What paint to use where?

When you are working out your colour scheme for your new look, don't overlook the finish you want to achieve for the surface. There is a lot more to paints than just ones for wood, walls and window sills.

We are going to take a look at what paint to use where in the room scheme and also the different finishes that you can get with paints.

Modern paints are quite amazing. Where as in the past you needed to do a great deal of preparation on surfaces, if you wanted to get halfway decent results, but with today's modern formulations, you can virtually slap on the paint and not only will it stick but it will also look good.

However there is no substitute to doing the general preparation and of course choosing the right paint for the job.

Lets talk general


What paint to use where?


Walls and ceilings

Emulsion is the general choice for these large areas.

Vinyl Matt will give a flat no-shine finish that is good when disguising uneven surfaces or where you want to reduce the glare from a lot of light coming from one direction, such as in a narrow room with a window at the far end. The problem with any matt finish is it quickly shows up marks, especially greasy fingers and heads (in the case of walls behind beds, where you may sit up). Matt emulsions 'cut' the light and have a slightly more sophisticated look to them.

Vinyl Silk is an option in high use areas like hallways. This has a low sheen that allows light to travel along the surface. These paints have better ware and can be wiped down lightly. Don't use a silk emulsion if you are trying to hide a walls imperfections, the sheen will only highlight the lumps, bumps and blemishes.

Bathroom & Kitchen Emulsions are tougher again. They have harder wearing properties and can withstand the steamier/ wetter environments. They also stand up to tougher wiping down. These paints are not designed however, for constant heavy wetting, such as in shower areas.

One Coat emulsions claim to be able to give good results in just one application. Though I am sceptical of this. In my experience, unless you are covering the same colour, they do not cover different colours satisfactorily and need two coats...thus defeating the whole purpose. They are also a lot more expensive and come in a reduced range of colours. Buy a standard paint and apply two coats!

Ceiling paints and Solid emulsions are formulated to be applied using rollers and their polymer makeup reduces the 'splatter' of paint. You will pay a hefty premium for these paints however. Again I recommend that you buy a good quality emulsion, use high quality rollers, Harris Ultima give a very even low splatter finish.

Textured paints - there are a number of textured paints on the market today. Suede, Touch of Sand, Black Board, Linen. These have added grains and fibres to give the painted surface some relief texture. Dulux, Crown, Benjamin Moore and others offer a range of such paints that have grainy or other finishes. These paints can be good for use on uneven wall surfaces or where you want to add some interest to a very bland large area of wall.

Beware, I always recommend that you line the walls first, before applying these paints, as they can be murder to remove if you change your mind in the future.

Pink to White paints - These are those paints designed to show you 'where' you have just painted. I am not a big fan of these. Yes they do go on pink, so you can see where they have been applied, but I find that they retain a little bit of their colour and they have a nasty slight sheen to them. Plus they are much more expensive. My advice is to work methodically with your roller and give a second coat to catch those bits you missed. You'll get a better job in the end.

Floor Paint

These are paints designed for much harder ware and tear. They can be used on both wood and concrete.

Woodwork and Metal

Classically these surfaces have been painted with oil based paints that adhere to these surfaces well and survive the, often, heavier use that doors, skirting/ kickboards, windows and floor level pipes are subjected to. These areas take more knocks and bangs and need to resist, in the case of pipes and windows, heating up and cooling down as well as rain.

However with the advance in polymer technology there are now very good 'water-based' paints that can give good results on wood and metal work. These water based paints usually have a lower odour, dry more quickly, for recoating and allow you to wash brushes with water rather than turps or white spirit.
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However they are not as hard wearing as their 'gloss' originals. I recommend that in very heavy ware or exterior situations you use 'Oil' based gloss for the durability that it gives.

Standard Gloss - Is a high shine finish traditionally used on wood and metal work. The paint is quite liquid and needs to be applied in thin coats. For perfect results the surface needs to be perfectly prepared, primed, undercoated and then given two, three or even four coats of top coat of gloss, each with a light rub down in-between. Traditional gloss painting is seen as quite a time consuming and laborious job. If you are considering paying to get someone to paint your woodwork for you, beware that it will cost ...alot!



