Which white paint??

adrian_bond

Hi everyone,

Im going to be painting the inside of my flat this weekend brilliant white (very contemporary). the flat is quite small and cosy, despite trying to brighten it up as much as possible. I was wondering if anyone had used the Dulux Light and space brand paint, and if it is actually any better than standard white matt or silk?

There is a deal on both crown and Dulux pure white emulsion at the mo (homebase) which would cost me approx £30 to do the complete interior (15L), but the cheapest i can find 5 L of "light and space" paint is £33 per 5L! this is 3 times the cost and its not very moneysaving as you can see!

has anyone got any exprience with this type of stuff and the bottom line is....does it do what it says on the tin?

I want to maximise light throughout the place (its a victorian cottage conversion ground and basement floor flat, with a mixture of contempory, modern and traditional styles (i laid solid oak floors throughout the spring time this year)). if you can picture oak floors with pure white walls and cielings then youre close i hope!

Thanks everyone!

Adrian :beer:

Chunks

I used something similar (made by Crown, I think). Did I like the result - yes (I'm good at painting ) did it reflect the light in an amazing way and make me pleased I spent more that I needed to - no. This stuff might be blinding, mind you.

Like most things, you pay your money and take your choice. I would personally buy a normal emulsion (especially if we are talking white) and stick that on the walls - some of the trade stuff is supposed to be good (but having never used it I would be interested in opinions). If you need to freshen it up subsequently to retain that brilliant white result, it won't cost an arm and a leg to do so.

Incidentally, be careful about deals on white emulsion in DIY sheds. I bought some from Focus (before they went bust). It was very old stock (I discovered) and although a good make, was off-white (even though it was in a plastic tub) once I applied it.

McKneff

Just dont go for cheap paint, what ever you do, it will be a case of 3/4 coats of paint where 2 will do the job well with good paint.

Having said that my OH (painter for over 40 years) finds Wickes Emulsion excellent, and we have just done our bedroom with johnsons 'one coat' we were a bit sceptical about the one coat, but it did exactly what it said on the tin.

Are you really sure you want it all clinical white, not even a hint of colour on the walls. It sounds very cold.

Doozergirl

How much lighter and brighter than pure brilliant white can you get?

I wouldn't bother. Regular brilliant white does exactly what you expect it to. It can't possibly be three times brighter.

How many mirrors could you buy with the money you save?

MaggieBaking

We got a few samples for the hall stairs landing and one of them was an off white in the Light and Space range - it certainly had a glow to it when we tested it.

Personally, if you were going for a white colour, I might be tempted to not use that range, and to buy a standard white. I think it would be great in a small bathroom, or a room without much light. But for all over a flat I'm not convinced.

We use Wickes white emulsion and are pleased with it (on our ceilings). However, for a more expensive version you might want to try Dulux Once in brilliant white which might cut down your time in painting.

Best thing to do is to buy a paint sample or two.

nickj_2

just use dulux trade - either white or pbw are excellent and can be thinned a bit and still give good coverage , you can get a 10ltr tub for around £40ish

Doozergirl

MaggieBaking wrote: »

However, for a more expensive version you might want to try Dulux Once in brilliant white which might cut down your time in painting.

It won't. Please don't. Anyone with experience of Dulux Once will tell you not to do it. It's like painting a wall with nail varnish.

A decent branded paint will do the job for less money/effort or both.

Once is not once. It's gloopy, drippy, sticky. So you try to paint thinner and put on another coat. So it's more expensive than regular paint and misbehaves, so takes longer.

Cheap paint is like painting with water so you end up using four coats or more.

MaggieBaking

Doozergirl wrote: »

It won't. Please don't. Anyone with experience of Dulux Once will tell you not to do it.

We've just painted our hall stairs landing with it. Unfortunately we'd previously put a horrible thick magnolia paint on and we needed a thick overcoat so we went with Dulux Once.

Yes I'd rather paint a small room in a different paint (we've previously used Wickes Silk and Crown Neutrals and been very happy) and get a better colour as well, but if I had to paint a very large area and time was important, yes I'd use Dulux Once again. My Mother in Law also thinks the stuff is marvellous, and uses it in every room she paints.