Find a Decorator you can trust in Barnstaple.

Hiring a decorator for your project always seem easy until you get started. With a wide range of decorators available today, it can be quite tricky separating the boys from the men and selecting the right tradesman for your unique project. There are a number of things to put into consideration, questions to ask and lots more to ensure your decorating job is awarded to the right tradesman. In this post, we’re going to give you an insight on some of the essential questions to ask to make sure the prospective decorator is a good match. Let’s take a look!

• What qualifications do you possess? With the pool of decorators around in the industry today, qualifications are needed to help you determine the true specialists. A qualified decorator gives you an assurance (to some extent) that a quality work would be done to your requirements. Decorators, generally, can earn a degree which includes course work in architecture and are also licensed.
• How do you help me identify and communicate my style to you? If you have an idea and know what you want for your space, a good decorator should be able to get it out of you by showing you pictures and asking questions which can vary widely.
• Do you have examples of previous work that are similar to my project in style, scope as well as budget? A decorator that answers yes to this question is a good indicator that they can handle your project. If they don’t, you can ask for pictures of projects they feel is quite similar to yours

What Insurance Does A Painter Need?

As a painter, you’re most likely going to require three forms of insurance which includes public liability, income protection as well as tool insurance. However, you should take note that outside these three, there are also several other forms of insurance whose relevance will only be determined by the nature of your business. Now let’s take a closer look into the three most important forms of insurance for painters.

✓ Public liability. What’s surprising here is the fact that many painters are actually aware that they should have a public liability insurance, but only a few really knows what it actually covers. Essentially, what a public liability insurance does is to protect you in the event whereby you messed up and some else suffers a loss as a result of your actions. Third parties can suffer a property damage or personal injury as a result of your negligence. It does not in any way cover the damages to your own property or injuries suffered by you or your staff.

✓ Income protection. As a subcontractor or self employed painter, you’ll be in the best position to know that if you don’t work, there’ll be no money for you. And with no sick leave and possibly no workers’ compensation, then financial problem looms. But not to worry, you can protect yourself from this risk by getting an income protection insurance.

✓ Tool insurance. It’s always a terrible feeling when you go to the site only to discover your tools such as ladders, spray guns, trestles and equipment are suddenly no where to be found. Upon discovery of this situation, you’ll start thinking about the cost of replacing all the tools. With a tool insurance, you can be protected against these sort of situations whereby your tools are stolen, damaged and lots more.

How To Choose Exterior House Paint

Painting the exterior of your house is a great way to give your home a new fresh look that improves it’s curb appeal, make it stand out and also increase it’s value. Exterior paints can serve a wide range of purposes, be it to make a statement in the neighbourhood, highlight some architectural features or to complement the nature. Hence, it’s very important to know the purpose of your exterior house painting project before choosing colour and proceeding with the task. In this guide, we aim to help you narrow down the paint colour selection to help you choose the right paint combination for your home’s exterior with relative ease. Let’s take a look!

✓ The neighbourhood’s style. At times, the style of the neighbourhood can help in selecting a house’s paint colours. For example, in the event whereby the neighbourhood is filled with Victorian homes, then a bold colour wouldn’t even be an option. Furthermore, if there are more ranch style homes in the area, an exuberant collection of pastels may not be the most suitable choice.

✓ To complement nature. Sometimes all that’s needed to know the best paint combination for your home is simply to look around at the surrounding landscape to get clues of the colours that’ll be perfect. For instance, different shades of summer green can be incorporated fr the exterior, meanwhile the fall colour combinations of red, brown and golden shades can also go well too.

✓ Look inwards for guidance. The existing fixed colours inside or outside a house can also be a great option to be used in the exterior colour scheme. This can be the colour of the material of the window trim, foundation or even the roof.

