Handy Tips from Your Decorator Manchester

After years in the trade you pick up a few time and money-saving tricks. Here are Your Decorator’s top tips for painting like the pros…

1) If you’re painting with oil-based paint and you don’t want your brushes to dry out over night, leave them in a pot of water. Just flick the water off them the next day and you’re ready to go.

2) Save yourself lots of time by putting masking tape on all hinges and light sockets and loosening screws. It is so much quicker and tidier!

3) Plan what you want to do step by step, before you start. Write a list of all the materials you need before you go to the shop. It’s so easy to forget that essential material that you can’t complete the job without…

4) Clean as you go. As mess piles up, accidents do happen. And if dust gets into paint it’ll cause problems down the line.

5) If you have a damp patch on a wall or ceiling – or an area that has been damaged by water – fix the problem, then put two coats of oil-based paint on the stain. This will stop it reappearing.

6) Paint ceilings first walls then the woodwork.

7) Always rub down between coats. The finish will look smoother and last longer, because the rubbing down provides a key for the paint to lock into.

8) Put a tiny bit of water (half a cup for a five litre tin) into your paint. This will allow you longer to work with it and gives a better, more consistent finish. Use one cap of white spirit per litre for oil-based paints.

9) Buy plastic sheets to protect furniture and carpets as paint can very easily get through cotton dust sheets.

10) Keep all your tools and materials in the same place – so much time can be wasted running around hunting for tools.

11) When wallpapering make sure you have all the tools you need to hand at all times, you don’t want to be caught short holding the paper on the walls and not being able to reach your tools.

12) Always have a clean damp sponge with you when wallpapering and wipe excess paste off the front of the paper immediately as it can stain if left too long.

13) Have a little fitch brush handy so you can get into the fiddly areas.

14) Don’t buy cheap paint: it doesn’t go as far, it doesn’t cover as well, its harder to apply and it won’t last as long or look as good. It’s much more cost-effective to buy a good quality paint like Dulux.

15) Moving all furniture out of the room will speed things up immensely. If that’s not possible, move everything into the middle so you can work around it.

16) If you’re painting your front door make sure you do it in the morning as it will need to be left open and could take all day to dry. Otherwise you’ll find it will tend to stick around the edges.

Disclaimer: Your Decorator, and all agents, employees or other representatives thereof, will not be liable for loss or damage arising from use of the information provided. This comprehensive limitation of liability applies to all damages of any kind, including without limitation compensatory, direct, indirect or consequential damages, income or profit, loss of or damage to property and claims of third parties.