Tikkurila Anti-reflex is a very dull matt emulsion. Used mostly in white or pale colours on interior ceilings, it is ideal for areas with a lot of natural light. Touch dry in an hour, the recoat time for this paint is 2 – 4 hours depending on conditions. You can apply Anti-Reflex via brush, roller, or airless sprayer. I hope you enjoy my Tikkurila Anti-Reflex 2 review.
Tikkurila Anti-Reflex 2 is a Strange Product
I’ll be honest, this product takes a little bit of getting used to. Let’s start with the opacity, or as some decorators wrongly call it, “coverage”. If you are hoping to get away with one coat over the top of an existing white emulsion, then you can think again!! Even if you are recoating a ceiling which is already a solid white, you will have to apply two full coats of Tikkurila Anti-Reflex to reach your desired finish.
It’s strange stuff too, you can spray three coats of Anti-reflex onto a ceiling or wall until its solid, then if you want to go the whole hog and apply an additional coat via brush and roller, it doesn’t look solid anymore?! How does that happen?! It takes two coats to cover something that it’s already covered??? Witchcraft is you ask me! Black magic right there!! The most important tip I could give you, get plenty on!! Hell, it’s cheap enough. Load that brush and use a long pile roller. Get it on with a spade if you can!
Too Harsh??
Let’s look at some of the issues with a lot of white emulsion paints, especially when coating large, light sensitive ceilings. That’s right, picture framing and roller marks… And I know what you’re going to say, “a good decorator can get a good finish with anything”. Well you’re probably right, but that’s because a good decorator can identify a pitfall before it happens and work to avoid it.
Believe me when I say I have used a lot of different products and nothing I have tried avoids picture framing as well as Tikkurila anti-reflex. Anti-reflex leaves a very dull matt finish and because it doesn’t reflect a lot of light, it hides a multiple of sins.
I’d go a little bit further to be honest, I know Mrs. Jones has it in her head a “BRILLIANT WHITE FINISH” is what her kitchen ceiling longs for, but she’s wrong! The anti-reflex may be dull, but it leaves a rich luxurious finish which is exactly what Mrs. Jones SHOULD be using on her kitchen ceiling.
Did Someone say KITCHEN ceiling??
Well yeah, and here’s another reason Mrs. Jones should use a bit of the old Tikkurila on her kitchen ceiling… Because it’s a durable matt!! Yes, a contract matt that doubles up as a durable!! Don’t get too carried away, if you scrub at this stuff, you’ll leave shiny cloth marks in an otherwise sea of dullness. But you will have a completely waterproof coating which is resistant to nasty grease, steam and other pollutants. I have no qualms using this CONTRACT MATT in someone’s bathroom or kitchen.
Spraying Tikkurila Anti-Reflex
I love spraying, I do loads of it. It’s all good until you’re spraying a big, badly plastered ceiling. You must have had it, your finish is as smooth as glass, but you still get shadows due to the unevenness of the plater work, making it look patchy. Or worse still, your tip is on its way out and you’re getting track marks!! Believe me when I say, there is nothing more enjoyable to spray than anti-reflex!! More so when spraying than with brush and roller because you’re not knocked by the opacity issue as much! After all, it only takes 5 minutes to throw an extra coat at a ceiling once you’re all tapes up. Track marks are hidden (not that I suffer from such a fate), and shadowing is minimal.
Is Tikkurila Anti-Reflex Pricey??
Well you get what you pay for basically! We’re talking about a durable emulsion which performs and looks better than anything else on the market. I go through absolutely loads of the stuff!! I buy twenty buckets at a time maybe once a month and it’s pretty much all I use on ceilings and even mist coating. I can see why it was voted the The best Emulsion to use on ceilings on the Decorators Forum UK. You can now buy Tikkurila Anti-Reflex online from the Tikkurila website
Summary
Tikkurila Anti-Reflex 2 Review - Decorator's forum UK
Tikkurila Anti Reflex is a low sheen matt emulsion used mostly on interior ceilings.
Product Brand: Tikkurila UK
4
Pros
- Amazing finish.
- Easy to use.
- No flashing or roller marks.
- Sprays well.
- Was voted “the best emulsion for a ceiling” by Decorators.
Cons
- Poor opacity often leads to additional coats.
- Expensive.
The Best Tools to Apply Tikkurila Anti-Reflex
As mentioned earlier in my review, you need to apply Tikkurila Anti-Reflex in generously thick coats for it to be effective. To that end, choosing the right brush and roller will make all the difference. You need a long-pile roller, and a brush that holds and distributes loads of material.
The best paint roller to apply Tikkurila Anti-Reflex is Purdy Colossus. Using one of these will make a huge difference to application and finish. Click here to see online prices
As for the brush, I’d go for Purdy again. This time, it’s the Monarch Elite XL. This is quite an expensive paintbrush, but you’ll find it perfect for this type of material. Click here to see online prices.
FAQs
Can Tikkurila Anti Reflex 2 be used on walls?
It certainly can. In fact, I love using it on walls. I can remember working on a big posh house that was white all the way through with big stone features. I think the last Decorators had used cheap contract matt previously.
