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“Painting and Decorating”

As “Never Paint Again”™ is all about paints, varnishes, coatings and decorating, the editor of NPA has decided to offer you this great resource, based upon information in the public domain, from a variety of sources, all quoted and respected.

If you are surfing the web looking for a painter and decorator, a paint shop or an organisation that sells interior or exterior paint, a wallcoating company, a builder, a plasterer or renderer, browse around this page, you may find what you are looking for!

Never Paint Again receives over 5 millions hits a year and on average, around 5,000 people visit us every week. We are well known all over the world. Unlike some other websites who are only interested in selling you wallcoatings or paints, “NPA Never Paint Again” strives its hardest to provide YOU, the consumer with as much information as possible. We are here to help you, not just to sell you stuff! Take a look on this page for handy info, and then browse around at your leisure at around 250 different pages, all devoted to home exteriors.

The following great information is taken from the public domain articles resource which can be found at the great website www.bozzle.com

The Basics of Painting and Decorating

Another factor which may exert a substantial influence on the life and behaviour of paintwork is the weather and atmospheric conditions prevailing at the time of application.

Golden Rules:

• Buy the best tools and equipment you can afford, especially paint brushes.

• Buy good quality paint and materials. Buying cheap paint is often a false economy as many more coats are usually required.

• Follow the manufacturers instructions on tins and other materials. don't always interpret too literally as there is usually a degree of flexibility, especially in diluting paints.

• Complete all your preparation before you start to decorate.

• Try to ensure that you have bought enough materials to complete the job. This is essential when buying wall-paper.

• Don't rush the job. Give paints time to dry between coats.

• Keep the area where you are decorating as dust free as possible.

• Don't wear woollen garments, if possible wear cotton overalls or jeans and cotton shirt.

Painting Exterior Walls

• The Golden rule when working off ladders or scaffolding is safety first.

• Make sure that you complete the painting of soffitts, fascias and guttering before you start the walls.

• Paint walls in designated sections if you can(eg. an apex above a window, a section between two windows or between wall edge and window/door).

• If the walls are of a fairly rough surface consider using roller to make the job easier.

• If you are right-handed, then work from right to left in as far as you can do comfortably. This way you won't be working across yourself, especially when working off a ladder.

• Work from the top downwards; completing areas within natural breaks. e.g. between two windows or between a window and a downpipe.

• It is wise to cover up bushes, flowerbeds and the lawn with dust-sheets.

• Always use a pothook when you up a ladder; secure it firmly on the side of the ladder and attach your paint container. DO NOT hold the paint container in one hand and the paint brush in the other.

• When using a roller on the walls, cut in one area at a time; roll and move on to the next area.

• Use an extension pole on the roller so that you can reach as much as possible from the ground.

Using a spray on exteriors

On exteriors, if conditions are windy, angle the spray pattern into the wind to avoid drifting.

* Work from ground to roof.

* WALLCOATING INSTALLATION CREWS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM PLEASE NOTE: Do not attempt to spray if the wind is excessive.

* When spraying with a shield or board hold it firmly against the surface. WATCH WHERE YOUR SPRAY GOES!! ON THE WALL, NOT ON PEOPLES' CARS OR NEIGHBOURS' HOUSES' OR ROOFS'!

* Angle the gun slightly away from the shield and towards the target surface. This will prevent paint from being forced underneath the shield.

* Shrubs next to houses should be tied back and covered with sheets. The sheets should removed as soon as possible.

* A Gun Extension can be used to reach awkward areas. (graco, USA, sell one)

* Nearby vehicles should be moved or covered whenever in the vicinity of a spray job.

* Always be careful of any surrounding objects which may be damaged by overspray.

Professional Painting and Decorating

The main aspect of professional decorating is being trained up to the required standard. This is generally accepted as getting the officially recognized qualifications such as NVQ's, City and Guilds and the like. Many good decorators have no such qualifications but have learned the trade from the ground up, often starting out as a painters mate, but City and Guilds can be regarded as the benchmark of good training.

