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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.
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.
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.
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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