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Faq entry 5
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How Can I Make My Room Warmer In Winter?
If your home is built using cavity block or solid walls, stone or concrete and your home always feel cold irrespective of heating, it needs a little help keeping the heat inside or doing something helps prevent the heat escaping out through those uninsulated or poorly insulated walls or ceilings.
In other words, wall insulation is non existent meaning it is very hard to heat and when heated – gets cold again quickly. Older homes with bad insulation are especially prone to this problem.
Caution: Most cavity block walls cannot be successfully insulated by ‘pumping’ alone because a substantial percentage of that wall is in fact solid concrete which cannot be ‘pumped’ for obvious reasons.
Some insulation systems compound existing condensation problems by reducing the wall’s ability to breathe.
Wetness or dampness forms on cold walls Mould patches grow on damp surface Condensation, damp walls, wet walls.
Condensation, often described as damp walls or wet walls is a direct result of poor or no wall insulation frequently accompanied by inadequate room ventilation. Cold walls attract the warmer, moist room air, and when it makes contact with the cold wall, water droplets are formed. (as on bathroom mirror). Drying clothes etc in a room adds to this problem.
Toxic black mould on walls ceiling, musty smell. Ugly, toxic black mould thrives on walls and ceilings that are wet or damp, usually a direct result of condensation above.
Mould has been identified with health problems, for instance respitory, sleep loss etc. Musty odour is usually present.
Often present in or behind wardrobes, behind beds etc.
Is a big insulation job too costly for your budget?
One effective solution to all the above is to have the room dry lined with an appropriate insulation material, ensuring adequate room ventilation. Only downside is cost and the space it can take up. 60 or 70mm added to the walls will make the room a bit smaller, ok if you have the space. Finally, cost… a small room will cost from €500 up depending on material etc. You still have to paint or paper over the dry lining.
Rising Energy Costs
All above problems are usually associated with inadequate insulation. New carbon taxes and electricity price hikes on the way will not help either.
Introducing the Low-Cost, Smart Solution … Thermilate Warmcoat Advanced Insulating Paint
Discover the low cost, simple way to cut your heat loss, reduce if not eliminate your condensation damp wall and mould problems while making your home a lot cosier with less money being wasted on sky rocketing energy bills. Igoe International (Estd. 1978) specialises in sourcing innovative, proven solutions to numerous home property maintenance problems one of which is Warmcoat Advanced Insulating Paint, a high tech insulation product for walls and ceilings that reduces room heat loss by up to 25%.
Thermilate Warmcoat Advanced insulating paint is the most affordable way to improve your home insulation, heat retention and comfort level.
It is easily applied (like any emulsion) inside the home on walls and ceilings and works by reflecting back a significant amount of the rooms’ heat back into the room.
Thermilate Warmcoat works by forming a thermal barrier between the cold wall and the moist warm room air. i.e. the wall surface is not as cold to touch.
It helps your wall insulation without taking from your existing scarce room space.
It reduces condensation, damp walls, wet walls because the less cold wall reduces if not gets rid of water droplet formation.
Important Note: Warmcoat Advanced insulating paint does not take away the need for proper necessary air vent in the room.
Less dampness, condensation on the walls means that the damp environment necessary for toxic black mould to grow multiply is also reduced in most cases eliminated.
You don’t have to suffer another harsh winter with a hard to heat home – just paint on a few coats of Warmcoat Advanced insulating paint and feel the difference.
Faq entry 10
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What is a Corrosion Inhibitor
A Corrosion Inhibitor is a product that will stop, prevent, slow down the process of Corrosion and Rust on various metals.
Faq entry 8
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Faq entry 7
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Can I paint over bronze coloured aluminium windows and doors with white gloss? E Nolan
Yes, but you need a special primer to make the paint stick to the aluminium and the natural colour beading on same. I’d suggest something like ESP, which works very well on shiny surfaces to give paint a grip.
After you apply the ESP (as usual read instructions carefully) it would also be a good idea to use a high quality oil based undercoat and top coat. We always recommend that you do a test piece somewhere inconspicuous first to get the feel of it etc. (Not the front door!)
