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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Painting, Decorating & Tiling Questions >> Do manufacturers overestimate their paint coverage https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1435853738 Message started by Zac on Jul 2^nd, 2015, 5:15pm

Title: Do manufacturers overestimate their paint coverage
Post by Zac on Jul 2^nd, 2015, 5:15pm

I had a small back bedroom completely reskimmed about 6 weeks ago. I've just put a mist coat on using No Nonsense Trade Contract Matt (Brilliant W). I didn't thin it because the tub said it wasn't necessary for a mist coat. The tub says it covers 10-12 sq m. per litre. I've measured my back bedroom carefully and all walls and ceiling comes to about 27 sq m., certainly no more than 30 but I've used at least 8 litres of a 10 litre tub. I put it on fairly liberally but not too much I wouldn't have thought. Do the manufacturers generally grossly overestimate the coverage of their products?

I'm now intending to put a single coat on of Dulux Trad Vinyl Matt (Pure Brill W). I've read somewhere that you can get problems using different makes of paint/emulsion but I also read that you can use any make of cheap emulsion for a mist coat so I'm not anticipating any problems. Already with the mist coat the bedroom looks great apart from one or two places where the ceiling meets the wall and the paint has cracked, I think perhaps because I've put it on too thick. But would these disappear with a coat (or maybe two at those points) of vinyl matt?

Thanks for any advice or comments.

Title: Re: Do manufacturers overestimate their paint coverage
Post by woodsmith on Jul 6^th, 2015, 8:15am

Sounds like you have put it on too thick, I would always thin for a mist coat on new plaster, it makes it soak into the plaster rather than sit on the surface and potentially come away later, but manufacturers guides like this are only a guess as it all depends on the wall surface absorption and application method.