The spectrum of quality in the professional decorating trade ranges from the highly skilled tradesperson(Master Painter) to the unqualified, semi-skilled(cowboy builder or cowboy decorator).

An ordinary householder may find it impossible at the outset to tell which is which. Cowboys often come in vans with impressive looking logos proclaiming membership to a professional guild or federation, where the only criteria for membership is that the annual fee be paid.

Of course there are several good organizations but it is difficult for the ordinary householder to tell the good from the bad.

For the ordinary householder the most reliable way is a recommendation from someone you know who has had work done. Also, firms get known for their quality over the years.

Requirements in former years:

City and Guilds of London Institute
Examinations in painters’ and decorators’ work are held each year under the auspices of the City and Guilds of London Institute, through its department of technology.

Intending candidates must apply to the secretary of the college or school which they are attending, or to the secretary of the nearest college or school, or to the secretary of the local education authority who will, in general, arrange for their examination and forward their fees to the offices of the department of technology.

The scheme of examinations in painters’ and decorators’ work has been drawn up on the assumption that the preparatory course of instruction, up to the Final stage, will involve four years of attendance, from the age of sixteen, for three evenings a week, or equivalent periods during the day, at technical classes.

Examinations are held in three grades—Preliminary, Intermediate, and Final. The Preliminary Examination is of an elementary character and is intended to be taken at the end of the first year’s instruction, the Intermediate at the end of the second year, and the Final at the end of the fourth year.
The Preliminary Examination consists of a written paper and a drawing paper, each of three hours’ duration; candidates must satisfy the examiners in both.

The Intermediate and Final grades comprise, in each case, a written paper (3 hours), a drawing paper (3 hours), and a practical test extending over two periods of 5˝ hours each. Candidates must satisfy the examiners in all three.

Those who pass in either the Intermediate or Final Examination are arranged in two classes and either first-class or second-class certificates are awarded accordingly. To obtain the Full Technological Certificate, candidates must not only have passed the Final Examination but must also satisfy the City and Guilds of London Institute as to their knowledge of allied branches of industrial design.
Institute Examination Regulations
Admission to the Incorporated Institute of British Decorators as an Associate is obtained by Preliminary, Intermediate, and Final Examination.

Candidates who have passed London or other University Matriculation, or a similar examination approved by the Council, may be excused the Preliminary Examination of the Institute.

Candidates who held the full Technological Certificate of the City and Guilds of London Institute in Painters’ and Decorators’ Work or who had passed the Board of Education Examination (Parts i and 2) in Industrial Design (Painting and Decorating or Interior Decoration) could be exempted from the Intermediate Examination and proceed to sit at once for the Final.

The conditions relating to exemption from the Intermediate Examination are, however, to be revised, following the recent changes in the Board of Education syllabus, and any candidates desirous of obtaining exemption should write direct to the secretary of the Incorporated Institute of British Decorators for up-to-date particulars of the conditions to be complied with.

At least one year must elapse after a candidate passes the Intermediate before he or she may sit for the Final Examination. For the Intermediate, six subjects must be selected from the syllabus (which is given below) by the candidate and specified at the time of application; for the Final, four subjects must be chosen. In both examinations the whole of the subjects selected need not be taken in one year but, at the option of the candidate, part may be taken at one examination and the remainder at the examination held in the following year.

All candidates were required to satisfy the Council that they are preparing for, or actually following the craft of a decorator.

The examination for the Intermediate grade includes the following subjects: (1) Historic Ornament and the Orders of Architecture; (2) Drawing from Nature; (3) Design and Principles of Ornament; (4) Colour; (5) Figure Drawing and Anatomy; (6) Lettering; (7) Heraldry; (8) Painted Ornament; (9) Sketch Book Studies.

The Institute publish a list of textbooks which are recommended for reading in connection with the examinations. Sheets of sketches and folios of drawings on most of the subjects must also be submitted as testimonies of study.

The Final Examination includes the following subjects: (1)History of Architecture and Decorative Painting; (2) Complete Decorative Scheme;(3) Decorative Painting; (4) Figure Composition; (5) Sketch Book or Folio of Work.