For the best possible result, add about 25% Owatrol oil, a paint conditioner into the first coat (undercoat) or even first coat of two coats of gloss, and about 10 to 15% (just enough to make it “flow nicely”) to your second coat for a superb finish. You should end up with a lovely brush mark-free, rich finish that will last for years. ESP & Owatrol are available on our website and the better paint outlets.
Can I paint over bronze coloured aluminium windows and doors with white gloss?
Yes, but you need a special primer to make the paint stick to the aluminium and the natural colour beading on same. I would suggest something like ESP or Easy Surface Preperation, which works very well on shiny surfaces to give paint a grip.
After you apply the ESP (as usual read instructions carefully) it would also be a good idea to use a high quality oil based undercoat and top coat. We always recommend that you do a test piece somewhere inconspicuous first to get the feel of it etc. (Not the front door!)
For the best possible result, add about 25% Owatrol oil, a paint conditioner into the first coat (undercoat) or even into first coat of two coats of gloss, and about 10 to 15% (just enough to make it “flow nicely”) into your second coat for a superb finish. You should end up with a lovely brush mark-free, rich finish that will last for years. ESP & Owatrol are available on our website and the better paint outlets.
We have replaced some of our aluminium windows with double glazed PVC ones to help keep out the traffic noise and I would like to know if we can do something with the remaining aluminium ones that will allow us match them up with the PVC ones that are white? We could not afford to replace all the windows at this time, but the noise was awful and we had to do something about it. Now we have aluminium and white colours that don’t look right. I want to know if there is any way we can change the colour of the aluminium to match the white?
Yes you can paint the aluminium window white to match the new PVC ones. First you need a special primer to make paint stick to the aluminium. ESP is extremely effective for the job you describe because it works very well on shiny surfaces to give your paint a good grip.
After you apply the ESP (as usual read instructions carefully) it would also be a good idea to use a high quality oil based undercoat and topcoat or even two topcoats. I’d always suggest you do a piece somewhere inconspicuous first to get the feel of it etc.
For the best effect possible, add about 20% Owatrol oil to the undercoat and about 10% (just enough to
make it “flow nicely”) to your topcoat for a superb finish. You should end up with a lovely brush mark- free, rich finish that will last for years. ESP & Owatrol are available on our website and the better paint outlets.
Can I paint a uPVC door and frame which has a grained wood effect?
Yes, assuming the grained effect is part of the original door finish and not painted on. If the surface is
sound, i.e. not flaky or rough but smooth and flat, you can repaint the door and frame by priming first with ESP followed by two coats of oil based gloss with Owatrol oil added in to both coats. About 20% in first coat and 10 to 15% (just enough to make it “flow nicely”) to your second coat for a superb finish. ESP & Owatrol are available on our website and most good paint outlets.
I was hoping to change the colour of my uPVC windows and doors, but don’t know how to go about it?
You can paint those PVC windows and doors any colour you like thanks to a clever smooth surface primer called ESP. I would suggest you choose an oil based satin or gloss paint to do the job for maximum durability.
To do the job all you have to do is wash the pvc first with sugar soap and warm water and rinse. Get a clean lint free cloth, soak it with ESP and wipe it all over the surfaces you wish to paint. Do one window at a time.
Leave that to cure for at least 2 hours at normal room temperature and after that you are ready to apply your gloss or whatever.
In case you are unsure if the paint will stick, you will know as soon as you start to apply the paint, i.e. if the paint starts to crawl or run away from the brush you have not applied the ESP properly. If this happens, just re-treat that area with ESP. On the other hand, if the paint goes on in the normal way, everything should be ok.
Another tip to ensure you get a lovely smooth, brush-free finish is to add some Owatrol oil to the paint if it feels draggy or heavy. This will also help with paint adhesion. ESP & Owatrol are available on our website and the better paint outlets.
What do I do with my shiny surface, white interior doors? I have a number of white interior doors in my home which have a shiny surface, and appear to me to have a plastic coating. I do not know if they are laminated or not. They were fitted when my house was built about 5 years ago. They now need some attention, but I have been advised not to paint them on account of the coating on them. Any advice as to whether this is true or not, and if so, is there some other means of cleaning them?
