matt or silk finish?

matt......and satinwood on the woodwork

 

silk shows up every imperfection both in your walls and in your painting, you can see every brush mark

Gloss is much harder to paint that satinwood/eggshell. you get more runs with gloss and therefore you invariably end up putting less paint on and getting a poorer finish. Satinwood and Eggshells are self undercoating and thicker, making the coverage and runs easier to control.

 

yup, silk shows everything up and just looks naff. Dito with gloss.

 

no, it looks like you've painted it for a 'old person'

 

Well, i have been doing this for 3 years now, and have never put silk emulsion up, and only once use gloss.

Matt and satinwood all the way, unless, of course, you have a zimmer.

 

Hi charlie k.

Keep your gloss on the woodwork by all means, but I think the vast majority of peeps would much prefer matt for walls and ceilings.

 

Nope. Always silk, and always gloss on woodwork unless keeping woodwork effect, then stain(satin).



Mr. Handyandy - really

 

In 20 years in the biz I've probably applied gloss to woodwork on average twice a year. I love glossing too...love to do it more, but it is definitely not fashionable. Pick up any style magazine (even the cheap ones) and you will hardly see gloss items at all except in reference to "retro" style. There are plenty folks that still like gloss tho', just that we deal almost exclusively with high end homes and there...it is definitely not the thing. Vinyl silk is so out it's almost embarrassing
Even in bathrooms and kitchens we spec matt acrylics now or flat oils as opposed to silk. Glossed walls are in, if looking retro is what you want.

However, it's your house, no-one else has to live in it but you and you should go with what you like and what suits your ability and budget...however, if you are trying to sell your home change it.
Cait

 

This satinwood stuff? Is this what you are referring to?

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101644&ts=68195&id=75370

I've never used it before. Always used gloss but didn't realise it was sooooo out of date. I'm obviously older than my days. However, if this is the right stuff to be using these days I'll give it a go.

So can anyone advise if I'm looking at the right gear.

Thanx,

Skil.

 

tis the correct stuff.

I use dulux trade satinwood. Also, if you want it to stay really white for years (no yellowing) then try waterbased dulux satinwood.

Only problem with the waterbased stuff is you really need a brilliant white undercoat as its coverage is very poor. But you dont need to paint it for years as it stays brilliant white.

I always explain to my customers the tradeoff of more labour or paint again in a few years. Some want non yellowing, so dont.

 

Handyman, you are right about the non-yellowing but you need to explain about the fact that you can't just wack acrylic over alkyd (or oil as it's known)...that is unless you want to peel it off in sheets.

Skil,
Satinwood is basically a very slightly more shiny version of eggshell.
Cait

 

acrylic over oil based paints?? Well, all i do it sand it (as usual), anything more I should know??

Why do you put " you need to explain" then dont explain?? Teh inner workings of a womans mind.......very complicated

 

Thanks for that advice, Handyman, and thanks, Cait.

I'm on with the back room at the moment so I'll give this Satinwood stuff a go and see what I think. Like I said though, I really didn't realise that gloss was so out of fashion. I'm embarassed!!

 

hi skil6513,

Good luck......this painting game is very complicated you know

 

Skil, it doesn't matter what you have, it's your house, have what you like.
As I said, matt and eggshell will help sell a house...it's what the punters want.

Handyman,
Acrylic paints have very little adhesion to alkyd paints esp. to gloss. You can use alkyd undercoat, it's mattness means once sanded it will take acrylic OK, but better to use a conversion primer - Zinsser, Dulux, Crown, International etc. do them. At a pinch even a good sand down and normal acrylic primer undercoat will help but it isn't ideal. It's not any more work/cost to the customer than alkyd gloss over alkyd gloss as you still have to put a coat of undercoat over gloss before coating anyway.
Cait

 

Trends they are changing again!

For the last 3 years at least, nearly all my customers have had oil eggshell and matt walls.
In recent months this has changed.
People seem to be going back to gloss.

Walls are still staying matt in general. Have never put silk on walls, only on kitchen ceilings. (Don't like the idea, but older people like to be able to wash their ceilings!)

As a compromise I would reccommend Soft Sheen.
More than half of my customers have it on walls in the hall and staircase as it is more wipeable. (grubby fingers!)