18-04-2012, 08:37 PM
Hi,
As its still pouring with rain I thought I’d add a few notes on interior decorating. This is something that people either love or hate to do but if a nice home is wanted is something that needs doing whether doing it yourself or getting a decorator in. I believe a decent decorator charges something like £150 per day for labour only so doing it yourself not only can save a great deal of money but as the labour is free more time can be spent on the job.
I regard decorating as a necessary evil and am always slow to make a start but once I do get started I always enjoy it and take my time to do the best job possible using best quality materials.
I’ve already finished the kitchen and only last night finished the hall and it is the hall that I’ll focus on in these notes. The hall is always difficult to decorate as there are five door openings to work around so it’s impossible to crack on with a big roller.
First things first though and a bit of planning is called for before touching anything. The decision needs making on what the newly finished decoration needs to look like and to work out a list of needed materials.
Many years ago I installed a hardwood dado rail (chair rail) to break up the wall allowing two different wallpapers to be used one above and one below the rail to give better visual impact. This rail was installed very accurately because if it wasn’t perfectly level then any geometric patterned paper such as diamonds would look terrible as the pattern would “run off”. The rail was undercoated and gloss painted.
The hall has been decorated at least twice by us previously using patterned wallpaper but this time I wanted to try something different. As Gary has mentioned in previous posts it pays to make life easier for when older age creeps in and with this in mind I wondered if the hall would look good with nothing more than heavy lining paper added and painted over; there was only one way to find out.
Whilst visiting a friends house we noticed she had one of her front room walls painted red and it looked most impressive; I mentioned this to Bron as I intended to decorate our front room first but Bron suggested the colour would be ideal for the kitchen and she was right as it looks splendid in the kitchen and we both love it. Having some paint left over and being tight I thought it worth trying in the hall after all if it didn’t work out it could easily be painted over with another colour.
We visited The Dulux Decorating Centre down Leeds Road Huddersfield and bought brilliant white vinyl paint for the ceiling and coving; Raspberry Bellini (red) satin sheen paint for the walls; a quad roll of 1,000 grade lining paper plus other bits and bobs this first visit costing over £100 but we were told that if we visited the day after there would be a two day sale on with 25% off so this is what we did saving a nice amount getting the job off to a good start. The kitchen was first and took about a week to complete.
The hall was completely cleared of all furniture and pictures etc; the ceiling light was taken down and old clean bed sheets laid on the carpet for protection. I had bought a steam wallpaper stripper (Earlex) many years ago and what a huge help this turned out to be. The ceiling had been painted many times and the embossed paper had split in a number of places so it needed to be removed. Even with the Earlex being used this was a most unpleasant job and without it would have been a nightmare. The wallpaper was easier but the stripping occupied two days as it became very dark late afternoons. One word of caution in using a steam stripper; if only the walls need stripping but the ceiling has been papered be very careful because prolonged use of the stripper without adequate ventilation will bring down the ceiling paper.
With the old paper finally cleared away the ceiling and walls needed preparing to receive the new lining paper. All the cracks needed filling and one section of plaster above and between two doors had become loose so this was completely removed to sound plaster and the patch re-plastered. Wickes patching plaster was used and this dries white. At this point I made a huge mistake as the patching plaster could also be used to fill in small cracks so I thought it a brilliant idea to rake out all the cracks in ceiling and walls and use this plaster as filler. I spent hours doing this and was at first well pleased with the result as this plaster isn’t supposed to shrink. The day after I used a jamb duster (Clean paint brush) to remove all the dust and was alarmed to see the filling simply brush out as dust. I simply hate filling cracks because in over 30 years I’ve never found filler that works to my satisfaction. I visited the decorator centre again and after asking for advice came away with a cartridge of acrylic caulk which I was assured would do the job as this remained slightly flexible allowing for some future movement. I can say I now detest this acrylic caulk. Many hours were spent filling all the cracks and this caulk shrinks badly. It is also virtually impossible to sand flat; I tried hand sanding; power detail sanding and using my Bosch random orbital sander all without success to remove excess filler; I even tried using a very sharp wood chisel. I find it difficult living with an inferior job but in the end had to give in and make the best of it. This excess caulk is easy to remove with a wet cloth but I found the cloth also removes the caulk where it is intended to remain; all in all this was the lowest point of the entire job. Giving up on the caulk I then bought a tube of Polyfilla and even this is a pain for me to use. Perhaps it’s my own fault as I might be missing something but I just do not like filling. To make matters worse when I brought the caulk cartridge home I found it too long to fit either of my cartridge guns so ended up pushing the end with a piece of wood to eject the caulk.
