Substrates and Surfaces - Interior

Painting the doors in your home can make them look brand new.  <strong>Preparation</strong><br>Wedge the door half open, remove the handle and cover the floor with newspaper. A door is likely to have collected dirt and grease, so you need to thoroughly...

Drywall is the most widely used material for finishing interior walls and is found in homes in many areas of the world. Drywall, also called Sheetrock, gypsum board and rock lath -- is created by mixing together gypsum plaster and fibre, then wrapping...

Start off by washing the furniture to be painted using <a href="https://www.tikkurila.co.uk/cleaning-agent-maalipesu.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tikkurila’s Maalipesu cleaning solution</a>. This product removes dirt, grease, oil, wax and other...

Some interior floors are hardwood, some are laminate, and others are plain concrete. When it comes to floor painting, it really pays to have the job done professionally. It is a difficult area of the home to paint and when it isn't properly prepared ...

Flakeboard is a term that often refers to a variety of manufactured wood products used in many aspects of construction. These products are made of smaller pieces of wood that are held together with resins, pressed into panels and cut into boards. There...

If you’re not quite ready to commit to the costs of replacing tiles, you can paint them instead. Floors tiles do take a lot of wear and tear for obvious reasons, so while it may not be a long-term solution, it is a low-cost and easy approach to covering...

Painting over gloss paint on doors, windows and skirtings isn’t difficult, but it does require some time to produce a clean and consistent finish. Start by lightly sanding the gloss paint and then <a href="https://www.tikkurila.co.uk/cleaning-agent-maalipesu...

Treating wood can be a minefield with so many products to choose from - not to mention the array of characteristics found in different types of timber. Typically more care is needed with softwoods due to weaknesses like knots, splits, lack of durability...

Hardboard, a heavy type of fiberboard made from mechanical pulp, graces homes in the form of siding and more recently as artists' canvas. Hardboard comes in various finishes, thicknesses and types to mimic coarse chipboard, plywood or real wood. Preparation...

In public spaces, a lot is required of paint: surfaces are subjected to hard wear and intensive cleaning. With the right type of paint, it is also possible to prevent the bacteria from growing on the surfaces and thus reduce the number of contagious ...

Painting kitchen cupboards can quickly (and cheaply) totally change the look of your kitchen. First, you need to check your kitchen cabinets can be painted. If you have solid wood kitchen cabinets doors you are good to go, just make sure they are properly...

Laminate is a man-made product (usually plastic) that is actually ‘printed’ to look like it has wood grain. It allows manufacturers to create furniture, cabinets, and flooring for less money. If you have some laminate coated furniture or laminate...

Limewash is a very traditional finish, used to decorate and protect and protect porous stone and lime rendered surfaces. Limewash must be stable before painting. If surfaces are chalky/ friable these must be primed correctly to ensure adhesion. Prime...

Lime plaster is a type of plaster composed of sand, water, and lime, usually non-hydraulic hydrated lime (also known as slaked lime, high calcium lime, or air lime). Prime with one coat of <a href="https://www.tikkurila.co.uk/optiva-primer.html" target...

Generally, this is not something that we would recommend as floor paint does not tend to stick to vinyl or Marley floor tiles very well. Both acrylic and epoxy paints will not absorb into the vinyl. Instead, they will sit on the top and will quickly ...

MDF stands for <strong>Medium Density Fiberboard</strong>. It is an engineered wood product, which means that it combines wood fibres and wax, which gets pressed together using high pressure and heat. Some items are better suited to MDF than others...

Melamine is a chemical compound with a number of uses, including manufacturing laminates, glues, dinnerware, and more. If you have some melamine coated furniture or melamine kitchen cabinets they can be painted, you just have a trickier job on your ...

Due to its texture, marble can be difficult to paint. We recommend contacting our technical team by <a href="mailto:enquiries@valtti.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">e-mail</a> or by calling 0131 334 4999 to discuss the requirements of your individual...

It’s important to note that painting new plaster is different to painting an ordinary wall. It requires more preparation and patience! There are extra steps you need to take, including the application of primer paint, before you can add a...

<strong>1. Turn Your Heating off and Ventilate the Room</strong> So obvious that it's easy to forget. Wait until it's stone cold so your paint doesn't get drippy (which can happen even if the room is too hot, so if your radiator is warm then it's a ...