3. Use your tester pot to paint a board which you can more to different positions in the room
Paint Types
There are also, of course, different types of paint, the main types being oil-based and water-based.
Most wall paint is water-based, as it is easier to use and to clean up after. Water-based paint doesn’t normally require a primer coat, is quick-drying, low on VOCs (potentially harmful Volatile Organic Compounds), and gives a colour-stable, flexible finish, but it can be less vivid and herd-wearing than oil-based paint.
4. Oil-based paint is durable, versatile and gives a rich, smooth, durable finish, but can be tricky to apply and clean up (particularly if you’re sensitive to VOCs).
5. If you want a water-based paint with an oil paint effect, look for “waterborne enamels” or “waterborne alkyds” which look and behave much like oil-based options
MARTIN ROBERTS’ TIPS“The best decorating advice I ever had was about stripping doors – get someone else to do it! Just take it off and for about £40 you can get it dipped in a tank of chemicals, and brought back when it’s beautiful. All the doors in my house were stripped this way. They look much better, and it’s saved me so much pain!”
Within these main types of paint there are variations of finish types such as flat, satin, eggshell, semi-gloss and gloss. Gloss is usually used on woodwork.