The advice you received regarding not being able to paint them is quite out of date - you can. Those doors are probably made of some modern laminate or other which are generally fairly easy to clean etc. You can paint them with no trouble at all. Clean the doors first with some Sugar Soap liquid and warm water, a combination that usually works well. Rinse with clean water. Don't use harsh chemicals or you could do irreversible damage.
All you need is a can of ESP and some paint of your choice, probably an oil based satin or gloss depending on whether you would like them very shiny or not so shiny.
If you plan to apply a new white coat you won't need an undercoat, however, if you plan to apply a very different colour to what is there already, you may need an undercoat to bridge 'the colour gap'. To do the job, get a clean, lint free cloth and wipe the ESP (a clear primer film) on carefully taking care not to miss any spots.
Leave the ESP film for about two hours at normal room temperature to dry. After two to three hours or later, you can apply the paint directly. Note, if, when you start painting, the paint starts to run away from the brush or 'crawls' as it is known, you will need to re-ESP that area because it will not have been done correctly.
Depending on your finish etc, you could apply a second coat of the same paint, especially if using gloss, but you'll probably get a nice job done even with the one coat. Actually here's a useful tip. If you add about 10% or thereabouts of Owatrol oil (also known as a Paint Conditioner) to your paint, it will help the adhesion, hiding and coverage, leaving a beautiful, brush mark-free finish. If you choose to use one of the newer water based gloss paints on the market, we would recommend you add some Floetrol (waterbased paint conditioner) to help the paint flow out to a lovely brush-mark free finish.
Owatrol Oil will help with coverage, hiding, adhesion and general appearance of all oil based paints and varnishes. Floetrol will do likewise in water based paints but not is suitable for water based varnish. ESP, Owatrol Oil & Floetrol are available on our website or at the better paint outlets.
I have foil wrapped kitchen doors. Is it possible to successfully paint them, if so, can you please advise?
No problem. All you need is paint; probably an oil based gloss or satin, a tin of ESP primer for shiny surfaces, a few cotton cloths and a small tin of Owatrol oil. Shiny or smooth surfaces like the one you describe used to be a no go before magic ESP came along a few years ago. All you need to do is wash the doors with something like Sugar soap and rinse with clean water. When dry, wipe on your ESP with a clean, lint-free cloth, Wait at least two hours at normal room temperature and then you are ready to apply your paint. I would suggest applying two coats of your gloss with about 20% of Owatrol oil mixed in well. The Owatrol will have the effect of making the paint flow out lovely and smooth with no brush marks or streaks and it will also greatly aid paint adhesion on the doors. If you choose a weak hiding colour paint like yellow, red etc, the Owatrol oil will greatly aid the paint’s 'hiding power' and possibly save you having to apply another coat. ESP & Owatrol Oil are available on our website or at the better paint stockists.
I hope you can help me with my problem. I have four smoke glass mirrors floor to ceiling. I have found it impossible to keep them clean. The room is south facing and when the sun shines in, the smears and streaks appear all over the mirrors. I have used every product on the market for the purpose of cleaning glass and mirrors and none of them have worked for me. Hot water and vinegar and newspaper were also useless. I would consider covering the mirrors with sheets of narrow plywood if there was a way of attaching them to the mirrors which act as sliding doors?
Without seeing the doors in reality it is difficult to say how effective the attachment of plywood panels might be. Only a qualified carpenter could give a definitive answer on that issue. It does sound like you would have to take the glass out and replace it with the appropriate thickness and finish of wood and perhaps fit edges etc to take the bare look off it. Sounds possible though.
Another option if it suits your situation is to camouflage the mirror doors by painting them. You may think that is not possible, but in actual fact it is very possible. Here’s how.
Wash all areas to be painted with sugar soap and warm water and dry off fully with a lint free cloth. Next decide what colour matches in with the surrounding area and pick up about 2 litres of oil based gloss or satin as well as a tin of ESP shiny surface primer to give the paint a grip on the mirrors. If you want a really smooth as glass finish on the end result, it would be a good idea to get yourself a small tin of Owatrol oil as well, I’ll explain why later. Following instructions on the can, prepare the doors with the ESP using a clean lint-free cloth and make sure you apply it to all areas you intend to paint. It is quite easy to do this, just take your time and be careful. Next all you have to do is apply two coats of the gloss. Mix in about 20% of the Owatrol oil in your first coat as this will make the paint flow out very smooth like the glass itself and will not show up ugly brush marks or streaks. It will also help with the paint adhesion.
