Home decoration. Two little words that are the cause of far more disagreements than they should be.
Or at least, they used to be. But here at Trade 1st, we're sick and tired of hearing about people's decorating disasters. So we've put our heads together and come up with four quick and simple tips to ensure that decorating your home runs as smoothly as possible.
Tip #1: Prepare, prepare, prepare
Failing to prepare is, as the old saying goes, preparing to fail. And that's not a great idea – especially when it's so simple to prepare to succeed instead! First off, prepare your plan of action. You need to choose a colour scheme that compliments any existing furniture or fixtures. Choosing a few tester paint pots always helps with this.
Then, when you're set on a scheme, it's time to prepare your room. That means stripping any wallpaper, cleaning surfaces, and making sure everything is ready to begin. For this, we recommend our decorator's cleaning and removal tools. Then, slap on a coat of undercoat or primer from our paints and coatings range and prepare your tools.
Tip #2: Choose the right tools for the job
Next up, you need to ready your tools. So take a look at your walls. If they're large, flat and open, with few fiddly corners, then using even the best synthetic paintbrushes will be a huge task. Furthermore, smaller recessed walls, like those surrounding a fireplace, are a tough task to tackle with anything but the smallest paint rollers – leading to smudging and overlapping.
Which leads us to our next tip. Because even if you're steady handed, careful, and using the perfect tools, you can never be 100% certain that all of your paint will stay where it should be.
Tip #3: Protect your fixtures and furniture
Nothing ruins an afternoon's decorating (or provokes a domestic debate) quite like spilling paint all over your favourite rug. Or your leather sofa. Or the skirting boards…
Fortunately, Trade 1st has you covered. Quite literally! Our range of trim guards, dust sheets and self-adhesive rolls will help you keep all of your belongings safe, secure, and paint-free. No matter how clumsy you are with a paintbrush! Simply head over to our dust sheets and protectors section and order what you need.
Tip #4: Relax!
Decorating your home doesn't need to be a chore, now that you're prepared, kitted out, and protected.
Simply relax, turn on the radio and pick up your paint roller! Don't worry too much, as after a few coats and a bit of touching up, your room will be freshly decorated and as good as new, leaving you free to whip off the dust sheets and enjoy the fruits of your labours.
And then you can start decorating the next room, and the next one, and the next! Just make sure you check back with Trade 1st for the latest great prices and offers!