Toxic and dangerous. Two words that describe some of the ingredients present in modern paints. They’re bad for human health and damaging to the environment. The ingredients that give paint its colour often contain cadmium, chromium and lead. Binders, which hold the paint together, can contain what are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This is a category of elements that includes … [Read more...] about Eco-Friendly Paints for a Sustainable Future
Painting & Decorating
How to Wallpaper a Room Step-by-Step
So, you want to know how to wallpaper a room? This step-by-step guide will help you. 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 to great job. How to calculate how much wallpaper you need to decorate a room Wallpaper rolls typically measure … [Read more...] about How to Wallpaper a Room Step-by-Step
Plastering for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started
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 job, and more importantly, I’ve been shown how to put the plaster onto the wall! But what do you do if you're new to plastering or DIY and have no one to show you how to plaster a wall? What … [Read more...] about Plastering for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started
How to Paint Skirting Boards
Painting skirting boards isn’t difficult. But it’s one of those essential jobs most people don’t enjoy because it involves lots of crouching and crawling around the floor. Typically, there are two scenarios - painting new skirting boards or repainting your existing skirting boards. If you’re painting new skirting boards, it’s better to do it before fixing them to the wall. You’ll need … [Read more...] about How to Paint Skirting Boards
How to Choose the Best Paintbrush for the Job
Struggling to find the right paint colour? Wait until you look at the brushes... When you start preparing to paint a room you’d be forgiven for thinking that the difficult choice is in which colour to go for. In fact, choosing the right tool for the job may completely change the finish and quality of your job. DIYDirect has given us ‘trade secrets’ from a painter-decorator to help you know … [Read more...] about How to Choose the Best Paintbrush for the Job
The DIY Guide to Wallpapering Feature Walls
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 it stand out from the rest and add some interest to what would otherwise be a very dull … [Read more...] about The DIY Guide to Wallpapering Feature Walls
Essential Tips for the Novice Painter/Decorator
Every couple of years a room in our home will need decorating. Wise people realise they are making a rod for their own back by decorating the entire house in one go; it will all need decorating at the same time later on. Decorate one room every year or two, and you can keep up. It is likely to be an expensive business too, for those who have never attempted to take on the project themselves, … [Read more...] about Essential Tips for the Novice Painter/Decorator
How to Paint Interior Doors Like a Professional
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 company like Blacketts Doors. If your budget won't stretch that far, the next best option is to paint the … [Read more...] about How to Paint Interior Doors Like a Professional
How to Paint Exterior Walls
Have your exterior walls seen better days? Do you want to do something about it and make them look as good as new? If so, then check out this guide on how to paint exterior walls. When to coat your walls It is always best to undertake this work in early autumn or any time in spring, as the walls will be dry but there won’t be so much heat from the sun to hamper your efforts. You … [Read more...] about How to Paint Exterior Walls
10 Tips for Painting Walls and Ceilings Like a Pro
Painting might seem simple at first glance, but the tradesmen who have mastered it have plenty of secrets for improving efficiency while getting fantastic results. The top 10 tips for everything from preparation to completion are covered here so you can finish your project more easily without sacrificing quality. Image by Ryan Doka from Pixabay 1. To maintain a consistent texture, roll paint … [Read more...] about 10 Tips for Painting Walls and Ceilings Like a Pro
Plastering – The Tools you Need to get the Job Done
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. Plastering trowel A trowel is an important plastering tool that allows you to smooth … [Read more...] about Plastering – The Tools you Need to get the Job Done
How to Hang Lining Paper Before Wallpapering
The way you hang lining paper is really down to your own personal choice. Lining paper can be hung horizontally so that there is no risk of the joints lining up with your wallpaper joints, I prefer to hang the lining paper vertically as it is much easier to do and have never had a problem with the two sets of joints in the lining paper and wallpaper overlapping, they are usually a slightly … [Read more...] about How to Hang Lining Paper Before Wallpapering
A Guide to Using Lining Paper to Achieve the Same Finish as a Newly Plastered Wall
In this article, we're going to look at how you can use lining paper to achieve the same finish as a newly plastered wall. Doing this removes the cost and mess associated with hiring a plasterer or doing it yourself. If you've never plastered before and want to try it out, read our guide on plastering for beginners and check out the tools you need. Why use lining paper? If you paint … [Read more...] about A Guide to Using Lining Paper to Achieve the Same Finish as a Newly Plastered Wall
A Guide to the Different Types of Plaster
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 at a depth of around 12mm. Setting time is approximately 2 hours. Bonding Used … [Read more...] about A Guide to the Different Types of Plaster
How to Clean Paint Brushes
A lot of DIY decorators will just throw paint brushes in the bin rather than clean them after use, but this is a complete waste of money. Water-Based Paint If the paint brush has been used for emulsioning it can be cleaned very easily, remove excess paint off the paint brush and then rinse the paint brush under a running tap, eventually the water will run clear and your paint brush will be … [Read more...] about How to Clean Paint Brushes
How to Prepare and Paint Walls and Ceilings
If the walls or ceiling you wish to paint have been recently plastered then they will need to be completely dried out before any paint can be applied. This could take several weeks depending on how warm the room is. Related: 10 tips for painting walls and ceilings like a professional It is sensible to wait this long because if paint is applied to a plastered wall / ceiling that … [Read more...] about How to Prepare and Paint Walls and Ceilings
How to Paint an Internal Door
Clean and prepare the door ready for painting if necessary (see post), with as an example a six or eight panel door, I start painting the mouldings and the panels first. I then paint the top, bottom and any other horizontal rails next. Finish painting the door by painting the vertical rails last. Always complete painting the door without any long breaks as this can result in paint lines … [Read more...] about How to Paint an Internal Door
Preparing Woodwork for Painting
Preparing wood surfaces for painting can take, depending on the condition of the timber/woodwork, quite a lot of time and will require a lot of patience. The list below gives various tips on how to prepare wood surfaces dependent on their present condition. New timber New timber should have any knots sealed with knotting compound to prevent the wood resin from staining the paintwork in the … [Read more...] about Preparing Woodwork for Painting
How to Add a Wallpaper Border
Adding a border to your freshly decorated room can be done quite easily. A lot of wallpaper manufacturers produce borders to compliment their range of wallpapers, and a border can enhance even a very plainly decorated wall. See Also: Wallpapering tips for everyone and for anyone just getting started First decide on a suitable height for the border and mark this measurement around the … [Read more...] about How to Add a Wallpaper Border
How to Prepare Interior Walls for Decorating
Spending a couple of days or more preparing the interior walls of your home can be a little tedious, but it is time well spent and can make a great deal of difference to your wallpaper or paint finish. Once you have covered any furnishings and carpet with your dustsheet, start by removing all the old wallpaper. I recommend using a wallpaper steam stripper, and if like me you have little … [Read more...] about How to Prepare Interior Walls for Decorating