DIY & How-To
When Can You Move Furniture Back?
When can you move furniture back after painting? A practical timeline for walls, woodwork and painted furniture, and why dry paint is not yet cured paint.
How to Paint Skirting Boards
How to paint skirting boards properly: the right paint and finish from Little Greene, Paint & Paper Library and Farrow & Ball, step-by-step preparation and painting, and the common mistakes to avoid.
Humidity and Paint: How to Paint in Damp or Humid Conditions
Why humidity slows drying, causes condensation marks and surfactant leaching, and how to paint bathrooms, kitchens and damp days well, with the right finishes from Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library.
How to Paint MDF
How to paint MDF for a smooth, lasting finish: preparing faces and thirsty cut edges, choosing a primer, and the right eggshell or satin, for flat-pack and custom joinery alike.
Best Paint for Kitchen Cabinets
The best paint for kitchen cabinets, compared: Little Greene Intelligent Eggshell and Satin, Paint & Paper Library Architects' finishes and Farrow & Ball Modern Eggshell, with sheen, priming and preparation explained.
How Long Does Paint Take to Cure?
Paint feels dry in hours but takes days to cure. A practical timeline for walls, woodwork and painted furniture, using the curing guidance Farrow & Ball and Little Greene give for their paints.
Best Temperature to Paint Indoors
The best temperature to paint indoors is a steady room temperature above 10°C and below 30°C. Here is what Farrow & Ball and Little Greene advise, and how to handle cold, heat and humidity.
How to Store Leftover Paint
How to store leftover paint so it is ready for touch-ups: sealing the tin, labelling it, the right temperature, how long paint keeps, and how to check it before you use it again.
Paint Drying Time vs Curing Time
Paint can feel dry in an hour or two but take days to fully harden. We explain the difference between drying and curing, with the times Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library give.
Colour Matching Farrow & Ball
Why colour matches of Farrow & Ball shades rarely look right on the wall, and a simple step-by-step way to choose, test and buy the genuine colour with confidence.
How Long to Wait Between Coats
How long to wait between coats of paint, with recoat times for Little Greene Intelligent, Farrow & Ball Estate and Modern, and Paint & Paper Library Architects finishes, plus what slows drying.
Low VOC Paint: Why It Still Smells and How Long It Lasts
Why low and zero VOC paint can still smell, how long the smell of fresh paint usually lasts, what Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library say about VOCs, and how to clear the air.
