house painting help

chinna999

hi, i bought 4 bedroom detached house recently, i need to paint my house. as i dont have any clue any suggestions will be appreciated. to start with 1] how much paint i need to buy 2] which company to go with 3] wat sort of things i need to look for..................

cheers

cattie

My advice re the paint would be to go for a decent brand such as Dulux. Buying cheap paint is a false economy & you may need to do 3 or 4 coats or more to get even a half decent finish.

Yer gets wot you pay for in the paint world!

Any decent diy shop should be able to advise on how much paint you would need if you give them an idea of room sizes. It should also tell you on the sides of the cans of paint.

totalguitar

cattie wrote:

Yer gets wot you pay for in the paint world!

Except Dulux brilliant white gloss thay yellows after 3 months :mad:

Hornet

hi - i am in the process of painting a similar size property. Number one rule is buy decent brushes - I have harris brushes and am still on my first set and have only 2 rooms to go. I have used about 40 litres of white emulsion as an undercoat so far - i normally whitewash the room before attempting to paint it a colour. Focus 10litres is a lot better than the Crown equivalent! I have used Dulux so far for colour - seem to be lots of offers on this - it is a false economy buying cheap paint. Good Luck!

Doonhamer

I agree, get good quality brushes and rollers. I would avoid one coat paints, I can always see roller and brush marks afterwards.

If they have a dark colour on now go over with a basecoat first.
Read the instructions on the tin.
Start behind a door.
Switch of the power and loosen electrical sockets/switches rather than try to paint round them.
If possible remove radiators.
Spend lots of time on preparation.
Fill holes with a soft plaster based filler and sand gently.
Wipe the walls with a damp cloth after sanding.
Go over the wall very gently with fine sandpaper between coats to remove dust specs.
Go for safe bright neutral colours that you won't hate in a few months.
Don't try stencils or sponging or any other faddy stuff, you will soon regret it.

crankup

To add to the great tips above, go for "Dulux Trade" for a quality brand paint, not the standard Dulux. They are very different.
You'll get white and magnolia colours cheaper than others - go to your local trade paint shop for possibly better deals than diy chain stores.
You'll want vinyl matt emulsion for your walls and ceiling (vinyl silk for your bathroom/kitchen or areas needed for harder wearing). 2 coats of each. Do ceiling first. Fill any holes with filler and rub down. Scuff over entire wall area to get adhesion. Dust off and paint. Use a 4" brush for best finish. Use a roller if you wish to speed it up and just do edges with a brush. Dont worry too much about getting paint on the skirting etc. as they will be prepared after the emulsion is done.

Woodwork - a pot of gloss and undercoat. Dulux Trade again.

Wood prep - fill cracks with filler, I prefer Tetrion. Rub down with aluminium oxide paper, ask for a couple metres of 60grit, that should do you. Avoid sheets of standard brown sandpaper as they'll fall apart in your hands in minutes. Fill any tiny holes like nail heads with a dab of putty. Dust off with a dry (dusting) brush. Thats the nasty bit done. Now enjoy the peaceful tranquility of applying the undercoat and then the gloss coat on a well-prepped interior.

uncle_buck_3

Personally I like to do the gloss paint work before I do the walls, any emulsion that gets on to the gloss just wipes off.

Nile

Hello chinna999


Welcome to the MSE site.:wave:

boogiemaster

The first thing you need to do is prepare the walls and wood for painting, get some sugar soap and wash all the walls and wood down with that.
On walls and wood you get grease and grime that gets impregnated into everything and it needs to be cleaned off before you do anything.
Preparation 90% and 10% painting to achieve a good finish, sanding down walls will allow you to get a smooth surface to paint on.
Sanding down of wood will remove brush marks and leave a smooth finish for undercoat and gloss.
On bare wood or new wood you would add a primer that fills i little holes and tiny perfections, under coat then goes on top followed by gloss.
Always sand in between coats with sandpaper, or wet and dry sandpaper for a glass like finish.
Dip you brush in the paint and make sure you only load the brush a quarter of the way up, and make sure you tap both sides of the brush on the paint tin to get rid excess paint.
Just a few little tips I was told by my brother.

calmgirl

( CJ's Husband)
All I can say is as the above good quality paint, good quality brushes, rollers. and one more important thing is TAKE YOUR TIME split the rooms up and do the hall way and stair well last as this has the most trafick in it.

[Deleted User]

I have to add that I recommend FINE FILLER. This is a bit like normal polyfilla, but much finer and much easier to handle. Intended for dents and problems up to 2-3mm deep.

Absolutely revolutionised our decorating and I wouldn't be without it. Cheapist place is screwfix or Wilkinsons for about £1.50 -£2 a pot. Not B&Q or it will set you back £7.

Very useful for smoothing surfaces if you've removed wallpaper and are just going to paint. Great for fine lines and gives a much better finish than polyfilla as much finer.

Have to also go with all the other comments. Spend as much time in preparation as you can possibly bear. I agree with 90% prep and 10% painting. It is well worth it. The last thing you want is for your paint to peel off the wall because you didn't wash it down properly!

Borrow Collins complete DIY manual from the Library. Not only has it got decorating in, but it will cover all those other problems you're bound to find along the way. Very useful book.