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Showing posts from April, 2014

How to wallpaper into a corner!

Wallpapering into corners can be a difficult yet inevitable job, but it’s not an impossible one. The key with wallpapering into corners is to plan ahead. You must plan to start just before the corner, not using a particularly long or short length of wallpaper to avoid creasing and other imperfections . You will need : - Wallpaper - Tape measure - Scissors - Wallpaper paste - Pencil - Wallpaper brush Plan to run just a small amount into the corner. Start by measuring from the last length of wallpaper that was hung before the corner, take a measurement from here into the corner and cut a length that is 1-2 inches bigger than your measurement. Paste and hang this section, which will run into and slightly past the corner. Now take the second piece and hang from the corner, along the vertical line, this will create a seamless effect and the end result will almost look like one piece of wallpaper running across the corner. Finish by brushing into the c...

How to prepare your walls for painting!

As with most DIY projects , preparation is everything! When decorating your home, conducting great prep is the difference between a super smooth finish and a sloppy one. Start off by dusting the surface of your walls with a towel, brush or vacuum cleaner. You will need : - Brush or vacuum cleaner - Sugar soap or homemade alternative of warm water and detergent - Sponge - Bleach - Sandpaper - High quality primer  Next wash down your walls with warm water and a high quality detergent, use a weak solution consisting of 3 teaspoons of household detergent to one bucket of warm water. Alternatively, you can use sugar soap to remove any stubborn stains like grease, soot or smoke damage.  Whether you are using sugar soap or a homemade cleaning mixture , use a damp sponge to apply the solution, which should be regularly rinsed. Don’t be afraid to cover old ground either, clean the wall area at least 2 to 3 times to remove excess dirt. You may encounter moul...

How to paint a ceiling!

You can’t just freshen up your decor by just painting the walls, go the whole hog and paint the ceilings as well. You will need : - Overalls and other protective gear - Angled brush - Your chosen paint - Roller - Tray - Extension handle The ceiling should always be painted first, followed by the walls, then to finish the woodwork should be varnished or glossed. Generally you will need the same equipment for painting a ceiling that is used to paint the walls, but you can choose to invest in an extension handle which will extend the length of your roller.  Using an extension handle in the safer and more efficient alternative to painting your ceiling from a step ladder. The first stage of painting a ceiling is cutting in, create a border of paint (approximately 2 to 3 inches wide) so that you can roll without the danger of getting paint onto your cornices and the walls below. Unlike painting a wall, which should be cut in and rolled wall by wall, you s...

Tutorial how to prepare interior woodwork!

Preparing your woodwork should always be a part of your home decoration preparation, after all prep is the key to a complete and professionally finished result. Messy woodwork can be the fine line between a beautiful home interior and a ‘not so beautiful’ one so prepare your woodwork today with a few tips straight from the experts. Cracks and holes in your woodwork are unsightly to say the least so repair these with a good quality wood filler. Large knots can be off putting too so use a knotting compound to seal these. You will need: - Wood filler - Knotting compound - Sugar soap - Electric sander - Filler knife - Fine sandpaper - Cloth - White spirit - Wood primer (quick rying and water-based)  If you are working with a painted surface and wish to spruce it up with a fresh coat, wash the surface down with sugar soap before you commence work. The sugar soap will remove any dirt, grime and dust that can go unnoticed to the naked eye but creat...

How to strip wallpaper easily !

  Stripping wallpaper can be a pain and is a feat that has lead many of us to choose paint over wallpaper when overhauling our interiors. However, with the correct equipment and the right techniques you can tackle the most stubborn wall coverings. New wallpaper adheres to stripped surfaces much better so it pays to strip your walls properly. The important thing to remember is to treat your wall with care when removing old wallpaper, stripping is the main cause of damaged walls. You will need : - Stanley knife - Scraper - Stripping solution (homemade or shop brought) - Sponge - Steamer or steam stripper Whether you are opting for a traditional scraper or a steamer, the easiest method of removal is to firstly score the wallpaper with a Stanley or craft knife, this will allow the stripping solution or steam to soak into the wallpaper thoroughly. Be careful not to score too deeply as this may damage the wall underneath.  Score the wallpaper in st...

