Silk - too shiny, matt - too drab

Rhino666

I have just had a lot of my house walls and ceilings re-skimmed with plaster. It's a 1930's house with tired lath and plaster but the reskimming will give it a new lease of life.

The problem is a paint finish. I want a durable finish that is not too bright as to show up every imperfection. Matt paint is too drab, hard to clean and not durable. Silk paint is too shiny and will show up any surface imperfections. I guess I need a 'satin' finish paint which is durable and easy to clean but not too shiny. The standard cheap whites and magnolias from DIY places like Wickes and B&Q tend to be matt or silk finish paint - I have not found a cheap 10 litre tub of satin.

Does anyone know where I can get cheap satin finish white and magnolia emulsion paint ?

Does anyone know whether mixing silk emulsion with matt emulsion could possibly produce a satin finish paint ?

Thanks

Rob

lush_walrus

I wouldnt mix the paints, one is oil based the other water based. Have you tried looking for Eggshell?

zzzLazyDaisy

I got a great big tub of B&Q matt magnolia. It was going to be a temporary measure, but I really like it. The occasional mark wipes off without too much trouble, biggers marks touch up with a drop of paint, and it is easy enough to freshen up with a top coat.

Having said that, I don't have any kids.........

gm_xone

You could, as you suggest mix vinyl matt & vinyl silk emulsions together - they are both water based.
There is also a 'soft sheen' (sometimes called 'mid sheen') emulsion available at some decorating merchants. Try Johnstones Leyland Decorating centres, that's where I went.

If you really want a matt finish, there's one called 'acrylic matt' which is actually washable. It is more expensive than standard emulsion paints though.
It can be bought at Dulux Decorating centres (where it's called 'diamond matt') or a bit cheaper at Johnstones Leyland.

Rhino666

Thanks for the suggestions.

I've had a think about this and think I will use all the cheaper paint as the first coats and buy soft sheen from Johnstone, Leyland for the top coat.

I usually use a brush to apply emulsion but will join the 20th century and use a roller. I'm guessing that a roller finish will likely be more textured and less shiny than a brushed finish.

John_M_Business

Rhino666 wrote:

I usually use a brush to apply emulsion but will join the 20th century and use a roller. I'm guessing that a roller finish will likely be more textured and less shiny than a brushed finish.

Choosing the right roller is equally important... get a good roller and you should have a less textured and at least as shiny finish... as the decorating centre to select one for you (not the expensive ones, but the mid-range).

Get a cheap roller and it's about as bad as getting a cheap brush...

Mrs_T_5

we had this problem and eventually found the SOFT SHEEN paint that has been mentioned above - this was a good compromise and worked well

Mrs T