ICI Dulux Colour Card 2007 Available Online March 30, 2007
Posted by admin in : Colour Chart , 39comments
For those who have written in to request, thanks. Sorry it took so long. As usual, you would need Adobe Reader to view the chart. Most already have this software installed. If you don’t, get it here 
. Once Adobe Reader is installed, you can click on the image below to see the entire colour catalogue.
The whites do not show up well. I will see what I can do over the weekend….
Painting Tip - Method of Applying Paint 2 : by roller March 28, 2007
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Painting Tools , add a commentPainting with A Paint Roller
Another very popular method of painting here in Singapore is by rolling with a paint roller. This method of painting is usually employed for large flat
surfaces like our walls and ceilings and in marine applications on vessel hulls and decks. Rolling is fast and the finished result is better than brushing. But a point to note is that rolling does not always thoroughly wet the substrate. You may not achieve the dry film thickness you want by a single application. Types Of Roller Roller covers come in several different types of material. It can be made of lambswool, mohair, polyester, nylon, cotton etc. The more popular ones are the polyester and the mohair types. Recent years have seen an increased usage of flock rollers - short-naped mohair on a sponge core. These have the important advantage of not carrying too much paint which often causes dripping onto floors and splashing while rolling. Sizes Available 
Roller sizes that are common here are 2 inch, 4 inch, 6 inch and 7 inch. The picture on the right shows a 4-inch polyester roller. This type of roller is also known as radiator roller, while some call it “mini-roller”. These are very popular in industrial usage. 4-inch sized roller allow access into smaller or confined surfaces. For home painting, a 6-inch or a 7-inch roller would do well on walls and ceilings. The 4-inch types can be used for doors and gates. Which to Use? For all water-based paint jobs on walls and ceilings, I recommend the flock roller. I receive many good feedbacks from users. The polyester and mohair types can be used with solvent-based paints. The mohair rollers are especially useful for painting doors and gates. You can use mohair rollers for varnishing wooden furnitures and wooded decks. Equipments used with Rollers See post on painting poles here and see previous post where I discussed the use of a roller tray. Prices See price reference page for pricing here
Painting Tips - Use A Roller Tray March 26, 2007
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Painting Tools , add a commentRoller Tray
Here is a simple painting tip - use a roller tray. Some actually choose not to use a roller tray when applying paint by rollers. Instead, they prefer to immerse the roller into the paint and apply directly. The problem is that the
paint is not carried evenly on the surface of the roller and this will result in an uneven finish. The ’soaking’ also causes paint to seep onto the metal core of the handle, affecting the smooth rolling action of the roller. It also wastes paint and you will find a lot more dripping and splashing. Technique of Using A Roller Tray The tray container is inclined at an angle, forming a well at one end and a gradual “drying-off” slope at the other. To apply the paint, first put the tray on an even surface. Pour the paint to the level where the slope begins. Dip the roller into the low “well” area, rotate the roller slightly on the slope of the tray and dip again. Repeat this until the entire roller surface has some paint. Next, gently roll on the slope to “discard” excess paint. This allows the subsequent application to be even and to also avoid dripping and splashing. Do not roll off too much of the paint. Otherwise, the coat may be exceedingly thin and additional coat (and work!) would be required. Types Of Trays Available Painting trays come in 2 common sizes - 7 inch and 9 inch. Which to use will depend on the size of roller you use. The trays can be made of metal or plastic. The plastic ones are now more common because they are cheaper and not susceptible to rust and corrosion. Washing the Tray At the end of your job, remove as much paint from the tray as possible and clean off any remaining paint with old rags.The more paint you remove, the easier it is to wash and clean the tray.
Prices Please refer to the price reference page for the current pricing.
Painting Pole March 25, 2007
Posted by admin in : Painting Tips, Painting Tools , 1 comment so far
One of the tools I consider essential for a good paint job is the painting pole. For some reasons, many opt not to use it and choose to use a ladder instead.
Well technically you can, but it requires you to climb up and down the ladder umpteen times just to get one wall painted. A painting pole saves you lots of energy and time. What types of poles are available? In the local (Singapore) market, there are basically 2 main types of poles available. The cheaper wooden ’stick’ and the more professional aluminium extension pole. The wooden ones are generally available in 3 different lengths - 5-feet, 6-feet and 8-feet. The aluminium ones also come in various lengths. The most common are - 1m extended to 2m and 2m extended to 4m. These are telescopic type (works like a telescope) and the extended portion can be locked at any lengths ie. you can effectively adjust the pole to any length between 1m - 2m for the shorter one or between 2m to 4m for the longer one. Prices? The wooden sticks are inexpensive. Refer to the price reference page for the latest prices for both the wooden stick and the aluminium telescopic poles.
Which should I use? In most cases, a 6-ft wooden stick would do if you are going for the cheaper disposable option. This is the most popular not only because it is suitable for most ceilings, but also for the very practical reason that it can fit into most cars. If you drive a Mini Cooper or a VW Beetle, this will not do. You may just have to go for the 1m telescopic pole. The 6-footer is good for ceilings up to 10 feet high. The 8-footer is for ceilings up to 12 feet high. Any higher you would need the longer 2m-extend-to-4m telescopic pole. Having said that, I particularly like to use the aluminium telescopic pole and I go for the 1m unextended, 2m fully extended type. If you work in small rooms like our HDB rooms and most rooms in private condominiums, a full length 6ft wooden stick may be fine for the ceiling, but manoeuvring around in a small space is not easy. If you have 2 persons working together, you tend to get into each other’s way. With the telescopic type, I can extend and retract the pole ‘on the go’. Whenever I find myself
working in a tight spot, I would shorten the pole to allow better manoeuvrability. To paint higher up the walls, I extend the pole longer and shorten it to paint the lower portions. Love it! Most rollers have handles that fit into these extension poles. Try it out at the paint shop before purchasing. If it is loose, you may need to stuff a bit of paper to fit it snugly. You want it tight but not permanent. There is usually a hole on the roller handle for hammering a nail in. Do not nail it in as you would want to still be able to remove the attachment and use it for lower areas and also for cleaning. I will discuss the method to fix a brush onto a wooden pole in next week’s post. If you have that requirement, watch out for that post, or come back to this post again next week for the link.
Nippon Colour My World 2007 Available Online March 24, 2007
Posted by admin in : Colour Chart , 2commentsNippon Paint Colour My World Colour Catalogue
After procrastinating for more than a week, I’ve finally summoned enough energy to scan the entire ‘Nippon Paint Colour My World 2007′ Colour
Catalogue. Yes, all 31 pages. The lighter colours seem OK on my screen, but the darker colours look slightly off. Take the Weatherbond range (pg 16,17) for example. Mahogany appears redder than it is and Suburban more orangy. Nevertheless, it is still a good indication of the colour if you don’t have the actual chart in front of you. It is scanned as a PDF document, so you would need Adobe Reader to read. Most already have this software installed. If you don’t, get it here . Once Adobe Reader is installed, you can click on the image below to see the entire colour catalogue.
Next task, the new Dulux Colour Card…..
