Eco
Farrow and Ball estate eggshell – handle with care
Farrow and Ball are masters of marketing. The public who appreciate traditional paint colours are eating out of their hand. Unfortunately though, they seem to be using sleight of hand to disguise a couple of flaws in their Estate eggshell. If you buy and / or use Farrow and Ball eggshell, here’s a couple of [...]
MoreMythic primer over oil-based paint
I put together a fairly detailed explanation of how we used Mythic eco paints to redecorate the exterior woodwork on an older property that had previously been painted with oil-based gloss. The Mythic water-based primer is very high adhesion, comparable I think to Zinsser Coverstain oil based primer over oil painted surfaces, and I would [...]
MoreProfessionally processed recycled paints – NEWLIFE paints
On a post about eco paints I metioned Newlife who actually recycle trade paints – and from experience, very good their emulsion is too. Equal to Dulux in terms of coverage at a fraction of the price. I received this further info from Lucy Hoy of their marketing department, just so we know where the [...]
MoreEco paint – Mythic paint reviews
There is eco and there is eco. Mythic makes some pretty big claims about the eco credentials of their paint – no VOC, no toxin, no odour, high performance. What’s not to like if they are true?! If you take the bones out of these Mythic paint reviews, which, based on my experience and info, [...]
MoreMythic semi gloss
I reviewed the Mythic latex primer, and have slightly amended it based on recent usage. However, I still say it is an outstanding primer. Over bare MDF it goes on easily, covers brilliantly and sands like oil based Zinsser Coverstain to leave a glassy surface for top coats. The primer stops stains from knots, and [...]
MoreMythic paint review – primer
I have been testing Mythic here for a while, with plenty of encouragement and fantastic tech support from Mythic UK, with plenty of samples from their number one UK stockist, TDS. Mythic is American, relatively new to USA, and very new to UK. My understanding is that the paint system was developed as a result [...]
MoreEco paint round-up
I regularly come across sites and products related to eco painting and decorating. Some ideas are positive, whereas others, to me, just endorse the lip service mentality of monolithic chemical companies who don’t really care about the environment, if it hits their bottom line. Community RePaint This recycling program has been sponsored by Dulux since [...]
MoreEfficient painting and decorating – no white spirit please
As far as I am concerned, quality comes before quantity and speed. However, if you can program yourself to work as efficiently as possible, while maintaining the highest standards, you have arrived! If you take a long hard look at everything you do and all the kit you use, you begin to see room for [...]
MoreAbranet evolution
Abranet is a fantastic revolutionary abrasive that sands quickly, and beautifully. It comes in all shapes and sizes and grades, and keeps the air almost clear of dust when hooked up to a vacuum extractor. But it isn’t perfect when used on a random orbital sander to sand down very dusty / powdery surfaces. This [...]
MoreAbranet the 21st century sandpaper
In my experience dust is the one side effect of decorating that really annoys customers. On the other side of the coin, if customers want a top job, the basic requirement is … a decorator who does lots of sanding! So how can you do a top job, sanding between coats (on woodwork and plaster [...]
MoreWhat is the deal with recycled paint?
50 million litres a year of perfectly good water-based paint are thrown away in the UK alone. So what is being done to redress the balance? Newlife Paints This innovative south coast company recycle emulsion paints. Potentially their technology could reduce waste, and therefore consumption, by 14% in the UK. At last, a green policy [...]
MoreOn trial: Newlife acrylic eggshell- a new green paint
In this day and age of eco green enviro responsibility, painters are being repeatedly bombarded with new ranges of slickly marketed low VOC, odourless, water soluble, hybrid paint products. In comparison to the big hitters in the paint industry, Newlife Paints are a minnow, yet in my opinion, their green credentials seem to be the [...]
MoreGreen paint products
I have breathed in all sorts of oil-based paint fumes and dust, and spilled nasty chemical cleaners on my skin – and I am still alive. I have also used green painting products, like Safer Stripper, low odour acrylic paints and granola friendly wood treatments. However my complaint is that, apart from Safer Stripper, which [...]
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