Decorating tips

[unicorn]

Anyone got any good decorating tips? Always looking for ways to make a job easier.
Mine is when removing wallpaper soak with hot water with a couple of capfulls of fabric softener in paper comes off a treat and the room smells lovely :D

[sjr014]

Finish 1 job before starting another!

[highland visitor]

When painting & taking a break from it for a brew:D..
wrap your brushes in cling film, it keeps them moist & the paint brushes dont dry out & go hard..

Also if your using gloss paint, to help with the smell & fumes from the paint..peel & cut an onion in half & place it in the room, it really does work!

[Bazeye]

Do some overtime and pay someone to do it. ;)

[bigskelf]

Line the paint tray with cling film before you use it. Makes it easy to clean by just removing the cling film. Very handy if painting walls and ceilings a different colour. Much greener than my usual method of just buying another paint tray:roll:

[kriklah]

make sure you have EVERYTHING and enough of it to finish the job!! cant count the times ive had to run into town for more tiles or grout this week to get my bathroom done!!

and dont do decorating while kids are about, ive had the advantage of no kids this week while they are at their dads, and will finish the bathroom today, having started the tileing last december!!!:eek:and its only a little 6 x 8 foot room!! i have also fully painted my bedroom this week while waiting for grout to dry. so definatly have no kids underfoot when decorating, goes much quicker:lol:

failing all else, get someone in to do it!!!

[canuck]

Cake decorating is the kind of decorating which I want to comment on.

When trying to figure out how to get 65 candles on a cake go for two pre-formed numbers - a '6' and a '5'. And if you have to share it with someone who is celebrating fifty-nine, then you put the 5 on first and invert the 6 to make it 9.

I'll see you on Sunday G2.

[Dadie]

Empty the room completely.
Remove kids and pets for duration...safer that way...no small child helping and no dog brushing against newly painted woodwork.
Keep putting the paper you remove into poly bags as you go... nothing worse than wading through knee high ripped up and soggy paper....other than dragging it half way round the house.
Have everything you need before you start.
Get hubby to do it...but keep the bacon rolls and cups of tea and praise coming at frequent intervals....keeps them working at it for longer and it might actually get finished!
Do not change your mind about the paint colour or wallpaper patten half way through.....its not worth the aggro....if its that bad after its finished leave it a decent length of time before changing it!
Its sometimes easier and less heartache to take the plasterboard off and replace it than removing woodchip wallpaper with 20 layers of paint on it (sods law at least one layer of paint will be gloss or varnish)
Dustsheets over everything!

[tonkatojo]

Do one room yourself and your O/H a separate room, saves many an argument. ;)

[Dadie]

For kids bedrooms paint plain.
Then accessorise with whatever theme they want at the time...ie bedspread, lampshade and curtains ... even have wall panels with the theme on...(dont do the stickers on the walls as they leave marks even if they promise not to)then when the theme is outgrown (in what seems to be 5 mins) rather than decorating the whole room again its just a case of buying new bedlinen, curtains and lampshade and redoing the panels.....

saves time money and effort:lol:

[sweetpea]

Finish 1 job before starting another!

My mantra too if not you'll end up in like me in a total boorach:lol:

[unicorn]

well the painting is almost done.....papering next :roll:

[Beat Bug]

For woodwork, instead of painting with primer, undercoat and gloss, wax it! If tthe wood is already a good colour, just use briwax, then buff it up. You don't have to wait for it to dry! Light coloured wood might need to be dyed first. So much nicer to look at, and only needs doing again very occasionally, with no mess!

[domino]

When hanging paper put the paste on with a roller instead of a brush