Thread: Painting interior of a house

Originally Posted by Grockle

Dulux do satin gloss Lou,we use it keeps the colour and easy to wipe down.

Originally Posted by MickS

Lou, you can get water based gloss...cleans up in h2o and doesn't have the same smell that lingers.

But is it shiny???

Enamel paint is harder than modern platic paints.

The wipeability is not so much of an issue these days with many modern water clean up paints able to be wiped clean easily and not leave a glossy smear behind.

Kick boards, doors, windows and their frames used to be painted in enamel so that it is more wear resistant (harder) as they are touched and knocked more often. The smell, the clean up and the period that it takes to dry has placed enamel at a disadvantage compared to modern water clean up paints. Most painters prefer to use water based paints becuse they can get in an out in a day having put down an undercoat and two coats of paint. With an enamel they still use a water based undercoat but struggle to get the two coats on in the one day plus the clean up is more of a pain and costly having to use solvents.

A painter does not care that the paint will not last as long therefore does not worry about using enamels on high wear areas. But then again most people like to redecorate more frequently so don't care it does not last as long either.

Painting over a clear finish just requires that you key the surface so the coat you are applying has something to hold onto. Just need to make sure the surface you are painting over is in good condition and not flaking off, sanding usually sorts that out inside or a high pressure water cleaner for outside surfaces.