In the last couple of years we have used Dulux odourless silk paint

Now it is literally thinning out or literally peeling off. Ok I didn’t prime before repainting, but never have had to with traditional non water based silk/gloss

Is there a low odour gloss/silk paint that works as the Dulux stuff has been shocking !

Ta

Buy a decent undercoat & trade gloss and do a proper job …

just repainting our stairs. was about to buy some dulux on Monday. what brand do people recommend then? have 2 coats of primer as a base

There is a huge variety of qualities of paint available. We are decorating perfectionists and we always use Little Greene because although it’s expensive it’s great to use and very durable indeed.

https://www.littlegreene.com/

If you can be bothered ( and can work with non-drip ) ..go the extra mile..undercoat them too which will give the gloss something to stick to..then get a trade gloss ( I used Crown last year ) ..keep going back to look over your work for runs .
The end result is something which will last longer and be more cost effective in the long term .
* I’m no painter & decorator though ..just what I have found through my own experiences

I would only ever use water based paint, the good stuff is way better then any oil paint but very expensive.

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I use this

I would only ever use water based paint, the good stuff is way better then any oil paint but very expensive

What’s the ‘good stuff’?

I’ve tried farrow & ball and dulux waterbased and both were inferior in application and finish to the oil based alternative.

Little green is nice paint.. also used Eico paint quite a lot which is very similar

Oil based gloss is always better than water based in terms of durability and appearance. The only reason to use water based is you are messy or have respiratory issues.

As above. Get Dulux trade gloss paint. Yes it will be a bit stinky for a few days, but it’s hands down the best gloss to get a good finish with, and it will last a long time.

Dulux trade gloss isn’t like the usual stuff you buy from bq, it’s a pleasure to work with and very easy to apply.

The water based ones hold brush marks massively in comparison, and the cost it very high in comparison for what is inferior to oil based.

should you sand back between primer, base and top coat? read you should but will really add time to the job…(staircase)

If the surface is already good but old, then lightly key it with sandpaper, it’ll take a very short time with good quality sand paper.

If you’re just putting on further coats then no need to sand, the surface will be clean enough to fully bond. You might want to sand in order to flatten the surface though. This will depend on your desired end finish though. I’ll flat back between undercoat and gloss in some areas but not in particularly visible areas.

To be fair, if your primer looks ok and hasn’t got shed loads of brush marks in it, the top coat should cover it fine. Mind you, I always use oil based paint as water based stuff just doesn’t flow and level as well.

prob sand back on the visible spindle surfaces and handrails.

is there a special type of wood file to get in the tiny gaps you can’t get sandpaper into?

Usually bend and fold the sandpaper to make it fit into little tight spots as needed. If I can’t get sandpaper in there then a little file or scraper will suffice, nothing expensive or technical needed.

Don’t be frightened to buy a couple of big rolls from a decorators centre and chew through it. Sandpaper will dull as it’s used, and many hate sanding because they’re using dull paper.

Oil based gloss is always better than water based in terms of durability and appearance.

Although not as good as lead based paint, which lasts way longer, but sadly no longer available…..

Im still a little underwhelmed by water based gloss, eggshells are now excellent though. Look up bedec, its british and good.
BUT, never trust claims about sticking to all surfaces though as you might get caught out, dulux supergrip or zinserr coverstain are your best options for a primer.

Also 120/180 grit flexible sanding pads are very helpful. Not the blocks, the flat foam backed ones

or have respiratory issues

Unfortunately Jnr FD has had many respiratory issues, hence why the use of water based, maybe I could invest more time priming etc, but it just appears to be the Dulux paint itself that is poor.

Oh well maybe have to sacrifice nice summer days to painting with the windows and doors open….

Mythic paints are highly rated by some in the trade, very odourless as i recall.

Very true footflaps but lead based paint is best left well alone when you come across it by your average diyer. I’ve only painted about 150 kitchens and bathrooms this year so I bow down to your greater experience 🙂