Hi,

I am painting my flat and need to decide what type of paint to use.  I have rough surfaced walls and ceilings that look like they have been painted with a matt in the past and for this I am thinking of using an Emulsion Vinyl Matt.

The things I am not sure about are in the bathroom and on the wooden doors and window frames.  

For the bathroom I have read that it's better to use an eggshell rather than a vinyl matt as an eggshell copes better in high moisture areas such a bathroom.  Is this right - should I use an eggshell for the bathroom ceiling (the walls are tiled) or will the vinly matt be ok?

The doors and window frames currently have an oil based gloss.  I have been told by some people that if possible it is better to avoid the smell and problems cleaning up an oil based paint and that an option to avoid that would be to sand the surfaces and then use a primer such as Zinsser virtually odourless or Zinsser 123 and that I can then use a water based Emulsion on those wooden surfaces.

Is this something that anyone would recommend or should I just stick with an oil based gloss for these sections?

Appreciate any advice.

Thanks,

Ian

Hi there Ian,
With paint a lot of it comes down to personal preference, because there are a number of options for each of your situations/areas.

I am painting my flat and need to decide what type of paint to use.  I have rough surfaced walls and ceilings that look like they have been painted with a matt in the past and for this I am thinking of using an Emulsion Vinyl Matt.
That is fine, no problems.

The things I am not sure about are in the bathroom and on the wooden doors and window frames.  

For the bathroom I have read that it's better to use an eggshell rather than a vinyl matt as an eggshell copes better in high moisture areas such a bathroom.  Is this right - should I use an eggshell for the bathroom ceiling (the walls are tiled) or will the vinyl matt be ok?
I would use bathroom paint, which is sold as either "kitchen & bathroom paint" or just as "bathroom paint". Emulsions don't handle moisture too well, so not really suitable for damp areas like kitchens and bathrooms. If you don't want to use bathroom paint then you could use silk emulsion but it is shiny (glossy).

The doors and window frames currently have an oil based gloss.  I have been told by some people that if possible it is better to avoid the smell and problems cleaning up an oil based paint and that an option to avoid that would be to sand the surfaces and then use a primer such as Zinsser virtually odourless or Zinsser 123 and that I can then use a water based Emulsion on those wooden surfaces.

Here you have 3 option really:
Gloss - shiny, easy to clean, does not mark easily. Available in oil based (can be a strong odour for a few days) or water based (virtually odourless). Personally I think the oil based gloss gives a better finish than water based.
Satinwood - Semi-gloss, not shiny and not matt. Easy to apply and fairly easy to keep clean.
Eggshell - Not shiny, can be marked by dirty hands fairly easily (roughish surface holds dirt). Easy to apply and does not need an undercoat (normally).
I would not paint the woodwork in my house with emulsion. woodwork can be subjected to loads of touching (doors), rubbing (door frames, Hoovers along the skirting etc), emulsion will mark and wear very quickly. I also prefer the the walls and woodwork to be a different colour, to separate/define them better.

In all 3 types of woodwork paint I would sand the woodwork to roughen up the surface to provide a good key for the new paint. For the gloss it is recommended to first coat the woodwork with an undercoat (not everybody does this) before painting with 1 or 2 coats of gloss. The satinwood and eggshell sometimes don't need an undercoat (read the label on the tin).

Matt emulsion isn't really washable. If you have kids I would go for silk. We've been in our house two years and have dirty patches around stairs and doorways where the kids put their hands on it. We've tried washing the marks off but the matt paint is effected, sometimes leaving bare/thin patches. Will be going for silk when it's time to repaint the hallway.

Silk is good for papers or surfaces that have a raised pattern. The shine highlights the pattern. By the same token it highlights any imperfections and, in my opinion look a bit clinical and cold. A low sheen is preferable if you must have a shine.

Water based gloss yes, not water based emulsion.

Emulsion = walls.
Gloss, eggshell, satinwood = wood.

If you don't mind my asking, why are you so keen on emulsion on the woodwork? If it is a cost issue then you may be mislead. Gloss etc is more expensive than emulsion but it also covers a lot more per litre. Also if you have to repaint your doors, frames and skirting every year because the paint is dirty/rubbed, then are you really saving any money (or time)?
Well painted woodwork (with the correct paint) will last at least 5 years before you would even think of re-coating.

Forgive me if I have not understood your question/intention?

I don't have an issue with clean-up (unless I do something silly like kick a tin of paint over). I normally make sure I have covered everything that needs to be covered before I paint and that way there is little or no clean-up to do. A bit of planning and preparation goes a long way...

There are many products on the market for this purpose and you don't need to spend a fortune on it. I use thin plastic sheeting (sold on rolls and just cut to the length you require) http://www.screwfix.com/prods/19574/Decorating-Sundries/Decorating-Sundries/Dust...,
then I lay cotton dust sheets on top (if you don't own dust sheets then go to Ikea or somewhere and buy some double bed sheets for a couple of pounds).
If you want to you can tape the plastic sheet to the floor, along the skirting, to protect the carpet when doing the gloss work. You can buy plastic sheeting that has masking tape "built-in", which can make life much easier....http://www.screwfix.com/prods/60171/Decorating-Sundries/Decorating-Sundries/Mask...

You can use quick dry (water based) gloss etc, just not emulsion. As Hammy said the smell of oil based paint is not really an issue these days, they have "tamed" them a lot. If you read the label on some tins of paint, it will say "low odour" etc.

You can buy a cheap roller set and a cheap set of paint brushes, when you have finished painting your rooms chuck them in the bin, no clean-up required  
If you are going to be painting over a few days and want to keep the brushes from drying out (to avoid having to keep washing them up) then wrap them tightly in some cling film. The same goes for the roller and tray, make sure there is a load of paint still in the tray and leave the roller in it, then cover with cling film.

Hope that helps...

Radiators are a thorny issue really (for me) and I tend to deal with them as I see fit at the time...
When they are in their original state, I use proper radiator paint.
When they have been painted over with a different type of paint (like yours have) then I will normally stick to the the same type of paint. So if it has been glossed then I gloss, if it is eggshell then I eggshell. I don't like doing this because some paints don't like being heated and will start cracking and/or discolouring. I would steer away from gloss because that is probably the worst for discolouring and cracking.
The alternative (if you have loads of time and energy) is to strip/sand the radiators back to the original paint and then paint with radiator paint.

Sorry I can't be clear on this one, I normally look at it and decide what is best.

No worries, happy painting...