Recent content by malshep

Wickes' paints are diabolical. Leyland Trade 2.5L £12 from Screwfix is cheaper and much better. Pour enough to do the job out of the tin into clean jar, tin etc and add thinners, stirring after each small addition, until sufficiently liquid on the day. Probably 5%-10% not 25%

I would have thought the main thing would be to ask the manufacturers themselves why they advise against oil/wax. The possibilities that occur to me are that they've already applied a preservative that would react adversely with oil/wax or that they've constructed the door using a glue that...

The simplest option is to buy a separate lining curtain. Then, while the hooks of the curtain proper go into the rings, the hooks of the lining go into the TAPE of the original curtain eg: http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/blackout-ready-made-curtain-linings-166201 [The drop of the lining has...

Not a bad response. Unfortunately, after 6 years of "contributing" you've failed to notice that this is a DIY forum (it says so at the top of the screen) and operates primarily for the benefit of amateurs. You seem incapable of grasping the central point: that your oft repeated advice...

You sound like a complete blockhead.

Oh well - Hopefully other readers will be able to appreciate the general point - that the process of painting involves conflicting requirements: During the process of brushing, you want the paint to stay wet as long as possible. Afterwards you want it to dry as fast as possible. A single...

The way I think of it is that the manufacturer is trying to achieve (at least) 3 things with his paint: 1) Stay liquid in the can for years (long shelf life) 2) Keep a wet edge for as long as possible 3) Dry to a hard coating as quickly as possible and be overcoatable within hours To my...

Unfortunately the instructions talk about an addition of 10%. Since Floetrol is approx £18/litre and Sikkens BL Satura is £16/litre then where's the problem, if it: a) improves the finish OR b) enables 2 coats instead of 3. The costs with emulsion are different. If you're paying...

Cheshire, Have you tried Floetrol (made by Owatrol)? Claimed by them to extend the wet-edge time and also improve the coverage (ie reduce need for 3rd coat). "opps" swears by it. I've bought some but realised it's too expensive to use in emulsion paint and have yet to try it in...

So long as you're talking about the Trade Matt emulsion then OK. However don't go anywhere near the solvent-based gloss or undercoat. After a couple of weeks the Wickes gloss is so tarnished you'd think it'd been on the woodwork for 5 years. And the undercoat.... well, they ought to be sued...

Might be an idea not to use the shower in the en-suite for 24 hrs before doing the undercoat, so the wall's as dry as possible.

Well if it really is the moisture from your shower permeating the emulsion right down to the primer, then I would have thought the only way forward is to try to provide a moisture resistant layer. My choice would be good old fashioned solvent-based undercoat. Plenty of decorators (including...

Sounds like the old Crown emulsion problem: http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=843 Was it Crown?

Don't be afraid of the Trade paints. It's true, they are runnier but so long as you adjust your technique to suit, you will get better results. Don't put too much on or it will form runs/drips on the woodwork after application. Brush it out well so it's pretty much as thin a coat as you can...

1) For every section I do two strokes. The first is a quick stroke to try to get plenty of paint to within 2-3mm of the line. I then go back and do the actual cutting in stroke. The first stroke I think of as providing some lubrication, so the brush doesn't drag when you're doing the actual...