Re-painting a room - matt over silk

spr0ut · Post by **spr0ut** » Tue Jan 03, 2023 4:47 pm

I need to decorate my study which currently has silk paint. I'm not so keen on the sheen so want to paint with matt which I'm used to. I did this once before after we moved in and discovered by mistake that one wall in my daughter's bedroom was silk and ended up having to sand down all the matt the congealed.

What's the best way to cover silk paint with matt? Do I need to cover everything with a pva mix first?

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Tue Jan 03, 2023 5:22 pm

No PVA it is a disaster. I would get a scotch pad and rub the walls down to create a key, you are not sanding just breaking the surface sheen up. A bit of mild soapy water to degrease as you go and to provide a bit of lubrication for the pad. This takes the shine off so the roller can gain grip and lay the new emulsion over.

DWD

wine~o · Post by **wine~o** » Tue Jan 03, 2023 6:36 pm

There is a "sticky" at the topish of the Paintig/decorating forum regards PVA asa primer. Please read it.

spr0ut · Post by **spr0ut** » Wed May 17, 2023 2:48 pm

I'm just coming back to this as I'm now nearer actually decorating, having delayed due to other work needing doing elsewhere in the house!

For painting emulsion over silk, a lot of things I've read suggest using Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3. Suggestions seem to be to paint the room with this first, then emulsion as normal (2 coats for example).

Would this be the best way? I'm wary of just sanding the walls before emulsion as if I miss a bit, I'll regret it!

Really appreciate any advice

dewaltdisney · Post by **dewaltdisney** » Wed May 17, 2023 2:59 pm

I think Zinsser is a bit overkill unless it is an awful dark colour. You can experiment with a small corner area, rub it over lightly and put a coat of emulsion over to see. You can back track and 123 it if it is a problem.

DWD

spr0ut · Post by **spr0ut** » Wed May 17, 2023 3:02 pm

dewaltdisney wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 2:59 pm I think Zinsser is a bit overkill unless it is an awful dark colour. You can experiment with a small corner area, rub it over lightly and put a coat of emulsion over to see. You can back track and 123 it if it is a problem.

DWD

Thanks for your reply. At the moment it's a cream colour. I'm planning on going with a sage green emulsion