Selleys Ask an Expert: Painting Tips for Your Home

Painting questions: what Selleys products go under, around and over paint

Check the Liquid Nails Landscape specification

Selleys' product page and its dated technical sheet disagree on Landscape's chemistry, colour, paintability and pack size. Landscape figures below from the November 2020 technical sheet describe that document, not a confirmed specification for every current cartridge. Confirm the matching instructions before painting, choosing a colour, or relying on cure and loading times. See the source comparison and dated documents.

Most painting questions that reach Selleys are not really about paint. They are about the things that sit underneath it — the cleaner you used on the wall, the filler in the gap above the skirting, the adhesive holding a panel on — and whether the paint will behave over the top of them. This section collects those questions.

Three principles cover nearly all of it, and they are worth stating before the individual answers.

1. Silicone-based products are never paintable

This is the hard line in the Selleys range. Every silicone sealant data sheet carries the same limitation: not paintable — complete painting seven days prior to applying sealant. That applies to No Mould, Wet Area Silicone, Roof & Gutter Silicone and Brick & Concrete Silicone alike.

The same rule catches two adhesives that people do not expect. Liquid Nails Landscape and Liquid Nails Mirror, Metal & Glass are both neutral cure silicone products, and both list "cannot be painted over" as a limitation. The rest of the Liquid Nails range can be painted. For Landscape, confirm the specification for your cartridge: the manufacturer sources disagree.

The practical consequence: sequence the job. Paint first, seal second. If you seal first and then decide to paint, the only fix is to cut the sealant out.

2. Water-based fillers are paintable, but the paint type sets the timing

The No More Gaps range is designed to be painted, and the published paint-over times differ enormously depending on the sheen level. For No More Gaps Interior Multipurpose:

Semi-gloss	0 minutes
Gloss	10 minutes
Low sheen	10 minutes
Flat	100 minutes
Ceiling	120 minutes

Flat and ceiling paints are highly filled and contain less binder, so the dried film flexes less and cracks more readily as the filler beneath it finishes drying. Oil-based paints need 24 to 48 hours over any of the No More Gaps products.

The other half of avoiding paint cracking is gap size. Both No More Gaps Interior Multipurpose and No More Gaps Exterior specify a maximum of 10mm wide by 5mm deep, because a deeper bead shrinks more as it dries and takes the paint film with it.

3. Preparation decides the finish more than the product does

Selleys Original Sugar Soap is a professional strength cleaner for walls and ceilings before painting and wallpapering. When you are repainting, it does not need to be rinsed off, though wiping over with a clean damp cloth as you go is still good practice on badly soiled surfaces. When you are cleaning without painting afterwards, it should always be rinsed. And it must be wiped off aluminium and brass immediately.

The full answer is in is it necessary to rinse sugar soap.

Questions answered in this section

• Can Liquid Nails be painted over?
• Can you paint over Liquid Nails Clear?
• What to use to fill the gap between a cornice and a wall
• Is it necessary to rinse off sugar soap?
• Preparing ceilings for painting

Safety: the preparation step is the Danger-classified one

Of everything named in this section, the product carrying the most serious classification is not a sealant or an adhesive. It is the cleaner in principle 3.

Selleys Original Sugar Soap is classified as hazardous with the signal word Danger, in one class: serious eye damage Category 1, H318, causes serious eye damage. That is the top rung for eyes. It is not irritation that passes — the product's own first aid states it can cause corneal burns, and the response is irrigation for 15 minutes with the eyelids held open followed by urgent medical assistance.

What that means for wall and ceiling preparation. The classification belongs to the concentrate, not to the bucket — the recommended dilution is half a cup into 5 litres. So the exposures to manage are the moments you handle the neat product: measuring and pouring it, and applying it neat with a sponge to stubborn marks. Wear eye protection for both.

Ceilings are the other one. Washing a ceiling before painting means a wet cloth held above your head and an upturned face, which is the geometry that delivers cleaner straight to an eye. With a Category 1 eye hazard on the concentrate, eye protection overhead is not optional even at bucket strength.

Note that this page's answer about rinsing — that Sugar Soap does not need to be rinsed off when you are repainting — is a paint-adhesion answer, not a safety one. It says nothing about the solution while it is on your cloth and in the air, and the page already notes that you should always rinse when you are cleaning without painting afterwards.

The rest of the products in this section sit well below that. No More Gaps Interior Multipurpose is not classified as hazardous at all — no signal word, no hazard statements. No More Gaps Exterior carries Warning and H317 (may cause an allergic skin reaction), and 655FC carries Warning with H317 and H319. H317 is skin sensitisation rather than irritation: permanent once acquired, and built up by repeated casual contact, which is exactly what smoothing a bead with a bare wet finger amounts to job after job. Tool with a spatula or a gloved finger and the whole of that risk goes away.

Gloves and eye protection throughout, and do not eat, drink or smoke while working. Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand.

Common painting questions

Can I paint over silicone sealant?

No. Every Selleys silicone carries the same limitation — painting must be completed seven days before the sealant is applied.

Which Liquid Nails products cannot be painted?

Liquid Nails Landscape and Liquid Nails Mirror, Metal & Glass, because both are neutral cure silicone based. The others in the range can be painted over. For Landscape, confirm the specification for your cartridge: the manufacturer sources disagree.

How long should I leave an adhesive before painting it?

Give Liquid Nails Adhesive at least 24 hours to cure. Painting too soon can interfere with the curing process and leave the bond weaker.

Do I have to rinse sugar soap before painting?

Not when you are repainting the surface — but wipe over with a clean damp cloth if the surface was heavily soiled, and let the wall dry completely before paint goes on.

Why did the paint crack over my filled gap?

Usually the gap was deeper than 5mm, the paint was flat or ceiling paint applied too soon, or it was laid on too thickly. All three are covered by the paint-over guidance above.

Can I paint over a clear sealant?

Selleys 655FC is paintable with water-based paints once cured; for a solvent-based paint you must apply a water-based paint first as a primer.

What about painting bare exterior timber before filling?

For maximum durability on bare exterior surfaces, apply a coat of acrylic paint and let it dry before applying No More Gaps Exterior, then paint over with a quality exterior paint.

Is there a guide to preparing walls?

Yes — how to prepare your walls for painting.