Dulux

Choosing the right colour

Paint Types and Surfaces

With the right paint and colours selected, you are ready to do your own painting. Here's a checklist of the items you need for a cool paintjob:

	Sandpaper: To smooth out uneven surfaces

	Sanding block: To wrap the sandpaper around for easysmoothing of surfaces

	Masking tape: To protect light switches, sockets and difficult areas from accidental splashes

	Covers: Use either plastic sheets or old newspapers to protect floors or furniture

	Scraper: Required to remove old peeling paint from the surface. May be used to fill putty into cracks or holes.

	Cleaning rags: For cleaning the walls and wipping up splatters and spills

	Brushes and rollers: There are various sizes of brushes and rollers for different surfaces or purposes. For advice, please check with our paint specialist.

	Roller tray: For containing the paint and draining the roller

	Roller sleeves: Different sleeves are used for different colours

	Appropriate filler wall putty: To patch up cracks or holes in walls

	Container: To soak brushes, rollers and to hold other items

	Extension pole: To be attached to roller for painting higher areas Ladder: For painting higher areas

	Turpentine: For quick clean-ups of oil-based paint

	Protective gears: Caps, masks and gloves may be used to protect hair and hands from any paint splatter

For a generic room

	Tip 1: Remove as much furniture as possible. Cover the floor, furniture and the rest of the surfaces with newspapers or plastic sheets

	Tip 2: Protect light switches, electrical sockets, window frames and wood work with strips of masking tape.

	Tip 3: Remove any unstable paint film with a scraper. Then sand the surface for a smooth finish. Dust off.

	Tip 4: Patch up cracks or uneven surfaces with an appropriate filler. When the filler is dry, sand it with sandpaper for a smooth finish. Dust off.

	Tip 5: Use water and wash or clean surfaces to be painted. Everything must be allowed to dry thoroughly before painting.

	Tip 6: For any new walls, use a wall sealer to neutralize the alkali on the walls before painting.

For a child's room

Before you paint the room, make sure the following checklist has been ticked off:

Has the room been emptied as much as possible?
Has all immovable furniture and the floor been covered? You can recycle used newspapers for this purpose.
Have all window base plates, light fixtures, skirtings, electrical sockets and switches been protected from paint splatters?
Are the walls clear of nail holes, flaking paint, cracks, runs or ridges in the old paint?
Is there adequate ventilation for when you start painting?

Sequence of Painting

For a generic room

	Step 1: Always start with the ceiling. (This way, the paint splashing from the ceiling will not ruin other painted areas.)

	Step 2: Then paint the cornices and the walls.

	Step 3: Next the woodwork around the doors and windows.

	Step 4: And finally, paint the skirtings.

For a child's room

Try to follow the correct order of painting to ensure a better finish and reduce messiness.

	Ceilings: Start with ceilings, taking care to paint across the shorter width of the ceiling first.

	Walls: Next, paint the walls.

	Windows and doors: Make sure to paint the borders of windows and doors first before working downwards.

	Floors: Paint or resurface your floors last, after the wall and trim paint have dried thoroughly.

General Painting Tips

Tips on painting effectively

Putting away painting equipment

Type of Home	All Ceilings	Bedroom (each)	Dining/Living Room
3–Room	3 cans x 5L	1 can x 5L	1 can x 5L
4–Room	3 cans x 5L	1 can x 5L	2 cans x 5L
5–Room	4 cans x 5L	1 can x 5L	2 cans x 5L
Condo	4 cans x 5L	1 can x 5L	4 cans x 5L
Landed Property	Wall coverage: 1L covers approx 8m^3/coat

Tip 1: Always stir ready-mixed paints thoroughly before use to ensure the soft settlements at the bottom are mixed evenly. This will ensure homogenous colour distribution.

Tip 2: Always clean off splatter or spills immediately as it is easier to clean while it is still wet.

Tip 3: Make sure there is adequate ventilation when you are painting.

Tip 4: Store remaining paint in a cool, dry ventilated place. Ensure that the paint can is tightly closed.

Tip 5: If wet paint comes into contact with skin, wipe immediately with a cloth and wash with plenty of water and soap.

Tip 1: Paint the difficult areas such as edges and corners first with the use of a brush. Dip only the end third of the brush bristles into the paint and use long continuous sweeps of the brush edge to form a neat line.

Tip 2: To paint the walls, you may use a wide brush or a roller. A roller gives the best finish and is quicker. Apply the paint from the top right hand corner of the first wall in overlapping up-and-down strokes. You should overlap your strokes when moving from area to area.

Tip 3: Always apply two or more coats of paint. Complete the first coat and let it dry before painting the second coat. Refer to the can as to how much time is required for the first coat to dry.

Tip 4: Wash all equipment immediately after completion. For emulsion paint, use water. For oil-based paint, use turpentine or thinner.

Functional hese hues are usually understated, such as white, black, grey and tan. You may have all your walls in a soft eggshell colour, and offset this single colour with bold furniture to create an appealing look.

Decorative These are bold colours that are often used as highlights for a room. Use accent colours such as red and yellow for trimmings and feature walls to create a visual interest.

Emotional Each colour radiates its own energy to influence emotion. They can stimulate, relax, cheer you up or make you melancholy. For example, blue creates a calm and relaxed environment while green is refreshing.