What colour shall I paint my loft?

nrishiraj

I've got my loft converted, at the moment the plaster is drying up.

1) How long until I start painting?
2) Got any ideas of which colour to paint?
3) Got any ideas which carpet colour to get?

Thanks

Narinder

boyse7en

1) Wait until the plaster is thoroughly dry. You can see it change colour as it dries (gradually goes lighter). This could take a couple of weeks depending on the temperature/humidity/airflow
2) Which way are the windows facing? North facing is a 'colder' light and so a warming colour could help. Usea very pale tint (more of an off-white) to keep the room looking spacious
3) Depends on the paint colour. Personally I don't like carpet, so I would use wood/laminate depending on budget.

Buzbee_2

I definitely recommend a neautral colour for both the walls and the carpets. You can then accessorise with coloured cushions, furniture etc. I fyou then change your mind about the colour in the future, just change the accesories rather than repainting and re-carpeting.

I get a lot of my inspiration from decorating magazines, this is my favourite one:

http://www.magazine-stand.co.uk/magazines/food-and-home/interiors-and-decorating/4267702/house-beautiful.thtml

Happy decorating!!

nrishiraj

Hi

I've got an idea what colour I want to choose, but now i'm stuck on which type of paint to choose? I dont want my bedroom.room to look shiny, but I do want it to be easy to clean any marks [mangolia colour]. My hallway/landing area doesn't have a window to bring any light, what type of paint do I need?

What's all this matt, solo, gloss, emulsion all mean? do I need to apply some sort of undercoating before the actual painting?

Sorry for sounding like a novice, then again I am to DIY.

Thanks

vivatifosi

I swear by Dulux Diamond Matt. Its a professional paint that you can get from their trade outlets in just about every colour imaginable.

My Dad's a professional painter and decorator and when I was a kid he used to decorate a lot of hospitals, which all had shiny walls. Since then that's all I can think of when I see silk finish.

Diamond matt gives the wipeable benefits of silk without me feeling institutionalised!

You can also try the Dulux lightspace range for dark areas. My aunt has used that in a very dark hallway to great effect. No I don't work for Dulux, so sorry if this seems like an advert...

And yes, you will need to treat bare plaster before painting a top coat. Here's a good link that explains why:

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/paintnewplaster.htm


If you've got a lot of DIY to do you might want to consider the Collins Complete DIY encyclopedia. My family, who are very good at building bought my husband who is the exact opposite a copy for his birthday. It has substantially upped his competence level, though I wouldn't recommend he changes job just yet. Well worth the cost though and kept us sane and married!

diamond4736

There is a lovely neutral color in Wilkinson called coastline, i've decorated my whole house in it and it looks great

nrishiraj

I've painted my ceiling matt white and the walls buttermilk.

What colour should I colour the beam?