High Sheen Ship Gloss - Even shinier that your standard gloss. This gloss gives a mirror like finish, if preparation and technique are perfect. Again this is a job for a professional or if you have a great deal of time to give to the job.

Non Drip Gloss - as the name suggest, this has been formulated to be applied without all the danger of runs, drips and pools. It is formulated so that as you apply pressure from the brush, the polymers break up and spread over the surface being painted. For this reason never stir a non-drip gloss. Also don't over paint a surface or you will end up with 'runny' non-drip gloss. Be careful not to apply this too thickly or the paint may never dry properly underneath the skin that forms on the surface.

You will get quite good results from this paint, but not the professional finish that using traditional gloss will give.

Eggshell or Satinwood - These are also paints that can be oil or now water based. The wearability is the same as for gloss. These paints give a low to mid sheen finish and are considered more contemporary as a finish.

Dead Flat Oils - These are matt oil paints that give an historic velvety matt look to the finished surface. Where you want or need the hard wearing qualities of oil paints but would like the look of a matt emulsion. Farrow & Ball do a full range of Dead Flat Oils in most of their colours.

Dead flat oils are suitable for wood, metal and plaster surfaces and are often used on mouldings, skirting, panelling and doors.

Unlike it's cousins, 'gloss' & 'eggshell', Dead Flat Oil will show marks and is not wipeable. It is unsuitable for Kitchens and bathrooms as a result.

Spray paints

These are paints that come in an aerosol can (no good if you want to go the green route!). This is almost a whole subject all of it's own. Spray paints used to come in a limited range of colours and finishes but today there is a vast range to choose from.

Enamel, Faux Suede, Linen Effect, Verdigris, Craquelour, Hammered, shiny, matt, smooth.

For glass, wood, metal, rubber, plastic, linen.



These paints are great for dealing with uneven and intricate surfaces such as radiators, fretwork (on radiator covers for instance), rounded surfaces like moulded metal and wood or just on large areas that you want to give a very specific effect to.

They are not like standard paint formulations so follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter or you will get very poor results.

Warning - work in a well-ventilated room, if outside then be wary of windy days!

Interior design Tips Designing Your own Modern Kitchen

Designing Your own Modern Kitchen

Most of us want what we think of as a "modern" kitchen. But what exactly is a modern kitchen? Can't the term "modern" be used to describe every kitchen that employs electricity? Technically, aren't all kitchens considered a modern convenience? If so, how do you get modern kitchen ideas? It might help, when searching for modern kitchen ideas, to narrow your focus.

What does "modern" mean to you? Is it an art movement? Doesi t refer to a specific type of technology? Is it simply a design idea?Figure out exactly what you want to have in your kitchen before you begin shopping. When you start looking for modern kitchen ideas and inspiration, narrow your search to the following niches:

1. Furniture

When choosing furniture for your modern kitchen, ask yourself if you want to use modern art as inspiration behind your furniture choices.Modern art employs simple shapes, clean lines and bold color choices.fewer design elements, the happier the modern artist becomes. A modern kitchen chair, for example, will consist usually of a single-piece seat that sits on four straight legs. The kitchen cabinets should be in simple shapes: squares or rectangles with simply shaped handles. These cabinets should be in bold colors or white. Chrome handles are common in the modern kitchen. If these ideas do not appeal to you, your modern kitchen might be based upon other design elements.

2. Technology

How advanced do you want your modern kitchen appliances tobe? Some people love getting modern kitchen ideas from up to the minute technology websites and catalogues. If, to you, a modern kitchen uses highly technological appliances, look for refrigerators, ranges, etc with computers installed. A range that sits into the counter and uses a computer chip to raise the temperature of the "burners" is a modern stove. A refrigerator with a computer chip that tells you to buy more cheese because someone ate the last piece earlier in the day would beideal in your modern kitchen.

