Paint can transform appearance, it can make a style, it can emphasise desired features and partially obscure others.

Types of Paint

Emulsion

Popular low cost matt and semi-matt wall paint
Prone to mild discolouring if used on radiators
Water based

Household gloss

Oil based gloss for woodwork.
Produces fumes during application and for a few days afterwards.
May also be used for walls & ceilings where easy cleaning and hard wearing are required, but good ventilation during and after application must be provided.

Eggshell

Oil based matt paint
harder wearing than emulsion

Masonry paint

For exterior use only
Not recommended for old non-cavity walls
The term covers more than one formulation of paint

Limewash

Lime putty & water
Dead matt finish
Limewash looks very thin on initial application, but bodies up both through drying and through carbonation over several days after application
When extra stick is needed a tiny amount of linseed oil may be mixed in. Don't add too much.
The term is also sometimes used to describe distemper or milk paints.

Distemper

The forerunner of modern emulsion
Dead matt finish
Distemper can be washed off with hot water and detergent
Well suited to intricate mouldings, as its easy removal avoids paint build up over time obscuring detail.
not available in dark colours due to chalk content
Sometimes chosen for its appearance, which is slightly different to emulsion

Stove enamel

A hard thick coating
Possibly the toughest of all paint finishes
Used on cookers, some cookware, and some goods with long life expectancy
Relatively expensive
Heated after application

Powder coat

Tough finish for metal goods
Heated after application.

Whitewash

Whiting (chalk powder) and water soluble glue.
Very cheap
Short lived
Useful for temporary applications, such as greenhouse shading

Water based gloss

A semi-gloss household paint mainly used for woodwork
Durability not comparable to oil based gloss paint

Pliolite

Matt
Synthetic resin
Pinholes heavily
Longer lived than budget masonry paints

Linseed oil paint

Takes days to dry
Nice smell while drying
Non-toxic
Soaks into woodwork
Made with & without driers (chemicals). Driers speed up drying time but shorten paint life.

Hammerite

For metal
Pinholes badly

'Hammerite' paints were originally distinguished by (and named for) their finish which resembles the appearance of some soft metals given a dimpled or crinkly hammer-beaten surface effect.

Hammerite now also produce paints with a smooth finish. Some varieties can be applied by sponge roller, which can give a consistent finish free of brush-strokes.

A particular characteristic of Hammerite's paints is that they can be applied direct to metal, including rusted areas (but not to flaking rust) without a primer.

Ronson (and probably others) produce similar, competing paints.

Enamel

Enamel is not one specific type of paint. It simply means a paint with a hard finish.
Suited to rigid metalwork.
Not suitable for wood

Car paints

Acrylic

Cellulose

Japan black

A high durability low cost black paint.
Very popular during the early part of the 20th century.

Clay paints

Limited range of dull earthy colours possible
Minimal cost
Easily made
May be mixed with lime and/or red iron oxide to give a limited range of colours.

Silicate paints

Vinyl Dye

For painting plastics
Penetrates the surface of the plastic for a more durable finish
Solvent based
Stinks

2 part polyurethane gloss

Marine grade paint
Super tough
Currently around £40 per litre, plus cost of primer
For wood, GRP, steel and light alloy
Correct primer also required
Complete stripping normally required before application

Preparation

General

It is possible to paint directly onto almost any household surface, but a little preparation helps ensure consistently good results.

Clean the surface
Remove any flaking or bubbling paint

New plaster

New plaster is very absorbent, and needs extra water for the first coat of paint. There are 2 ways to do this.

Piss coat

Paint with a 50/50 mix of emulsion and water.

Water coat

Paint the wall with a coat of water. There is no need for any particular care with this, so it can be done very fast.
Wait 5 minutes
Paint with normal strength emulsion.

This method is quicker and no paint mixing is involved.
Gives a full strength coat rather than a thin coat.

