US Paint
 

I thought that I'd use some of my spare time efficiently and decided to try painting our spare bedroom.

I've not used US paints before. Is anybody a DIY buff who can help me? I'm not brilliant at painting, but have painted in the past.

The paint here seems much thicker and it's much goopier going on. Should I have "thinned" it with water or would that screw it up? :confused: Any pointers?

The room turned out ok, but I'd like to get a smoother result next time. Husband was happy that I gave it a go, and did not criticise the less-than-perfect result! With his work schedule, he doesn't have much time for DIY and I refuse to pay somebody to do something we can do ourselves...

Re: US Paint
 

i have never thinned it with water.
what paint did you use. maybe try going with a different make.

Re: US Paint
 

It is probably non drip just put less on the brush/roller and cover in a few coats rather than all at once.

Re: US Paint
 

Re: US Paint
 

I've used Behr to paint most of our house. Make sure you prime the walls if you are using a very dark color. Learn't that the hard way with a very dark royal blue.

Funny you should mention the paint here being thicker. My wife often mentions while watching Brit home improvement shows how our paint always looks much thicker than the US brands.

Re: US Paint
 

Penetrol is used well IMO to thin paints.

Re: US Paint
 

Thanks everybody.

I used Benjamin Moore paint. Somebody recommended it to me, but I'm happy to try Behr.

I used a light, neutral colour, to cover a light-ish colour anyway... My baseboards and doorframes are painted white, which I was careful to tape around. I even patched the holes in the walls with filler, and sanded them down.

MMax, I did paint in the evening, after kiddies went to bed! You're right about artificial light; it hampered me a bit. I will use less paint on the roller next time and see if this makes a difference. I think I just need more practice. ;)

I know lots of people moan about DIY, etc., but I really enjoyed the painting. You can see the results immediately and it's a cheap way to make a quick change!

(which room should I tackle next.... :confused: )

Re: US Paint
 

I just painted the kids bathroom yesterday, used Behr (always use that paint). Painted in Gobi desert colour, it looks very nice :)

Your right about the thickness though, it was very thick, but usually you can get away with 1 coat (aslong as the wall was white or cream coloured).

My biggest decision is always do I go for the Satin, egg shell, semi gloss or gloss? I know that the semi-gloss is good for "high traffic areas" or around the breakfast bar where the kids shoes scuff the walls, its easier to wipe clean, but for the dining room and bedrooms I went for the egg shell.

Re: US Paint
 

THIS LINK will help you buy paint ;)

Re: US Paint
 

I'm big into DIY, I spent all easter and summer holidays working for my dads building company, so I have been involved with all trades from the ground up.

We moved into our house 18 months ago, so far I have painted 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom, kitchen and bar, dining room. I don't actually use tape on the skirting boards or door frames, I use a 1" purdey paintbrush (about $10 from home depot) for "cutting" in around all doors, moldings etc. It takes alot of practise to paint like that, but I get alot neater finish, its incredibly time consuming to paint with a steady hand but its really gratifying.

I also do my own landscaping, built a circle of terra cotta brick around trees in front garden and built flower box (with brick left over from the house)next to the mail box and I have dug up a 8 x 5 ft section adjoining the patio, layed down the steel work, I was hoping to pour the concrete in this weekend, but it started to rain.

I also install custom window ware, blinds etc and make custom window valances.

Re: US Paint
 

Yosser, our resident Handy Andy!. :D

I was never into DIY. My brother and dad were always a quick call away. Now being the only man of the house and the family being 5500 miles away, I have had to adapt and Home Depot is one of my favorite stores.

Re: US Paint
 

I'm big into DIY, I spent all easter and summer holidays working for my dads building company, so I have been involved with all trades from the ground up.

You just stole my heart!

My husband enjoys it too; it's his hobby. Hopefully the work schedule for him will slow down soon... We did a lot of work to our England house including laying a patio! We hired a digger and excavated the area ourselves. Then we hired one of those pounding things (don't know the name) to level the hard core then the sand for the foundation. It was hard work but really gratifying when it was done I learned a lot from watching and helping him.

For Christmas, I'm going to get hubby a concrete mixer; we didn't have room for one in England, but now that we have a garage and he's setting up his workshop...

We're self-confessed DIY addicts, and I'd like to try more of it...

Re: US Paint
 

Yep, but without the "alright haws you father" accent ;)

warksgirl, anychance I could borrow the mixer? :D Home depot has one for hire $35 for a day, I'll probably get that, altough I was toying with mixing up the concrete "paddy" style. I.E making a volcano in a wheel barrel and pouring the water in ;)

After I've poured the concrete and its set, I'm going to paint the concrete, then build a deck either side of it, got to save some $$$ for that project, as I want to use the composite wood (lasts a very long time, no painting or staining needed ever), the only problem with that is, it costs $26 for 1 x 16ft piece.

Re: US Paint
 

:)

This was my husband's method, although we had a huge black plastic tub. Sometimes it was mixed on a big piece of plywood... A cement mixer is defiitely in order! Both for you and hubby! ;)

There's a lot of decking to choose from. I wouldn't know where to begin, but it sounds like a great project! I'd have thought that the extra price for the materials that were treated would be worth it; less maintentance in the long run. Will yours be close to ground level, elevated or multi-leveled? Do you have to make concrete footings? (another reason to get a cement mixer...)

On a fun note, here's a selection of bday/christmas/anniversary pressies I've bought for hubby over the years:

Wood chisel set
A big ax
a large Stanley spirit level
pocket spirit level - (good when hanging pictures, shelves, etc. for me ;) )
gadget that bleeps for finding joists under the walls
chargeable power drill
Black & Decker Workmate portable work bench (this was wonderful in England when we didn't have a garage and is still useful here)
Dremel
a nice workbelt (he looks sexy in this)
a box for organising all his different sized screws, nails, nuts, bolts, hinges, etc.

Keep me updated on the patio.

I'm afraid for the time being, when I'm on my own, I'll have to stick to improving my painting techniques.. :)

Re: US Paint
 

I forgot to put on the list, a tile cutter and a jigsaw...