The Dublin Painting Diaries



So, a weekend’s coming up after you’ve bought nothing at all planned – time to beautify that space you’ve been Placing off for ages.


Plenty of people spend months or several years planning to adorn rooms in their properties and by no means get about to it. The reasons are all relatively identical – the area is too complete to operate in, they haven’t received all the proper devices or they don’t know where by to begin. But when you’re trapped in a little bit of a rut with rooms in your house, don’t be concerned – I’ve obtained you protected with my top tips for decorating a area…


eight items you will require for decorating


1. Plastic sheeting


2. Masking tape


3. Mild sandpaper


four. Screwdrivers to acquire down wall hangings


five. four” paint brush, two x 2” paint brushes, roller and roller tray


six. Phase ladder


seven. Paint


8. Undercoat and topcoat to the woodwork


On the subject of picking out paint, the choice is limitless. My community DIY retailer, Designer Colours, can combine up any specific colour you like. You will take in an merchandise they usually’ll scan and colour-match it to suit your needs.


To exercise just how much paint you will need, compute the region of your respective ceiling and partitions, and try to remember you’ll be undertaking two coats. A 5L tin addresses about 50m2, but this can thoroughly depend on the thickness of your respective paint, so Verify the back from the tin.


I’d advise applying acrylic undercoat and top rated coat, as it's got a a lot quicker drying time and less fumes. Usually do not use an oil-dependent and an acrylic paint jointly. If you utilize an oil-primarily based paint, you’ll will need white spirit. Everything else washes off with water.


Preparation is everything when it comes to painting


There is no stage going for walks right into a area, cracking open a tin of paint and slopping it in excess of all of the uncovered surfaces you are able to see. You'll want to prep – this usually takes a few hours, but could make The complete job less complicated, much less expensive, much better and, most significantly, you won’t spill paint all around the couch. Should you’re undertaking this more than a weekend, I’d advise performing as much of the prep over the Friday night, so you might have far more time and energy to paint on the subsequent times.


Get started by moving all of the weighty things (sofas, beds, bookshelves, TVs) from the place into the centre, leaving a minimum of a 30cm hole amongst your home furniture and your partitions throughout. Future, choose down any curtains, blinds or nets and lay these within the furniture. Now lay any wall hangings, images and light-weight shades on your curtains, and cover the whole matter up with plastic sheeting. Consider in order to avoid cotton or twill sheeting – this gained’t continue to keep dust out or huge blobs of paint (in the event you fall any).


Along with your valuables coated up, it’s time for some sanding. Applying eighty-grit sandpaper, lightly rub all your woodwork – the skirtings, architraves and doorways. Ensure that you rub just the deal with of your doorway that appears in to the space, Until you’re planning on decorating the corridor as well.


The moment all of the sanding is done, have the vacuum cleaner out and provides all the things an intensive thoroughly clean, ensuring to not pass up the tops in the doorways, architraves and skirtings. You might have to wash the woodwork having a moist fabric and many washing-up liquid. I’m not judging you in your cleanliness, but some rooms can be greasy and paint doesn’t stay with grease.


Now that you are cleared, sanded and cleaned, it’s time to the masking. Use 50mm decorators’ tape to mask in which your floor satisfies the skirting boards. Irrespective of whether your flooring is carpeted or sleek-surfaced, it really is a smart idea to try this, as it stops drips and saves you from being forced to Slash-while in the paintwork against the floor (painting a straight, neat line within the boundary then ‘colouring in’ In the traces). Should you be scheduling on portray about picket Home windows, you are able to mask these up too – it will require ages, but saves considerably more time in reducing-in and scraping paint off of glass.


Along with the masking all performed, all you should do is put plastic sheeting on the ground (you'll be able to Minimize a considerable plastic sheet into prolonged huge strips with scissors – this can make it a lot much more valuable) and In spite of everything that, you’re ultimately Prepared for your exciting things!


Get started portray at the highest and operate down


Paint the ceilings initially – like that any drips or spots will not likely muck up other bits you’ve now completed. Utilize a four” brush to paint within the top rated edge of your respective ceiling. For those who’re painting the partitions later on, you don’t must Lower this ceiling paint into them, as you’ll be portray over the top. When you’ve painted within the edges of your ceiling, use precisely the same brush to chop in all over any lights you may have.


With the perimeters even now wet with paint, make use of a roller to put the first coat on the ceiling. Pour several of your paint into your roller tray and begin painting. Start during the corner with the space and do the job outwards from there, painting in little sections and generally rolling again into your soaked perform.


The moment the initial ceiling coat is finished, wrap the roller in a plastic bag and begin undercoating the woodwork.


To undercoat, just take your 2” brush and begin portray the skirting. Since you haven’t place any paint about the partitions nevertheless, you are able to coat the woodwork with no need to cut-in – this can make the perform go considerably faster.


After the undercoat is finished, your ceiling need to be dry adequate to lay on your second coat. Use your four” brush yet again to paint the perimeters with the ceiling, after which you can roller The remainder. Clean the roller out and go away it to dry. You now have one hour or two to go outside the house and get some fresh air Before you begin the final extend.


Whenever your undercoated woodwork has dried, you can begin portray the walls. Working on one after the other, use the two” brush to cut-in the road concerning the partitions, woodwork and ceiling. As soon as one particular wall is thoroughly cut-in (including within the gentle switches, sockets and any wall-mounted light fittings), pour some paint in the effectively of the roller tray and start portray the wall.


Start off in one corner and roll up and down (as opposed to facet to side), making certain you deal with a roller width with the wall totally from leading to bottom right before transferring on to the remainder of it – using this method, you’ll always Have a very damp fringe of paint to roll on to, which will minimize your odds of getting any streaks. As soon as you’ve finished rolling one wall, repeat the reducing and rolling method For each and every other wall during the home.


Based upon how briskly you are at portray, or how significant your area is, by the point you’ve painted every one of the way all-around your room, the wall that you began on really should be dry, or at least virtually dry. The moment it can be, you'll be able to paint on your next coat in exactly the same way as you did the first. Then, thoroughly clean out your brushes and roller before the paint dries on them.


Now for the last bit of painting. Use some wonderful sandpaper to flippantly brush any imperfections off your undercoated woodwork – don’t rub far too really hard or you’ll go with the undercoat and possess to repaint it. Whichever topcoat you choose to your woodwork, be aware that it is most probably to drip quickly – drips that should demonstrate with your finished career – so watch out not to load too much paint on the brush.


For the last coat, make use of a two” brush around the woodwork. Paint the architraves and skirting boards first, remembering to control the paint you’ve lately applied – you can use your brush to wipe absent drips you may not have observed before on, In case your paint is still wet.


Last of all, paint the doorway. Paint the mouldings across the panels 1st, then the panels them selves, then the wide strips of Wooden that make up the rest of the door. Brush the paint in a similar course as being the grain with the wood (this will likely be very easy to see for those who look closely at the door).


Leave this closing coat of paint to dry thoroughly (normally overnight) prior to peeling off all of the masking tape and rolling up all your plastic sheeting. Following having shielded your place for all this work, your plastic sheets will be in pretty bad condition, so roll them in on by themselves to have all the dust, paint and rubbish, and set them straight inside the bin.


Put back again all wall hangings, curtains and lightweight fittings and rearrange each of the home furnishings, ahead of flopping on to the couch to get a properly-gained cup of tea.



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