Hi all,
I'm a complete DIY novice, and I could do with some advice about paint finishes. I live in a top floor flat in a converted victorian townhouse. I'm about to get my first ever decorating done - my lounge, stairs and landing. The plaster / plasterboard is in pretty reasonable condition. The only thing is there are quite a few cracks that I want to get covered up. Mostly they are just hairline, e.g. around joints, plus there's a few slightly larger ones where there's been a bit of settlement in the past.
I had been looking at using something like Dulux Flex, but most people have been telling me that's an expensive waste of time, developed for novices like me! So if I go for a more standard finish, the options seem to be Soft Sheen, Matt, or Flat Matt. Currently it's painted in Matt, and I'm quite happy with the finish. I've had a recommendation to use Soft Sheen though - does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thinking about the cracks, would it be any more flexible than Matt? I don't want to see the cracks coming back if I can avoid it! Also, I've got small windows - would the extra sheen make it feel lighter, or would it not make that much difference? I notice all the trendy paint ranges seem to have flat matt finish at the moment - does anyone have any thoughts on using that? Also, does the colour being used make a difference to the choice? Currently the walls are white, and they are going to be painted white again or in light neutrals.
Any thoughts would be gratefully received! BTW for the woodwork I'm thinking of using Eggshell.
I'm a complete DIY novice, and I could do with some advice about paint finishes. I live in a top floor flat in a converted victorian townhouse. I'm about to get my first ever decorating done - my lounge, stairs and landing. The plaster / plasterboard is in pretty reasonable condition. The only thing is there are quite a few cracks that I want to get covered up. Mostly they are just hairline, e.g. around joints, plus there's a few slightly larger ones where there's been a bit of settlement in the past.
I had been looking at using something like Dulux Flex, but most people have been telling me that's an expensive waste of time, developed for novices like me! So if I go for a more standard finish, the options seem to be Soft Sheen, Matt, or Flat Matt. Currently it's painted in Matt, and I'm quite happy with the finish. I've had a recommendation to use Soft Sheen though - does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thinking about the cracks, would it be any more flexible than Matt? I don't want to see the cracks coming back if I can avoid it! Also, I've got small windows - would the extra sheen make it feel lighter, or would it not make that much difference? I notice all the trendy paint ranges seem to have flat matt finish at the moment - does anyone have any thoughts on using that? Also, does the colour being used make a difference to the choice? Currently the walls are white, and they are going to be painted white again or in light neutrals.
Any thoughts would be gratefully received! BTW for the woodwork I'm thinking of using Eggshell.