Paint And Materials

Painting a room isn’t a case of simply splashing on a coat of colour; often it will be made more complex depending on the type of surface being painted, and the finish you require. Materials required for decorating are varied.

• Filler. Used to fill in gaps and cracks in walls, to allow painting or to prevent air bubbles being trapped underneath wallpaper. Filler comes in two types - pre-mixed and those you mix yourself. It is cheaper to buy filler which you mix yourself, though much easier to use the pre-mixed filler (such as polyfilla) if you are unsure. Linseed oil putty can be bought to fill wooden and metal frames and windows. Filler may also be sold as caulk (with the process being known as caulking).

• Primers are used on bare wood and metal prior to painting. Galvanized metal requires a special zinc primer; else subsequent coats of paint will fall off.

• Sealers are used for preserving and waterproofing, as well as the prevention of further problems occurring to subsequent coats of paint.

• Undercoats provide a base coat for the finish coat, and applying it is the most important stage of painting. It is worth applying a second and a third undercoat in order to get the perfect finish.

• Finishing coat : the top layer on the wall. There are a number of different choices of finishing coat. The most common coats include matt, eggshell, gloss, and semi-gloss. Normally, two coats will be required to finish.

• Emulsions are water based paints for use on ceilings and walls. They tend to lack the longevity and hard-wearing qualities of undercoat and gloss.

• Abrasives, such as sandpaper are used to rub down surfaces prior to undercoating and painting. They can usually be purchased in differing amounts of roughness. A rougher material should be used first, with finer sandpaper being used to finish the surface.

• Thinners are usually made from water (in the case of emulsions) and turpentine or white spirit for solvent based paints.