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Handy Hints
Nick Lawrence - August 09
Painting a Wall!!
Exterior walls . . .
Brick and mortar, cement render,
pebble-dash and block-work to name but a few types.
Most need the same preparation.
If your wall has NOT been
painted before, you just need to brush off the dirt and chalky deposits with
a stiff brush (not wire) and scrapper, treat with fungicidal-wash any mouldy
areas and allow to dry.
If your wall HAS been painted
before you may have to remove all loose, flaky coatings brush down and treat
mould growth as above and allow to dry.
You need to repair any defects or
cracks with a suitable mix of cement and sand or exterior quality joint
sealer and once dry as per the manufacturers’ instructions you are ready to
paint.
Top Tips . . .
1. Always check the forecast
for dry conditions and stop applying paint before the temperature drops
below 10 degrees as drying time can extend over night in cold conditions and
rain will wash the paint off!
2. Before you start, wash down the old
surface with a pressure washer to remove the majority of unsound coatings,
dirt and mould in one go!
Nick Lawrence of Paper &
Pait Decorators is a Gold
Member of RH123 contact
details
Handy Hints
Nick Lawrence - Feb 09
Thermal insulation
At this time of year it is
important to do as much DIY insulation as possible. Simple things can make a
big difference to the warmth of your home.
Lagging should be checked on
heating pipes and hot water cylinders.
Loft insulation is a cost
effective way of improving heat retention.
Lining your outside walls as
you decorate is an economic option.
But most of all, seal up those
drafts.
Draft excluders are available
in an every increasing variety of styles and just replacing old, dried-out
foam type strips with new poly-carbonate squashy P strips can warm up a hall
and in turn the adjoining rooms.
Windows can have temporary
secondary films applied.
Loft hatches are notorious for
heat-loss unless sealed.
Ask yourself, are you managing
the warm air efficiently?.
Do you need to heat the hall
all day, when you only walk through it for a minute? Close doors to rooms
you don’t need to heat, and turn down the thermostat when you go out.
If in doubt, ask for advice.
The government have a great website at energysavingtrust.org.uk or your
local DIY or hardware store can help.
Nick Lawrence of Paper &
Paint Decorating is a Gold
Member of RH123 contact
details
Handy Hints
Nick Lawrence - Dec 08
Manufacturers’
recommendations
We have all heard the free
advice, ‘Naagh, you don’t need to do that – just slap on a couple of coats
of this stuff.'
And we’ve also heard the
stories of, ‘Well, the job went from bad to worse. It all came off and we
had to start again’.
All decorating jobs around the
house require different approaches.
This is why it is never a
waste of time reading the manufacturers’ recommendations.
They always start with,
‘Remove flaky or unsound material and clean off any greasy, dusty or dirty
residues’.
The manufacturers want you to
get the best results possible from their products. This is why they give you
all the information you need to get the right paint for your job.
Most importantly, respect the
drying times. If it says two hours to touch dry and six hours to recoat
time, DO NOT second coat in two hours. The paint underneath will still be
sticky and could come away on the roller or craze and wrinkle if you’re
glossing.
Drying times are specified at
normal temperatures (10degs – 25degs). At this time of year drying times can
be doubled or even remain wet over cold nights and be spoiled by morning
dews.
Preparation is the key to
success. Without it any job can go horribly wrong.
If in doubt, ask for advice
from the sales staff.
Nick Lawrence of Paper &
Paint Decorating is a Gold
Member of RH123 contact
details
Handy Hints
from
Nick Lawrence
July 2008
Don’t hurt yourself with that
paint brush!
The Health and Safety
Executive website list 360 fatalities and major injuries in painting and
decorating in 2000/2001. These professionals had all their Personal
Protection Equipment and the latest legislation to ensure safe working
practices. In the domestic market, we must take even more care when
decorating.
Some important things to
consider are:
OVER REACHING: a very common
cause of falling from ladders and stepladders. Move the ladder rather than
reach that last bit.
LIFTING: just moving that 5ltr
tin of paint out of the way or unloading the wallpaper from the car is an
easy way to cause back injuries.
VENTILATION: easy this time of
year, you can just open a window. But overnight, the solvents in some
oil-based paints can build up and affect people with breathing problems such
as asthma or bring on migraines.
And most important of all,
RISK ASSESSMENT: anything from
trip hazards such as loose dust sheets or cables to leaving the lid off
hazardous materials like white spirit. Climbing dodgy step ladders or
slipping on wet off-cuts of wallpaper.
Remember, ‘Always look for the
danger, before it comes looking for you!’
Safe decorating.
Nick Lawrence of is a Gold
Member of RH123 contact
details
Handy Hints
from
Richard Houghton
May 2008
Exterior Painting – follow
these useful tips and you will have ‘nothing to worry about!’
Certainly the Summer is the
best time, but our English weather can turn any day wet and cold, so . . .