I can do the most stupid things at times and this takes some beating; after playing around for ages using the piece of wood to eject the caulk I went into the workshop and collected the Stanley craft knife then cut the end from the cartridge allowing it to fit into the gun. I need medication!!
All during this decorating the weather ranged from dire to brilliant sunshine; one minute I was working in a black hole the next was blinded by the glare. I tried a table lamp on the floor during a black hole period but it was as much use as a candle and was in the way so it was discarded and I carried on best I could.
The ceiling and walls were then sanded and checked for any protruding lumps by running my bare hand over the surface and bits of remaining paper were removed and I took time over this to get it right. With the ceiling and walls now ready to receive lining paper attention was turned onto the woodwork.
My chum David (Yorkie) very kindly gave me a pile of U-POL abrasive pads at his last visit; one of these pads was cut into about 2” squares and used to sand the painted woodwork down these being the skirting; door openings; inner front door; dado rail and loft opening. These pads are brilliant for this work quickly removing the shiny gloss from the old paint leaving it ready for re-painting without the pads clogging unlike abrasive paper which becomes useless after a few passes. Nice one David; many thanks.
The paintwork was in excellent condition not requiring undercoat so all that was needed was a new coat of high gloss brilliant white. I recommend buying a “Purdy” paintbrush as sold by Screwfix; a 38mm brush is ideal and using one of these brushes with good quality paint will give an outstanding finish without leaving bristles sticking in the finished surface. I bought one of these brushes about 7 years ago and although quite expensive it has been the best brush I’ve ever used. It has painted the bungalow twice and I clean it using a Dandy paint brush cleaning system spending time to ensure the brush is indeed clean after each job. I’ve just bought another Purdy 38mm brush as the old one is now wearing down although it is still serviceable and has been used throughout this session of decorating. During painting the gloss white was allowed to run over onto the plaster as it would be covered by lining paper. With all the paintwork completed the next task was papering.
http://www.screwfix.com/p/purdy-monarch-...-1-5/99972
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76LnCKYrfLs
Previously I’ve always used embossed paper for painting over but during this session and before commencing papering a close friend visited us and as we discussed decorating she suggested that embossed paper collects dirt quickly which suddenly made sense and was something I had never given any thought to.
1,000 grade lining paper is very cheap and at the Dulux decorating centre they stock quad rolls for around £10. It pays to buy this length of roll as it cuts down on waste. The big roll allows the paper to lay flat unlike the small rolls where the paper tends to roll back up. For wallpaper paste I use only Solvite Extra Strong and mix it in a plastic bucket.
The ceiling was measured for paper length allowing about 3” extra for trimming. Rather than use the tape measure for counting the number of lengths required I cut a hardwood baton exactly to length to suit the width of the lining paper and sanded it smooth all over. This baton would be used as a measuring stick and as a support for the newly pasted paper whilst papering the ceiling. As with the stripper and brush I had previously bought a hardboard pasting table and this was set up in the hall with the paste bucket and paste brush on the floor at one end and a bucket of warm water and a cloth placed under the table for wiping away excess paste. The paper was pre cut to length cutting all the pieces at one go and standing them out of the way in two coils.
Pre cut lining paper for the ceiling.
Our hall ceiling has a deep cornice around its perimeter and the edge of the cornice could not be guaranteed straight so in order to ensure perfect fitting paper the paper would need overhanging the cornice then trimmed to size. This could prove to be a disaster especially to a novice papering their first ever ceiling. To start in a corner attaching the end of the paper to the cornice and trying to align it with the second cornice running at right angles is patience testing in the extreme; the odds are that doing it this way will end up with frustration; aching arms and paper that either runs onto the cornice or runs off it before the length is fitted; trying to re-adjust wet lining paper is just asking for trouble so here is the solution. If the lining paper is 22” wide then measure from the cornice where the edge of the paper fits 21” and draw a parallel pencil line with the cornice using a straightedge; now install the second length of paper first and trim both ends using a wide scraper and craft knife.