The difference using Tikkurila anti-Reflex made was night and day. It looked absolutely stunning on the walls.
Can you spray Tikkurila paint?
Most Tikkurila paint products are designed so they can be sprayed. That goes for Helmi, Finguard, Intact, Anti-Reflex, the list goes on. Products like these are easy to work with when spraying.
Is Tikkurila Anti Reflex good for open-plan rooms?
Anti-Reflex is perfect for open plan rooms, or rooms with critical lighting. This is because less light bounces off a surface painted with Anti-Reflex, so you see less defects.
What do Other Decorators Think?
Tikkurila Anti-Reflex is the best white matt emulsion for ceilings by a country mile!! It doesn’t go very far and you always need to apply a second coat, but the finish is awesome!! No roller marks or picture framing at all. They tint it to light colours now, so you can even use it on walls as a normal emulsion, although Optiva 3 is pretty hard to beat.
Tikkurila Anti Reflex is good stuff. The only paint I have found that beats it on large ceilings is Johnstone’s perfect matt, but that’s twice the price and more!! I use Tikkurila on almost every job now.
Yes, it is good, but the opacity lets it down a bit. It doesn’t go very far either, so even though it’s cheap, you end up buying more of it. I still rate Anti-Reflex, but it isn’t as good as some decorators make out.
Tikkurila Anti-Reflex has been the best ceiling paint for about 5 years now. I know it takes a few coats to cover, but nothing comes close in terms of overall finish. Even ceilings with bad plastering come up looking lovely. Plus, it sprays well, and it’s waterproof. I use it in bathrooms and have never had any issues.
I know you can get it tinted now, but I’ve always used it in white. I bet it’s just as good in pale colours.
I totally agree, I struggled to find a fantastic ceiling paint ,then I kept seeing comments on this forum about how great it was, I managed to find a stockist (Glasgow) and it’s all I use, I brush and roll and I think I get a finish that looks like it has been sprayed, đź‘Ť
Great review totally agree it’s the best white ceiling paint that I used, I work on loads of old properties two coats of anti-reflex’s outshone all the other whites by a mile
My local company stocks Tickerilla in Milton Keynes
Kent Blaxill Decorating Centre
Unit 17 Erica Road, Stacey Bushes Trading Centre, Milton Keynes MK12 6HS
4.9 29 reviews they seem to be opening new shops every now and again they have sixteen branches throughout Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and South Leicestershire they deliver free a fair distance if you order over ÂŁ100 worth of paint worth giving them a call if you need a stockist of Tikerila
I have just been introduced to it and it really is good once you get used to it
AR2 is all I use for ceilings, specially the bigger ones with critical light.
It’s got a deep lustre to it.
Superb product at a more than reasonable price. I even get colours mixed to it ( light bases only) it’s that good.
I’ve used it for Mist, top coat and spraying I like it, I rolled a ceiling that was in white and it covered in one, so much better than Dulux, crown, Albany and so on, also less over spray, I
would like to try the Johnstone flat Matt that that every one is raving about but it’s expensive
The best paint I have ever used and I have used a lot of named brands in my time the finish is unbelievable depending on the condition of the ceiling you are painting 2coats maybe required 10 out of 10 great paint
can you paint over this with a vinyl Matt afterwards or any other paint?
Brilliant review! Going to get some
I use tikkurilla primer on new plaster but in the review it says that you can use Ar2 as a mist coat. So.. how much would you thin the ar2 down by when mist coating?
I was told it cant be used as a mist coat.
Hello
Does this paint look brilliant white or off-white on the ceiling?
Hi,
It isn’t what you’d call “brilliant white” at all. It is a very dull matt
I’ve used them all it’s good but Johnstone perfect Matt is my choice for perfect ceiling emulsion and the Johnstone durable Matt is amazing to doesn’t flash I was amazed when I first used it but only downside is the cost £60 plus vat for perfect Matt 10 ltrs
Hi
Can I ask if you can use this directly onto a mist coat of contract matt which I used on skimmed plaster, or will I need to thin the first coat and normal 2nd coat or do I need a specialist primer first. I love this paint but have only used on previous painted ceilings, I am getting jittery as I keep reading that you cannot paint onto contract matt because it is too porous
How much do other folk dilute,for normal use,?
I struggled to get this paint moving as it was too thick but told not to dilute more than 5%
It’s good paint but until it’s thinned down a bit,it’s a struggle.
Any advice on dilution please?
I have to agree with Andy, this is the worst paint to apply that I have used in a long time. Yes it does dry to a very matt white as claimed, but the workability is terrible. I struggled to keep a wet edge at all, ever. Its so thick its like painting glue (OK so I was also using BM Ben on the same job which has to be the nicest paint to use) – I could roll on a line and even on my way back over the first stripe it wouldn’t flatten out at the edge.
Hard work and much rolling got it down but its left a sandpaper like surface as the roller stipples did not flatten out at all. second half of the job I diluted by 10% and that went on a lot better. I will be sanding it back today and working at 10% dilution, hopefully to get a better result this time!
Just put a little splash of water in it. AR2 fies on