Painting Beams White

[alittlebitfrench]

OK, it goes against my convictions...but we have decided to paint the beams in our 'salon' white. We live in a longere.

The beams have a lasure on them at the moment but are very clean and tidy.

So what paint do you recommend and what colour....I mean 'white' or just 'off white'.

Many thanks in advance for advice given.

[Théière]

Blanc cassé, oil based.

[mint]

Make sure the colour matches the piano[:P]

[alittlebitfrench]

I'm not sure about oil based paint on beams. Oil based paint tends to yellow over time and the finish it gives is not really my thing.

[Lehaut]

Use something you can wash off when you realise the mistake you have made! ;)

[idun]

Are you not renting......... ?

If you are, are you allowed to do this? I ask because my son is very limited as to what he can do in his appartment.

If the place is yours, well, good luck with this. I would bet that there is a professional paint place in your area that also sells to the public.......I'd go and see them about what to use,rather than the Brico Depot type place.

[Théière]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]I'm not sure about oil based paint on beams. Oil based paint tends to yellow over time and the finish it gives is not really my thing.[/quote]

Because timber contains tannin, it will naturally bleed through. using oil based at least slows this. most paints yellow with age that's why I suggested blanc cassé rather than blanc. Once the oil based paint has been there a while you can over coat with a water based finish but won't suffer tannin bleed through.

[alittlebitfrench]

I see your point about oil based paint. Although, I am not sure you can buy oil based paint in France anymore.

Trouble is, I want a more weathered (chabby chic) look.

I agree with the Blanc Cassé.

@ Idun. We have finished renting in Paris for another 5 years. lol.

Back home now trying finish all the remaining brico jobs before xmas.

The beams were something that I have been putting off for 7 years.

You only get one shot at this. Scary.

We have a Tollens shop and some other famous brand. I never thought of going in asking to fair. I will do that.

[woolybanana]

Getting the beams clean before painting can be a pain,especially if they are old and deep cracked. Do you have a means of air blasting them to get the dust out. Spraying with a Karcher is probably impossible.

[BritinBretagne]

Tollens would be a good starting point and they will recommend a suitable undercoat. They also have a huge range of shades to choose from. Mind you, the one I chose after half an hour of deliberation just looks white without and real white to compare it too.

[Chancer]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"] Trouble is, I want a more weathered (chabby chic) look. [/quote]

 

Use a Sloany Slapper chalk paint then, I was always very disparaging about them especially seeing how much the silly women who post the silly videos on Youtube are ripped off for them and how they dont know how to use a paint brush or do any surface prep.

 

I am however a convert after finding that Chalk Paint is sold at a very reasonable price in the Action shops, €4.99 a tin, as you are in Paris ALBOF you will have the best Action shops in France within reach, be warned though, you will spend far more than you intended and will keep going back for more.

 

All the products are labelled in English and Dutch with French in tiny writing if there is space and they can be bothered, superb quality and value that you will have never seen before in France.

[alittlebitfrench]

Keep up Chancer, I am no longer in Paris.

We do have an 'action' shop though in the best city in France...where I live now !!!!! and I have indeed seen the chalk paint you describe.

I might buy some on Monday and paint a little part of the beam with the face closest to the wall to see what happens.

Although, I am not a great fan of Action. Their shops are full of people buying cra&p. It is worse than Lidl.

[Théière]

ALBF, like to know the location of Action please.

The company Polyvine also make an additive to turn any paint into a chalk paint although you can just add chaux and natural colourings without needing to change your name to Annie.

http://polyvine.com/index.php?option=com_mijoshop&view=product&product_id=6644&Itemid=2787&lang=en&limitstart=0

[alittlebitfrench]

'Action' is in the new commercial centre 'le petite madeleine' which has been built opposite Leroy Merlin in Chambray les Tours.

http://www.mapetitemadelaine.com/

Action is on the right hand side of the commercial centre at the very end. That will make sense when you visit and is useful to know when parking. LOL. Its a bit tight !!!

Why do they make car parking spaces so small in France ????

[Chancer]

I was going to say that they dont sell K-rap but then realised that like most supermarkets there are whole sections of the shop that I just pass by and they dont register at all with me, I go lunchtimes to our one when its quiet but it does start to fill up with very undesirable (to me) people and yes, I could close my eyes and think I was in poundland.

 

But to compare Action to Poundland is very unfair, it is a revolution in France and as such there is nothing now that I need to return to the UK to buy like before, they do some really good bio foodstuffs at crazy prices like Organic Coconut oïl, Coconut water - 1/4 of the price of Vai-Vai which I would have to travel to Paris or Lille to get anyway.

