Painting beginner

Vik91

Hi I wish to paint my living room walls which are a lime green colour and want to paint a Matt soft grey colour
looking for advice on best undercoat and then paint for greg colour

Gunner276

Tbh i wouldn't bother with undercoat.

Clean the walls well to remove grease, dust etc. Then use a good quality paint.

I have been using Valspar V700 from B&Q and have been really pleased with the coverage. Haven't needed more than 2 coats for good coverage yet!

rob7475

Undercoat shouldn't be needed. Make sure the walls are clean, fill any holes with something like toupret filler as it is more resistant to paint flashing through it.

I'd recommend Crown trade paint. They do a washable version which is very good and can be matched to any colour.

Prodec ice fusion brushes are very good for the money - I use a 3" brush for cutting in the edges. I then use a Hamilton perfection roller for the rest.

Carrot007

I would second no undercoat. I painted magnolia over bright red, you get there eventually. If you must, becuase you want to use an expensive paint for the colour perhaps, then use plain old white.

Clean walls. If there is a spot of greese of something then sand it (a mouse sander is easier but a block with sandpaper wrapped around is fine if aldi does not have em on the cheap!).

Use some masking tape to avoid the skirting / ceiling / whatever. Pull it of as soon as you are done for the day, do not let the paint dry otherwise you will rip tears if there is too much on it, it's cheap, reapply the next day if needed, use a low tack one and avoid expensive brands as they all work the same, get wider ones it you are worried but not really needed if you keep a wet cloth or wipe on hand (and do do that!). Also unscrew you sockets and light switches and maybe reverse masking tape the edges (and a good a time as any to make sure the conenctions are good and there is an earth!).

Start by doing the edges. You will probably need to use a brush here. Then do the rest with a roller and go as close to the edge as possible. (small rollers as required and long handled small roller for as far behind the radiator  as possible. (will need some brushwork there too probably).

As for what paint. Depends on the time you want to take and tyou ability. Cheap paint is thin and will need many layers but can probably do more after an hour (I used such for the new conservatory roof as new plaster so just had to do it till it was enough (no need for glue on new plaster unless it is old style materials, new stuff if good to paint on once dry or a week)). Trade paint is thick and gloopy and a pain to use unless you have before. But it coats well and probably needs no second coat, or a second day, so they can move on to a different job the next day, it costs more because of this though. Different mixes are somewhere in the middle.

And lastly Do it naked and clean all the stuff in the shower with you. Saves a lot of mess! Or wear as little as you can and old stuff that you no longer want as you will get it on you.

Remember to have a ladder on hand if needed!

And that's all I know about the subject!

FreeBear

Carrot007 said: And lastly Do it naked and clean all the stuff in the shower with you. Saves a lot of mess! Or wear as little as you can and old stuff that you no longer want as you will get it on you.

Make sure the curtains are fully closed if you are going to do it in the buff. Live stream on the internet will earn you a few pounds

More practical are disposable overalls - https://www.screwfix.com/p/disposable-coverall-white-x-large-53-chest-33-l/492fh - Other sizes/brands available. Get the next size up to give you room to move & stretch. I am a medium, but use large overalls, and will still rip a seam sometimes on full stretch.

NSG666

Wash down with sugar soap.
No undercoat.
Don't forget that Wilko do paint (own brand plus Dulux) too but it all depends who does the colour / shade that you want.

twopenny

Now I'd do a white undercoat because lime green is vicious.
Just some white emulsion to see how it covers.
Then try the grey on a corner to see if it comes true to what you want.
If not, another coat of white or two of grey. 
A small area will tell all.

getmore4less

I found a pole very useful for the roller when doing ceiling and high parts of the walls

Move as much out of the room as possible so much easier than moving around a pile of stuff in the middle.

coffee_cake

Avoid Crown Trade White paint. Its awful, after 4 coats it was still patchy and was actually taking the existing colour off the wall!  Ditched it and bought some Leyland white from Screwfix instead.