help choosing brand and type of paint?

foxy_j

Hi there,

We bought a house 6 months ago and painted it all magnolia just to get us started fresh.

Now we're tackling decorating and have never really painted before. What brand(s) would ye recommend?

We were looking at painting above the fireplace and the hall/stairs/landing area to start with.

I liked dulux dapple grey for the hall and crown liquer for above the fireplace. I also liked woodies own brand colour paradise shores but not sure if their paint is any good.

Also would matt or soft sheen be best?

Thanks

dodzy

foxy_j wrote: »

Hi there,

We bought a house 6 months ago and painted it all magnolia just to get us started fresh.

Now we're tackling decorating and have never really painted before. What brand(s) would ye recommend?

We were looking at painting above the fireplace and the hall/stairs/landing area to start with.

I liked dulux dapple grey for the hall and crown liquer for above the fireplace. I also liked woodies own brand colour paradise shores but not sure if their paint is any good.

Also would matt or soft sheen be best?

Thanks

Steer clear of woodies own brand rubbish.

Colourtrend. Vinyl Matt. Great paint to work with and a great colour selection. More expensive that the other rubbish own brand stuff you referred to but well worth the extra few quid.

Realistically, if you are all magnolia at present, 7.5ltrs will get you out on the hall,stairs and landing ( 2 coats ) and a 2.5ltr of the other colour for the fireplace surround.

Approx €150 will get you your paint and materials, and you're done.

foxy_j

Thanks for that.

I was also wondering should we paint the magnolia white first?

As the tester pots that I put on an a4 page look better/lighter than the colour patch I put on the wall. They aren't representative because of the different base colour.

dodzy

foxy_j wrote: »

Thanks for that.

I was also wondering should we paint the magnolia white first?

As the tester pots that I put on an a4 page look better/lighter than the colour patch I put on the wall. They aren't representative because of the different base colour.

No need. If your walls were a very dark colour to begin with, and you intended to go very light for final colour, you might need 3 coats to cover all traces of the original colour. 3 coats of a premium paint such as Colourtrend or Farrow & Ball spanning a big area, will cost more than 2 to 3 coats of white as a base. In your case, you're on a light neutral base ( magnolia ) so just fire away with your colour of choice.

Personally, I find the bulk of the paint jobs I do are either re-coating the same colour ( or very close to it ) or a colour transition that is not drastic. 2 coats of colourtrend is fine in most cases.

People are quick to buy a 10ltr bucket of white emulsion to use as a pre-coater for €20 only to find that it has the opacity of water. You invariable end up wasting much more time in the long run for what will ultimately end up a minor saving in € terms.

foxy_j

ok great. Also I don't know if you know anything about choosing colours but I wanted to paint the hall light grey to compliment the blue carpet (was here when we moved in) but I wasn't sure if it'd be too dark or cold.

As the hall doesn't get much natural light. See attached pics of colours possibilites

dodzy

foxy_j wrote: »

ok great. Also I don't know if you know anything about choosing colours but I wanted to paint the hall light grey to compliment the blue carpet (was here when we moved in) but I wasn't sure if it'd be too dark or cold.

As the hall doesn't get much natural light. See attached pics of colours possibilites

Colour in a home is a very personal choice. It's amazing really - on many occasions a customer will ask advice which I'm happy to give but it is not ideal; best case is when they are confident with their colour choice and the only thing for you to do is to push a good quality brand. The only time I would advise strongly against a colour chosen by someone is when you know that the finished job will be just way too dark. A 6 inch tester is seldom representative of the finished result.

In your case, of the colours you have sampled, I'd be going with the lighter grey ( bottom right of your pictures ). But that's just me !

littleredspot

We've just painted a dark hallway in a similar light grey to the bottom right one. It will depend on your lighting as to how it looks. A CFL works well because it gives off a warm glow.

foxy_j

littleredspot wrote: »

We've just painted a dark hallway in a similar light grey to the bottom right one. It will depend on your lighting as to how it looks. A CFL works well because it gives off a warm glow.

Thanks...can you tell me what brand and shade you used? Just the one in my pic has light lilac undertones that may not sure up in the pics but I'd prefer just light grey. Quite hard to find one without blue or purple undertones!

Few family members have said do warmer colours but I like grey or shades of brown at the moment

livingthedream

+1 for colourtrend paint.

Discovered it a few years ago and have used it ever since.

bshmf

foxy_j wrote: »

Hi there,

We bought a house 6 months ago and painted it all magnolia just to get us started fresh.

Now we're tackling decorating and have never really painted before. What brand(s) would ye recommend?

We were looking at painting above the fireplace and the hall/stairs/landing area to start with.

I liked dulux dapple grey for the hall and crown liquer for above the fireplace. I also liked woodies own brand colour paradise shores but not sure if their paint is any good.

Also would matt or soft sheen be best?

Thanks

I won't presume to advise you on colours or finishes, but do avoid cheap own brand paints sold by Woodies and B and Q. With Dulux, Crown and Valspar you will have a huge range of colours and finishes. I have bought the cheapo stuff and it is watery and give poor coverage and therefore poor value.

I recently bought some Valspar in B & Q where they mixed the colour for me and it was really excellent paint.

Good luck in the new house.

Youngblood.III

Never ever touch B&Q own brand