat , then the Blue on top
    Ex forum ambassador

    Long term forum member
  • Fire_Fox
    Fire_Fox Posts: 26,026 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I painted over a dark orange wall to make it a really pale greeny-grey in only two well-applied coats. First was an own brand one-coat white, then standard emulsion in the final colour over the top. The only thing I would say is one coat paint doesn't give quite as fine finish as standard emulsion, so if you were a perfectionist you might lightly sand the surface between coats.
    Declutterbug-in-progress.⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
  • craig777
    craig777 Posts: 206 Forumite
    A coat of decent quality magnolia will do the trick as an undercoat (not some 'value' range stuff though). Magnolia will cover better than white.
  • Thanks for all the advice :) I might have a tub of magnolia in the shed... I'll try and find it tomorrow. If not I know I've got some white somewere. My son has just told me he wants quite a bright blue, nothing too light. So that should take some of the work out of covering the red... hopefully :)

    Thanks again.
    Even if you stumble, you're still moving forward.
  • Plenty of coats of white or cream paint, w/e you have thats pale and hanging around really.
    Squish
  • im dreading repainting my living room! as its got 2 red walls and 2 black walls!!!!!! its nice though... but i am going to want to change at some point lol
  • Don't waste your money on buying a cheap and cheerful white/magnolia paint as it will take far more coats to cover up than a decent quality paint such as Dulux or Crown. That old addage (sp???) of you get what you pay for!
  • ormus
    ormus Posts: 42,714 Forumite
    add some of the blue to your undercoat. esp if youre painting a dark blue.
    Get some gorm.
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