A painting and decorating project is a fantastic way to refresh your home and update the atmosphere. When you choose a durable paint that will last for several years, it is also an investment.  Investing a bit in the cost to paint a room will help you out in the long run. Down the line, if you choose to sell your home, buyers will appreciate the care you took to keep it in top shape.

 New plaster can take anything from a day to week or more to dry fully, it all depends upon the drying conditions of the room.

Once the plaster has dried it will be a uniform pale pink colour. However, plaster on plasterboard will dry much quicker than plaster that has been applied to internal render, after damp proofing.

Do not leave heating on to dry it quicker as this could cause shrinkage resulting in cracks in the plaster.

Once fully dried apply a mist coat of watered-down emulsion to seal the fresh plaster.

There are several factors that need to be considered when answering this question, such as how much traffic the house is subject to?

If it’s a family house with young children you might have to redecorate main areas every 2 years, however if it’s a quieter family home every 4-5 years should be enough.

It really all depends on how busy your home is and how quickly it gets dirty from children and pets etc.

A Top Tip is to use the new scrubbable / washable formula paints in areas of the house that get used the most frequently and also the stairs and hallway can benefit from using this type of paint finish.

The product choices often depend on what existing finish is on the woodwork.

If it has been painted before there are generally three possible types of paint finishes to consider.

Oil based, Water based or a combination of the two products know in the trade as a Hybrid.

Oil Based.

This type of paint does have a better finish with less coats applied, however it will turn a shade of yellow quite quickly, it also take quite a long time to dry and has a very distinctive smell when drying and for a few days after application as it dries fully.

Water Based (this is our preferred finishing paint product)

Decorators that are not experienced using water-based paints will tell you that it doesn’t cover as well as oil.

For some this may be true, however due to the quick drying times it is possible to apply several coats in a day, therefore reducing the drying times. Although extra coats may be required the major advantages of using water-based paint is the finish will stay the finished colour without yellowing, the drying times are reduced dramatically, there is next to no “new paint” smell. Ideal for people with allergies etc.   

Hybrids.

These are crossover products that have been introduced into the marketplace to encourage tradesmen etc. to move from oil-based paints to water based. When there wasn’t a great deal of quality water-based products available.

In recent years there have been a wealth of very high quality water based paints made available to the decorating trade and in my opinion these Hybrid paints are now a waste of time.

There are varying degrees of sheen level to choose from, Eggshell has the least level of sheen and Gloss has the highest sheen. Satinwood has a sheen level between Eggshell and Gloss. Each finish if applied correctly will look great and provide longevity.

The trend in trim paint seems to have moved in recent years, as more and more people are starting to use Satinwood rather than using the traditional Gloss finish. I personally believe that satinwood gives a more modern, subtle and pleasing look. It also holds it white colour longer and doesn't go yellow/cream as Gloss tends to over time.