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Posts Tagged ‘decorators london<’
Does the appearance of your lounge or bedroom depress you? Do you feel like chucking out everything and starting all over again? I heard you loud and clear – not everybody has the money to pay for major redecorations. Instead, here are a few tips on inexpensive innovations that you could even achieve your self.
 o Invest in Full Spectrum Light Bulbs
Many of us still have not quite caught up with modern light bulbs and are using old ones that make everything look dull. Full Spectrum Light Bulbs produce natural illumination just like the sun was shining indoors too. You will be amazed at how much brighter and cleaner everything looks inside your home. Don’t take chances if an old bulb is stuck though – find an electrician at Mr-Skill.
o Apply some Elbow Grease
Now that you can finally see properly in the room you will notice clutter and dirty spots that you may not have noticed before. You need to do two things urgently – first de-clutter the space, and then give everything a good clean. If a piece of unwanted furniture is too heavy for you to shift yourself, find a man-with-a-van here.
o Buy a Small Tin of Paint
A quart-sized tin of modern paint goes a long way these days. You could redecorate one wall, the door or window frames, or even a piece of furniture like a table in a chic new colour. Don’t remodel – just add fresh highlights. This time you may not even need to find a painter.
o Add a Few Accessories
To complete the picture and the transformation of your room why not invest in a few inexpensive accessories like rugs and silk flowers in bright vases Second hand shops often have antique mirrors and table lights that can be spruced up for next to nothing. That way, you get more style for less money too.
By following these ideas, you will achieve an “almost new” room for very little outlay. Thanks Heavens for Mr-Skill and their good ideas.
Tags: accessories, affordable, bathroom, bedroom, cheap, clean, color, colour, de-clutter, declutter, decorator quotes, decorators london, dirt, electrician quotes, electricians london, find a decorator, find a man-with-a-van, find a painter, find a removalist, find an electrician, full spectrum, furniture, highlights, home, innovations, kitchen, lamp, light, light bulb, lounge, man-with-a-van london, man-with-a-van quotes, mirror, moving home quotes, paint, painter quotes, painters london, redecorate, redecorations, removalist quotes, removalists london, rug, table
Posted in Cleaning Services, Electrical Work, Moving Homes & Hauliers, Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
Painting is fun. Let’s keep it so by doing a little planning before we dip brush and roller to paint. That way everything will work our great, you will enjoy yourself, and when your friends admire your work they might even think that you had decorators from London in to do the job!
 1. Selecting the colours that you are going to use can be the most difficult step of all. Do you want a warm or cool effect, and energizing feel or a relaxing mood? Try starting with a colour that is already there – the floor covering for example – and work outwards from this. Alternatively, why not copy an existing colour scheme you saw elsewhere.
2. If using more than one colour, think practically as well The space below the wainscotings should be the darker of the two to bed the scheme, while the lighter colour dominates above. Painting trim a lighter colour than the walls makes for a cozier effect. Play with your imagination before you paint.
3. Paint effects can make all the difference to a drab room. Experiment with colour washing and stencilling and break into a whole world of new ideas. Who says all four walls have to be done in exactly the same colour either?
4. Mix shiny and smooth paints for stunning effects. Flat matt finishes hide imperfections and are great for walls not subject to wear and tear.  Satin and eggshell paints are easier to clean, while gloss is robust and makes a statement on the trim.
5. Measure up and make sure you buy enough paint to finish the job with a single batch. The folk down at the hardware store will tell you how much you need when they know the square feet involved.
6. Preparation is your key to success. After completely clearing the room wipe down all the surfaces with diluted washing up soap. Fix cracks, sand them down and wipe clean again. Do you have all the materials you need, and a good ladder too? If so, you are ready to start painting finally! Does this sound like too much hard work? Simple solution, find a decorator at Mr Skill!
7. Mask everything off carefully. I know it is a real pain, however be assured that the painting will go quicker, and that the result will be well worth it too.
 8. Work from the top down. Sounds obvious, however you would be amazed how many people do the ceilings last, and have to touch up splashes everywhere. My advice is, always re-paint the ceiling first, because it will look drab when you have done the rest.