3. Decor

Typically, in a modern kitchen,there is little decoration. The most decoration will come from the color chosen for the cabinetry, furniture and appliances. Some choose to paint everything a single color. Others choose to paint the walls and cabinets a single color while choosing appliances and cookware that is painted in a sharply contrasting color. If your kitchen space is small, you can create the illusion of space by choosing a single color for your walls and appliances. If your kitchen is larger, you can create textures and a decorative feel by choosing contrasting colors.

These are just a few ways to narrow your focus when you are searching for modern kitchenideas. If you narrow your focus to these three major niches, you can cut down your search for modern kitchen elements by a large margin. A search that could have taken you months might only take a few days or a few hours! Remember: make yourself happy first and cater to the modern kitchen "directions" second. About the Author Which areas of your modern kitchen should you focus on when you search for your modern kitchen ideas?

Interior design Tips The Concept of dinamic space in Bedroom design

Any empty bedroom space has certain parameters attached to it the moment it gets created. What are these parameters? First of all the length, width,and height , the physical dimensions of the bedroom. These three have a unique relation to each other. Rooms with less length and width and too much height or too broad length and width and less height are not proportionate and tend to create discomfort.

But there are special cases where too much of height is anecessity. Some examples are church buildings, cinema halls. Here it is necessary to accommodate large group of people and project a kind if grandness through design. That's why the space gets altered depending upon the use or "function" of the space.Hence in a bedroom the space takes a form of its own depending upon inners activities of the space.

An imaginary travel path gets fixed starting from the entrance door of the bedroom. This imaginary travel path forces the user to arrange the furniture, in a way which will not create obstruction in

the path.

After the furniture has been arranged, what remains is the

space used for circulation inside the bedroom. If the bedroom has a small area and too many exit points, then the room is left with a fixed furniture layout. At such times the success of the bedroom

decorating projectlies in detailing. By detailing I mean small things such as upholstery materials, color schemes, furniture textures and finishes.

But with bedrooms which have large areas, the moment youchange the furniture layout, the circulation space takes a new form andthe entire room looks a new one. This is what I mean by "dynamic space"

which takes a new shape.

It's like that example of the glass half filledwith water.The moment you change the quantity of water space alters and the glass looks different.

Here we have come to an interesting conclusion of this article. From the above discussion one thing is very clear. The "personality" of a space can be easily altered by allowing the empty circulation space to take a new form. In interior design everyone talks about furniture, colors, textures,paints, wallpapers, etc... but no one talks about "Empty Space"which is equally powerful. Finally it is the empty space which remains and is a measure of the comfort level for the user. If there is very less empty space remaining in a room after the furniture is placed, it is considered uncomfortable.

I hope this article was informative to everyone.

Interior design Tips Gives Your House the Right Color

Your interior reflects your personality, thus the way you decorate your own sweet dwelling place do give an impression of your likings and the way you are. So, the most important aspect in a house is the colors of the walls which give the ultimate look. So decorate your house with the right decorating tools.

Give your house the right color:

Interior adornment is a very important aspect in today's fashionable world.Hence, we often find new and improved fashionable trends coming up for almost each and every thing around us. When ever we choose new clothes for our selves we take special care with the new trend in clothing and style so why our sweet home will be an omission.

There are a lot of options coming up to give a complete make over to our homes. In fact, even the basic elements such as wall paint are coming up in different shades and smart work with them can realy make the wall or rather house look unusually beautiful. Whenever we choose the wall paint, to be specific we should take special care of their patterns and shades so as to give a proper definition to the wall. Though there execution makes it worth a call but initially even there selection has to be quality oriented to get the best out of it.

Focus on quality products to ensure best results

We can easily find many companies claiming to provide the best and durable paints and related products such as paint brushes, paint rollers and so on. Since, paint brushes makes, "the picture perfect" for any home to look beautiful hence, even the selection of these should be done from a reliable source to ensure better quality and high standards.

Trade 1stis one of the leading companies to provide a huge collection of paint brushes, decorating supplies and other related products as well. so, for any sort of requirements you know the expert to deal with.