I have painted a number of rooms with emulsion, some silk, some matt using a roller. In the course of other work, the freshly painted surfaces have had a few minor knocks and scrapes which have taken the paint off back to the plaster in some cases, scraped the surface in others. How do I best repair these marks so they do not show once dry? If paint has been chipped off, do I need to use a filler and sand it flat? Will brush marks be visible? how about a mini roller?

Jon, January 2008

hi there

I spent much of my formative years as a decorator and i came across this problem many many times.

Filling in knocks is crucial a top brand filler is required Fill in and leave to harden -several days at least Dont overfill too much.The darker colours should be okay the light colours can be tricky (Accept that you may have to coat the whole wall again) Touch up patch with brush - feathering out over a small area gently This can be done also with a roller over a larger area.

For small scratches or bare patches ,several coats of paint will be needed Alternatively you can also use water based undercoat for good results(trust me on this) and coat with wall colour once dry

richard pagan, January 2008