9. Never be tempted to slap on a thick coat of paint. Two thinner coats do a better job, and you will not get so much paint on your hands either.
10. Do the trim last. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, you get less mess on completed work. Secondly, the job ends on a high note.
If the job is a big one though, like redecorating the entire house it could be wiser to have painters in to do the job for you. You will find decorator quotes easily on Mr-Skill, your handyman friend.
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 Since the Britain’s Sir Isaac Newton conceived the three-colour wheel in the year 1666 his original concept exploded several times. Mathematicians have developed it almost into an art form, hardware stores have colour swatches in an confusing display, yet the principles remain the same.
o There are three primary colours, mainly blue, yellow and red. All other colours come from mixing these in varying proportions. A primary colour cannot be created by mixing any other colours – it exists on its own.
 o There are three secondary colours too, namely green, orange and purple. The basic colour wheel is therefore blue, green, yellow, orange, red purple and so on. These colours are the result of mixing the adjacent primary colours in identical proportions.
o Tertiary colours are equal proportions of adjacent secondary colours again. They are yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green respectively. We could add and add colours until there were literally thousands and thousands, however the principles of using colours creatively would not change.
 It can be a good idea to choose your colours first before you find a decorator. Colour Harmony is the art of placing colours in pleasing spatial relationships, to produce exciting contrasts or peaceful rhythms according to our needs. These are a few of the more popular theories in practice today.
o Analogous colours are any three next to each other on the tertiary colour wheel. One always seems to predominate, and make the statement for an overall harmonious colour scheme.
o Complementary colours are any pair directly opposite each other on any colour wheel. Using these optimises contrast for a bolder statement.
o Mother Nature provides millions of colour schemes and you find these on leaves, seashells and pebbles everywhere. When you have found what you are looking for, search the individual colours on an extended colour wheel to find the one that is right for you.
After you select a colour scheme on the colour wheel, add white to achieve the tints you really need. Now is the time to get decorator quotes – some painters from London like to be in charge with colours. My advice is – stick to your guns because you know what you want best.
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Modern, tougher polyurethane finishes that are resistant to heat and water have largely replaced traditional French Polishing that was popular in years gone by. It still lingers on though in many older items of furniture, that may often be precious too. Use these handy tips to cool the temperature in the household if an accident occurs. If you are not quite sure though what you are doing or perhaps the damage is severe, perhaps you should find a decorator with specialist skills instead.
 o First – establish whether the piece is actually French Polished, or not. Do this by gently rubbing an obscure spot using a soft, lint-free cloth moistened with methylated spirits. If you find a deposit on the cloth then you have confirmed your suspicion.
o Scuff Marks – Make up a solution of 5 parts methylated spirit, 2 parts linseed oil and 1 part pure turpentine. Moisten a soft, lint-free pad and work it over the damage using a “figure of eight” motion. If necessary, use undiluted methylated spirit to blend in scratch marks.
o Heat Marks – Work these away with a lint-free cloth moistened with 1 part pure turpentine and 1 part raw linseed OR camphorated oil.
o Alcohol Stains – Alcohol dissolves French Polish. You should mop it up immediately and leave the surface to dry. If you cannot recover the damage using the techniques described above, you should ask for decorator quotes at Mr-Skill (unless you want to try a French Polish substitute bought at your local hardware store). If the damaged piece of furniture is antique, then you may need the help of specialist decorators – London is the best place to find these.
Be careful when you follow this advice – do a test on a spot that is not normally visible, and use an expert if in any way you are not sure. The value of an older piece often lies in the patina of age, and you do not want to lose this.
Tags: age, alcohol, antique, camphorated oil, cloth, decorator quotes, decorators london, find a decorator, find a painter, french polish, french polished, frenchpolish, furniture, heat, linseed oil, lint free, methylted spitits, old, painter quotes, painters london, patina, polyurethane, scratch, scuff, turpentine
Posted in Carpentry & Joinery, Handyman Services, Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
When done intelligently, and with an eye on what most other people want, redecorating can add pounds to the value of your home, and sometimes with very little effort too.  This is one reason why Halifax PLC recently found that home redecorating is the United Kingdom’s most popular home improvement pastime.
