ASK THE EXPERTS
Paint
What is a good method for cleaning lacquered walls? I have a small room painted with multiple layers of deep red high-gloss paint. It is starting to show fingerprints, but I am afraid to touch it for fear of ruining the finish!
Here is some advice from an expert decorative painter, Alistair Erskine: ‘Try some genuine turpentine on a ’lint free’ polishing cloth, both available from Leyland Paints. This treatment should be benign, but always try a patch first.
Where can I buy exterior paint in a green used by the National Trust ?
Fired Earth www.firedearth.com has launched the National Trust range of paints, inspired by the
houses and gardens in its care. The collection is available in ‘hardwearing emulsion’ and acrylic eggshell (in some colours); I am guessing from your email that you would like an oil-based or masonry finish.
You could have colours matched and mixed by Ray Munn www.raymunn.com in an
oil-based paint (if you wish to use a gloss on the windows for example). Ray
Munn claims to be the only company in the UK that can precisely match a
colour sample – including floor paints and aerosols.
Also consider the English Heritage collection from The Little Greene Paint
Company www.thelittlegreene.com and the excellent deep rich colours from Farrow & Ball www.farrow-ball.com
You might contact Paint & Paper www.paint-paper.co.uk, a family business that sells most major
brands of paint, including Fired Earth, Farrow & Ball and The Little Greene Paint Company. They offer excellent advice, good value and deliver paint nationwide.
I am looking for a floor paint that gives me that French ‘washed’ look, so that you see the texture of the wood through the paint. I don’t want something too solid-looking. I was thinking of using some kind of white paint that doesn’t cover the grains of the old wood completely (the floor has been sanded). Could you please advise the best way to achieve this?
Decorators’ suppliers Ray Munn (www.raymunn.com) import the Swedish Beckers range of wood stains. They suggest using their ‘Decor Trabets’ wood stain and protecting it with ‘Parkettlack’, which gives it a wear-resistant finish. Alternatively, the flooring company European Heritage can supply you with the wood finishing range by Osmo – there’s a ‘white transparent’ and a ‘white spruce’ sealant which would give you a similar effect www.europeanheritage.co.uk
Can you tell me how to achieve a French antique distressed look on a piece of furniture ?
Specialist decorators’ suppliers, Ray Munn, is the UK importer/distributor of Beckers, the leading Swedish paint manufacturer. They can supply the paint, the special brushes and tools, and the instructions on how to achieve a distressed ‘French’ finish. www.raymunn.com
We are looking for a floor paint that can withstand a lot of wear – particularly from office chairs on wheels. Is there anything that will take this sort of abuse?
You don’t mention the type of floor you wish to paint. You could paint concrete or wooden floors with one of the following brands:
Beckers (excellent range of floor paint from Scandinavia) available from specialist decorators’suppliers Ray Munn www.raymunn.com ; The Little Green Paint Company, a low odour and quick drying formulation of polyurethane and oil resins, Little Greene Floor Paint is easy to use and maintain and exceptionally durable www.thelittlegreene.com ; Farrow & Ball (their floor paint is in their own warehouse and can withstand fork-lift trucks) www.farrow-ball.com. Paint & Paper is an excellent source of a wide range of paints from different manufacturers and excellent advice. They arrange delivery throughout the UK and Europe www.paint-paper.co.uk. Unless the paint is tested in a particular environment there is no guarantee, but all the floor paints from the above companies will withstand a lot of wear & tear !