Tips on how to mix paint!

  In a world where everyone has to be different, your interior should be no exception. Creating a custom interior is a wonderful idea but not as easy as many people think... Before you go crazy and mix every colour you can get your hands on, buy  some tester pots of paint, most DIY stores offer a full range of paints in  these smaller quantities.  You will need : - Range of paints in same finish (also known as ‘mixers’) - White paint (again in same finish as mixers) When choosing your paints, make sure you choose paints that have the same finish, i.e. matte, silk, emulsion or gloss. Also, if  you have no clue of what colours you want to mix, refer to the colour theory, which consists of primary and secondary colours. Primary colours, like red, yellow and blue, can be combined to form a secondary colour.  The key to mixing paint and finding a colour that suits your taste is to experiment! Many budding decorators choose to thro...

Tutorials on how to strip paint!

When overhauling your decor, it’s not just the walls that need attention,your woodwork needs to be prepared and painted to complete the look. When wallpapering your walls, you wouldn’t dream of applying new wallpaper on top of your old covering, the same applies when painting woodwork like skirting boards, handrails,panelling or doors. You will need : - Dust or polythene sheet - Goggles, gloves and protective overalls - Chemical stripper or heat gun - Scraper - Curved scraper or steel wool - Shavehook - Old paintbrush - White spirit or bucket of warm water Strip your woodwork , just as you’d strip your walls, for a perfect result. Paint can be sanded away but the easiest and fastest method is to use a heat gun or chemical stripper. Before you begin however make sure youprotect yourself and your surroundings. Cover flooring and furnishings with a dust sheet or polythene, and put on old clothes or protective overalls, goggles and gloves to protect yourself from the ha...

Tips on how to protect your furniture!

Decorating is an essential part of transforming a house into a home,but it is important to overhaul your decor without putting your stamp on all of its contents! You will need : - Masking tape - Dust sheet - Polythene sheeting It’s not always possible to remove every item of furniture from the room that you are decorating so every item left behind needs to be properly protected. No matter how handy you are with the paintbrush, accidents happen and paint droplets can turn up in the strangest of places. Take preventative measures for peace of mind and a pleasant painting experience. Flooring is one furnishing that needs to be protected, some homeowners choose to lift the carpet and remove it all together but you can use masking tape and dust sheets to keep your carpet or wooden flooring in prime condition. Mask the carpet where it meets the skirting board, after all the edge of your flooring is an area that just attracts paint and other spillag...

Tutorials and tips on how to decorate and design your teens space!

While your children start approaching adulthood, their pastimes and needs start to change dramatically. They might quickly outgrow their bedrooms as new requirements need to be taken into account and so you need to plan for this in plenty of time.  You should be aware that your child will have their own views on what they want in their room so you should expect some compromises. Let us look at some of the design and decorating selections for a teenager's bedroom. Get an ideas on how to decorate a teen's bedroom. The most important decision that needs to be made is to ensure the bedroom your child now occupies is big enough for a teenager. It might be that you do not have any other choices but if you can  move to a bigger room or extending the current one could be required. If the partitions are decorated with child decorations , you may want to repaint the walls to a neutral color. Teens really love to put up all sorts of posters and images on their walls so a neutr...

How to make tissue box in a train shape!

We use tissue every day, so it is one of the necessary prepared articles for daily use in our home.Naturally, tissue box is needed. Have you ever DIY tissue box before? I will tell you one way of how to make tissue box. The DIY tissue box I will show is in a train shape. If you don’t have this kind in your house, why not have a try and make one. Now let me show you how to make tissue box. Materials you need : Felt Plastic buttons Stiff box Scissors Sewing threads Needle Adhesive tape Glue How to make tissue box? Step 1: cut the felt to different shapes: Cut six pieces of felt as the same size of the stiff box you have prepared; one has a small rectangle opening in the middle. Cut the words “happy time” and stick them to the other felt to make different colored edges. Cut two big windows and four small windows. Cut four big lights and four small ones. Step 2: stick each pattern to the stiff box :  Cut seven little animals wi...