OS decorating tips

Louisa_2

I am doing a little bit of decorating at the moment, nothing strenuous- touching up tatty paintwork etc. Whilst I was cleaning my brushes and roller last night I wondered whether there was more efficient (and OS) way of doing it rather than using all the water it was taking. (And I realised I was sending loads of nasties down the drain too so I'm having a think about the type of paint I use) This also made me wonder about other OS decorating hints and tips. Anyone have any ideas to share?

I will start it off, I have found that if you scrape the roller with the back (blunt) edge of a knife it will get rid of loads of paint before you start washing it. I suppose you could even scrape it back into the can

Not sure if this post really belongs in another section (or if there is similar older one that I can't find) but as I am after Old Style type advice, thought it might be best in OS. Board guides please move if it's in the wrong place!

alec_eiffel

Hi!

If I'm going to need the brush/roller the next day I just wrap it in clingfilm and it keeps the moisture in and you don't have to mess about washing all the stuff twice.

Aril

I've just returned 501 DIY Supersavers by Pamela Donald to the library. That had lots of moneysaving OS type DIY tips in which you may find helpful.
Aril

lynsayjane

i was gonna say the clingiflm thing

if your needing to paint a small room, instead of buying new pots of paint, try mixing some old colours in with a white paint to a colur your happy with, uses up all those near empty pots and gives nice individual colours. i did this ofr my bathroom and created a stunning turquoise colour.

also if you have leftover bitties that won't ever get used, leave them with the lids off to totally dry out hten chuck them in your nomral bin. it saves trips to the dumps, and i was told to do this by someone at the councils refuse dept when enquiring what to do with them.

Penelope_Penguin

Deleted_User wrote:

I
I will start it off, I have found that if you scrape the roller with the back (blunt) edge of a knife it will get rid of loads of paint before you start washing it. I suppose you could even scrape it back into the can

......then "paint" on a piece of newspaper. I'm always amazed at how much that removes.

Decorating equipment (pasting tables, paint, brushes, rollers) is often advertised on Freecycle.

Solvent free paint for wood is pants in my experience. We used it some years ago, and it flaked and chipped within weeks. Dulux doesn't do that, even in my hallway. Anyone got experience of more modern solvent-free paint?

Penny. x

stu3105

I once bought an attachment for my drill which held rollers and brushes,just put it into a largish cardboard box lined with a bin liner and wack on the drill, it gets the excess paint off in seconds,dip the brush or roller in thinners or water and repeat. was a good gadget.

Louisa_2

Thanks all these will at least help me get my rollers and brushes nice and clean! Any more advice?

Churchmouse

Penelope_Penguin wrote:

Solvent free paint for wood is pants in my experience. We used it some years ago, and it flaked and chipped within weeks. Dulux doesn't do that, even in my hallway. Anyone got experience of more modern solvent-free paint?

Penny. x

I so agree PenPen!!! We made the mistake of painting the stair handrail with that rubbish ( straight run then round two corners, our stairs are totally enclosed and dog-leg). Within days it was showing wear, and after just weeks great chunks had worn off!! It now looks ten times worse than before it was repainted:mad: :mad: The rough uneven patches attract dirt like a magnet and I am just going to have to bite the bullet and do all the "glossing" again!!

Smashing

You can strain old paint through a pair of tights to get rid of the lumps

99p store has lots of wallpaper - always write how many rolls you used on the wall so you know how many to get the next time you do it.

Hair rollers make good mini rollers for fiddly bits

Rubbing vaseline into your hands before rinsing helps to get paint off

Use small baby food jars or food storage containers to store small amounts of paint for touching up scratches or dents (include date, name & number of paint and where you bought it from!)

Pink.

Hi Louisa,

Now that your thread has dropped off the front page of the Old Style board, I have moved it over to the In My Home board to see if you can get some more suggestions.

Pink

mrs_baggins

Bit late I know! not a brush cleaning tip as such but here goes- When using a roller tray my dad always lines it with a plastic carrier or a bag. Then when you have finished you just take the bag off and throw it and your tray 'should' be still nice and clean. You may have to put a couple of pieces of sticky tape underneath to hold it fairly taught but greases dont really matter.