Whether you Find a Decorator on Mr-Skill or do the job yourself, you inevitably end up with left-over pots of paint. Those with just a few scrapings in them are best thrown away. Those still at least a quarter full could be worth preserving for touch-up jobs.
Reseal Quickly – Air is the enemy of paint because paint’s supposed to dry in its presence. Clean both lid and tin carefully where they come together. Insert a sheet of film or tinfoil. Close firmly to achieve an airtight seal without causing any distortion.
Label the Tin – Begin to clean your brush by painting a colour-patch on the tin in a way that does not cover up any important information. Use a laundry marker to note the dates when bought and used, and the colour code if the paint was specially mixed.
Store Away Sensibly – I know a London Painter who insists in storing paint tins upside down so that the paint remains above the film and not beneath it. I’ve followed his advice and found it works quite well. In any case, store the tin away from extreme heat and cold.
Using Old Paint – Paint has a limited shelf-life and many manufacturers suggest that it should be used within a year of being purchased. Don’t be tempted to bring down the cost of a Decorating Quote by using paint that’s gone beyond its usefulness. In any case, make sure it’s strained through a fine mesh sieve or piece of muslin, and into a clean container and well stirred.
Storing paint is really only really useful when you have a plan to use it shortly. This could be when you are half-way through an upgrade, and just want to brighten up a wall. In other instances it may just be an excuse to accumulate more clutter.
Be brave. Know the difference. Why not give your old paint tins a fresh view on life instead.
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Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
There’s nothing quite as annoying as having a badly-fitting outside door, especially on a winter’s day when there’s gale outside. It’s amazing how much harder central heating has to work, and what this costs. Don’t just sit back and accept this. Either Get Door Fitting Quotes on Mr-Skill, or have a crack at it yourself.
Draught-Proofing Strips – The handiest solutions are the rolls of sticky-backed foam that hardware stores all sell. The upside is that the result is instantaneous. The downside is they soon wear out. At best, this is a cheap stop-gap measure.
Sealing Door Bottoms – Gaps at the bottom of doors are a common problem where tiles have replaced a thick-pile carpet. You could try a draught-excluder, although in my experience these don’t always work particularly well. My advice would be to Find a Door Fitter and ask them to attach a matching piece to the bottom of the door. That way the problem should go away, permanently.
While You’re At It - Check out other suspect areas by holding a burning candle near the letterbox and keyhole. Flaps and keyhole covers become sticky and it’s in human nature to adapt to almost anything. It could be an idea to check all the other doors and windows too. You never know what’s there until you look.
Safety Warning – When I mentioned that I was writing this, my friend the London Door Fitter who hangs out in Charing Cross whistled sharply. I think I may have mentioned him before. Don’t make the place completely airtight, he grumbled. Air still needs to move around the house especially when your central heating and gas appliances are working.
This information comes to you with compliments of Mr-Skill. That’s the matchmaker website that connects customers with tradespeople. Use us with confidence anytime you like. We only recommend first-class craftspeople whose rates are reasonable too. You can trust them to get the job done properly.
Tags: airtight, appliance, bad, bottom, carpet, cheap, door, doot fitting quotes, draught, exclude, find a door fitter, fit, foam, gale, gap, heat, key, keyhole, letterbox, london door fitter, outside, roll, tile, window, winter
Posted in Window & Door Fitting | Comments Off
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