<p>We can’t all be professionals when it comes to decorating our homes and for most of us it can be a bit of a chore! Many of us have our trusty paint brush or two in the garage, perhaps even a roller and a tray and a few dried out pots of paint, sound familiar? So when it comes to decorating, a lot of you amateurs out there carry out your painting tasks with a fair amount of guess work involved! But no fear! Here are some top tips and trade secrets to make sure you’re next painting project isn’t a complete disaster!</p>
<h2>Choosing the Colour:</h2>
<p>This can be the most exciting and the most infuriating part of the process! You probably never realised how many shades of blue there actually is! The most important thing to remember is not to rush into choosing your colour scheme, pick up some colour cards to give yourself a better idea. If you’re planning on keeping things like your sofas, blinds or curtains, if you have any spare fabric you could take these with you to give you a better idea for colour matching.</p>
<h2>Preparation:</h2>
<p>Once you’ve picked your colours it’s time to prepare your room. Good preparation of all surfaces you plan to paint is vital if you want top quality decorating. You need to remove all the dirt, grease and any flaking paint of your walls and repair any cracks and holes. If you’re walls have been painted previously the best way of making sure the surfaces are clean is to wash over them with diluted washing up liquid – this will remove any dirt and grease. Make sure you wash the walls from the floors up so you don’t get any streaks on your walls.</p>
<h2>Tool Checklist:</h2>
<p>Having the right tools is essential and although it may be tempting to go and pick up the cheapest equipment you can, you should try to buy the best tools you can afford. You’ll not only have quality equipment it will also last longer. Here is a list of things you may need for your painting project:<br />
• Sandpaper of varying grades and a wooden block so you can hold the paper firmly<br />
• Bucket and sponge to wash down the walls<br />
• Step ladder – make sure it’s safe and sturdy!<br />
• Brush or duster for removing any dust or cobwebs<br />
• Dust sheets<br />
• Masking tape to protect edges you don’t wish to paint<br />
• Paint roller for applying paint on large areas<br />
• Paint tray<br />
• Brushes – make sure you have various sizes and widths</p>
<h2>Painting Your Ceilings:</h2>
<p>• Start painting your ceiling in the corner that’s nearest to the window then work your way out away from the light. You should use either a stepladder or a roller on a pole – whichever you find easiest to use.<br />
• You should start by filling in the corners with a small paint brush to make sure these are neat. Once that’s done you can paint horizontal lines with a large brush or roller, painting in lines will give you a smoother finish and will ensure you don’t miss any spots.</p>
<h2>Painting Your Walls</h2>
<p>Again go around any doorways or skirting boards with a narrow brush so you don’t have to get too close with your roller. Using a roller is the easiest way to paint a room quickly and neatly. You should apply the paint in criss-cross strokes; this will give you a really smooth finish.<br />
The best way to paint your room is to start with the ceilings, then the walls followed by the doors, windows, radiators and skirting boards.<br />
So now you know how to paint like a pro get planning your colour schemes and you could have a beautifully decorated home in time for the New Year!<br />
This post was written by Meredith Watts on behalf of Trade Paint Direct, a leading supplier of domestic, industrial and specialist trade paint in the UK.</p>

Painting And Decorating – Tips And Trade Secrets