Solvent weld plastic

Paint adhesion to solvent weldable plastic can be improved by wipping the plastic with solvent before painting. This has an etch like effect on the plastic.

Paints by purpose

Ceilings

Emulsion
Distemper
Limewash
Gloss if a shiny easy clean finish is desired

Walls

Emulsion
Distemper
Limewash for walls subject to light wear
Gloss for a tough easy clean finish. Not as attractive as matt paints.

Woodwork

Gloss
Waterbased gloss
Emulsion can be used but tends to not wear well
Distemper to preserve fine detail where the woodwork is not subject to heavy wear
Linseed oil paint

Asbestos

Emulsion
Household gloss

Wood floors

Paint not recommended,

Concrete floors

Concrete floor paints
Epoxy paints

Exterior Masonry

Masonry paints for cavity walls
Limewash for old non-cavity walls
Pliolite

Iron & steel

Car paints
Hammerite, smoothrite & similar

Fireplaces

Plastics

Vinyl dye

PVC

Household gloss topcoat, no undercoat or primer
This chemically bonds to the pvc, giving much longer paint life than on wood.

Solvents

Water

for all water based paints

Turps substitute

Thins oil based paints
Will also thin linseed paint, but not the best choice for this

White spirit

Very similar to turps substitute, but affects the paint handling characteristics
Turps substitute is preferred, but this also works.
Good choice for brush cleaning with oil based paints
Will also thin linseed paint, but not the best choice for this

Linseed oil

Thins linseed based paints.
Can also thin other oil based paints, though it will affect drying times

Cellulose thinners

cellulose paints
hammerite, smoothrite
...

Paint Effects

Woodgraining

Ragrolling

Marbling

Sprayed fades

Colourwash

Paint Styles

A few familiar styles...

70s

Weird, fantasy based and suggestive of anything other than a house
Drug induced decor schemes.
Psychedelic
Overbearing purples and oranges
Earthy brown & beige based schemes
Simple detailless flower shapes, often in oranges yellows and browns

Earthy

Fairly deep red, deep brown. light brown. cream
Colours often used in panels with all colours in one room

Medieval

White limed walls.
Woodwork was not painted black, this is a more recent fashion.
Black ironwork

Minimalist

White.
More white.

Victorian

White glossed woodwork
Dark brown varnished woodwork
Generally garish colours for the interior - this was an era in which people played with colourwashes. For example paris green interior woodwork was once fashionable. Subtlety and what we would think of as more developed taste was not the style of the time.
Exterior woodwork black, brown, green or broken white, but not white.
Colour washes applied to a white lime paint base.
Floorboards sometimes painted black around the perimeter.

Troubleshooting

A cracked paint finish is generally due to use of paint that was too thick.
Failure to adhere may be due to surface contamination, eg with oil or grease
Lime rendered exterior walls should be painted with porous paints, if paint is wanted.
Brickwork on old houses with no dpc should be painted with porous paints if at all.
Stain appearance is due to an underlying stain that is (partly) soluble in the paint being used. Use another paint based on a different solvent to block the stain. If this doesn't work try a stain block paint.
When putting water based paints over gloss, paint the gloss first with a coat of matt oil based paint. Another option is to lightly sand the old gloss first.

Alternatives to paint

For Wood

Varnish
Wax
Stain
Liming

For Walls

Wallpaper
Fabric drapes
Panelling
Wood cladding
PVC cladding, not highly recommended

For Ceilings

Wallpaper
Fabric drapes

For Metal

Polishing
Plating
Varnish/lacquer

For exterior walls

Removing all paint with a stripper eg caustic
Pebbledash
Cladding

Paint retouching

Paint retouching may be used between repairs to extend the life of existing paint finishes. It can also be used when there is not enough time to repaint.

Paint retouching is a fast minimal cost way to make a house look in much better decorative order. The ok can be made to look good, and even the tatty can be made to look ok.

Typically a room can be decorated this way using a teaspoonful of paint or less.

