What’s so great about primer? Sounds like another job TBH. Whether you need a primer comes down to two things, the type of paint you’re using and the thing you’re painting. Read on for the lowdown. What is primer? In a nutshell, primer helps your top coat stick and gives you the finish you’re expecting when you have difficult surfaces. Primer for interior walls is usually a specific type of water-based paint. For new plaster it generally contains good old PVA glue to help seal the wall. An alternative is just to water down the paint you’re using to add...

A few companies offer paint colour matching services, where they will produce a colour for you from anything - a colour swatch, a piece of material, or a specific brand’s paint range. Let’s take a quick look at how this works. If you love COAT but have found your colour elsewhere don't panic. We can mix any colour you like in our luxurious formulation - often saving a pretty penny against other luxury paint companies. Choose your Colour Match here. How does paint colour matching work? There are two levels. The most basic is that a company can scan a...

With a well overdue move towards environmental consciousness of late, you’ll see lots of paint companies referring to Low VOC or VOC Free when talking about their paints. Let’s lift the lid (pun absolutely intended) on exactly what that means. Firstly, What Is VOC? So what is VOC at a glance? And what’s this got to do with paint, you ask? VOC meaning Volatile Organic Compound(s). They’re the unstable chemicals included in all paint recipes that emit nasty gasses. The good news is that the government regulates VOC content in paint products, so you needn’t be nervous about any products...

So what is emulsion paint? So what is emulsion paint, exactly? Well, Emulsion is the most common type of paint for interior walls and ceilings. Normal wall paint, if you like. It’s a water-based paint with resin added to make it hardwearing. Whilst there are a few other types of paint available for interiors - all with different names and uses it doesn't need to get that complicated for your first go. We'll focus here on the DIY hero that is emulsion paint, but we've done a full breakdown to help in another blog post "What type of paint do...

Unless you’re a vampire, most people prefer bright open spaces. Natural light is actually proven to help us feel happier - it’s science. That said plenty of homes will have a dark space, whether it’s a north-facing box room with a small window or a hallway without much natural light. So how do you decorate it? Let’s keep it simple and look at two good choices you’ve got. Spoiler alert - don’t go with white: Embrace the Dark Lots of people try to magically brighten up dark spaces by painting them bright white or pale pastel colours. If the room’s...