Back in the day, people automatically opted for gloss paint when painting wood around the home. Doors, skirting boards, door frames, bannisters – they all got the same treatment. These days, the typical homeowner or professional painter and decorator has a few more options to choose from. Let’s take a look at each of them … Read more
In this article, we’ll be looking at the best ways to clean paintbrushes after you’ve spent hours painting skirting boards, painting interior doors and generally sprucing up your home. A good quality paintbrush will last many decorating jobs and will help you achieve a high-quality finish. So it makes good financial sense to take care … Read more
From this guide, you’ll learn how to wallpaper a room. We’ll look at the whole process from start to finish and provide you with some top tips to make everything go as smoothly as possible. As with most things DIY, good preparation is key to doing a great job. So be prepared to spend a … Read more
Get ready to dive into this detailed guide to plastering for beginners by somebody who does it every day! Through my whole experience as a plasterer, I’ve always been lucky to work with people who knew what they were doing. I’ve been shown the right plastering tools to use, the correct ways to prepare a … Read more
You’ll be pleased to know painting skirting boards isn’t a difficult job. However, it’s one of those jobs most people don’t enjoy. Mostly because it involves lots of crouching and crawling around the floor. There’s more to this everyday DIY job than applying paint, so let’s start by looking at the prep work and what … Read more
Tastes change over time, so it is not surprising that the decor in our homes is constantly evolving. The trend for ultra-modern surroundings is not everyone’s cup of tea, but even in those rooms you will see twists on modern decor. I am referring to the one wall that people choose to wallpaper to make … Read more
Over time the interior doors of your home will start looking a bit grubby and worse for wear. This is especially true if you have little ones running around all day. If money is flush and you fancy a change, you could invest in new doors from a local builders merchant or online from a … Read more
If you find yourself involved in a home improvement project such as hanging drywall, painting or wallpapering a room, having the proper plastering tools is essential. Fortunately, all of these items are available at your local hardware store or online. Let’s take a look at the plastering tools you need. You might like: Plastering for … Read more
In this article, I’ll explain how to hang lining paper to hide hairline cracks and other marks on interior plastered walls. Once the job’s done, you should have a nice smooth wall ready for painting or wallpapering. (If you’ve never plastered a wall before and want to try it, read this guide on plastering for … Read more
Should you discover cracks or patches of loose plaster on the internal walls of your home (usually found when you redecorate), you will have to repair the walls before painting or wallpapering. Small cracks can be repaired using an appropriate flexible filler (like the Ronseal one below), then sanded to a smooth finish. Larger patches of damaged … Read more
Here’s a quick guide to the different types of plaster you typically use for home DIY jobs. You should be able to buy each of these from your local DIY store. Browning Used as a base coat on walls, brickwork, block work, breeze block and plasterboard. A 25kg bag will cover approximately 3-3.5 square metres … Read more
In this article, we’ll be looking at how to prepare interior woodwork for painting. You can use the methods described on skirting boards, window sills, architraves, bannisters, rails, doors etc. Good preparation is key when you’re painting interior woodwork. It’s worth spending more time on this part of the process than you think you need … Read more
Wallpaper rolls typically measure 33′ (10m) long and 21″ (535mm) wide. If the room you’re decorating has a ceiling height of 9′ (2760mm) you’ll get three drops of wallpaper per roll. Allow a few inches per cut length for trimming the top and bottom off each strip. Allow more if the wallpaper has a large pattern … Read more
Welcome to my comprehensive list of all the home decorating equipment and tools you need to keep your house or flat looking smart and presentable. Under the umbrella term ‘home decorating’ I include painting, wallpapering and ongoing cosmetic maintenance. You can buy cheap versions of all this equipment from markets, hardware shops and online. But … Read more
First of all, you will have to decide on a suitable height for the dado rail. It doesn’t want to be either too high or too low. For example, on a recent project the dado rail was fitted at a height of 37 1/2″ (950mm) to the top edge with a room ceiling height of 116 1/2″ (2450mm). When you … Read more