With the second length of paper fully installed it is now so much easier to go back and install the first length of paper; simply overlap the paper end onto the cornice by about an inch and install the paper ensuring a perfect joint allowing the edge to butt up to the cornice using the papering brush; at the far end again attach the paper end to the cornice. In order to hold the paper once pasted the paper is folded concertina fashion and the wooden batten placed beneath allowing the paper to sag over each side of the baton with the top end paste side up; lifting the paper by the baton with one hand the other hand is free to position the paper against the ceiling and once the end is secured the paste brush can be brought to bear brushing as the concertina is released. This all sounds long winded but once a couple of lengths have been installed the knack is quickly learnt. Lining paper is a good starting place as there is no pattern to worry about matching up. Some form of step up will be required and as the paper lengths were short for this ceiling the step ladder and a wooden box was used; for longer lengths a plank will be needed; it’s important to work at a comfortable height.
Bare walls looking terrible.
With the ceiling now papered the walls could be done. Again this might require a bit of planning as it did in this hall otherwise paper joints would fall where not wanted. Two door openings are separated by a short width of wall and one opening has only a four inch strip of wall before reaching the adjoining wall. At the other end of the wall is a reveal by the front door and again a novice would really struggle wondering how and where to start papering from. The reveal is also about four inches wide and to start papering from above it would at best be guesswork whether enough paper had been allowed to fully cover the reveal whilst trimming or in fact if the paper could be positioned to hang perfectly vertical.
Install second length of paper first.
Once again the easy solution is to hang the second length of paper first but this time use either a plumb bob or in my case a long spirit level and draw in the vertical line. Hang the second length and trim the ends then go back and hang the first length. Do not fight the paper but treat it gently and the joints should align without too much trouble. Ensure the paper is well brushed home removing bubbles and as work progresses remove excess paste using the damp cloth.
Two tricky areas to paper.
With careful planning and measuring it is possible to turn off the mains electricity for only a short period allowing switches and sockets to be removed safely. Doing this saves a lot of fiddly paper cutting and makes for a neat job. I stress turn the power off because as in the case of the ceiling light unit this is two way switched and it is too easy to press a switch after the light fitting is removed only to get electrocuted later whilst re-fitting it; do not take chances.
Remove switches; sockets and light fittings.
For many years I used to use a pencil to mark any cutting places such as ends of lengths until I picked up the tip of using a wide scraper and craft knife; the knife needs to be very sharp. I use my finger nails to gently press the paper right into sharp corners then place the scraper tightly into the corner with one hand and using the knife in the other hand make the cut every time on the waste side of the paper. This always gives a perfect fitting edge; once the cut is made the waste is peeled away and the excess paste wiped up with the damp cloth. Using this method is so simple; it saves having to mark the cutting line; the paper doesn’t need pulling clear in order to use scissors and once the paper is brushed home it remains home being undisturbed by the trimming operation. I could never obtain perfect results using scissors whilst trying to follow a pencil line in tight places; the scraper and craft knife make life so much easier giving a neater finish but I stress the blade needs to be sharp.
The paper was then allowed to dry overnight before being painted. As there were so many edges requiring an accurate paint line between the white and raspberry I decided to spend time and carefully mask using masking tape. Time spent here would save considerable time and grief later. As there were so many small panels and narrow strips to paint I used a small 4” roller and paint tray. The edges at the tape were all brushed with raspberry paint then followed up with the roller taking extreme care not to allow the roller to over run right over the tape. Any splashes were immediately cleaned up with the damp cloth.
I worked many hours decorating the hall and could afford to take my time. I already had the equipment which over the years has paid for itself many times over. The Earlex paper stripper is a godsend as is owning a cheap but proper pasting table. A top quality brush is a must for top quality work. Masking takes time up front when it appears a waste of time but saves a great deal of stress and frustration later. The Dandy paint brush and roller cleaning system ensures brushes and rollers are always kept in clean condition if used correctly and not rushed. A single Purdy 38mm paint brush will do a lot of top quality undercoating and glossing and a cheaper 38mm brush will be useful for cutting in whilst using the roller; don’t use the Purdy for this.
The picture of the finished hall doesn’t do it justice as the flash was used masking the raspberry paint appear much lighter in colour than it actually is. The curtains need hanging as do the pictures but all in all both Bron and I are amazed by the transformation. The raspberry colour is unbelievable being so rich and vibrant; the lining paper also worked very well indeed considering the condition of the ceiling and walls in fact the pictures show what the walls looked like before adding the paper. A single coat of white on the ceiling covered very well but the walls needed two coats of raspberry with the second coat making a tremendous difference to the finish.
Well worth the time and effort.
I admit I go over the top with my projects but I’m my own worst critic and second best won’t do. I like to learn and pick up new tips wherever possible and I sincerely hope these notes will help at least one person. Happy decorating.