People sometimes redecorate their homes with a view to a quick sale and then regret it when they move. Others do it just because this easy task is a great one for the whole family to share. The rest have better things to do and get decorator quotes on Mr-Skill instead.
If you choose to do a job yourself make sure that it is within your capabilities and that you have enough time to do it properly. It this is not the case, or if you fear for your safety on a high ladder do as people looking for painters in London do – play it safe and appoint a decorator to paint high ceilings.
Always make sure that you use the best materials and equipment too. Going cheap inevitably shows through the job and you will regret cutting corners. This means safe ladders, decent tools, and making sure that tiles, paints and wallpaper rolls are from the same batch. This is how professional home decorators achieve perfect results, as you will see when you find a decorator here.
When doing a redecorating job at home, always make sure that you protect your face and skin from the nasty chemicals that many paints and glues contain. Wear goggles and a facemask to protect your eyes and lungs, and a good pair of gloves to avoid getting blisters. When you do a job successfully around the house with the right materials, tools and equipment, you will have discovered why so many United Kingdom homeowners enjoy doing the same
Tags: decorate, decorating, decorator quotes, decorators london, enjoy, facemask, family, find a decorator, find a painter, goggles, Home Improvement, job, ladder, materials, paint, painter quotes, painters london, quick sale, redecorate, redecorating, safety, share, tools, wallpaper
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
If you have taken time off from work, and do not need to find a decorator to do a quick painting job for you, then the pleasure that you gain will be greater when you follow these ideas. I learned many of these tips from painters. Decorators in London are especially professional and one can learn a great deal from them. Others are ideas that I developed myself when improving my own home.
o Take special care to work in a safe environment. That means good ventilation and  light, strong ladders and no trip hazards either. Taking regular breaks is important too. Falling off a ladder could break an arm or leg. Five litres of oil-based paint spilled on your face could blind you. It is far better to work with a mate than take chances. Rather get painter quotes for high ceilings and double storey walls from Mr-Skill.
o Choose the best-possible brushes, paints and other tools. Put back some of the money that you are saving by doing the job yourself. Buy decent equipment that will allow you to do a proper job.
o The key to any successful painting job is preparation. When you skimp on this, you could end up getting into trouble with your better half. Paint is microns thin and reflects any underlying defects. If you do not have the time to prepare properly, perhaps you should rather find a painter.
o When you are ready to apply the paint, mask everything properly. After pointing edges and corners with a smaller paintbrush, you can get going with a roller. Remember the principle of working everything over three times when painting. That way you will achieve a perfect finish and your work may not even need a second coat.
Painting can be fun when you plan properly and choose the best materials and equipment available. Many people think that decorating is the most rewarding DIY job of all.
Tags: air, best, brush, choose, decorate, decorating, decorator quotes, decorators london, ewuipment, find a decorator, find a painter, finish, ideas, ladder, light, mask, masking tape, paint, painter quotes, painters london, Painting, point, pointing, preparation, professional, quality, safe, tips, tool.prepare, trip hazard, ventilation, work
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
A decent paintbrush can cost a lot of money and is well worthwhile looking after. Buying cheap ones on a throwaway basis is false economy, and your work will show this too. I learned these things from painters in London where I had my decorating business.