Next day or thereabouts after the first coat has dried, apply a second coat of the same paint, but this time add in just enough oil to enable it flow on smoothly; aprox 15%. Do not be tempted to “test‟ the adhesion with finger nails etc next day – you must leave paint for a week for paint to harden or cure properly. The end result should look like there are no glass doors there at all… only painted panels. The only downside I see here is that you will know they are glass panels but somebody else who comes into your house may not be aware of the transformation and bang against them causing an accident. So think about that. Another idea if you wish would be to mask off a few nice patterns on the doors to leave some of the mirror lookin
Is it possible to paint over varnished and stained French doors (indoor) Will gloss paint dry on them with an undercoat?
There is no reason why you could not paint over those doors. First according to normal good practice, wash them with something like sugar soap and warm water, rinse off and allow to dry. When dry, you could give them a coat of ESP, a water based, quick drying primer. After the ESP has dried, (2 hours at room temp) apply one (or two if necessary) coats of a topcoat of your choice, probably either an oil based gloss or a satinwood. If you choose to apply an oil based paint, to get a really good finish, mix in about 15% Owatrol Oil to your paint. ESP & Owatrol Oil are available on our website or at the better paint stockists.
My old pine look kitchen units are looking very tired and I would like to brighten them up. Can I paint them?
The answer is a definite yes, provided you do not mind a little bit of work. If you have a kitchen full of dull presses or cabinets, boring tiles in the bathroom, or weary wardrobes in the bedroom, take heart... you don’t have to take out a big loan to refit the whole place, just freshen it up with a few tins of paint and a little bit of TLC. (tender loving care)
“Oh, but surely it’s impossible to paint kitchen presses, tiles and other shiny surfaces, because the paint will just peel off” you say!
Well, believe it or not, you can! with the help of an amazing not so new product called ESP You’ve no doubt seen it on the various popular TV DIY shows such as Changing Rooms, Beyond the Hall Door etc where it has been rightly hailed as one of the best new painting or decorating products ever seen.
ESP will make it possible for you to change the look of all those normally very difficult surfaces without sanding, dust or hard work. ESP makes any water or oil based paint or varnish stick to melamine, Formica, most plastics, fibreglass, glass, previously glossed or varnished surfaces without sanding or mess.
Transform the look of your presses, tiles, wardrobes to any colour under the sun with any oil or water based paint for the price of a few cans of paint, and probably for well below €100.
Paint the fridge to match the presses, or the wardrobes to match the new curtains or whatever. The possibilities are endless and limited only by your own imagination. In fact, you can even use ESP to change the colour of all those other doors, architraves and so on. Gloss over gloss, varnish over varnish, all is now possible, and at minimal cost to you which is always welcome news.
It is a good idea to use an oil-basedpaint in the bathroom because of the moisture etc. If you use a water based paint elsewhere, bear in mind whether its needs to be washable etc. (Note: give the paint time to cure properly before you give it a hard time).
Here are two more interesting items that will be a huge help in any or all of the above scenarios. If you are using a water based paint (latex / emulsion) add about 10% of another amazing new product called Floetrol. This will ensure a streak-free lovely even finish, especially on deep colours or vinyls, and it is also a dream in yellows, reds etc. Saves a coat or two also which is no harm work wise!
If you are applying an oil paint, add some Owatrol oil and this will ensure a really smooth, brush mark-free, rich finish making your work look like it was done by a pro. ESP, Owatrol Oil and Floetrol are available on our website or at main paint outlets.
I have two cane armchairs plus two matching footstools. There were painted green when we bought them some years ago. As they are very good quality and were quite expensive it would be out of the question to discard them. Could you please tell me if I could have them sprayed professionally to another colour - preferably something brown or is there some easy way I could do it myself?
There are a few companies who carry out spraying and you would find them on the Internet or in the Golden / Yellow Pages. On the other hand, if you are handy around the house and have a bit of time on your hands, you could do the job yourself. A bit messy perhaps, but no more so than other paint job. You will need some ESP wipe on smooth surface primer, plenty of cotton rags, about 2 litres of the colour you like in a n oil based gloss or satin look, a tin of Owatrol oil and a 2" paintbrush.