If you’re planning to get a stair lift to be fitted in your home or property, one of the first things you’ll have to consider is whether your staircase is straight or curved as this would be the primary determinant of the stairlift type you’d go for. If you happen to have a curved staircase, you’d need to purchase a curved stairlift as only this can be fitted. Once you’ve identified the type of stair lift you need, then the next step is to determine the price to purchase and install such unit. In this post, we’re going to give you an idea of curved stairlift prices in order to help you make the best informed decisions possible. Let’s take a look!

Unfortunately, a quick and simple answer can’t be provided to this question as there are so many factors that influences the price of a curved stairlift. The bespoke nature of installing the necessary equipment is the main reason why the amount of new curved stairlifts greatly varies in the UK as well as the amount and complexity of the work required. For instance, if you purchase a curved stair lift with an intermediate landing, you’ll have to customize the track of the stair lift to fit your stairs which will make it a lot more expensive than ones without an intermediate landing.

With these in mind, providing an upfront and accurate estimate of a curved stairlift cost would be hard. As a result, this question can only be answered accurately taking into account all relevant factors by an expert after which they pay you a home visit. They’ll take into account whether  any existing fixtures and fitting will have to be removed or perhaps there’s a need for a custom feature to be installed and lots more.

You should always wait until plaster is dry before painting. The time this will take varies depending on the room and property, but in general, it will take about a week. Your plasterer will tell you how long it is best to leave it before covering or painting their work.

How To Paint A Room

Painting is a joyful task and it’s quite obvious why it’s one of the most popular DIY projects. Whether you’re painting as an experienced DIYer or as a newbie, this step by step guide will put you in the right direction. However, if you lack the confidence to carry out this task, then we’d recommend you get in touch with a seasoned professional who can guarantee the best results for help. This way, you get to save some time and additional money that would have resulted from possible costly errors.

So just before you head right into the task, there’s the need to determine the type of pain finish you would love to use which is to choose a colour. Now let’s get started!

• Prepare the room

✓ Remove all objects as much as you can from the room and cover the remaining furniture or objects with a sheet.

✓ Fill all holes on the surface to make for an even finish.

✓ Wash the wall with the help of a damp sponge. A sugar soap or diluted washing up liquid will work just fine.

✓ Tape the edges of objects you do not wish to paint like light switches, plug sockets and the likes.

• This step can be skipped if painting on an existing paint, but it’ll advisable to dilute small quantity of your selected paint to patch prime the holes that you’ve filled. If you have a large number of holes that was filled, then priming them would be smart.

• Mix or stir the paint thoroughly in a paint kettle to ensure an even and perfect mix.

• Now you’re ready to start painting! Start from the edges to form like a frame to work within with your roller. Once done, leave for about 4 to 6 hours to dry.

• For the second coat, simply repeat the above step to complete your painting project.

The quick and simple answer to this question is yes, you can definitely spray paint your garage door - be it timber, metal, composite or upvc. However, the major concern of most home or property owners about a painted finish is whether it’ll become vulnerable to wear and tear or resist it. Will the paint easily peel off at the slightest provocation or will it stand up to abrasion? The questions goes on and on. The answer to the questions showing concerns about the longevity of a painted finish depends largely on the quality of the application.

For a successful and effective spray painting project, there’s the need to prepare the surface. There some materials that’ll require priming, be it a special primer or a thinned version of the paint. There are also some surfaces that’ll need some light sanding. Overall, the primary aim of preparation is to provide a clean and ideal surface for the paint to bond to. This is the most important factor that determines whether the finish is going to last or not.

Painting your garage door can either be done as a DIY task or you can probably hire the services of a professional. To paint the garage door yourself, you can’t buy the same equipment as a professional firm, but you can as well use a brush. This option will leave brush marks especially on metal and upvc garage doors which makes it not so appropriate if you want to have a smooth and even finish. Professional companies are highly recommended for this type of project as they possess the experience and knowledge and skills required to deliver a top quality job that’ll help obliterate all concerns you might have about its longevity.

There are lots of paints that are suitable for different areas of your property. In general, gloss and eggshell paints should be used in high traffic areas, whereas matte paints are suitable for lower traffic areas. Professional painters and decorators can give you advice on the most suitable types of paints.