The requirements for the above include sheets of drawings and designs, and theses on certain subjects which are indicated in the syllabus.

Home Painting and Decorating

Most people like to try their hand at some kind of decorating in the home. Peoples tastes cover a very wide spectrum and what one person loves another may loathe. Decorating at home gives you the freedom to please yourself and not worry about impressing visitors, although very idiosyncratic and personal decorating done well, usually impresses.

If you decide not to do the decorating yourself remember that the spectrum of quality in the professional decorating trade ranges from the highly skilled tradesperson(Master Painter) to the unqualified, semi-skilled(cowboy). An ordinary householder may find it impossible at the outset to tell which is which. Cowboys often come in vans with impressive looking logos proclaiming membership to a professional guild or federation, where the only criteria for membership is that the annual fee be paid.

For the ordinary householder the most reliable way is a recommendation from someone you know who has had work done. Also, firms get known for their quality over the years.

Overview

• Estimate the cost of your project as near as possible.
• Don't just buy things on a whim as you go along.
• Decide whether you are going to do it yourself or employ someone to do it.
• If you get a professional to do the work remember that a major part of the final bill will be the actual labour costs.
• If you do it yourself you will save on labour costs but it may take longer to complete the job.
• Doing it yourself, you may also have to buy(or hire) tools and equipment on top of the cost of the materials.

Health and Safety

Paint is easy to apply. Its hundreds of colors and shades will help you express your own taste and creativity. At just pennies per square foot, it's the least expensive decorating tool of all.

And it not only beautifies your home and possessions it protects them.
If you're planning a painting project, while you're helping protect your belongings, the paint industry wants to help you protect yourself as well. Like many household products, paint contains chemicals, and some of them can be hazardous if not used correctly.

Paints are mixtures of pigments (for color), resins (for binding power), and other additives to make them easier to apply, faster-drying, etc. These ingredients are dissolved in either water or organic solvents.

Water-based ( latex ) paints came on the market soon after World War II. Today, around 80 percent of household paints, exterior as well as interior, are water-based. The increasing popularity of water-based formulations has gone a long way toward reducing the potential hazards from improper use of solvent-based paints: flammability or combustibility, and possible health effects from inhaling solvent vapors or spray mist.

Chances are that the paint you buy will be water-based. But some kinds of products cannot be successfully formulated using water, and still contain organic solvents. You need to know the potential hazards associated with those products, and how to avoid them. The label will tell you.

Reading a Paint Can Label

The first item on a precautionary label is a signal word, such as WARNING or CAUTION. Directly underneath will be a statement of the principal hazard, followed by any other hazards associated with the product's ingredients. Below the hazard information, you will see the precautions you need to take (such as Open all doors and windows during use. The precautions are followed by first-aid instructions in case of an accident, and by any special instructions for storage, cleaning up spills, or even disposing of leftover paint.

Flammability/Combustibility

Some paints contain flammable or combustible materials. If so, the label will read Warning: Flammable or Caution: Combustible. In either case, you need to take these precautions:
Open all windows and doors to increase ventilation and disperse fumes. (Don't use an electric fan, which could create sparks.)
Eliminate all sources of flame, sparks, and ignition. Put out pilot lights by turning off the gas, and do not relight until well after the room is free of fumes.

Don't smoke.

Don't use electrical equipment that could spark.

Make sure light bulbs aren't exposed to sudden breakage.

Clean up any spills promptly, and dispose of the spilled paint and rags or other cleanup materials safely.
Keep cans closed when not in use.

Health Effects

Overexposure to ingredients in some paints can cause health problems.

Sometimes those problems are noticeable right away (acute effects); sometimes the reaction to the overexposure isn't observed until later (chronic effects).

The label will tell you about any potential health hazards that may be associated with components of the product, and advise you about ways to reduce your exposure so you can use the product safely.

Poisoning Prevention

Some paints, like many other household products, may be poisonous if ingested (eaten or drunk). To prevent poisoning, take these precautions:

* Keep containers tightly closed when the product is not in use.

* Keep paints and other household products out of children's reach.