To prepare the cane, wash & rinse thoroughly and then following makers instructions carefully, apply the ESP with a (lint-free) rag and make sure you apply it to all areas you intend to apply the paint later. Just prepare one or two chairs at a time. You must wait at least two hours before you apply paint because the film of ESP has to cure first. When your chairs are prepared with ESP, stir in about 25% Owatrol oil into your first coat of paint and apply. The strong mix of oil aids the adhesion. Next day, or when the first coat has dried, apply another coat of the same paint, this time stirring in about 10% Owatrol oil into your paint. The oil added into your final coat will help the paint flow out to a lovely smooth finish.
ESP & Owatrol Oil are available on our website or at the better paint stockists.
I would like to paint the old tiles in my bathroom because they are up a long time and I’m fed up looking at them. I heard there is some way you can paint tiles and I would rather not have to go to the trouble and expense of putting in new tiles?
You heard correctly, there is a very easy way to paint ceramic tiles. All you have to do is give the whole area a good wash down with a 50:50 mixture of bleach and warm water. This will kill any ‘life forms’ lingering around in the grout or joints. If you don’t wash them like this, everything will probably be okay but, it is better to take that simple precaution. (as usual, take great care with bleach, it is nasty stuff in the wrong places such as clothes, eyes, skin etc). After you have done the above, rinse the area fully with plenty of clean warm water to remove all traces of the bleach.
When dry, get your tin of ESP assuming you have some. Pick up about 2.5 litres of oil based gloss of a colour you like, plus a half litre or one litre can of Owatrol Oil. Get a clean, lint-free cloth and apply the ESP all over the tiles including grouted areas, making sure you cover every single part. It’s best to work in strict patterns, or mask off of tiles to ensure you do not miss any area, which could easily happen, as ESP is colourless.
Leave it to dry & cure for about 2 hours at normal room temperature. Always read the label. After that, mix in about 10% or so Owatrol Oil into your gloss and apply. You will find that Owatrol added in, the gloss will flow out beautifully with no brush marks or streaks. Next day or so, when first coat is dry, apply another coat of gloss in the same manner, and you will, or should have, for all intents and purposes a whole new bathroom for only a few dollars with minimal effort.
Word of caution, oil paints take about a week to cure properly, so try and avoid using that area, especially showers as much as possible while the paint cures. Obviously, do not do what some people do, stick your finger nails into the paint to see if it has dried, or worse still, to see if it peels off !
ESP & Owatrol Oil are available on our website or at the better paint stockists.
We are moving to a new house that we’ve decided to paint ourselves, and are wondering if the new plaster on the walls and ceilings should be given a coat of primer or is there any products that you recommend for this. The house is 1,080 sq feet, 3 Bed. Would you have an estimate or a guide as to the amount of paint needed for the whole house?
This is optional - Two coats of Heat In A Can - Insulation Paint applied to the inside of your external walls or ceilings will make a noticeable difference in the comfort level of the room in which it is applied.
Two coats of emulsion over all the walls and ceilings would be considered standard practice. Your first coat of emulsion with Owatrol EB a stir in primer (for first coat only) will take care of the priming / first coat.
Irrespective of what colours you choose for the various walls, you could paint them white on the first coat together with the ceilings to make it easy on yourself. For best results, mask all edges you do not want paint on.. 2” tape works pretty good. Use drop cloths / old sheets etc on all floors to prevent mess.
Here’s a great tip: If there is a likelihood of posters etc being stuck with sellotape or the like to some of those painted walls at some future date, make sure that paint is stuck on real tight in the first instance. The best way to do this is to add in 25% E-B into your first coat of emulsion and this will make sure that paint will stay put, even after being pulled with tapes etc!
If you are going to stay with the paint choice, you will need about 5 buckets of good quality interior emulsion, 2 for the ceilings and the rest for the walls. Floetrol an emulsion paint conditioner (1 litre per 10 litre bucket) will ensure a lovely smooth, roller mark free job with minimum effort. You may get away with 4 buckets but better get enough. You might like to pick up a bunch of paint sample testers in a paint store and experiment with the colours before you make final choice.
