Thursday 27 November 2014

How to wallpaper around a window

 

Here is my video on how to wallpaper the small tricky bit around a window reveal

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Star ceilings, how to turn any ceiling into a glow in the dark galaxy with simple tools and of course glow in the dark paints

buy glow in the dark paint

I recently contacted  Mark Watts regarding his ebook instructional on how to create star ceilings.

Mark very kindly sent me a copy and its a nice clear concise ebook detailing his techniques with some good tips on setting up and the tools and materials required .

I will be doing some star ceilings as friends and family have shown a great interest in having something a little more unusual .

One of marks pupils had a ceiling creation featured on diy sos tv show the video with the unveiling segment is a nice touch.


 

I have done some research on the glow in the dark paints , these are acrylic based and are safe non toxic etc ,.

The prices vary depending on quality, expect to pay £9.99 for 30ml of paint (Glowtec)

Alternatively you could buy a kit from £34.99 

the star ceiling e book can be purchased from the link below. 

Click Here!


 
glowinthedarkpaints

Sunday 2 February 2014

Looking for ready mixed wood fillers read my Ronseal ready mixed wood filler review

buy multi purpose filler

Multi purpose wood filler, Ronseals ready mixed wood filler When and where to use it, how does it perform?

 

Ronseal ready mixed wood filler

 

 

A traditional ready mixed wood filler (not lightweight) it's not a product i would normally use on new woodwork typically you are having to fill deep screw/nail holes in pine joinery.

Some ready mixed products can dry harder than the substrate timber making it very difficult to sand without damaging the bare wood surrounding the filled area.

Epoxy fillers can be troublesome in this respect but often epoxy fillers or two pack mix filler is specified on some new builds.

Mixing powder filler is an option but often does not have the strength to create a long lasting fill, it can after a short time during the drying process begin to fall out or crack away from the timber or screw head.

So  a ready mixed filler that has user friendly qualities, combined with a fast drying time is a great addition in many ways a time and money saver.

Ronseal multi purpose comes in a range of colours so it also good for filling timber that is being stained rather than painted.

In this video i use the white version as its easy to see once dry.

It has a slightly runny consistency from the tub  but as soon as it hits any surface it begins to firm up so it does not dribble out of the deep screw holes etc.

A screw on lid design keeps the product fresh for use and its handy size makes it easy to carry around in a pocket.

I found it did save me time and i was very pleased with its one fill application and its easy to sand formula, not too soft and not too firm.

A great product i would definitely buy again.

 

dulux paints hamilton paint brushes painting and decorating

Monday 27 January 2014

Painting aluminium shop windows? which paint to choose

paint painting Aluminium shop windows commercial premises how to update a tired paint finish, try johnstones smooth metal paint.

Faced with this problem when asked to repaint the shop front of a fast food premises.

The owner required a colour to match his existing colours on his other premises.

The surface to be repainted was of a mixed construction painted aluminium and PVC snap in inserts, the colour was deep grey and the surface was blistering and tired.

my local paint supplier recommended johnstones smooth metal paint after hearing my concerns regarding drying times when using an ordinary oil based under coat and gloss system.

Now i was slightly dubious when told no primer, undercoat was required with this product and that i could  clean up and thin  the paint with ordinary white spirits!

It was a very nice product to use and my worries were unjustified as the finish after three coats was a transformation that everyone was happy with.

 

The video below shows me applying the final of three coats.

 

 

 


 


 


The technique i chose to use was brush and roll with a synthetic one inch brush (cutting in) and a full bristle synthetic two inch for the larger areas, its quite a thick paint to apply and has a good workable drying time which allowed me to then finish the surface with a four inch foam roller. 

