Obliterating paint?

[demi]

Back in the UK we moved into a house that had a bedroom painted in "Barbie" pink and another in navy blue. We went to Brewers the paint suppliers & they recommended that we use obliterating emulsion. It sure did the trick & covered the colours in one coat, before we put on colour of our choice.

My son wants to redecorate & cover some very dark red paint. I've tried google but can't come up with a French equivalent to the UK stuff.

Any ideas?

[Blaze]

The only thing I've found here that seems to work is a white undercoat (sous couche). You could ask in the paint section of a DIY shop - we've always found Leroy Merlin very helpful - and knowledgeable.

[Hotrodder]

I worked for Brewers for five years but I can't recall what we sold for the purpose. I assumed they went bust ages ago.

[demi]

It was Albany (Brewers' own make) and called obliterating paint. And they certainlyhaven't gone bust - I just googled them & they have at least 150+ stores!

[Biloute]

In France, the best solution (or we would say the least bad) will be to apply a "universal undercoat" (sous-couche universelle) which will block the background. An undercoat has 2 functions: to create a barrier (to seal) before the finishing coat and to opacify (or obliterate or cover). Sadly, French paints are known to cover much less than English paints ! A retired engineer from a major French paint brand told me that it was because in France they were stingy about the amount of chalk powder they incorporated into the emulsions. Depending on the original color, it may be wise to apply a 2nd undercoat before finishing (the undercoat is less expensive than the finish). Forget plasterboard undercoats which often only seal and do not cover at all.

[Blaze]

A retired engineer from a major French paint brand told me that it was because in France they were stingy about the amount of chalk powder they incorporated into the emulsions.

Thank you, Biloute, that would explain the problem we had with Tollens interior wall paint. Two coats on a well-prepared, non-porous wall started looking streaky with white patches after a year or so. It appears we aren't the only ones to have had this problem with Tollens. But their radiator paint is excellent.

[demi]

Thank you, Biloute. I will pass that on to my son.

[Hotrodder]

Paints, even with familiar international brand names, are often formulated differently depending where it is sold. I used to sell (and use) products from all the big names in UK and had some firm favourites. For exterior use I was never terribly impressed with Cuprinol or Ronseal stuff and having used some in both Brittany and the Charente they were rubbish. The best we used in UK was Sadolins, a Scandinavian product. Finding it tricky to find here and expensive I took a chance and tried a mid-priced Lasure. Several brands later I am convinced the French stuff is much better suited to the climate. My only disappointment is the recent trend toward "water based" wood treatments. Poor spreading rate, and unlike the oil-based types they just don't last. I made a set of pine shutters over ten years ago and used an oil-based lasure and maybe three times over that period I just gave a quick recoat to keep them fresh looking. Two years ago I made a garden seat using hardwood decking planks and bought water-based stuff by mistake and used it. It started flaking after the first season.

[Blaze]

My only disappointment is the recent trend toward "water based" wood treatments.

Agreed Hotrodder, but it's all part of the eco trend. What "they" seem to have forgotten is that acrylic paint is plastic based so is it any more beneficial to the planet than oil-based ?

[exile]

My only disappointment is the recent trend toward "water based" wood treatments.

Agreed Hotrodder, but it's all part of the eco trend. What "they" seem to have forgotten is that acrylic paint is plastic based so is it any more beneficial to the planet than oil-based ?

I am not a big fan of acrylic paints for home decoration but your concern about being plastic based ignores the fact that oil based paints are based around an alkyd generation - natural reaction between naturally occurring ( or sometimes not) alcohols and acids. This is what creates the hard finish. Alkyds are polyesters - another plastic.