Before you open the can, read the label instructions for first-aid advice in case of ingestion. (These vary from product to product, depending on the ingredients.)

* If paint is swallowed, follow the label instructions and call a doctor or poison control centre.

Preventing Overexposure to Solvent Fumes

Prolonged inhalation or skin contact with any hazardous components in paint products can cause acute effects, such as dizziness, headache, and nausea. Long-term overexposure to solvents can cause chronic effects such as brain or nervous system damage. And if some hazardous components are absorbed into the bloodstream through contact with the skin, immediate or delayed health effects could result.

You can reduce exposure in several ways:

* Open all doors and windows to increase ventilation.

* If your eyes water or you start to feel dizzy or nauseated, leave the work area and breathe plenty of fresh air. If discomfort lasts or you have difficulty breathing, see a doctor.

If you can't get enough ventilation in the work area, use a respirator. For solvent-based paints, make sure your respirator is labeled NIOSH/MSHA Approved for Organic Vapors. Do not use a simple dust mask; it won't protect you against solvent vapors!
Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long paints, splash goggles, and butyl-rubber gloves to protect your hands (they will make cleanup easier, too).
If you get paint on your skin, wash it off immediately with plenty of soap and water.

If you get paint in your eyes, flush them with cold water for 15 minutes, and get medical treatment.

Protecting Your Family When Renovating Your Home

Today's household paints do not contain lead but if you are working in an older home (built in the 1960s or earlier), there is a chance that there may be old lead-based paint on walls or trim. If lead-based paint is in good condition (not chipping or peeling), and if it isn't on a friction surface, such as the places where windows slide up and down, it isn't hazardous unless it's disturbed by sanding or scraping or other renovations, which can result in lead-contaminated dust.

Disposing of Leftover Paint Safely

When you buy your paint, ask the salesperson to help you figure out how much you need, based on the size of the room or rooms, number of doors and windows, and the number of coats you plan to apply.

Hopefully, you won't end up with more paint than you need but if you do, be sure you know how to get rid of it in a way that won't hurt the environment.

Paint manufacturers are beginning to include safe-disposal instructions with other information on their labels.

Except in California, Washington and Minnesota, latex (water-based) paints are considered nonhazardous. They can be mixed with absorbent material and, when dried out, can be disposed of with your regular trash.

If you have to dispose of solvent- or oil-based paint (or latex if you live in one of the three states named above), you should save the paint, tightly covered, for disposal in a household hazardous waste collection program.

Environmental tip: Consider giving your leftover paint to your neighbor, church, school, or other community organization such as an amateur theater group and recycling the cans in a steel can recycling program.

If you bought your paint in large containers (five-gallon or larger) and there are babies or toddlers in your home, don't be tempted to reuse the containers as buckets for household cleaning. Very small children can fall headfirst into those buckets, and drownings have resulted.

How to paint a ceiling.

• Golden rule: Always paint the ceiling before walls or woodwork.

• As long as you don't have a lot of furniture to clamber over, painting a ceiling is fairly straightforward.

• Firstly sheet up everything which is in danger of getting paint on it. No matter how careful you are, paint splashes have a way of finding exposed surfaces.

• Use a stepladder, preferably one with a platform to hold tools or a paint container. If you haven't got steps, a strong plastic milk or beer crate or a wooden chair should be adequate.

• The golden rule, whether using proper or improvised scaffold, is NEVER to over-stretch.

• If you are right-handed work from right to left and vice-versa.

• Painting a ceiling is easier if you use a roller, unless the ceiling is very small e.g. in a cupboard or toilet, especially with artexed or wood-chipped ceilings(i.e. any ceiling with a rough patterned surface).

• When painting with a brush, use a large flat brush 6 to 8 inches wide.

• You can also use a small brush 1 to 2 inches wide to get into corners, cut along the edge of the ceiling and for cutting round the light rose and any other awkward bits.

• Starting in one corner on the window side of the room, paint in sections about 2ft square.

• Work across the ceiling doing a strip at a time.

• When using a roller it is a good idea to use one with an extension handle. Most roller handles have an open end into which you can push an old broom handle which will do the job.