Plan Ahead – keep undercover
work in porches and under deep soffits (the bits that go under the roof
edge!) etc. until the rain comes.
Use modern Quick Drying paints
– All aspects of exterior painting can be carried out with acrylic
(water-based) versions of paint and varnish. This will help finish a job in
‘one go’ because you can prime, undercoat and topcoat with as little as 30
minutes between coats on a warm day. (The front Door should be painted with
proper oil-based gloss for the best finish)
Be prepared to make some
repairs before painting – window putty often breaks up with age and gaps and
holes should be filled for a lasting finish. (Tip – always use fresh new
putty – work it in your hands to soften up and apply with a smooth, polished
blade of a filling knife or proper putty knife)
Be Clever! – Sometimes
exterior paintwork just needs a good wash down (and a little touching-in)
Get some Help – You could do
the easy (low) parts yourself at your own pace, then employ a decorator to
do the hard (high) parts.
Call one of the RH123 painters
(Richard or Nick) if you need any advice about the above.
Richard Houghton of is a Gold
Member of RH123 contact
details
Handy Hints
from
Nick Lawrence
March 2008
Did you know there is an ideal order in which to paint the sections of a
door . . ? Use these tips to achieve a professional finish.
Preparation: Remove
door handles and use a wedge to hold door still. Keep the handle on the
inside of the room just incase the door closes. Lightly sand off any bits
and old gloss surface with 150grade sandpaper. Fill and sand any dents,
scratches and large chips. And wash and key the surface with sugarsoap and a
fine sponge block and allow to dry.
Flat doors: Apply paint
in three or four sections across the door (a mini roller is good for this)
and finish each section with vertical light brush strokes.
Panelled doors: Start
with the 'moldings' or edges of the panels, then the flat of the panels again
finishing with light vertical brushstrokes. Then the 'muntins' or vertical
pieces between the panels, followed by the horizontal cross rails and then
the vertical outer 'stiles' and finally the edges of the door.
Depending on the previous
colour, the quality of the paint and whether it is water-based or oil-based
paint, the door may require undercoat or a second coat when dry. The frame
should be painted separately to avoid contact whilst working on the door
faces.
Happy painting!
Nick Lawrence of Paper &
Paint Decorating is a Gold
Member of RH123 contact
details
Handy Hints
from
Richard Houghton
January 2008
The success of redecorating
could rely on attention to some of the smaller jobs – in fact, you can give
a room a ‘makeover’ by just working on simple and easy detailing!
For a very quick improvement
in any area of the house (after you have ‘de-cluttered’ of course!), check
that your lighting is appropriate and all in working order. New lampshades
and bulbs are an inexpensive and simple change. The same is true of your
door and cupboard handles which can make the doors look new again! (make
sure the new ones cover any marks left by the old ones). Now check the light
switches and sockets – are they grubby or covered with old paint? If so,
turn off the power and give then a clean! What about the windows? Make sure
clear glass IS clear and carefully scrape off any old paint.
It’s great to be able to
repaint the whole room if time and money allow, but just touching-in the
paint chips will always help (I suggest buying a small tin of acrylic
(water-based) paint so you can re-coat quickly and have dry paint in a few
minutes). The same goes for the front door – touch-in the paintwork and
perhaps re-do the whole sill with a fast-drying varnish or paint – simple
and effective!
Finally, a decorating tip
– gaps that can appear between skirtings, frames and from walls to ceilings
can look really unsightly. For a quick fix, invest in a mastic gun and a
tube of acrylic mastic and fill them. Not too difficult or expensive, but a
detail that can really make the difference.
The success of redecorating
could rely on attention to some of the smaller jobs – in fact, you can give
a room a ‘makeover’ by just working on simple and easy detailing!
Call one of the RH123 painters
(Richard or Nick) if you need any advice about the above ideas.
Richard Houghton of is a Gold
Member of RH123 contact
details
Handy Hints
from
Nick Lawrence
November 2007
Knowing where to start
wallpapering in a room is a tricky decision. In a corner, on the chimney
breast, next to a door or beside a window?
Should you from left to right
or vice versa? All of these help you plan your wallpapering and a minutes
spent deciding is time well spent. If your are right handed, working from
right to left should be easier but not always. You should measure and mark
your widths around the walls and adjust them to avoid leaving small strips
or adjust them to centralise a bold pattern on a chimney breast.
Finally, you should predict
the amount of drops, including the pattern repeat and check you have ordered
enough rolls plus one for mistakes. After-all, we are all human, and trying
to order another roll of the same batch number can waste time, while you
wait for it to come in.
All of this can only be done
once you have chosen your wallpaper. Changing your mind at the last minute
will require all this to be done again. With all this done, wallpapering is
the easy bit and your next job should go smoothly.
Nick Lawrence of Paper &
Paint Decorating is a Gold
Member of RH123 contact
details
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