 

Its interesting to look on their map and see how they have spread through France, they must have used an old map from a Panzer division [:D]

 

French retail will never be the same and that can only be a good thing, all the management communication is 100% in English, the French that can cope rise quickly within the group.

[Chancer]

If you want to do the scabby chick thing dont sand it like the daft mares on youtube, use a wet scotchbrite sheet, it cuts through 50 times quicker, leaves a better finish and makes no dust although you will have to catch the drips, hopefully you will have carrelage.

 

They sell a pack of multi-grade scotchbrite pads for next to nothing.

 

I have been playing with the effects and my favorite is a royal grey base coat followed by mint then old white, rub through the coats to expose a little of the base wood feathering the next 2 coats and removing most of the old white final coat, - looks superb. With a finish like that it probably would not matter if there were tannin bleed through it might enhance it.

[alittlebitfrench]

OK, its an upmarket Poundland. You can't compare it with Poundland because nothing in the shop costs a pound.

They do sell some good stuff though to be fair if you look harder enough.

But, it does have the same Chinese petrol chemical smell to the store that Poundland has....god I hate that smell. It does make you think what we are doing to our health and the planet !!!

[EuroTrash]

The beams in my house had been painted white and I thought they looked awful. I'm afraid I painted them back beam coloured, it was the first thing I did.

I just used wood paint from the cheap local brico (we have 2 bricos, a cheap one and a more upmarket one). It seemed really good paint and 10 years on they still look good (to my mind), just good as it did when first done. In fact that was by far my most successful decorative/DIY exercise, it's not my forte.

But I suppose it's a lot easier to paint them dark than light.

[cajal]

Do yourself a favour and get yourself some decent UK quality paint. These people do 'chalk paint system' and specialise in delivery to France.

[BritinBretagne]

[quote user="cajal"]Do yourself a favour and get yourself some decent UK quality paint. These people do 'chalk paint system' and specialise in delivery to France.

[/quote]

Luckily the favours I do myself are local. There's nothing special about UK paint there are plenty of excellent paints available in France.

[cajal]

[quote user="BritinBretagne"]Luckily the favours I do myself are local. There's nothing special about UK paint there are plenty of excellent paints available in France.[/quote]

So that will be each to their own then.

[Chancer]

So €4.99 locally or €32.90 delivered from the UK (paint cost €20.90) I wont be doing myself favors like that.

And my €5 tin has been made in Germany and delivered from Holland!

 

As you say, each to his own.

[cajal]

[quote user="Chancer"]

So €4.99 locally or €32.90 delivered from the UK (paint cost €20.90) I wont be doing myself favors like that.

And my €5 tin has been made in Germany and delivered from Holland!

 

As you say, each to his own.

[/quote]

Fortunately cost isn't an issue for me but quality most certainly is.

I have used Lidl emulsion in my garages, abris and summer kitchen and am satisfied with the results. However, throughout the house I am rather more discerning. Apart from Lidl I know absolutely jack sh*t about French paint, I've never used it. Personally I don't have the time, the inclination or the will to sample different French paints to determine if they have the quality I require. There are numerous suppliers able to deliver paints and materials I have an awareness of and to date am satisfied with quality wise. All my internal woodwork is covered in oil based eggshell (UK brands) and walls in matt emulsion (UK Brands) and as for painting internal beams in some sort of arty/farty paint system....never, perish the thought. Professionally cleaned and 3 coats of Sikkens Cetol TSI Satin Plus. All my choice.

[Chancer]

and as for painting internal beams in some sort of arty/farty paint system....never, perish the thought. Professionally cleaned and 3 coats of Sikkens Cetol TSI Satin Plus. All my choice.

 

Amen to that, I did the same although cost was an issue so it was German paint from Noz.

 

Twas ALBOF who spoke of using the chalk paint, I am just using it for re-looking beautiful old hardwood French meubles that would otherwise be thrown away (I get them from emmaus) because the snowflakes dont want to see dark wood. I really like the look I am achieving but thats all it is, as a finish for furniture you might as well paint it with flour and water but that is the world we live in.

[EuroTrash]

"Apart from Lidl I know absolutely jack sh*t about French paint, I've never used it."

So, with all due respect, why give advice?

I've been more than pleased with the range and quality of paints available here (though admittedly they don't have quite the same range of shades of Magnolia...). I'm not a great DIYer but I've had surprisingly good results with French paints, they seem very easy to apply, so I have no doubt that a more skilled painter wouldn't have any difficulty in getting professional standard results.

It never ceases to baffle me how people can take the bold step of moving abroad, and then not be prepared to move far enough out their comfort zone to even try French paint, French food, whatever. Isn't that part of the pleasure of moving abroad, widening your horizons and discovering new things?