Turning magnolia into white - whole house

obviousftb

Hi, wondering if you can help. i have just bought my first house so I guess this is the first bit of real DIY I will be doing. The house is 8 years old and the previous owners had not changed a thing about it from the standard new build magnolia paint. This paint is now seriously scuffed, with some black marks and needs to be repainted. I was thinking of a white, probably brilliant white as most rooms don't have a big window so not alot of light comes in, the yellowy magnolia just makes it look even darker.
Please can anyone recommend a good coverage white paint that is easy to use, with a roller that will cover magnolia well. This is for a large 3 bed house, just walls as the ceilings are white.
Many thanks

ChumLee

So you're going to have newly painted white walls against an 8 year old white ceiling and you'll be happy with the finish?

A_Frayed_Knot

My favourite is either Dulux and Crown, but have used B Q's and Johnston's as well also depends on the finish you want - silk or matt ?? I used silk all the time until I moved into this house where for some reason chose matt. Matt marks more whereas with silk you can run a damp cloth over it.

Head_The_Ball

Think very carefully before you paint everything white as it can be very overpowering.

Visit a few homes that are done that way to see if you really like it.

Personally I prefer one of the many shades of off white or magnolia to pure white for walls.

obviousftb

Hi thank you so much for your replies. I previously lived in a 2 bed flat that was all done in brilliant white and I liked it, that had lots of light too so I'm hoping I will still feel the same way with my house now. If I don't I suppose i can repaint again in year's time?
If I was to colour the walls an off white such as Dulux Timeless, would i need the brilliant white emulsion coat first to rid the magnolia? Its quite a strong one.
I was thinking a matt white, sorry should've mentioned!

zaax

White is like a doctors surgery, make one wall of each room a feature wall

obviousftb

Thanks, would something like Dulux Timeless matt emulsion be better? Its still very white but not 'a doctors surgery' white. would this cover the magnolia?

pinkteapot

Pay attention to the first reply - if you paint the walls fresh white then you will want to put a coat on the ceilings too. After 8 years, they'll almost certainly look dingy next to new white. They'll look OK at the moment as they're next to cream.

If you've had white walls before and like them, don't let other people put you off. Like most on this thread I'm not a fan, but then you probably wouldn't like the colours in my house.

SplanK

We have just moved into a house which has a number of "all white" rooms, and rooms with white walls, white celling and a single feature wall. To me, its very "clinical" and does not feel like a home. A couple of rooms have magnolia and whilst its a little better, its not great.


The one room we have done is our eldest son's. We just threw up some blue paint quickly and added wall decorations. Its more or less the only room in the house that has some character!


I would definitely think twice before doing 'all white rooms', but understand your comments regarding light.


Do you know if the current paint matt (dull, well, matt finish) or silk (shiny finish)? If its matt, then that wont be helping so maybe pick a colour in silk. Silk is shiny so will bounce light off it much better.


Agree with the above, white does change 'colour' over time, and may not exactly match the new paint you put on. If you do go all white, paint the ceiling at the same time. Wont take long, and you don't need to worry too much about cutting in on the wall/ceiling junction which will make the job even quicker!


For me, its Dulux every time. 2 coats of standard emulsion should do the trick. Worked for me going over a rather bright pink wall paper!

obviousftb

Thank you for all your replies. I guess i didn't completely think this through and just thought reverting back to what i was used to ie brilliant white was the right choice. I'm now leaning more on the Dulux Timeless, which is a middle ground between cream and white, matt.
The current walls are a dark magnolia, that is also matt so just seems to absorb the light and when the lights are on, it makes te whole room look rather yellow. I'm not a big fan of silk walls so will probably stick to matt. Thanks for your comment pinkteapot, i will paint the ceiling as well

kathrynha

I have brilliant white on all walls in all rooms in my house apart from daughters bedroom and it looks brilliant.
Each room has a different accent colour for curtains, cushions, artwork, lampshades, towels, etc.


We just buy large own brand tins of paint and it works fine.


Agree with others that you need to paint the ceiling too.
Also gloss paint can yellow over time, so you might need to do your woodwork too.


Major advantage of white and an accent colour is you can totally change the look and colour scheme of the room by just changing the accessories, which is so much cheaper and easier than havig to redecorate.