HANDYMAN’S TIPS: Begin by working smart. When you dip a dry paintbrush into paint, capillary action draws the liquid all the way up to the handle where it congeals and ruins the brush. Soak if first in water, turpentine or oil, then shake it dry before you start. Use different brushes for oil and water-based paints because these media repel each other. Wear disposable gloves so you do not have to clean yourself as well.
 o First, wipe away any excess paint from the brush with paper towel or a lint free cloth (if there is a lot of it and it has not yet begun to dry, scrape this back into the paint tin first). Squeeze the bristles gently as you work the paint towards the tip where you can remove it. Be careful not to damage or distort the bristles – you want your expensive paintbrush to wear in nicely, and last for years. Wipe the surface of the paintbrush again.
o Rinse the paintbrush in turpentine or oil, or lukewarm fresh water, depending on the type of paint you have been using – the instructions on the paint tin will tell you which is right. When done, gently squeeze the brush dry inside several sheets of newspaper. Never shake a paintbrush dry, unless you want your house or garden to change colour.
o After wiping the paintbrush again with paper towel or your lint free cloth, dab the bristles gently against a piece of mild, soft bath soap (not dish-washing liquid, which is harsh). Work up a nice lather in a small clean container. Rinse and repeat until your brush is completely clean, and free of any remaining soap.
o Re-shape the brush with your fingers, and leave it to dry at room temperature. Never rest a wet paintbrush on its head. If you do, it will dry misshapen, and you could ruin it.
Do you prefer to find a painter to do your painting work for you? A good website to get rated painter quotes is Mr-Skill.
Tags: bristle, bristles, brush, clean, cloth, decorator quotes, decorators london, different, different brush, dip, dishwashing liquid, find a decorator, find a painter, lather, liquid, newspaper, oil, paint, paintbrush, painter quotes, painters london, paper, paper towel, rinse, scrape, soap, squeeze, turpentine, water, wipe
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 Wallpapering is one of those jobs that nobody can honestly say that they look forward to, and wherever possible will fix peeling wallpaper rather than remove all the old paper and start afresh. However, there comes a stage when completely redecorating the room can no longer be avoided and, reluctantly, you give up a Saturday afternoon to re-paper the room.
Whereas employing a handyman in London might be an ideal option to save you all the grief, people tend to feel that there is something personal about hanging wallpaper once they have been to all the trouble of choosing it, buying it and bringing it home. Nonetheless, the decision to do-it-yourself may well be regretted once you get to a corner!
Corners and light switches are the DIY-ers least favourite part of a room – whilst wallpapering at least – but there are some ways in which you can paper from one wall to the next, quickly and easily, in a smooth operation.
90 Degree Corners
When you reach a corner, it is much easier to hang a length of paper that has been cut into two vertical strips than to fold the paper into the corner – it looks better too! Measure from the last vertical strip to the corner at the top, middle and bottom of the wall (Some walls are slightly crooked and the corners not completely square).
Cut the paper to allow an extra inch (25mm) so it reaches slightly beyond the corner and paste this onto the wall – using a soft paper-hanging brush to smooth it into the corner. Then use a narrow roller to press the paper firmly against the wall and wipe off any excess paste.
Measure the width of the cut-off left over from the wallpaper you have just hung, and hang a plumb line that distance from the corner to get a perfectly vertical line. That line will enable you to start the next wall off correctly once you have pasted the cut-off up onto the wall.
270 Degree Corners
Some rooms have what is known as an “external” corner when there is a chimney breast or recessed window in the room. The procedure for papering around a 270 degree corner is exactly the same as above however use a side wall rather than a front-facing wall for aligning the two strips cut from the same length.
If you experience any difficulty manoeuvring your wallpaper around the corners of a room, look in our Tradesmen´s Directory for a local London handyman to come and give you a helping hand.
Tags: decorators london, find a decorator, find a handyman in London, Handyman Services, paper hanging brush, plumb line, wall, wallpaper, wallpaper roller, wallpaper seam
Posted in Handyman Services, Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
 If you have read our Project Advice on “How to Wallpaper around Corners”, you will know that plug sockets and light switches are of equal nuisance when it comes to wallpapering a room. Every room has light switches and sockets, and as much as you might get away with making a hash of the wallpapering in a dark corner, you will notice poor wallpapering every time you go to switch on a light or put in a plug – so it is worthwhile to take the extra effort to paper around switches and sockets carefully.
Whenever you are dealing with switches and sockets, turn off the power from the mains before you start.