Kind regards, Col.
As its still pouring with rain I thought I’d add a few notes on interior decorating. This is something that people either love or hate to do but if a nice home is wanted is something that needs doing whether doing it yourself or getting a decorator in. I believe a decent decorator charges something like £150 per day for labour only so doing it yourself not only can save a great deal of money but as the labour is free more time can be spent on the job.
I regard decorating as a necessary evil and am always slow to make a start but once I do get started I always enjoy it and take my time to do the best job possible using best quality materials.
I’ve already finished the kitchen and only last night finished the hall and it is the hall that I’ll focus on in these notes. The hall is always difficult to decorate as there are five door openings to work around so it’s impossible to crack on with a big roller.
First things first though and a bit of planning is called for before touching anything. The decision needs making on what the newly finished decoration needs to look like and to work out a list of needed materials.
Many years ago I installed a hardwood dado rail (chair rail) to break up the wall allowing two different wallpapers to be used one above and one below the rail to give better visual impact. This rail was installed very accurately because if it wasn’t perfectly level then any geometric patterned paper such as diamonds would look terrible as the pattern would “run off”. The rail was undercoated and gloss painted.
The hall has been decorated at least twice by us previously using patterned wallpaper but this time I wanted to try something different. As Gary has mentioned in previous posts it pays to make life easier for when older age creeps in and with this in mind I wondered if the hall would look good with nothing more than heavy lining paper added and painted over; there was only one way to find out.
Whilst visiting a friends house we noticed she had one of her front room walls painted red and it looked most impressive; I mentioned this to Bron as I intended to decorate our front room first but Bron suggested the colour would be ideal for the kitchen and she was right as it looks splendid in the kitchen and we both love it. Having some paint left over and being tight I thought it worth trying in the hall after all if it didn’t work out it could easily be painted over with another colour.
We visited The Dulux Decorating Centre down Leeds Road Huddersfield and bought brilliant white vinyl paint for the ceiling and coving; Raspberry Bellini (red) satin sheen paint for the walls; a quad roll of 1,000 grade lining paper plus other bits and bobs this first visit costing over £100 but we were told that if we visited the day after there would be a two day sale on with 25% off so this is what we did saving a nice amount getting the job off to a good start. The kitchen was first and took about a week to complete.
The hall was completely cleared of all furniture and pictures etc; the ceiling light was taken down and old clean bed sheets laid on the carpet for protection. I had bought a steam wallpaper stripper (Earlex) many years ago and what a huge help this turned out to be. The ceiling had been painted many times and the embossed paper had split in a number of places so it needed to be removed. Even with the Earlex being used this was a most unpleasant job and without it would have been a nightmare. The wallpaper was easier but the stripping occupied two days as it became very dark late afternoons. One word of caution in using a steam stripper; if only the walls need stripping but the ceiling has been papered be very careful because prolonged use of the stripper without adequate ventilation will bring down the ceiling paper.
With the old paper finally cleared away the ceiling and walls needed preparing to receive the new lining paper. All the cracks needed filling and one section of plaster above and between two doors had become loose so this was completely removed to sound plaster and the patch re-plastered. Wickes patching plaster was used and this dries white. At this point I made a huge mistake as the patching plaster could also be used to fill in small cracks so I thought it a brilliant idea to rake out all the cracks in ceiling and walls and use this plaster as filler. I spent hours doing this and was at first well pleased with the result as this plaster isn’t supposed to shrink. The day after I used a jamb duster (Clean paint brush) to remove all the dust and was alarmed to see the filling simply brush out as dust. I simply hate filling cracks because in over 30 years I’ve never found filler that works to my satisfaction. I visited the decorator centre again and after asking for advice came away with a cartridge of acrylic caulk which I was assured would do the job as this remained slightly flexible allowing for some future movement. I can say I now detest this acrylic caulk. Many hours were spent filling all the cracks and this caulk shrinks badly. It is also virtually impossible to sand flat; I tried hand sanding; power detail sanding and using my Bosch random orbital sander all without success to remove excess filler; I even tried using a very sharp wood chisel. I find it difficult living with an inferior job but in the end had to give in and make the best of it. This excess caulk is easy to remove with a wet cloth but I found the cloth also removes the caulk where it is intended to remain; all in all this was the lowest point of the entire job. Giving up on the caulk I then bought a tube of Polyfilla and even this is a pain for me to use. Perhaps it’s my own fault as I might be missing something but I just do not like filling. To make matters worse when I brought the caulk cartridge home I found it too long to fit either of my cartridge guns so ended up pushing the end with a piece of wood to eject the caulk.
