FAQs

Q: Can you please give me advise on repainting tiles in kitchen and bathrooms ie, what products, process etc?
I have no idea where to start. The new White Knight products sound like what I may need.

 

A: Bristol's sister brand White Knight have a new Tile and Laminate painting system that is a great way to transform the kitchen and bathroom areas in your home without the mess and fuss of re-tiling.

When painting your tiles there is a system to follow using four specifically designed and developed products.

1. Tile and Laminate Cleaner: The first step is to clean your tiles with White Knights Tile and Laminate Cleaner. When painting difficult surfaces like tiles and laminate, correctly prepared and cleaned surfaces are even more critical than usual to achieve the desired result. Painting over dirty or contaminated tiles or laminate will lead to failure of the system. You must use the specially designed cleaner that was created and tested as part of the system.

2. Tile and Laminate Primer: The tiles then need to be primed with White Knights Tile and Laminate Primer. This product has been developed and rigorously tested to provide long lasting superior adhesion to smooth surfaces (tiles and laminate) which were previously unpaintable. Ordinary primers will simply peel and flake off the surface. 

3. Tile Paint:White Knight's Tile Paint is not an ordinary enamel. It is a unique formulation that provides a quality hard wearing finish. The product can be purchased in a range of range of pre-mixed colours. It is also available in White and Accent base meaning it can be tinted to most of the Taubmans colour offer. (Some deep colours are not possible due to the unique formulation)

4. Grout Pen: This product is amazingly simple to use. There is no need to worry about removing old grout or worry about painting over it. After the Tile Paint is dry recreate white grout lines with White Knights Grout Pen. Simply depress the nib to get the paint flowing and use. 

Tile paint is great for any wall tiles but it is not recommended for the tiles on your floors. 

White Knight also has a laminate paint as part of this system. Use the cleaner and primer as above and then you can apply the laminate paint. This product is great for kitchen and bathroom cupboards but is not recommended for floors and benches.
It is very important that the products in this range are used as a system. It is also essential that you follow all directions on the can. If you have further enquires contact our customer service on 13 16 86.

Tile and Laminate products can be purchased from your local Bristol Decorator centre.

 

Q:I would like to try putting a feature wall in my dining room, but I am not sure what to do. Can you give me some ideas of finishes and colours I could use.

 

A:Bristol has a great range of specialty finishes that are fabulous for creating a feature wall.

Bristol Scumble can be used in combination with other Bristol Paints to create a sponged, ragged or bagged effect. Scumble extends the drying time of regular paint meaning you can manipulate it more easily.

When sponging, bagging or ragging the best effect is achieved using colours from the same colour family and the colour you use on top is the one you will see the most of.

If you want a really different and unique feature wall try using Bristol Pearl. This is a metallic like shimmer paint. You can use it over a regular paint by sponging bagging or ragging it over a colour from the same family or you can simply paint it on the wall. Either way it will create a dramatic and beautiful feature for you.

 

Q:What paint do I use to paint over mission brown Colorbond roller garage doors? What preparation/application techniques should I use?

 

A:The first step is to thoroughly clean and sand down the colorbond surface to remove the powder left due to normal weathering. The sanding also provides a key for the new paint to "stick" on to. 
Next apply one coat of an exterior oil based undercoat. When the undercoat is dry follow with either a water based or oil based paint as required.

 

Q:I have just painted my lounge room and in the corners and edges it appears to be a darker colour. Is there a problem with the paint?

 

A:The paint is fine. What you are experiencing is non uniform colour called picture framing. This happens when a wall is painted with a roller, but is brushed at the corners. The brushed areas generally appear darker, resembling a 'frame' of a 'picture'.

Framing occurs because brushing generally results in a lower spread rate than rolling, producing a thicker film and more hiding.

To solve this problem make sure that spread rates with brushes and rollers are similar. Don't cut in the entire room before roller coating. Work in smaller sections of the room to maintain a 'wet edge'.
With tinted paints make sure the correct colorant-base combinations are used. Factory colours, as well as in-store tints, should be thoroughly shaken at time of sale and stirred before use.

 

Q:What preparation do we need to perform in order to paint over gloss paint?

 

A:The surface must be thoroughly clean. The best way to do this is with a domestic cleaner such as "Spray and Wipe" or similar product applied with a scouring pad. The surface should then be rinsed with clean water and when dry followed by a coat of Taubmans 3 in 1 Undercoat (Taubmans is a sister brand to Bristol)

 

Q:I have mildew appearing on some of my walls, and I need to repaint, what should I do?

 

A:Mildew forms on areas that tend to be damp or receive little to no direct sunlight. To remove mildew first identify it is mildew, do this by applying a few drops of household bleach to the area. If it is bleached away, the discolourant is probably mildew and can be cleaned ith a solution of household bleach and water.

To remove mildew from the surface, scrub with diluted household bleach solution, one part bleach, and three parts water (wear gloves and eye protection for safety). To protect against mildew re paint using Bristol Opulence, Opulence has an additive that prevents mildew. To ensure the area will be free of mildew consider an exhaust fan in the high moisture area.Two coats of Bristol Supreme High Gloss Enamel should then be applied as a finishing coat.

 

Q:What paint should I use to paint bricks? I want to paint a red brick house.

 

A:Bristol has a product called Tuscan Coat which has been specifically designed to paint over bricks. It is available in two finishes, Smooth and Micatex. Micatex is a textured finish that will create a wonderful look for your home. Tuscan Coat comes in a range of great colours suited to all tastes.

 

Q:What colour from your range matches the Colorbond guttering colour ''Caulfield Green'' ?

 

A:Bristol actually tints colours to match colourbond colours. You can tint our paints to Caulfield Green and other selected Colorbond colours.

 

Q:I've noticed bubbles appearing on a wall in my lounge room, is this because the paint was faulty? How do I fix it?

A:No the paint is not faulty! Basically bubbles appear because of loss of adhesion and lifting of the paint film from the underlying surface. Below are a few causes

- Applying paints over a damp or wet surface.- Moisture seeping from the exterior of the home. It is less likely to happen using water based paint.- Exposing the painted surface to high humidity or moisture shortly after the paint has dried, especially if there was inadequate surface preparation.

Bubbling can be resolved by scraping, sanding and repainting with Bristol Easy Living. If the blistering goes right back to the substrate, remove the source of moisture if possible. Consider installing vents or exhaust fans, then follow the above instructions remembering to apply a primer before the top coat.

 

Q:I have deep irregular cracks, resembling dried mud in the paint on my walls. Why has this happened?

 

A:There are a few possible causes of irregular cracking.

- The paint may have been applied too thickly over a porous surface.- The paint has been applied again too thickly to improve poor coverage of a lower quality paint.- Paint has built up in corners upon application.

To solve this problem, sand the surface smooth before repainting with a high quality paint such as Bristol Easy Living or Bristol Opulence for interiors and Bristol Weathertough Forte for exteriors. 
This type of paint is likely to prevent recurrence of cracking, because it is relatively more flexible than oil based paints. Bristol's paints also have excellent coverage and are easy to apply, minimising the risk of applying a thick coat.