Hang the wallpaper from the top of the wall as normal and cover the switch or socket. Brush gently over the fitting with a dry paper-hanging brush to make a slight impression on the paper, but take care not to tear it. With the wallpaper over the fitting, draw two diagonal lines from opposing corners through the centre of the faceplate and pierce a small hole in the paper at the centre point. With a small pair of scissors, cut the paper to the corners and pull back the flaps.
Trim the flaps back to just inside the outer edges of the switch or socket so there is an overlap of about a quarter of an inch (6mm) covering the fitting. Partially unscrew the faceplate and pull it out a little way from the wall. Use a small paintbrush to ease the trimmed edges of the wallpaper gently behind the faceplate and smooth away any air bubbles. Put the faceplate back in place and secure the screws. It is best to allow the paste to dry before turning on the power.
Wallpapering around light switches and electric sockets is not particularly complicated, just fiddly and requires a steady hand. As you only get one chance to get it right, you may wish to use the services of a handyman in London to help with the most difficult aspects of wallpapering a room. There are plenty to be found in our Tradesmen´s Directory, or you can attract quotes from handymen in London by using the “Post-a-Job” facility at the top of each page.
Tags: decorators london, electric socket, find a handyman in London, Handyman Services, light switch, paintbrush, Painting & Decorating, scissors, wallpaper, wallpaper roller, wallpaper seam
Posted in Handyman Services, Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
In happens in the life of every family that tempers flare, and a fist goes though a hollow door or wall. When tempers cool, the damage waits for somebody to repair it. You may not need to find a drywall builder on mr-skill.co.uk – if you are handy, you may even be able to do the work yourself, and will not need drywall builders quotes.
You will need the following tools:
o Metal Stanley Knife with New Blade
o Small Wood Saw
o A piece of Thin Board or Plywood slightly larger than the hole
o Marking Pen
o Medium-Grit Sandpaper
o Electric drill and wooden drill bits
o Medium-sized “Butterfly Wing” hollow door screw
o Several Sheets of old Newspaper
o Wood glue
o Skimming Plaster
o Steel Float
o Fine-Grit Sandpaper
Remove Damaged Material
Carefully remove the damaged paneling taking care not to leave jagged bits above the level of the panel. Trim with the stanley knife to an oval shape. Keep your hands out of the way, and make sure the blade does not slip. The objective is to have a curving opening. If you find this too difficult, you can find a plasterer here.
Prepare the Filler Piece
Cut the board to a similar shape that will overlap the hole by 2 centimeters on all sides. Sand the side that will face outwards with medium grit sandpaper to “key” the surface. Using the marker pen, draw a line 2 centimeters inside the edge of the board on all four sides. Draw lines from the opposite sets of “corners” – where these intersect, drill a hole just large enough for the hollow door screw to fit through. Insert it, with the “butterfly” on the unsanded side.
Fit the Filler Piece
Practice inserting the filler piece into the hole. Grip the hollow door screw tightly at all times, and do not drop the filler into the hole. Rotating it as you do so may help here. Remove it, and push tightly crumpled newspaper into the hole until it is full and protrudes slightly. Reinsert the filler panel – the pressure of the newspaper will keep it in place. Position it so that you cannot see the oval you marked with the marking pen. Squeeze a generous amount of wood glue between the filler and the damaged panel. Realign the latter. Leave alone for 24 hours.
Prepare for Painting
The next day, unscrew the screw from the butterfly and let this drop into the hole. Fill the hole with skimming plaster and level off with the steel float. When dry according the manufacturers instructions smooth off with the fine-grit sandpaper. You are ready to decorate.
Drywall builders in London will quote to replace the door or panel, because this is cheaper when you add the labour. If you are handy, you can save money by repairing it yourself. I bet you are glad that you discovered Mr-Skill.
Tags: board, butterfly, cut, damage, decorator quotes, decorators london, drill. drill bit, find a decorator, find a painter, float, glue, hole, hollow door, hollow wall, marker pen, painter quotes, painters london, plaster, sandpaper, saw, screw, skim, stanley knife, trim
Posted in Painting & Decorating | Comments Off
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