Tools you should have in your toolbox

The following is a basic list of tools you should consider having in your decorating toolbox, you may need more than those listed but these are really the twelve essentials to get you started. This list doesn’t include sundries such as sandpaper.

Dustsheet, heavy and light

Dustsheets are needed to cover over furniture and flooring, they can be heavy weight or lightweight or even plastic disposable ones depending on the job they are required for.

Scrapers

You may find having more than one scraper of use, a thin bladed one for things like opening cracks and a wider one for filling cracks, scraping walls and ceilings and removing wallpaper.

Screwdriver

A selection of screwdrivers would be useful for removing things such as shelves, door furniture and electrical items* such as wall lights, ceiling lights, switches and sockets.

Sharp knife

This can be used to open tubes of decorators caulk, packets of filler and wallpaper paste and for cutting wallpaper, or even to sharpen your pencil !!

Continue reading 12 essential tools for your DIY decorating toolbox

How to paint around a window and get a professional looking job

If you are unconfident of cutting in around windows or glazed doors you can use this following tip.

To stop getting paint on windows or glass panelled doors when you paint them you can use masking tape to mask the glass.

Take time and care to only get the tape on the glass.

Place the tape on the glass, you can then run a sharp knife along the frame to ensure the tape is only on the glass, but being careful not to cut into the frame.

Once you have gone around all the window/s you are ready to paint. Paint around the window, glazes door etc as normal.

Leave the paint to fully dry, and then remove the tape carefully. You may need to cut the tape around the window to ensure it doesn’t pull the paint off as you remove the tape, take your time and you will have a newly painted window or glazed door.

The other method is to paint around the window or glazing in your door and paint slightly onto the glass, leave to dry and then clean the paint off the glass with a sharp blade.

Both methods take longer to do than simply cutting in but if you don’t have a steady hand or aren’t confident either method will give you a more professional final job.