Colour explosion

In the past there was a standard range of around 60 colours but recently there's been an explosion in colour. All paint companies now have tinting machines which means that we can supply over 30,000 different colours from seven machines. People choose colours from magazines, see colours on flower pots while on foreign holidays and even pick up leaves which they bring in to us to colour match. If someone brings in anything with a solid colour we can scan it and match the colour pretty accurately.

Testing, testing

The availability of tester pots has increased enormously and they are worth using to avoid expensive mistakes. The problem may be that the colour looks different in your room than it did in the shop. Colour is affected by whether a room is north or south facing and whether you have fluorescent or incandescent lights, for instance.

Colour card considerations

The other issue is that colour cards are usually made with printers' ink rather than actual paint. Some companies will spend a lot of time with the printers taking more care in matching the colours accurately. Lots of colour cards have a sheen which will throw the colour slightly, especially if you are buying a matt finish paint. Some shops will paint boards to show the true colours.

Give rollers the brush-off

A brush will give a superior finish with every paint, especially the more traditional ones. For instance, Farrow and Ball is manufactured in a traditional, more laborious way. The formulation was devised before rollers were invented and so it was never created to be applied with a roller.

Colour underfoot

Floor paints are predicted to be big in the next couple of years, taking over from varnishing and staining. Anticipating this, Farrow and Ball has launched 95 colours for wood or concrete floors.

Old colours, new-look garden

People are putting more and more colours into their gardens and a new launch this spring is National Trust Garden Paints. The company visited National Trust houses in the UK and peeled back layers of wall colours to find the original paint. There are 18 colours for both masonry and wood, in the form of exterior eggshell, to paint seats, trellises and so on.

Lots in a name

Sometimes the names of colours can be misleading. For example, there are two Tir na nOgs on the Irish market from two different companies - one is green, the other is red! So if someone recommends a colour to you, it's important to get the brand name.

Greater expense, better quality

The difference between cheap and more expensive white emulsion is that the cheap one will contain a lot of water and filler, which is a low-cost white pigment, and the company will cut back on the resin content, an expensive ingredient. The filler is very dry and porous so is more likely to stain as marks will soak into it. Resin helps the paint bond to the surface which is why cheap paints tend to peel off.

Surface cleaning

Before painting it is important to clean the surface. Sugar soap is the best on walls and woodwork. If you have to fill holes, you must use a primer over the filler. If you don't, the paint will soak into the filler and you will see every part that has been filled.

Shiny finish loses its gloss

There's a trend away from the shiny look of gloss. People are using satin and eggshell finishes where gloss was traditionally used - on doors, for instance. There is a huge variety of water-based products on the market now. You can get water-based varnish for floors and doors and water-based gloss paint. These have many advantages: they have a very low odour, are fast drying, they're easy to clean up if they spill and, because you wash the brushes in water, you're not pouring harmful solvents, such as white spirit, down the drain.

Invest in a good brush

If you're using acrylic, water-based products you must use a specialist brush with a synthetic bristle as it will give a much better finish. The bristle on regular paint brushes is porous and absorbs the water content in the paint. This swells the bristle so it is harder to get a smooth finish. One specialist brand is Purdy, from America. Prices start at around £11 but they are cheaper in the long run as they last a long time.

Resurfacing your kitchen

Repainting kitchen cupboards is popular and there are lots of specialist paints now for tiles, lino and melamine. One product that saves time on sanding is ESP (easy surface prep) which is like a liquid sandpaper. You clean the kitchen units, wipe the solution onto the surface and leave it for an hour and a half. The film it leaves bonds with the surface, which you can paint.