I can do the most stupid things at times and this takes some beating; after playing around for ages using the piece of wood to eject the caulk I went into the workshop and collected the Stanley craft knife then cut the end from the cartridge allowing it to fit into the gun. I need medication!!
All during this decorating the weather ranged from dire to brilliant sunshine; one minute I was working in a black hole the next was blinded by the glare. I tried a table lamp on the floor during a black hole period but it was as much use as a candle and was in the way so it was discarded and I carried on best I could.
The ceiling and walls were then sanded and checked for any protruding lumps by running my bare hand over the surface and bits of remaining paper were removed and I took time over this to get it right. With the ceiling and walls now ready to receive lining paper attention was turned onto the woodwork.
My chum David (Yorkie) very kindly gave me a pile of U-POL abrasive pads at his last visit; one of these pads was cut into about 2” squares and used to sand the painted woodwork down these being the skirting; door openings; inner front door; dado rail and loft opening. These pads are brilliant for this work quickly removing the shiny gloss from the old paint leaving it ready for re-painting without the pads clogging unlike abrasive paper which becomes useless after a few passes. Nice one David; many thanks.
The paintwork was in excellent condition not requiring undercoat so all that was needed was a new coat of high gloss brilliant white. I recommend buying a “Purdy” paintbrush as sold by Screwfix; a 38mm brush is ideal and using one of these brushes with good quality paint will give an outstanding finish without leaving bristles sticking in the finished surface. I bought one of these brushes about 7 years ago and although quite expensive it has been the best brush I’ve ever used. It has painted the bungalow twice and I clean it using a Dandy paint brush cleaning system spending time to ensure the brush is indeed clean after each job. I’ve just bought another Purdy 38mm brush as the old one is now wearing down although it is still serviceable and has been used throughout this session of decorating. During painting the gloss white was allowed to run over onto the plaster as it would be covered by lining paper. With all the paintwork completed the next task was papering.
http://www.screwfix.com/p/purdy-monarch-...-1-5/99972
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76LnCKYrfLs
Previously I’ve always used embossed paper for painting over but during this session and before commencing papering a close friend visited us and as we discussed decorating she suggested that embossed paper collects dirt quickly which suddenly made sense and was something I had never given any thought to.
1,000 grade lining paper is very cheap and at the Dulux decorating centre they stock quad rolls for around £10. It pays to buy this length of roll as it cuts down on waste. The big roll allows the paper to lay flat unlike the small rolls where the paper tends to roll back up. For wallpaper paste I use only Solvite Extra Strong and mix it in a plastic bucket.
The ceiling was measured for paper length allowing about 3” extra for trimming. Rather than use the tape measure for counting the number of lengths required I cut a hardwood baton exactly to length to suit the width of the lining paper and sanded it smooth all over. This baton would be used as a measuring stick and as a support for the newly pasted paper whilst papering the ceiling. As with the stripper and brush I had previously bought a hardboard pasting table and this was set up in the hall with the paste bucket and paste brush on the floor at one end and a bucket of warm water and a cloth placed under the table for wiping away excess paste. The paper was pre cut to length cutting all the pieces at one go and standing them out of the way in two coils.
Pre cut lining paper for the ceiling.
Our hall ceiling has a deep cornice around its perimeter and the edge of the cornice could not be guaranteed straight so in order to ensure perfect fitting paper the paper would need overhanging the cornice then trimmed to size. This could prove to be a disaster especially to a novice papering their first ever ceiling. To start in a corner attaching the end of the paper to the cornice and trying to align it with the second cornice running at right angles is patience testing in the extreme; the odds are that doing it this way will end up with frustration; aching arms and paper that either runs onto the cornice or runs off it before the length is fitted; trying to re-adjust wet lining paper is just asking for trouble so here is the solution. If the lining paper is 22” wide then measure from the cornice where the edge of the paper fits 21” and draw a parallel pencil line with the cornice using a straightedge; now install the second length of paper first and trim both ends using a wide scraper and craft knife.
