Can I not paint? Pictures included

[chrisking73]

Hi guys, thanks for letting me use your forum.

My girlfriend decided she wanted a feature wall in the bedroom. It's a new build property so as far as I know the walls should be in good condition and current it's painted white.

I got some feature wall paint from dulux matt and painted the wall but for some reason the finish just looks horrible. It's only the first coat so I can paint it again. I used a brush not a roller.

Also it's so hard to try ad not get it on the other walls.

Thanks for any feedback and advice for second coat.

Untitled

• chrisking73
• 7 Oct 2012
• 1

Untitled

• chrisking73
• 7 Oct 2012
• 1

Untitled

• chrisking73
• 7 Oct 2012
• 1

 

[JohnD]

are you saying it looks patchy? Or it shows brushmarks?

what was on it before? Emulsion? Paper? New plaster?

did you wash down the wall first? If not the first coat will stir up the dirt, especially if you use a brush.

What have you got against rollers?

 

[chrisking73]

Hi John,

Yeah the pictures don't really show how bad it is. It is basically a different colour in different places, some darker than others, and you can also see the brush marks.

I have no idea what was on it before as I bought the house new. I think it is emulsion (it just looks like white paint)

I didn't wash the wall down I had no idea that I was meant to.

Nothing against rollers I was just told to us ea brush?

I can use a roller on the second coat if you think that would be better?

I can add more pictures. It just looks like it has two colours on it.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Give it a second coat with a roller and cut in the edges first.

Andy

 

[JohnD]

yes, get a good brush and hold it at a slanting angle for the corners, then roller all over (before the edges dry) for an even colour and texture. Have a clean sponge in a bucket of clean water to sponge off the other wall before any splashes or marks dry.

If you compare a good brush to a cheap one you will find it is full of bristles. The synthetic Purdey brushes are very good for emulsion (natural hog bristle goes floppy in water paint). When finished, you can tidy the corners with a small (half-inch or so) brush to cover any clumsiness with the colour of the other wall, working very slowly and carefully with a well-filled brush.

You can loosen the fixing screws of that socket so it comes away from the wall enough to paint behind it. Turn off the power first. Same with lightswitches. A colour change or strong colour usually needs two coats. With a cheap paint, sometimes more. Dulux Matt will be OK with two.

 

[dcdec]

Red is a difficult colour to get a good even finish. You need to stir it regularly as well as it looks like you've got seperating pigment which explains the patchy look, and use a good roller sleeve.