Painting Beams White

[BritinBretagne]

I have been more than happy with the exterior paint that I have bought from a professional supplier locally. I find it odd that people cling to the old country’s ways so much but I suppose it’s not impossible to believe that the people who buy potatoes, sliced bread, toilet paper and washing up liquid from the U.K. on a monthly basis are quite likely to do the same for paint. That dog really was an advertising miracle!

Of course if our beloved OP actually wants a rural chalkbwash to ruin the appearance of his beams he could always do what the peasants on both sides of the Chanel have been doing for centuries; use chalk not some expensive, trendy, must have product.

[alittlebitfrench]

@ bnb

The beloved OP has spent most of his life living in old buildings and renovations and would never do anything that takes the charm away from an old house.

Needless to say, painting/whitewashing/chalking old beams is a serious consideration as it tends to be a one way ticket which is why I posed the question to find out what everyone else has done.

The chances are I won't do it.

If I do it, I will probably mix my own paint to get the result I want.

[cajal]

As a French resident, I've never had the desire or felt the need to exist in what can only be described as a hermatically sealed francophile bubble. Of course we purchase everyday things as required in France However, I accept that I live in a globalized world and therefore it is not beyond the realms of possibility that it may be beneficial for me to source goods or materials from other than French sources. If I elect to purchase my potatoes from Idaho, then so be it as that is my choice. I can better utilise my time than by examining every product for that magical fabrique en france label that some seem to crave.

No doubt immediately on arrival in France those that detract would have been busy filling out their French citizen application forms during the advertising breaks of Eastenders.

[idun]

 I have to agree that french paints are not at all bad now.

They used to be horrifically bad, needing endless coats to get a proper covering. Took six coats in my sejour in France in about 1984, and it was also horrifically expensive. No wonder people put that fabric stuff on their walls![:-))]

I certainly would not order UK paint, although IF I was back and got a cracking bargain, would bring it back.

Personally, I never use Dulux emulsion or gloss these days, went right off them, if I can, I use Crown, love their emulsion, there again, I am in the UK now.

[EuroTrash]

Cajal, you can buy what you like where you like. I just don't see why you want to diss things that by your own account you less than nothing about.

[Théière]

[quote user="EuroTrash"]Cajal, you can buy what you like where you like. I just don't see why you want to diss things that by your own account you less than nothing about.[/quote]I can't fault that comment. I use product from the UK because I am more familiar with the available brands and what they can do. If introduced to another product be it French, German, Dutch etc i would be happy to utilise it if it gets a recommendation for a particular feature.

[richard51]

I too am happy to go with what I know , or what is recommended. Perhaps french paint has improved!

In terms of painting beams can I explain our issue.: on the ground floor the living area is 60 sq m and the kitchen is 30 sq m. there is a bedroom and shower room off the living room as well like lots of french houses. The living room has a large fireplace one end and the other end is used as a TV area and a dining area. Between the two ends there is a partition and offset walk-through, brick at the bottom and wood pillars at the top. The beams in the living area are lasured as are the partition pillars. The beams in the dining room and tv areas, at the other end, are painted white but now all the beams need refreshing.

I think that the different colours do help to differentiate the different areas of the space. OH, however wanted to get rid of the white on the beams. Friends have suggested painting the beams another colour other than white which OH has sort-of agreed with.

Are there any suggestions for our specific case!!

BTW the house is typically Perigordine.

BTW2 our friend in the hamlet who is a painter and decorator was very impressed with the UK paint that we bought down some 10 years ago. Brought down purely on a cost basis at the time.

[Théière]

[quote user="richard51"]BTW2 our friend in the hamlet who is a painter and decorator was very impressed with the UK paint that we bought down some 10 years ago. Brought down purely on a cost basis at the time.[/quote]

When I first came over to France, I nearly gagged at the price of their paint and brought supplies from UK.  I said then to many colleagues that there is only one direction UK paint prices are heading. A few years on and UK paint is way more now than it was unless you catch bargains or are not buying white or magnolia.  Quite possibly in that time the French manufacturers have put more pigment in their recipes. 