Clean the existing paintwork. This will brighten it up as well as clean it.
Obtain a teaspoonful or a miniature pot of matching paint. If you don't already have the paint you need, match to a cleaned fragment of paint, otherwise you won't get quite the right colour.
Colour matching is critical.
Use an artists brush with the matching paint to fill in any chips in the paint finish.

The 2 golden rules:

Paint tint must never be brighter than the existing paintwork, not by the tiniest bit. The match must be either exact or the new paint should be a fraction duller.
Never allow any paint whatever to overlap the edges of the chip hollows. Absolutely none. It is not necessary to fill the hollows fully, but any overlap at all ruins the effect.

This method works very well if the 2 golden rules are followed, but will look like a poor bodge if they're not.

Removal of Paint

Blowlamp

A cause of house fires and damage to woodwork
Not advised with lead paints

Heatgun

Not advised with lead paints

Scraper

Sanding

Not advised with lead paints

Stripping chemicals

Caustic soda

Strips oil based paints
Caustic soda with wallpaper paste added makes a gel which keeps the stripper in contact with the workpiece.
Avoid skin contact, caustic burns.
Splashes to the eye can cause serious damage over time after the incident, so any such splash must be treated properly and promptly, seek medical assistance.
Neutralise caustic residue with a mild acid before repainting, eg citric acid.

Meth whatever it is

Boiled linseed oil

Softens oil based paints

Ecover washing up liquid

Removes emulsion paints
Soak in a dilute solution for hours and the paint just wipes off.

Alcohol

Softens emulsion
Long soak needed

Acids

Remove all lime based paints

Dip stripping

Dip stripping baths are routinely run until so weak that long immersion times are needed. Long immersion in caustic attacks the glues in the workpiece, often resulting in doors cracking apart and joints coming loose. The wood surface is also often left in poor condition after a dip strip. Dip stripping is quick but has a habit of producing poor results and damage. Where the woodwork is of value, dip stripping is best avoided.

Toxic paints

White lead, grey lead and red lead are well known. Some lead paints are still in use. Historic arsenic green paints are also found occasionally. The others are less likely to be encountered in house paints.

A list of some of the more common toxic paint pigments:

Flake white: lead carbonate
Cremnitz white: lead carbonate
Grey lead: lead monoxide
Red lead
Paris green: sometimes contains copper acetoarsenite
Emerald green: sometimes contains copper acetoarsenite
chrome yellows: lead chromate

Less common:

Naples yellow: sometimes includes lead antimoniate
Cadmium yellows
Chrome green: lead chromate
Schweinfurt green: sometimes contains copper acetoarsenite
Paul Veronese green: sometimes contains copper acetoarsenite
Cadmium reds
Cadmium orange
Viridian
Chrome oxide
Manganese blue ;
Manganese violet
Cobalt violet: sometimes contains cobalt arsenate
Raw & burnt umber
Vermilion: mercuric sulfide

Removal of toxic paints

Lead paints are common, more so on older houses. They are still in use, although much less common than previously, and are liable to have been used on buildings as recent as the 1970s. They can cause serious health problems if handled wrongly.

Arsenic pigment paints are rare, but removal of those also poses a health risk. Arsenic paints in damp locations are also a risk, as a reaction may occur liberating an arsenic gaseous compound.

Generally it is safer to leave lead paint in place and overpaint it rather than remove it. This also gives the benefit of greater woodworm resistance.

Leaded paints should be removed when necessary in a manner which does not produce dust, and traps any dust that may occur. A gel paint stripper is ideal. Lead paints should not be removed with a blowtorch or hot air gun, or by sanding, which produce dust and disperse it into the air.

Handling of paints containing arsenic and other toxins is beyond the scope of this article.

For paint testing services, a good place to look is water testing companies, who test drinking water for a wide range of contaminants.

More information on toxic paints: http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.d-i-y/browse_frm/thread/e90e9830b5080ecb/eadbad7afe47bc71#eadbad7afe47bc71

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