Cheap way to touch up paint where I have filled in holes?

dekaspace1

I have moved some pictures and other fittings around as well as a few scuffed marks on walls from previous tenant and where I have moved furniture.

I know it's hard to get an exact match and I'd say the paint is just like a faint white, close to an eggshell but I know it fades with age so just want it to cover the parts that are mismatched i.e where I have rubbed and the undercoat is showing.

I don't need more than a tiny tub so don't want to buy a huge amount and have it in cupboard for years.

Chop-D

We often buy a tester pot of paint! That is when we have know the exact colour though.

eddddy

Based on my recent experience, If you're able to take a piece of a painted surface to Homebase (or maybe some other stores as well) they can scan it and their system will tell you if there is an exact or close match in the Dulux range.

And/or they will custom mix a 250ml tester pot for £5.

The challenge is getting a piece of painted surface. I was lucky, a small cupboard door was painted with the same paint - so I removed the door and took that in.


But in my case, the walls were painted about 5 years earlier, so it had faded in some places and discoloured in other places. So the test pot matched in some areas, but was a little out in others.

ThisIsWeird

A good decorator's centre might lend you a swatch, with a mind-blowing range a 'whites' - literally dozens of slight variations. It'll likely be simpler to take that home, than take your wall to them.
Also check the sheen level - is it completely matt, or does it have a sheen if looked at from a low angle?

FreeBear

ThisIsWeird said: A good decorator's centre might lend you a swatch, with a mind-blowing range a 'whites' - literally dozens of slight variations. It'll likely be simpler to take that home, than take your wall to them.

And depending on the quality of light, each swatch can look completely different.

Last time I popped in to B&Q, they had light boxes illuminated by different lights. Each swatch I looked at was either meh or yuck depending on which light I used.

Grenage

It might be quicker to paint the whole wall.

ThisIsWeird

FreeBear said:

ThisIsWeird said: A good decorator's centre might lend you a swatch, with a mind-blowing range a 'whites' - literally dozens of slight variations. It'll likely be simpler to take that home, than take your wall to them.

And depending on the quality of light, each swatch can look completely different.

Last time I popped in to B&Q, they had light boxes illuminated by different lights. Each swatch I looked at was either meh or yuck depending on which light I used.

Yup. It'll be a lottery whether Deka will get away with just touch-ups.
Would you recommend a mini-roller, rather than a brush - more likely to at least match the texture? Larger patch, of course.

dekaspace1

Thanks for responses, well the areas aren't the end of the world, you would have to look close to see they don't match as is compared to the filled areas, what I have been doing which seems to work is take a small amount of filler and add a drop of water to make it watery then use that and it does seem to work very well but of course if I ever wipe the walls it comes off.

Most of the areas are tiny like around a £2 coin at most most of the time its just on top of where I filled in holes where there was a wall plug before.

All that being said the kitchen wall needs painted, the landlord did work before I moved in and theres a corner next to the door that needs painted which will take at least IMO a small/medium tub of paint though I relative gave me wallpaper for it, I would need to move a heavy fridge from front of it and 2 sets of shelves 

But even then it's more that I have the areas covered with pictures so you can't see but should I ever more out I don't want noticable marks on the wall, it's social housing but I just like jobs done proper.

twopenny

This is why I now use Magnolia or similar. I've been down the trendy/beautiful paint colour trail only to find they alter on the wall with time.

Magnolia bought from the same company and it's a done job in minutes.

For filling I use fine ready mix plaster £1 and a scraper. Then sand block.

I found Johnsons pale colours also don't alter.

I'd expect any rented property other than the posh ones to have a bog standard paint so maybe worth looking.