COLOUR YOUR WORLD (Crown Paint)

Member Name: thingywhatsit

Product:	Crown Paint
Date:	08/05/06 (3605 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good coverage and consistancy

Disadvantages: None.

There are many Do it yourself programs on the television nowadays and some of these are creative, whilst some a little mundane and temporary. Changing rooms is one where little things are done to change a room's ambiance instantly. Unfortunately, some of the changes are a little questionable and I would not let these people near my home.

Myself, I prefer subtlety. When I painted my kitchen white, it was functional, it served its purpose, but there is more in life that white paint. I did an experiment and I want to share it with readers because making changes does not have to be drastic. A subtle change of colouring in a room can make the room go from cold to warm. I changed the colour to a light yellow and on comparing photographs of before and after, what this paint did was transform my kitchen from a characterless white to a warmth and depth that actually amazed me. Never be afraid of colour although be aware that darker colours are harder to cover should mistakes be made, and that dark colours can actually make a room look smaller.

There are a whole spectrum of colours available in this range of paints. Emulsion is water based and is good for people that are a little shy about painting because it wipes up easily when spilt, and gives a room a whole new feel without costing an absolute fortune.

The range of colours is extensive, and what makes it even more so is that you can personalise the colour that you require by mixing two paints together. Before doing this, it is wise to put a little dab of each colour together on a paint can lid and see what effect you will get. I experiment so much with colour and this will show you the range of colours that you can achieve, i.e. by adding more of one colour with a little dab, and seeing the subtle changes that mixing will make to the finished colour.

Most emulsion paints (matt), dry a little lighter than the starting colour, so when mixing your own paints, you need to bear this in mind.

BUT WHY CROWN ?

Crown have been in the business for a long time, and there really is only one other maker that comes near to the quality of these paints (other than the really expensive exclusive paints which are sold expensively because of the name, rather than quality), and the comparable paint is that produced by Dulux.

WHY DO I CHOSE CROWN MATT EMULSION?

Matt paint is non reflective. It covers areas easier simply because of its non reflective qualities. If you imagine a little piece of wall that has a slight bump, well if you hilight that bump with a shiny paint, it will always show, whereas with matt, this tends to hide imperfections in the surface.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THIS PAINT ?

There are a variety of methods available for using emulsion paints.

1. You can use directly from the can or pot in your chosen colour. Apply with a brush or roller and use two coats, the first of which can be thinned with water if the surface is too porous. New Plaster tends to be porous and difficult on the first coat, and here the diluted product covers easier, although neat paint should be used for the second coat, so it is advisable to mix your first coat paint in a separate container.

2. You can be more adventurous and mix your own combination of colours with this paint. You can have subtle differences between walls, i.e. a fireplace could be highlighted a little darker or lighter to obtain different effects. Alcoves can be made darker to give them the impression of depth. The pigments used by Crown are strong ones, and quite a good depth of colour is actually easier to produce with this paint than with cheaper brands.

3. You can use more inventive systems of painting such as ragging. This is a system that uses the paint to create a design. Firstly, a light coat of paint is required on the whole surface, after preparation of course, and then when this is dried, a slightly darker version of the paint that you have used can be ragged onto the surface. How this is achieved is to put the paint into a paint tray and literally dip a rag into the paint and then tap it against the surface of the wall, until you establish a nice rhythme and design that pleases your eye, and continue to do this all over the wall. Again, Crown gives good results whereas cheaper paints are not as easy to use, and can give disappointing results.

4. Roller ragging. This can be done with this paint and is a super finish. You simply get a piece of rag or even a polythene bag and put it over the head of a roller and keep it in place with elastic bands. Use as a normal roller and you will see that this creates a design. Again, use a darker or lighter colour than the background colour for the actual ragging.

5. Sponge effects. Sponging is fun and I know from experience that the consistancy of Crown coloured emulsion is super for this effect whilst other paints fail miserably because of their lack of substance and thinness. You can buy a sponge like the kind that you wash a car with, and take off the squared corners because for this finish, you really do not want uniformity. Pull little bits of the sponge away so that the surface of the sponge is irregular. Then prime the wall (giving it a coat of uniform background colour) and stipple the paint on for the second coat with the sponge using a tapping method, rather than smearing. It works a treat.

You may say why am I bothering to write all the instructional stuff on a review of paint, and the very reason for this is that Crown paints lend themselves to being used in a creative way. Other paints that I have tried do not because they are too runny, and the colour selection too poor to mix as you can with Crown paints.

I do not believe in the concept of one coat paints because really people even of any experience in painting tend to leave little areas that are less covered than others, and two coats really does ensure that the surface is regular and well covered. One coat to me is a shortcut that I cannot afford to take when I am decorating for other people, who expect impeccable results.

Drying time is usually less than 24 hours, and is stated on the can as being 3 hours, although I tend to keep to the 24 hour rule as this varies depending on the warmth of the room in question.

As for protective power, I believe that the two coat method gives better all round protection than a quick skim of paint. The painting that I have done at my house has lasted and lasted, and I am amazed at the durability of this paint. Even knocks and bangs do not seem to damage it, and even on the odd occasion when they do, the advantage of Crown matt paint is that you can touch up little areas without it showing that it has been touched up which of course you cannot do with oil paints.

The choice of colours is amazing these days, and Crown have a new range of paints that are inspired by Disney, although I really feel that these colours can be achieved by yourself without the Disney price tag.

As for ease of application, this paint is superb and even someone who has never painted before can get good professional looking finish to their work, although I would advise the non experienced users to mask off areas that they do not wish to paint, with a masking tape which will give their work a superb finish. Leave the masking tape until the paint is dry and then remove it.

One of the good things that paint manufacturers have looked into is odours. This paint is user friendly and not at all smelly. They call it breathe-easy and it really is, and if you find that the odour upsets you, add a few drops of vanilla essence and the smell goes away. Here, I would say that Crown excell over Dulux in that Dulux products are smellier.

This paint works out at about £5 a litre but a litre goes a long way because of the quality of the paint. Not a high price to pay when you know that the results will give you what you were seeking.



Thankyou for reading.

Summary: Super paint. Would thoroughly recommend.