Hi Ozbargainers
Would really appreciate if you could share any tips on buying paint cheaply. It is so expensive!
I need some water based flat for walls and oil based semi gloss for woodwork. I only need small quantities as it is to freshen up two small rooms (probably only one coat required).
I have found cheaper paint on eBay, but I would need to have it tinted, and I don't think anyone does that unless you buy the paint from them.
So, am I stuck with Bunning or Masters?
OK thanks! I'll try to be more specific.
Room 1; bathroom, so tiled a fair way up most walls. I want to repaint walls and ceiling in existing colour in an oil based semi gloss enamel, as that is what went on last time. Existing paint is peeling in places, so I need to do some patching. I estimate total area to be painted at <10 sq m.
Room 2; bedroom, one entire wall taken up by built ins and door. Painting other 3 walls (no trims or woodwork, these are fine) in existing colour in acrylic flat or low sheen. Mostly because existing paint is marked, grubby. I think 1 coat should do. I estimate area to be painted <25 sq m.
If anyone knows of a tinting service where you don't need to buy the paint, that would be great!
Sorry, forgot to mention, different colour in each room.
Mostly because existing paint is marked, grubby. I think 1 coat should do.
If you use 'cheap paint' as opposed to good paint bought cheaply, you're going to be back to where you started in no time. You're far better off buying one that has good washability.
A couple of years ago, Bunnings colour matched someone else's colour pallette with a cheap paint, at no charge on matching a 20 year old paint.
Maybe they don't run cheap paint anymore, but it worked for me.
They informed me that the underlying white may differ slightly and give a slightly different result, but it was great.
I've had mostly bad results from the colour matching machines, and the brand of paint that you're tinting CAN alter the end colour for sure.
Hmmm.. I have just painted my house, I put flat paint only on the ceilings, and water based low sheen on walls. Flat paint is good if your surface is not perfect, but scratches/smudges easily.
I have bought a few brands on paint from Bunnings and Masters because while in the process of painting(it did take a long time for me because I have a full time job), Bunnings and Masters have various specials on paint. Here is my personal opinion on the water based low sheen paints:
Dulux - pretty good coverage, minimal splatter when putting it on, but if you try to wipe something off the wall after it has dried, you end up somehow polishing the surface.
Taubmans - pretty good coverage not as good as Dulux, minimal splatter.
Spring - very watered down and hard to get an even coat, will not buy this paint every again.
Pascol(Not the ready to go range) - pretty good coverage, some splatter.
Valspar - pretty good coverage, some splatter.
Solvent based paint, I have only used Dulux. It is quite "thick", you could consider thinning it down a little to save money. The paint itself doesn't feel thick, but once it is dry, it feels very hard and thick.
Informative post geek, may I ask exactly what you mean by 'splatter'? Do you mean it has low viscosity or sommat like that, so it has a tendency to, erm, 'splatter' if you're using a brush? Or do you maybe mean it runs if you paint it on too thick?
Splatter is the mess you end up with on surfaces it was never intended for - the tiny droplets that 'spray' off the roller onto walls (if you're painting the ceiling), furniture, floor, you, and you don't necessarily realise at the time that it's happening.
If you know any painters use their account for a trade price at the paint shop.
They benefit too as the more they buy the less they pay
Then compare to masters before you buy
There's a scratch and dent paint place that pops up near us from time to time.
Perhaps you can look out for something like that?
Where do you live? There is a paint outlet store just off Brisbane Road, near Harboutown Gold Coast.
Sydney :( but thanks
Thanks for all the tips. Maybe I'll just buy the same brands as were used originally and wear the price. But seriously, $50 for a couple of litres of paint?
Can you perhaps provide an estimation of the actual surface area that will need painting, rather than just saying "two small rooms"… because "two small rooms" could mean just about anything. So for example, assuming you're painting all four walls in two rectangular rooms, can you give the approximate dimensions of each room, including height? If you have no tape-measure, you could estimate the dimensions of the rooms based on your own height (assuming you know what that is and can lie down next-to/near/on the relevant plane of one length and one width wall in each room).
As in:
Room 1: Approximately 3 M x 4 M, and the ceiling is 3 M high.
Room 2: Approximately 4 M x 4 M, and the ceiling is 3 M high.
If you can supply those dimensions, it will be heaps easier to suggest how much paint (in litres) you are likely to need.
Also, do you want to paint everything the one colour (i.e. the woodwork and the walls, in both rooms, all the same colour), and is that colour the same colour that it already is? You mention that it may only require a single coat… if you're going for a colour change that won't be the case, but if you're just touching up/restoring the current colour, then you might be right.