An overwhelming variety of paints are now available on the market. Even when considering a white interior emulsion from a single manufacturer the options can be extremely confusing, with little guidance in a concise form on any website I could find. One such dilemma is the choice between Dulux Trade Matt Emulsion.
A quick look around will confirm the options:
Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt (or as one customer called it, Vinly Slick)
Dulux Trade Supermatt
Dulux Trade Diamond Matt
There is also the non trade line but I will not bother with those as this question would most likely arise in the trades. So here goes:
Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt: Is called so because it has plastics added to increase durability, especially when surface is wiped down and cleaned in the future. Although it is not completely resistant, it will take a bit more abuse that a non vinyl paint. Extremely good opacity.
Dulux Trade Supermatt: This is paint that has the new build in mind, or at least new plaster. This paint can be applied to plaster which is still drying. Reason Heat Transfer Vinyl Trade Sizes being, there is no vinyl quality to this paint, no plastic so to speak. Therefore it remains more porous and the plaster can continue to breath beneath.
Dulux Trade Diamond Matt: The tough one of the bunch! Have kids and painting the hallway walls? This is the one for you, advertised as being 10x tougher. I can believe it when I use it. You really feel like you are painting on a layer of vinyl. Although credit to Dulux, it goes on well and you certainly would not know.
So here is a scenario to highlight the differences: You are doing a job and its a hallway, stairs and landing. The plasterers have just finished. The chippy has been in to hang all the doors, fit skirting board and architrave etc.
Firstly you paint all the bare plaster (ceiling and walls), in Supermatt, mixed to a proportion of water. This would be more that 30% but not more than 50% depending mostly on preference. I would say that over 30% is fairly safe, as in it will soak into the plaster rather than create a layer which will just peel off. Especially important to use the Supermatt where plaster has not quite dried, due to the porous qualities mentioned earlier. We can use Supermatt or Vinyl Matt for the last two coats on the ceiling, some recommend a final coat of the Vinyl.
We then paint all the walls with one coat of Vinyl Matt. This give a great opacity and covers very well. Then a second coat where we want to finish with this paint.
The customer has specified that she has a dog and three children, they want the very best for their new home and are looking for durability, they dont want to be calling you back to touch up in 6 months because all the walls in the immediate hallway are dirty and the paint is worn where it has been wiped down so mny times. So we apply Diamond Matt on the two walls in the hallway and continue the up the stairs.
This is just an example to delineate the different qualities of the paints. Hope this provides a basic understanding of the differences. The Dulux site has extensive information on these paints but no comparative data.
Are you holding on to a box of old vinyl records? Do you have an antique turntable just collecting dust? It can be hard to let go of items that created wonderful memories for us. Vinyls remind us of a time when life was much easier. You don't have to toss your favorite vintage items in the trash. Keep those old memories alive by considering some different options.
It can be a great idea to hold on to old vinyl records and record players. The industry is seeing a rise in vinyl album sales. Many new artists are releasing records on vinyl as well as in digital format. New young music fans are getting a chance to see what vinyl is all about. Aside from new, young music listeners, there is an entire world of collectors buying, selling, and trading vinyl albums at high prices. If you don't mind getting rid of your collection, find out if you can make some money off of everything. You may just have a record that is a collector's item.
If you listen to songs today, you know what you get with digital music. While the invention of digital downloading has made buying and finding music much easier, the sound quality of this product is poor. Nothing sounds as nice as vinyl. If you still listen to music, you may want to consider holding on to a VPI record cleaner or VPI turntables. With new musicians releasing albums on vinyl, you don't have to deal with digital at all. Not to mention, you need a player to still enjoy those old Neil Young vinyl albums you have in your garage.
You should also consider passing down your vintage vinyl to a younger generation. Your grandkids or niece and nephew will probably think your collection is neat. This can be totally appreciated by a loved one. You can pass down the memories that you made with them, and give them a way to have their own. These collections can be passed down for generations to come. A young music lover will love this special gift.
Don't just toss out those antique vinyl records. Think over all the variety of things you can do with them. You can make some dollars, pass them down to your family, or simply keep them to listen to yourself. These belongings will always carry your favorite memories of a time when things were much simpler.