With the second length of paper fully installed it is now so much easier to go back and install the first length of paper; simply overlap the paper end onto the cornice by about an inch and install the paper ensuring a perfect joint allowing the edge to butt up to the cornice using the papering brush; at the far end again attach the paper end to the cornice. In order to hold the paper once pasted the paper is folded concertina fashion and the wooden batten placed beneath allowing the paper to sag over each side of the baton with the top end paste side up; lifting the paper by the baton with one hand the other hand is free to position the paper against the ceiling and once the end is secured the paste brush can be brought to bear brushing as the concertina is released. This all sounds long winded but once a couple of lengths have been installed the knack is quickly learnt. Lining paper is a good starting place as there is no pattern to worry about matching up. Some form of step up will be required and as the paper lengths were short for this ceiling the step ladder and a wooden box was used; for longer lengths a plank will be needed; it’s important to work at a comfortable height.
Bare walls looking terrible.
With the ceiling now papered the walls could be done. Again this might require a bit of planning as it did in this hall otherwise paper joints would fall where not wanted. Two door openings are separated by a short width of wall and one opening has only a four inch strip of wall before reaching the adjoining wall. At the other end of the wall is a reveal by the front door and again a novice would really struggle wondering how and where to start papering from. The reveal is also about four inches wide and to start papering from above it would at best be guesswork whether enough paper had been allowed to fully cover the reveal whilst trimming or in fact if the paper could be positioned to hang perfectly vertical.
Install second length of paper first.
Once again the easy solution is to hang the second length of paper first but this time use either a plumb bob or in my case a long spirit level and draw in the vertical line. Hang the second length and trim the ends then go back and hang the first length. Do not fight the paper but treat it gently and the joints should align without too much trouble. Ensure the paper is well brushed home removing bubbles and as work progresses remove excess paste using the damp cloth.
Two tricky areas to paper.
With careful planning and measuring it is possible to turn off the mains electricity for only a short period allowing switches and sockets to be removed safely. Doing this saves a lot of fiddly paper cutting and makes for a neat job. I stress turn the power off because as in the case of the ceiling light unit this is two way switched and it is too easy to press a switch after the light fitting is removed only to get electrocuted later whilst re-fitting it; do not take chances.
Remove switches; sockets and light fittings.
For many years I used to use a pencil to mark any cutting places such as ends of lengths until I picked up the tip of using a wide scraper and craft knife; the knife needs to be very sharp. I use my finger nails to gently press the paper right into sharp corners then place the scraper tightly into the corner with one hand and using the knife in the other hand make the cut every time on the waste side of the paper. This always gives a perfect fitting edge; once the cut is made the waste is peeled away and the excess paste wiped up with the damp cloth. Using this method is so simple; it saves having to mark the cutting line; the paper doesn’t need pulling clear in order to use scissors and once the paper is brushed home it remains home being undisturbed by the trimming operation. I could never obtain perfect results using scissors whilst trying to follow a pencil line in tight places; the scraper and craft knife make life so much easier giving a neater finish but I stress the blade needs to be sharp.
The paper was then allowed to dry overnight before being painted. As there were so many edges requiring an accurate paint line between the white and raspberry I decided to spend time and carefully mask using masking tape. Time spent here would save considerable time and grief later. As there were so many small panels and narrow strips to paint I used a small 4” roller and paint tray. The edges at the tape were all brushed with raspberry paint then followed up with the roller taking extreme care not to allow the roller to over run right over the tape. Any splashes were immediately cleaned up with the damp cloth.
I worked many hours decorating the hall and could afford to take my time. I already had the equipment which over the years has paid for itself many times over. The Earlex paper stripper is a godsend as is owning a cheap but proper pasting table. A top quality brush is a must for top quality work. Masking takes time up front when it appears a waste of time but saves a great deal of stress and frustration later. The Dandy paint brush and roller cleaning system ensures brushes and rollers are always kept in clean condition if used correctly and not rushed. A single Purdy 38mm paint brush will do a lot of top quality undercoating and glossing and a cheaper 38mm brush will be useful for cutting in whilst using the roller; don’t use the Purdy for this.
The picture of the finished hall doesn’t do it justice as the flash was used masking the raspberry paint appear much lighter in colour than it actually is. The curtains need hanging as do the pictures but all in all both Bron and I are amazed by the transformation. The raspberry colour is unbelievable being so rich and vibrant; the lining paper also worked very well indeed considering the condition of the ceiling and walls in fact the pictures show what the walls looked like before adding the paper. A single coat of white on the ceiling covered very well but the walls needed two coats of raspberry with the second coat making a tremendous difference to the finish.
Well worth the time and effort.
I admit I go over the top with my projects but I’m my own worst critic and second best won’t do. I like to learn and pick up new tips wherever possible and I sincerely hope these notes will help at least one person. Happy decorating.
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
