Painting and decorating products we recommend

Colourtrend Paint is an Irish-made product from Co. Kildare. Colourtrend, now with their new spelling “Colourtrend”, produces very high-quality paints. They have over 50 interior colours to choose from in several ranges.

“Fleetwood Pure Grip Primer” is a high-quality, all-purpose, fast-drying, water-based primer/undercoat, that we use all the time. It has extremely good covering capacity (like an oil undercoat without the fumes). It is particularly good when painting over old oil-based painted surfaces, especially if you wish to use a low odour, low VOC (volatile organic compound) water-based eggshell or gloss paint instead.

As the name suggests, with a light sanding to a gloss surface, a wipe of a cloth and a coat of “Pure grip” will adhere hard to the surface, providing a stable foundation for your finish coats.

Just when I thought you could not get a better product from Zinsser, they come up with “Aqua-Bin”. It’s a water-based, grip primer sealer, which does everything the shellac based primer does. And it does it with very low odour, is water washable; as regards brushes and rollers, and can be used outside too.

We find it brilliant for priming old oil-based painted surfaces, when you want to use low odour, water-based paints for interiors. Nice one Zinsser!

This is more for the professional painter particularly when it comes to spray painting. The 3m hand masker masking gun is fantastic as it vastly reduces the time it takes to mask off large areas and large objects. Replete with tape and plastic paper roll dispenser; it allows you to swiftly mask off all sorts of things, and with a flick of the wrist it cuts the plastic or paper, so you may continue else where.

This is another product that we use a lot, particularly on exterior windows which have been varnished but have been let go too long without being treated. It is a water-based, super-fast drying primer/undercoat and finish all in one. Years ago I would have never gone near an “all in one” product but that is modern technology for you!

It has amazing powers of adhesion to all sorts of surfaces – wood, metal, masonry, plastic and concrete. And if you have PVC windows and you want to change the colour of them, then this is the product to use. It can be mixed into any colour you wish.

The technical specifications for this product is available online and it’s worth a read. We always have a tin in our vans.

This is an amazing product featured in our blog on a Georgian bay window restoration. It can be used to fill any wood and comes in a variety of colours. It can also be stained, drilled, planed, and sawed if necessary. You can use Ronseal High-Performance Wood Filler to fill any hole of any depth. Being an epoxy filler, it will be dry in just 30 minutes. It sands to a smooth finish and can also be used to flush fill imperfections from wooden surfaces, as can be seen in our blog on restoring window and shutters in a period home. It is also very useful for rebuilding rotten timber in doors or windows, in conjunction with the next Ronseal product. It’s another of our favourites.

Yet another great product from Ronseal is their Ronseal Wet Rot Wood Hardener. We use this in situations where the wood in question is not being replaced but rather repaired. This was also featured in our blog on restoring sash windows.

This is the best filler for filling cracks in plaster. By the name, you would be right in guessing this is a French product owned by a French family. Toupret Wall Filler is made in five countries and distributed all over the world. It is no wonder why!

We have used many fillers for walls and Toupret Wall Filler is the best.

Another very high-quality paint range. Farrow and Ball were the first paint company to produce all water-based products to a very high standard. Their emulsion paints are second to none. They will always match up perfectly if you are re-touching surfaces or re-painting a room with the same colour.

The exterior Farrow and Ball paints are breathable paints, which means they can be used on lime-based plaster or on period buildings, and they will not blister or flake off. You can read more about this in our blog on breathable paints.

Fired Earth paint have a stunning range of colours in their various collections, with hard-wearing, washable emulsions suitable for all areas of your home.

Fired Earth paints have also mastered tough, hard-wearing, water-based paints for woodwork in gloss, satin and eggshell finishes with low odours, so painting, while you are home need not be a problem.

Forget about losing hairs into your paint while painting with these Purdy Paintbrushes as this does not happen. For an impeccable finish (in the right hands!) nothing else compares to Purdy Paintbrushes.

With various different hand-crafted paintbrushes you simply can’t go wrong. They cost more than hair-shedding brushes, but if you look after them they will last for years.

The Impressions team only use Purdy Paintbrushes for finishing paintwork. Our work speaks for itself, as well as for Purdy Paintbrushes.

While speaking of painters tools, we could not let any blog go without blogging about the second most used painters tool, other than the paintbrush, which is the trusty 5-in-1 painters tool.

As suspected it does at least five tasks, if not more, from a screwdriver to roller-cleaner to paint tin opener, sharp blade and many more. Perhaps you can guess a few!

Good painters don’t go anywhere without their trusty 5-in-one tool.

This is a shellac-based product, which we use all the time. Not only is it a primer and knotting agent for wood, but it can be used to prime any surface. It will stick to any surface without sanding, (although we believe that for best results it is always better to sand down and clean a surface before priming).

Zinsser Primer Sealer is ideal for hand-painted kitchen cabinets. It is also highly efficient as a stain block for both water and ink. It can be used on the interior or exterior of your home.

For those of you with hardwood garden furniture, gates and even windows, this is a terrific product. Ronseal Furniture Oil is very straightforward to use. Once you have done the right preparations to the wooden surface that is being oiled, then simply follow the instructions on the tin.

This high-opacity, obliterating emulsion with a low-vinyl content is specifically for new plasterwork. It is easy-to-apply for a trade finish. Quick recoat times for a fast turnaround make this product a must for new plasterwork.

A low-vinyl content means it’s not suitable for constant cleaning or wet areas like kitchens & bathrooms. There is up to 14m2 per litre, per coat.

A very good range of products is the Krud Kutter range. I have had direct experience with their degreaser and it is extremely good for cleaning kitchens before re-painting them, which is a must-do if you want to do a good job.

I’m not sure how eco-friendly they are, so always read the label before use, and always wear gloves and eye protection when using any heavy-duty cleaning products.

Another great product for restoration and paint removal from window frames and doors is the Hamilton Heavy Duty Scraper. In the hands of someone who knows how to use them, door frames can be stripped right back with one swipe of this scraper. Great stuff!

Dulux Trade Super Grip Primer is another great innovation in water-based products. It provides good adhesion and is for use on ceramic tiles, melamine, glass, anodised aluminium, etc. It is suitable for use inside and outside.

We use it mostly for priming kitchens before painting them. It is as good as shellac-based primers, but unlike shellac, you can wash your brush in water after use. The only thing it does not do is “knot” the timber, (see our blog on painting fresh timber for more information on “knotting” timber). Nice one Dulux!

Zinsser Cover Stain is suitable both for interior and exterior uses. It can be used as a primer / undercoat, stain block, “grip primer” and sealer.

Ideal for priming wooden surfaces either new or previously varnished, creating a perfect surface (grip) on which to paint. Zinsser Cover Stain seals the tannins (natural chemicals) in wood, and prevents them from bleeding to the surface discolouring your paint work.