If you are up to it, (in the case of a new build) you could hire an airless sprayer fitted with an emulsion tip for a day and spray all the ceilings and first coat on the walls. You should be able do it in about a quarter of the normal time it takes to roll. If you do this, just cover glass / wood etc to keep off overspray. Another option is invest in one of our latest HVLP paint sprayers. (E-Mail us for details)
You did not say how you plan to finish the doors etc, but assuming you are going to paint them, you will probably need about 5 litres of gloss, about 7.5 litres of undercoat / primer, box of filler like Polyfilla, 3 sheets each 80 & 120 grit sandpaper and a litre or so of Owatrol oil for the paint and undercoat.
Mix about 20% Owatrol into the undercoat and about 10 to 15% into second coat. This will help grip, hiding and finish. You may also need a litre of varnish for the door saddles and a reasonable selection of brushes, 1, 1.1/2, 2, 3” should do, but invest in good ones while you’re at it and don’t forget a can of white spirits and a bottle of OOPS! for clean up.
Good luck with your project. Many of the above mentioned products are available on our website & in all the better paint outlets.
We just moved into an old house which I’m told has distempered walls, what is the best way to re- paint them with the least amount of trouble?
Distemper is an old painting method long since done away with, but there is still some of it around and it can be a real pain in the neck to deal with. It will appear slightly soft and if you wipe your hand over it may be dusty or powdery and is useless for accepting new decoration. It must either be sealed or removed.
The easiest way to paint over that kind of surface is to use E-B as this will allow you paint directly on top of the distemper without having to remove it.
First vacuum or brush off whatever you can and then mix E-B into your first coat of emulsion at 2 parts paint to one part E-B assuming you are using emulsion. After mixing and applying, the E-B soaks into the distemper binding it together whilst at the same time holding the coat of paint on tightly on the outside. (Should you choose to use an oil based paint, mix about 40% Owatrol Oil into your first coat of oil paint) Owatrol E-B & Owatrol Oil are available on our website or at the better paint stockists.
The inside walls of our old summer house in Wexford, seem to bubble out and burst, and on other walls the plaster is being eaten away and flaking off in patches. The house has been checked for water leaks but none found, some people say the problem is caused by sea sand used in initial construction. Would you know of any ways to deal with the problem?
They could be right about the sand. I would suggest you scrape or brush off all the loose stuff and then apply a good heavy coat of Owatrol E-B which penetrates deep and binds the loose sandy particles together. If you want to have some colour on the wall, throw in about 25% emulsion into the E-B and it will colour the wall to some degree. If you want more emulsion / colour on top of that, apply it neat without E-B .
If you wish, try this suggestion on one area before going full hog. E-B is available from most good paint stores or via our website.
My problem is that paint always peels off the ceiling in a particular room only a couple of months after re-painting it. There is no dampness but yet it just flakes off, can you help?
This problem is very common on ceilings. It is the same problem more or less as exterior emulsions flaking off outside walls. There is a very simple solution to this.
Scrape and brush off all the peeling areas and take care to remove blisters and bubbles which have not yet burst so that you can get it down to a nice clean and tight surface. Fill and sand any cracks or holes with a spot of filler if necessary.
After that all you need to do is pick up a can of emulsion and some Owatrol E-B. Mix the Owatrol E-B into your emulsion at a ratio of 1 part Owatrol E-B to 4 parts emulsion which should be ample or if you want a really strong mix, increase that ratio to 1 part Owatrol E-B to 3 parts emulsion.
Take particular care not to use Owatrol E-B in your second coat. If, after you have applied your first coat of emulsion and Owatrol E-B mix, it still looks like it needs another coat; apply another coat of emulsion, but this time without E-B. If you have some of the emulsion and Owatrol E-B mix left over you can use it as a first coat somewhere else.
Better still, just mix up enough to do the ceiling in question, and keep the remaining E-B in the shed for another time. Should you wish to re-paint this time with an oil based paint, the preparation is the same, but instead of using Owatrol E-B , you mix in Owatrol Oil into your first coat of oil based paint at a ratio of 1 part Oil to 3 parts oil paint (undercoat). In this instance, you can add about 10% Owatrol to your finish coat to help it flow out and result in a better all round finish.
Owatrol E-B & Owatrol Oil are available on our website or at the better paint stockists.
