Equipment
Pressure paint roller
Update I have been looking over a house re-decorating job that involves painting about 1000m2 of ceiling and wall area. I am looking into the benefits of using a power roller to apply the paint to the walls. The fastest ways to apply paint to internal plastered walls and ceilings Depending on the size of [...]
MoreHighlights of the 2010 Painting and Decorating Show
I am looking forward to the 2011 National Painting and Decorating Show in Coventry next week, and a few memories of last year’s show have come flooding back. Olfa I remember one of the first stands in the arena was mobbed with all these gadget-hungry decorators swarming over fancy yellow cutting knives. I didn’t join [...]
MoreHow to upgrade vacuum cleaner for painters and decorators
I was reading a post by master painter, Jack Pauhl, where he deconstructed the humble vacuum cleaner and showed how to upgrade a shop vac . These are a couple of the tips I have put into practice to make it even easier to keep a site clean. Extra long hose I added a 7m [...]
MoreCordless drill for hand-painting kitchens
Just so you are under no illusions – I might be able to sound half intelligent about hand-painting kitchens and re-decorating big old houses, but my knowledge of the merits of various cordless drills could be written on the back of a door hinge. However I am confident that this little beauty, the Makita 14.4 [...]
MoreTools for decorating – how many?
We all need good tools, but sometimes we get a bit too specialised and end up with way too much in the tool box. It’s not our fault, it’s the rest of them. I was struck by how many pockets certain painters pant manufacturers have crammed into their creations. If every pouch and loop in [...]
MoreHow paint walls with Wooster kit
This is the “best kit for painting walls and ceilings” as recommended by me at the Tried and Tested stand at the recent TDS Trade Show. In the decorating trade?, you better find out if your competitors are using this kit yet, because if they are and you’re not, the chances are they will be [...]
MoreHow paint walls – best rollers and brushes to buy
I was invited to attend the recent TDS Decorating Trade Show in Derby. For my troubles, I was asked to set up a Tried and Tested stall to talk about some of the kit on sale at the show. I was obviously speaking from the point of view of a customer and decorator who works [...]
MoreEfficient painting and decorating – a wheelchair
The 4′ x 2′ mobile platform, affectionately known as the wheelchair speeds up your work in many ways. Most trades people laugh at it, till they use it! It folds down and fits easily in a back seat of a car. It opens effortlessly, and quickly adjusts to create a platform 1, 2, 3 or [...]
MoreEfficient painting and decorating – no cotton dust sheets please
My work ethos is based on quality before quantity and speed. However, if you can program yourself to work as efficiently as possible, while maintaining the highest standards, you have arrived! If you take a long hard look at everything you do and all the kit you use, you begin to see room for improvements. [...]
MoreEfficient painting and decorating – no dusting brushes please
As far as I am concerned, quality comes before quantity and speed. However, if you can program yourself to work as efficiently as possible, while maintaining the highest standards, you have arrived! If you take a long hard look at everything you do and all the kit you use, you begin to see room for [...]
MoreEfficient painting and decorating – 1
As far as I am concerned, quality comes before quantity and speed. However, if you can program yourself to work as efficiently as possible, while maintaining the highest standards, you have arrived! I believe that with the decorating kit, materials and knowledge at our disposal in this day and age, I don’t see too many [...]
MoreSiroflex SX Cartridge cut from TDS
For as long as I can remember I have trimmed caulk tips with a utility knife, and opened a caulk tube – with a utility knife. So what’s the deal with this 310ml cartridge cutter from caulk manufacturers, Siroflex? Essentially it is a safety device, with a double cutting action. 1 – Snap it on [...]
MoreMirka Abranet CEROS – ROS sanding kit with extraction
When I first came across the Mirka Abranet products, I couldn’t quite get my head round what was involved with the whole abrasive-sanding-dust extraction system. But this video joins all the dots between marketing bumf like polyamide netting, 10000 holes, interface pads… Check out @BurtonTDSDerby on Twitter and ask Sarah about their trial and buy [...]
MoreOlfa – the sharpest utility knife
Professional decorators have been talking a lot recently about the Japanese company, Olfa, who do a range of utility knives with, they claim, the sharpest blades in the world. Wallpaper hangers used to trim everything with a pair of shears. But nowadays, they are reliant on utility knives, blades and a straight edge for cutting [...]
MorePopular questions about decorating
These are questions that appear to bring people to this site, and here are some answers. (The links take you to fuller answers!) paint old pine furniture with farrow and ball Prepared correctly, pine furniture can be revived and beautified and look sharp for years. Poorly prepared and it will look shabby chic ahead of [...]
MoreTools for sanding filler
When dealing with cracks, you have to prepare the cracks, double fill, sand smooth then paint! Filling cracks I rake out the joint with a knife to create a “V”. I then force the filler in the crack, working across the crack left, then right. Run a layer of filler along the length of the [...]
MoreDIY decorating tools can be such poor quality
Not every tool in a DIY store is junk, but by and large the home brand DIY painting products are abysmal compared to trade standards. And why would an occasional home decorator need to consider a pro tool? No offense but most homeowners need all the help they can get. Unfortunately, what do Brits get [...]
MoreSuitable decorating kit and equipment
A few days ago, I had no access to power for an hour or so, and I found myself rubbing down woodwork the old fashioned way – a sanding block with no vacuum extraction. Aaargh. It was a horrible reminder of the dusty old days, with filler particles swirling in the air, every surface, orifice [...]
MoreBrushmate – the pros and cons
Brushes are a painter’s most important tool, and whether you are a pro painter, a jobbing builder or a DIY painting enthusiast, I outlined why the Brushmate is probably the most useful piece of equipment you can have to keep bushes in perfect condition. Some may agree, others disagree, and most have never even heard [...]
MoreBrushmate – a brush keeper for all painters, builders and DIY enthusiasts
Brushes are a painter’s most important tool, and whether you are a pro painter, a jobbing builder or a DIY painting enthusiast, the Brushmate is probably the most useful piece of equipment you can have to keep bushes in perfect condition. In simple terms, the Brushmate is a vapour box that prevents oil paint from [...]
MoreCollapsible bin for paperhangers
When you are trimming wallpaper around a bannister, half way up a ladder, the last thing you are concerned about is where to put the off-cut pieces of paper. Bring on a collapsible bin! Most tradesmen drop the bits on the floor and deal with the sticky litter later. The better paperhangers fold every little [...]
MoreDulux paint pod
So, what is this Dulux pod all about? It isn’t a new concept, that is for sure! Back in our power roller era of the early 90′s, we were given an electric-powered paint roller unit to try out. We thought the roller with plastic reservoir was a gimmick, but like most gimmicks, if you persevere, [...]
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