Budget paint or brand paint

freezspirit

I know it sounds daft but I want peoples opinions on a property moving into.

The paint is for the main bedroom. Currently its painted bright pink inside the wardrobes and a subtle pink on the walls. I however can't stand the colour pink at all.

So would like to change it to blue. A pale blue to be exact. Now had a quick look online and noticed Homebase have a blue 5l value @ £5 or I could go for Dulux Mineral Mist @ £20ish.

Also for the lounge I have a tub of Dulux matt once Honeygold 2.5l which was left over from another painting job. Could I mix this with Dulux once white to make a lighter tone. Or would I be making more problems for myself and it would be better just to buy a tub of paint.

savemoney

You can mix paint but make sure you have enough coverage. It might take several coats as pink can be a strong colour, might be best using white to lighten it then using colour of your choice ie mix your own

We did our bedroom with mix your own using B&Q colour emulsion lightened with white emulsion to soften the colour lilac but that was on a white wallpaper

[Deleted User]

We had to paint a blue bathroom (my mum wanted it to be cream) and just painting over it didn't work - the blue showed through (it was a ONCE paint). So we bought some budget white paint and did a couple of coats of that until the blue no longer showed through. And then, painted on the cream.

Budget paint can be a false economy - it's often thinner; that's what I've found. And so-called ONCE paint usually needs a second coat, unless it's going over the same colour or a very similar one. It's also thicker and more difficult to get a good finish.

However, makes such as Homebase are usually good.

As for mixing white paint in to lighten a colour, you could try mixing a small amount as a "patch" test and see if it works. But if you decide to go ahead, make sure you mix up enough to do the whole area in one go - if you don't have enough and have to mix more up, you run the risk of not getting the same shade.

Let us know how you get on !

savemoney

My daughter bedroom is bright pink took two coats to go over dark brown wallpaper I dread having to redo that room may have to take wallpaper off

I agree cheap paint can be false economy I have also found even Dulux one coat doenst always cover well though

savemoney

I found http://www.zinsseruk.com/ do a good primer

Not sure if there paint is good for walls but sure as hell is good for adhesion using it for a wooden ceiling prior to paint with emulsion

3radical

With paint you really do get what you pay for. If you need to undercoat anything, it's perfectly fine to use the cheapest emulsion you can find instead of a dedicated undercoat. But top coats need a quality paint, otherwise you will end up having to go over the wall twice, thus making a false economy. Ceilings are fine with cheap white emulsion, as long as the ceiling is fairly white beforehand and not stained with nicotine. And decorating is a complete waste of time if you don't absolutely totally top to toe prepare your surfaces. There is nothing better than looking around your place when it is all fresh looking. I did mine in the spring and I love it! Oh and remember, Wickes do free home delivery if you spend over £45, which you probably will. Much easier than lugging pots of paint home yourself. Happy decorating!

freezspirit

Slight hold up to the decorating - I don't have the key to the property, lawyers taking their time, don't most of the garden thou.

Thanks for everyones advice. I decided to get the 5l Homebase value blue matt for 2 reasons it worked out to be £4.40 (10% off today) and second it was cheaper than the white primer/undercoat which I would have to use to cover the pink if I was to use Dulux.

I understand about the false economy of getting a cheaper product over a branded name but to be honest I just want to cover the pink asap when I move in.

As for the lounge I will purchase Dulux white 4.5l and mix with Honeygold 2.5l. Length of room is 4.4m width 3.6m height 2.3m. 2 internal doors and one 6ft window. (Sorry today I've have the worst day so if anyone could do the calculations for me that would be great)

DianneB

Find your local decorators centre, the one the trade uses, it will be loads cheaper and the staff know everything there is to know about paint!!