Mixing paints.

[Wizpod.]

The community gardeners group I belong to have just signed a lease to take over a small council park.
On the park are four VERY old benches made of concrete and wood. We plan to brighten up the benches by painting them.

Inspired by a garden we saw at Gardeners World Live.........well done Ace.........we plan to paint the benches with different shades of colour, but finances are none existant so it would be a case of buying white paint and adding a colour paint in stages to get the different shades.

Do we need to use any special paint ?
Can we just use external paint and add gloss to it ?

Thanks in advance for any helpful replies.

[Wizpod.]

[ACE]

White base coat of any good plasic emulsion, then small match pots of exterior satin emulsions of the shades you want. These paints are wipe clean and reasonably hard wearing and comes in loads of colours. Pink/purple colours fade very quickly but orange/yellow seem to last. Blues and greens last the longest but look like a council painted job. That is why most council stuff is painted green.

If you have only got interior emulsion, varnish them over with clear matt varnish.

[ancellsfarmer]

If its a "charitable" act, why not try and get some donation from your local paint sellers. Any stockist of a paint mixing system will get "missmatches"on qccasion. Also most paint manufacturers change out slowselling colours to make room for the next great thing,normally in August.  Perhaps, in exchange for some free publicity in the local press, the dealer may just give you some product. If you don't ask, you don't get!

[Wizpod.]

Thanks both for your helpful replies.
I'll follow Ace's advice for the benches and ancellsfarmer's suggestion for the big paint job next month.