• Using a small brush (about 2" size will do) cut in all round the edge of the ceiling and round the ceiling rose.

• Starting in one corner roll about a metre square and work across the room in strips the same as with a brush.

• If you are using a long handle on your roller it means your paint tray or scuttle(a square bucket wide enough for your roller size) can be kept conveniently on the floor at all times.

Painting over Wallcoverings

• The most usual papers to paint over are woodchip, lining, anaglypta and blown vinyls.

• Woodchip(a plain paper with small bits of wood throughout) comes in various weights and degrees of coarseness.

• Woodchip is good for hiding bad wall surfaces and ceilings and where a hard wearing paper is needed.
• It is usual to paint wall coverings with emulsion/latex, applying at least two coats.

• Anaglypta is suitable for finishing with gloss or eggshell; first applying acrylic water-based undercoat.

It is possible to paint over most kinds of wallcovering. It is best to use a latex/emulsion water paint. At least two coats should be applied; the first coat being thinner than the second. When you apply the first coat, the paper may bubble up here and there where the pasting was thin or inadequate.

These bubbles should go down as the paint dries but if the bubbles are especially large (say, over 6 inches) then it may be better to cut the bubble open with a sharp blade and slosh the paint underneath it and smooth it down.

It is often a good idea when decorating over wallpaper to try sponging, ragrolling or frottage as this will hide any defects in the wallcovering. Directions for sponging and frottage can be found on the Bozzle.com site.

Painting Interior Walls

• Before you start doing the walls in a room try to remove as much from the room as possible.

• Stack everything thats left in the middle of the room, leaving enough space to move a stepladder or stool around next to the walls.

• Interior walls are normally painted with emulsion paint, either matt or silk.

• Matt emulsion is better to use if the walls are not too smooth as silk(shiny) emulsion shows up every small imperfection.

• The pictures on the right show the usual way to paint walls when using a roller. That is, cut in along the ceiling line, the corners, round the architrave, skirting board and around sockets and switches before using the roller.

• Start in a top right-hand corner(if you are right-handed and vice-versa) and work away from the main source of light(e.g. window).

• When using a brush do sections about 2ft square working from ceiling to skirting.

• When using a roller, cut in one large section along the ceiling line, down the corner and along the skirting line.

• Cut in a strip 6 to 8 inches so you do not have to go too close to the ceiling or skirting with the roller.

• Roll about a metre square at a time. If you want a solid coat on the walls /ceilings then use the 'backroll' method. This is handy if you want to try and cover in one coat.

• To Backroll: Roll about a metre square at a time using plenty of paint. When you have rolled the third metre then go back and re-roll the first metre without putting more paint on the roller. This is very effective especially on ceilings.

Painting old Double-glazing windows

• If your double-glazing has reached the stage where you can't seem to get it clean you may have to consider painting.

• Before you do, try cleaning it with WD-40 if it is uPVC.

• If you decide to paint first apply a coat of etching primer.

• International paints make a product called Brilliant White uPVC Gloss specially for double-glazing.

Step by Step

Step 1. Thoroughly wash down all of the window, including frame and glass, and dry carefully.

Step 2. Rub down the frame with wire wool or abrasive pad and dust or vacuum clean. Make sure any shininess has gone. The window should now look matt all over.

Step 3. Examine for any bits of damage. These are best repaired with car body filler, fibre glass or any proprietary two-pack filler

How to check your builder is NHBC registered

Before buying a newly built or converted home we strongly advise all potential purchasers to check that their builder is NHBC registered and able to offer the ten year cover.

NHBC operates a name and shame policy and periodically publishes the names of those builders who have been deleted from NHBC's Register.

To find out if your builder is registered with NHBC, visit the 'Register' section of the NHBC site or telephone 0845 845 6422 (or 028 9038 6000 for Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man).

If you are a solicitor and need to check a builder is registered please telephone 0845 845 4055 (or 028 9038 6000 for Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man).

Please note, if your builder is not registered with NHBC check that you will be offered cover from another reputable company.

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From the Editors' desk.........