what paint should I use?

[neiloneil]

I must paint the woodwork of our porch which I will use white gloss paint, but the ceiling needs to be a matt finish. The porch is open to two sides so I guess that emulsion would be unsuitable. What would happen if I just used emulsion? Could I put some additive to it like pva, if that would be beneficial?

 

[footprints]

NOOOO step away from the pva! Despite plasterers love for it (I'm sure they put in on their Cornfkakes!) it is a real disaster with paint.
I would go for an outdoor masonry paint like Dulux Weathershied smooth.

 

[joe-90]

I've been adding PVA to emulsion for decades. You end up with a paint that is just like the expensive diamond matts. Try this. Add 10% PVA to your paint. Then water it down by 20% and paint it on a test wall a couple of coats. PVA is poly VINYL acetate. Try it.

 

[misterhelpful]

NOOOO step away from the pva! Despite plasterers love for it (I'm sure they put in on their Cornfkakes!) it is a real disaster with paint.
I would go for an outdoor masonry paint like Dulux Weathershied smooth.

Do!

I've been adding PVA to emulsion for decades. You end up with a paint that is just like the expensive diamond matts. Try this. Add 10% PVA to your paint. Then water it down by 20% and paint it on a test wall a couple of coats. PVA is poly VINYL acetate. Try it.

Don't!!

 

[joe-90]

Have you tried it? Well don't knock it until you do.

 

[ironsidebod]

Have you tried it? Well don't knock it until you do.

Having had to over paint walls and ceilings where some fool had done this I respectfully and forcefully disagree with your assertion. Adding PVA to paint is a sh*t workaround to getting the prep right in the first place that moves the problem on to the next person.

 

[joe-90]

Don't be silly. Been doing it for decades. The clue is in the the title Poly VINYL Acetate. If you haven't tried it - then don't knock it. Do you like Marmite? How did you find out?

 

[ironsidebod]

pmsl. Tried it? Had to sort out the resulting mess the previous owners trade had made *by* using it. That is all I need to know.

 

[joe-90]

So you haven't tried it then. It becomes identical to the endurance matt that cost 5 times the price. If you've tried it you'd know that - but you haven't.

 

[misterhelpful]

As I informed you a while back, joe:

You can add PVA to paint...
The secret is in the name Poly VINYL acetate. Basically it turns contract matt into vinyl mat.

You are almost right joe because, while a few types of paint do contain PVA, the vast majority of vinyl paints actually contain VAE, which is a completely different copolymer.

Give the manufacturers a bell!

 

[joe-90]

No I've been using it for around 25 years, and out of all tips I could give - this is number one. It turns cheap contract matt into high quality Diamond/endurance matt.

Try it - you won't be disappointed.

 

[Grenage]

Ahoy,

Do you experience issues with later coats, or is 10% so low that it doesn't bugger adhesion or reactivate and go funky.

 

[joe-90]

No I've never had a problem. The finish is far harder than ordinary emulsion (try it with your nail) and is easily wiped. It's just like the expensive diamond matt that you can get. Just give it a go on a small scale and see. You can get PVA from B&Q for less than £9 for five litres so it's actually cheaper than most paints.

 

[neiloneil]

Good discussion, thanks for your comments. Im going to prep it today and coat it with a water based primer / undercoat. Ill do a test patch on some sealed ply with the 10% pva / emulsion then re evaluate. Thanks again, I'll post up my results when I'm through.

 

[Grenage]

Great, I'll look at giving that a go in the new place; have you ever used it in coloured paints?