DIY & How-To

Can you paint in cold weather? The minimum temperatures for Farrow & Ball and Little Greene paints indoors and out, plus how dew, frost and short winter days affect drying and finish.

How much paint do you really need? A simple way to measure a room, the coverage of every finish we stock, and a worked example for walls, ceiling and woodwork.

The best eggshell and satin paints for skirting, doors and window frames, ranked. Sheen levels, durability and preparation for Little Greene, Farrow & Ball and Paint & Paper Library.

How to test paint colours in different light: prepare proper sample boards, check them in the morning, afternoon and evening, under your own lamps, and compare before you commit.

How many coats does a dark paint colour need? Why deep shades behave differently, the tinted primers that save a third coat, brand by brand advice and simple ways to get an even finish.

Covering navy, charcoal or deep red with a light colour? The primer strategy and coat count that actually work, with Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library.

Can you paint over wallpaper? When it works, when it does not, and a step-by-step guide to preparing, priming and painting papered walls so the finish lasts.

How to paint a front door that lasts: choosing an exterior eggshell or gloss, preparing the timber, painting the panels in the right order, the weather to wait for and colours that wear well.

Double drenching uses two related colours on every surface of a room. How to choose the pair, where each colour goes, and a step-by-step guide to painting it well.

How to paint indoors in winter: the minimum temperatures Farrow & Ball and Little Greene set, how to warm and ventilate a room, and why you should allow longer between coats.

The right finishes and colours for metal radiators. How to prepare a previously painted radiator, which paint to use from each brand, and why it must be off and cool before you start.

Walls, ceiling and woodwork in one colour, with the right finishes. Which matt and eggshell to use from each brand, the colours that drench well, and the rooms that suit it best.