 

price was around £43.00 for 2.5 litres

 

Friday 24 January 2014

Ready mixed wood filler by Sadolin perfect for filling woodwork before stain is applied

USING READY MIXED WOOD FILLERS 
 A REVIEW OF SADOLINS WOOD FILLER QUICK DRYING MAHOGANY FILLER.
simple to use straight from the tin to save time when filling small imperfections to a surface prior to using a water or oil based wood stain.
When used it is best to apply a good hour before you need to stain your surface as it does dry very quickly in normal conditions and it dries very hard.
Slightly  porous when dry and sanded, unlike an epoxy two pack filler which can be too smooth and impervious!
 This filler when over stained has good key which is important to prevent flaking or splitting .
Sadolin wood filler

Not the easiest filler to spread but it does the job well and above all dries quickly 

Sadolin wood filler retains its deep colouring when dry so over stains very well i would definately use again

Monday 20 January 2014

How to get rid of damp stains on your walls and ceilings

what is shellac and how does it work?
 various shellac forms scraped and collected from the bark of  trees
 Recently at work i had been using zinsser covers up to eliminate a nasty water stain on a customers ceiling and he remarked what the heck was i spraying?
I told him it was zinsser spray which contains the strong smelling but distinctive "shellac"additive.
Which you may or may not know is made from beatles wings? or so i thought!
Well its actually a secretion from a beatle called the Kerria lacca which consumes the sap from trees which it then secretes onto the bark, this resulting secretion hardens and is the collected by scraping from the branches.
It is the used in varnishes paints etc and is a constituent part of most stain blocking formulations, it also has that distinctive smell.


Zinsser products have this covers up product which is especially made to spray upwards onto ceilings without tipping the can, the clever nozzle it uses requires the user to simply press the plastic nozzle aside to produce a nice controlled upwards spray onto the offending stain, it does take a little while to dry but forms a very effective barrier to the unsightly stain.
My tip would be to apply it well in advance of over painting to prevent any hold ups.
Zinsser covers up stain block

The clever upwards spraying nozzle

How to make make your shabby chic table painting project unique, easy step by step instructional video shows you how.

Learn how to stencil a lace effect onto your table top,
you will need
1. A table
2. Paints
3. Lace curtain or tablecloth
4.Spray paint

Up cycling an old lace net curtain to create a stunning lace effect on my coffee table.
After the usual preparation prior to painting sanding cleaning dust removal etc i painted the table with subtle cream acrylic paint (two coats) we then allowed the table to dry overnight.
The large lace net curtain was a charity shop purchase  mere £2.50 we then lay the lace flat over the table.
Take some gold coloured spray paint and gently spray across the lace don't spray too close or heavy less is most certainly more in this example!
The lace was then removed to reveal this unique stencil effect you see in my video,finally two coats of acryic varnish to protect the finish.
BEFORE


AFTER




Coming up see me up cycle a old cutlery box into a stunning jewellery box

This interior decorating program will show you how to decorate Your home, using your current furniture & accessories And combining with new ones. Includes everything you need to start your Design Touch project right away! Click Here!

Synthetic paint brushes or pure bristle which are best?

    CHOOSING THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE TASK.


    Without doubt the correct brushes for differing painting tasks makes things easier.

    As a pro decorator you might own a huge armory of paint brushes but will usually end up using one particular brush more than others.
    Lets call this brush the all rounder, a tool you simply cant put down i recently purchased a 2" Rembrandt synthetic brush and now find myself using it for most emulsion painting jobs and now cant put it down.
    I have a good selection of brushes purchased mainly from online decorating tools and brush suppliers.
    Brands including
    Proform
    Wooster
    Corona
    Hamilton
    Rembrandt

    Each and every brush is used for its own specific task and i with a small exeption would'nt be without any of them!
    But trying to find good pure bristles is becoming quite difficult and there is just something about the way they perform that synthetic filaments cannot compete.
    Pure bristle brushes wear down quite quickly and so the performance changes over time often they become a better brush, synthetics really dont wear down to any degree and require almost obsessive and routine cleaning and maintenance schedule to prevent them becoming crusty, clogged fit for nowt!
    Without any hesitation the best pure bristle brush i've seen is the "Corona morro" its construction and bristle quality is superb and well worth the money.


    corona morro2"

    please note this brush has been trimmed /modified by me!










    SEE MY TRIMMED PAINT BRUSHES GALLERY HERE BRUSH GALLERY PHOTOS