Painting, decorating and home improvement tips blog
What is decorators caulk
Posted by Adrian
February 22nd, 2019
What is decorators caulk / filler
Decorators caulk is a decorating gap filler, is made of an acrylic and is flexible once dried. It is ideal for areas that have movement but cannot be used like a powder filler and cannot be rubbed down, it can be painted over. It is the best kept decorators secret ever, my wife had never heard about “flexi-filler” as she calls it until I met her.
Notice the spelling also, it is decorators caulk, not cork.
What is decorators caulk used for
Decorators caulk, or decorators filler as it’s sometimes called is used for filling gaps around door and window frames, along the top of skirting boards, gaps around the ceiling and coving line and is ideal for using if there is movement due to it’s flexible properties.
Use decorators caulk for:
- Around Door frames
- Around Window frames (Wood or UPVC)
- Skirting boards
- Ceiling and wall line
- Around coving
- Staircases
- Interior wall corners
How long does decorators caulk take to dry
This is dependent on many factors such as room temperature and humidity, size of gap filled and porousness of where it has been applied. The drying time can be anything from 20 minutes to 2 or more hours. If unsure it is best to leave for a few hours before over painting it.
How to use decorators caulk
Decorators caulk is easy to use, we have written a post detailing how to use decorators caulk on our other blog DIY By Design so there isn’t any need to cover it in depth here.
Why does decorators caulk crack
Decorators caulk may crack if the gap you filled is too large, it may also sink or shrink slightly. If this is the case apply a second layer of caulk over the top of the first one.
If the caulk has cracked or crazed when you have painted it, this could be you didn’t leave it long enough for it to dry.
It isn’t uncommon for paint to crack or craze on top of the filler, this is mostly a problem for emulsions, a simple solution is to paint over the caulk with a non-vinyl paint, such as an acrylic primer.
Update
I have done a review on a caulk that doesn’t crack or craze, I have been using it for a while and the results are good.
Read my Review Of Dunlop Pro Decor Flexible Acrylic Filler Caulk here. And if you would like to buy some for yourself you can buy Dunlop Pro Decor Flexible Filler caulk from here.
Tags: Acrylic, caulk, Caulking, Ceiling, Coving, Decorators Caulk, DIY, Door, Filler, Frame, Handyman, Skirting Boards, Window
Posted in Decorating Tips, Home Improvements | 1 Comment »
Autumn and winter jobs for around the home and garden
Posted by Adrian
October 31st, 2018
Autumn and winter jobs for around the home and garden
Winter is fast approaching and before the really cold and wet weather gets here now is the ideal time to do maintenance jobs around the home and garden in preparation for winter. So if you have a spare half day or a weekend and the weather is a lovely autumnal day why not get out in the winter sun and do those jobs ready for the winter months.
Leaves
Leaves look nice when they are golden brown and red whilst they are still on the trees but as they fall off they can be a real pain. They can make driveways and paths slippery under foot, block gutter and downpipes and generally make the garden look untidy.
So a good sweep up can make the world of difference and as an added bonus you can bag them up and compost them ready to be spread of the vegetable patch the following year.
Gutters and downpipes
As mentioned above, leaves can build up and block gutters and downpipes creating drainage problems and potentially damp issues in the property. If you have a ladder or access to one or maybe a friendly neighbour with a ladder you could borrow, you can clean out the leaves from the guttering and downpipes along with other debris that may of accumulated over the past year such as sand and grit from the roof tiles and grass that may of started growing, even bird nesting materials.
Simply remove the debris and run some water along the gutter and downpipe from a hose or watering can to ensure the gutters are in good condition, flow freely and don’t leak.
Broken glass and windows
If you have any broken or cracked window panes it is a good idea to get them fixed or replaced. If you have single glazing this is especially important to help reduce heat loss and draughts from getting in.
You will also stop any water being able to get in and causing more damage.
Draught excluder
If you have draughts around doors and windows, or even letter boxes you can quickly and relatively cheaply reduce or completely eliminate them simply by buying and fitting draught excluders.
Draught excluders and readily available from DIY merchants and stores and are easy to fit, many door and window draught excluders simply are self adhesive, some require fitting with screws, such as in the case of a letter box draught excluder.
Roof tiles
Slipped, missing or cracked roof tiles could potentially cost you a lot of money in damage. If water gets into a loft space and you are unaware of it not only could the contents of your loft be damaged but eventually the room ceilings and walls will get damp, this could be costly to put right.
So to prevent this take a walk outside and look up at your roof, can you see and ridge tiles missing, or any broken or cracked tiles, if there are either replace them yourself, or better still, call a roofer to do it for you.
If you have flat roofs do you get a pool of water when it rains, this could create a problem or even be a sign of a problem, if you have a pool of water after it rains on your flat roof it could mean the boards under the felt are rotten and sunk thus leaving a dip in the felt for the rain to gather, again it is worth investigating yourself or calling a roofer.
Painting
Ok the winter isn’t the best time for painting outside but you could to a temporary job by making sure wood is protected with paint, a simple undercoat and topcoat on the bare areas could help protect the wood over the winter and you can go back and do a proper job in the spring of the following year.
Boiler and heating
We all rely on our heating this time of year, so it is worth checking everything is working OK before the really cold weather comes, if you have radiators that are colder at the top than the bottom you may need to bleed your radiators, if you are unsure of this ask a plumber.
You should always call an registered gas fitter if you need work done on your boiler or gas fire.
If you have an open fire, when was the last time you had the chimney swept, does it need doing before you have an open fire?
Outside tap
If you have a outside or garden tap you should make sure the pipes are lagged to avoid the pipes from freezing, also if possible turn off the isolator valve that feeds the outside tap and drain off the water by opening the tap, so there is no chance of the water freezing. You could also buy and fit a garden tap jacket that goes over the tap to keep it from freezing.
Flooding and snow be prepared
If heavy snow is forecast make sure you know where the snow shovel is, if you have one. You can also buy rock salt for your paths and driveways. Keep heating on but at a lower level to help keep the house warm. Be aware of sliding snow of thawing roofs. If you have a conservatory you should ideally have a snow guard fitted to the fascia to prevent snow sliding on the the conservatory roof and damaging it.
If major flooding is warned, take all valuables upstairs to keep them dry and safe. Put sandbags at the bottom of doors to try and reduce the amount of water getting in. Take a look at the Met office guidance for flooding.
Tags: Autumn, DIY, Downpipe, Draught Excluder, Garden Tap, Gutter, Leaves, Maintenance, Outside Tap, Painting, Roof, Roof tiles, winter
Posted in Home Improvements | No Comments »
Connect with us
Posted by Adrian
October 29th, 2011
Connect with us in the social media world
There is now another way you can spread the word about our website and blog, we have recently added Google+ to both our website and the posts within our blog. You can +1 each post, this will show in your +1 section within your Google+ profile so you can publicly recommend that post.
We have a google+ account and you can join our circles. We have also included an easy way to ‘Add to circles’ by a widget on the left side border on the website and the right side border on the blog.
You can also find all our other social media links on the ‘About this blog‘ page, we have added the Google+, Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin so its easy for you to connect with us.
So, if your interested in decorating, DIY and industry news please ‘Add to circle‘ on Google+, ‘Like‘ us on Facebook, ‘Tweet‘ us on Twitter, and ‘Connect‘ with us on Linkedin.
Tags: +1, Blog, Decorating, DIY, Facebook, Google+, Linkedin, Social Media., Twitter
Posted in News | No Comments »