There are a number of Brits who think sous couche is top coat! [:-))]

[BritinBretagne]

[quote user="richard51"]I too am happy to go with what I know , or what is recommended. Perhaps french paint has improved!

In terms of painting beams can I explain our issue.: on the ground floor the living area is 60 sq m and the kitchen is 30 sq m. there is a bedroom and shower room off the living room as well like lots of french houses. The living room has a large fireplace one end and the other end is used as a TV area and a dining area. Between the two ends there is a partition and offset walk-through, brick at the bottom and wood pillars at the top. The beams in the living area are lasured as are the partition pillars. The beams in the dining room and tv areas, at the other end, are painted white but now all the beams need refreshing.

I think that the different colours do help to differentiate the different areas of the space. OH, however wanted to get rid of the white on the beams. Friends have suggested painting the beams another colour other than white which OH has sort-of agreed with.

Are there any suggestions for our specific case!!

BTW the house is typically Perigordine.

BTW2 our friend in the hamlet who is a painter and decorator was very impressed with the UK paint that we bought down some 10 years ago. Brought down purely on a cost basis at the time.[/quote]

I went on a guided tour of a small ‘chateau’ in the Perigord Noir a couple of weeks ago and many of the beams had a pale blue hue. The owner/guide assured us that this was the original colour. It cheered up my friend who has similar beams in her own bedroom and for years has been putting off cleaning them to restore what she thought would be the traditional finish.

[alittlebitfrench]

I mix my own 'sous couche' from lidl paint. It is the only use for lidl paint. LOL

In terms of UK paint, I paint a lot with Mylands.

https://www.mylands.com/

Not because it is 'UK' paint but because the finish is truly superb and the colours are.....sublime. It also gives a finish I have never seen before.

It can be sourced in France but it is easier to order direct from the UK.

It is very expensive but worth it. It sticks to anything. If you have a horrible 'French' Lambris ceiling or wall then two coats of the marble matt emulsion in a nice shade will turn it into something that you would only see in country living magazine.

[Théière]

Yes, I use Mylands as they are just up the road from me and their products are very good, mainly I use their wood products.  Not all customers are willing to pay out for that kind of quality. However the finish of the product reflects the preparation, always.

For French products I do like the Tonkinois range. 

https://www.svb24.com/en/le-tonkinois-parquets-parquet-varnish.html

[Patf]

re: painting lambris

the big living room in our first house here had lambris walls - i hated them, i thought it looked like a youth hostel

i decided to paint them, first scrubbed them down with a caustic soda solution   then painted magnolia with a mr bricolage paint, two coats  i was pleased with the result, but where i found the energy i don't know - i couldn't do it now

ps sorry no caps etc - left arm problem

[Théière]

[quote user="Patf"]

ps sorry no caps etc - left arm problem

[/quote]

Stick it on caps lock and shout it out!  Sounds painful Patf. dodgy left knee here [:P]

[Chancer]

For freshening up old darkened unpaited wood I use a special liquid liming wax but the thicker more traditional ones work as well but are harder work, it makes even the darkest of timbers look sunbleached, I also use it on new timber to avoid all the hassle of painting, all my door frames (home made) and architraves are finished with one wipe of the wonder wax, some of the architraves had been on the top of the pile in sunlight for a few years so were very dark compared to the new and/or unexposed ones but they all look equally bleached after treatment and they have not darkened in 4 years whereas normally unpainted wood would have been as dark as the ones that were exposed to the sun.

 

Its a great finish, has saved me loads of time and brought stuff up like new which would otherwise have been thrown away. Cant speak highly enough of it.

 

For ceiling beams a thin coat of white emulsion or undercoat slapped on and buffed off with a chiffon before it dries will give the same effect.

 

ALBOF, Action also sell "Whitewash" and "Greywash paints", even cheaper than the chalk paint, much cheaper and they work really well for liming darkened grained wood.

[richard51]

Thank you for your suggestions.