The number 1 question customers ask us is which paint should they buy for their project.
With hundreds (maybe thousand) of different paint products on the market this might seem daunting so I wanted to share my experience to assist you with this essential part of any successful painting project.
The first question to ask is what are you going to be painting?
Bedrooms and living rooms
Are typically low traffic areas so a good quality Trade Matt Emulsion paint will be perfect. These paints have the popular low sheen finish and will stand up to a light clean with a damp cloth.
Matt Emulsion is what we apply the most of. It can be mixed into any colour and a trade brand like Johnstones Perfect Matt or more recent market entrants from Teknos and Tikurilla are both excellent value choices.
Kitchens and bathrooms
Will typically require a hard wearing paint to stand up to steam and moisture and stay looking great for years.
Halllways and stairwells
High traffic areas also benefit from a harder wearing paint to stand up to more scuffing and possibly washing off a few childrens hand marks.
Harder wearing paints can include Acrylic Eggshell or Vinyl Silk finishes which are higher sheen than Matt Emulsion but very hard-wearing and resistant to moisture.
If you prefer the flat matt finish there are excellent hard wearing, scrubbable and moisture resistant Matt finishes available. We like Zinser All Clean and Teknos Pro 5 for these jobs.
Now you have a good idea what type of paint to use for your project you might be thinking about;
Which brand of paint to buy?
Broadly speaking paint is either for the retail market (think B&Q, homebase etc) and Trade paint. Retail paint is priced cheaper and marketed to the DIY market and Trade paints are often (but not always) more expensive per litre.
E.g 5 Litres of Dulux Matt Emulsion is £30 compared to 5 Litres Dulux Trade Matt being £60.
We could write a whole blog about trade paints vs retail paints. And there are some good retail paints out there. But long story short trade paints contain more pigment and binder materials meaning you get a better looking and longer lasting end product with fewer coats. So in the end Trade paint is better value even though it costs more per litre.
I think we’ll do a more detailed look into retail Vs trade in the future because there is so much more to this story!
What about colours though?
Paint companies have their own colour charts that follow interior decorating trends. Or they can be tinted (coloured) to match another brands colour (even designer paint like Farrow and Ball or Little Greene for example). This is great for saving money on your project but also getting the colours you love in a harder wearing paint product.
In summary
Choosing the right paint will help ensure you get an attractive and long lasting finish. An experienced decorator will be able to help you choose the ideal paints for your project and budget.
They should also have trade discounts to save some money if they supply the paints for you as well.
I hope that this post has helped you choosing the best type of paint for your project.
We havent even started to get into choosing paint for woodwork and exterior jobs yet which will be the subject of future blogs.
Capital Decorating offers a complete painting and decorating service in London. Based in the heart of the East End we service customers in Poplar, Canary Wharf, Limehouse, Isle of Dogs, Stratford, Bow, Tower Hamlets, Bethnal Green and surrounding areas.
