i have never attempted to try the jobs you are doing around your home but my son loves doing anything like plumbing. like you reads before and gets on with it he looking forward to your next adventures and to be truthful so am i
Have you had a quote by a professional we have for our bungalow it was nearly £1900 that for paint and labour , so it looks like we are going to do ourselves one room at a time .Currently house is paint only which will need doing sometime this year probably in the summer months and done by a professional.
With the busy lives we all lead, it’s very tempting to get someone in to these jobs, they can do it far quicker, have all the right tools, and the inconvenience is far less disruptive, but… the cost can be eye watering sometimes.
For me the plumbing job was , in principle, quite straightforward….. I just had some bad luck.
It won’t deter me though.
Steve
What surprises me is that my two kids, (50- and 50+) have never done their own decorating or much DIY maintenance, and their approach seems to be mirrored by their friends too. Yet we still do our own decorating and gardening etc, but I must admit it is not as easy as it once was getting down to paint skirting boards, and we don’t do any paper hanging now, all rooms are emulsioned.
Wow that is eye watering high. Initially we are only going to get the hallway and bedroom done first followed later by the the other 4 rooms at 2 a time.
Over the years we've renovated many houses - our own and the kids. I've tried just about everything in this respect and the only one that has defeated me is plastering on a large scale - walls and ceilings for example. I've watched the professionals and they make it seem so easy but when I try its lumpy to say the least.
We still prefer to do it all ourselves but Mrs V drew the line a year or two back when the outside rendering needed painting. I have no problems up ladders, she just had a problem about how I might come down So we paid someone to do it and it was worth it.
Next week we're tackling the inside and the problem with an open plan house is that you can't really just do one room. With high ceilings it will mean getting the ladder in but I think Mrs V will position a sofa nearby.
We still prefer to do it all ourselves but Mrs V drew the line a year or two back when the outside rendering needed painting. I have no problems up ladders, she just had a problem about how I might come down
So we paid someone to do it and it was worth it.Next week we're tackling the inside and the problem with an open plan house is that you can't really just do one room. With high ceilings it will mean getting the ladder in but I think Mrs V will position a sofa nearby.
Our three year old Vaillant just before the fake cupboard is fitted. An indirect system with large Stainless Steel hot water tank, small header and large cold water tank ,feeder to hot water tank and power showers. All tanks are full insulated , as is loft.
All fitted by my son.
We considered all the other options including a heat pump which was a complete no go because of the house design. A combi boiler and pressurised hot water tank would have not worked without considerable additional cost for no gain.
Generally I find most caravanners have at some time in their life been a diy plumber, sparky, gas engineer. I wonder why🤪
All fitted by my son.
We considered all the other options including a heat pump which was a complete no go because of the house design. A combi boiler and pressurised hot water tank would have not worked without considerable additional cost for no gain.
Generally I find most caravanners have at some time in their life been a diy plumber, sparky, gas engineer. I wonder why🤪
Attachments
One of the reasons we went for the combi was to get rid of the tanks which were ageing, and also, to win back the airing cupboard. A small rad was put in there which makes it a very useful drying room.
John
John
Like us we are going to try the kitchen first it had damp and half of it needs a redo of painting and the hall and then the lounge with our conservatory but it depends when everyone is available .
Looking at the price of professionals we plan to do the living areas first then follow this with bedrooms. We are planning to put the main money into a new bathroom as my mobility needs are changing so must be practical. Ending with the hall.
If you diy may I recommended you use Dulux Trade paints. Slightly dearer than run of the mill paint but superior quality. 5 litres of brilliant white vinyl Matt cost me £36 recently at Travis Perkins. You can also use the Dulux Trade centres.The paints opacity is vastly superior. Ask why Professionals use it? No come backs!
Dulux was one of the paints I was looking at for bedroom. The other was Farrow something or other.
At the moment I can hardly put one foot in front of the other so definitely something to put off until another day. LOL!
For white i use Leyland Trade from Toolstation. As you say trade paints are far superior to the mountains of white emulsion that you see at BQ where even the cheap Dulux isn’t very good.
For the outside rendering I used Sandtex.
For a couple of internal accent walls we used a local Skye Paints product. Very good but not cheap. One tin they forgot to put the colouriser in and since it was just a very pale green I'd painted one wall before I noticed it was still white.
I did my daughers house just before christmas and used Dulux and was very impressed with the coverage and lack of smell. This is what we're going to start using next week although we still have a couple of accent walls that need doing with the Skye Paint for continuity.
I've been using Prodec Rollers and use Prodec Precision Edge Masking tape which is excellent and does away with the need of cutting in.
For a couple of internal accent walls we used a local Skye Paints product. Very good but not cheap. One tin they forgot to put the colouriser in and since it was just a very pale green I'd painted one wall before I noticed it was still white.
I did my daughers house just before christmas and used Dulux and was very impressed with the coverage and lack of smell. This is what we're going to start using next week although we still have a couple of accent walls that need doing with the Skye Paint for continuity.
I've been using Prodec Rollers and use Prodec Precision Edge Masking tape which is excellent and does away with the need of cutting in.
Do people do one or two coats of paint if using the trade Dulux? Can the man in the street buy the trade paint or do you need to be a business?
The Dulux, if no smell, is a bonus. Lastly we would need to work out our coverage once holes have been closed up with polyfiller.
The Dulux, if no smell, is a bonus. Lastly we would need to work out our coverage once holes have been closed up with polyfiller.
Often one is sufficient but it all depends on the colour you are over coating. Dusty and I are both ” men in the street”. Trade paint is widely available at places like Wickes, BQ, Brewers, Screwfix, Toolstation and on line. You don’t get the range of colours as they tend to use the BS colour pallet. Although I dare say there are places that mix trade paint with non B S colouriser.
Personally I'm not convinced that Trade Paint is better than normal stuff. I think the most important thing is preparation and how it's applied.
I've seen supposed professionals use trade paint and the result hasn't been that good...but then they might not have achieved a good result with any paint.
We've had a couple of issues with the colour mixed paints where a second tin has been a slightly different shade. Now we make sure that we can cover a complete wall with the same tin.
A new colour on a wall and we'll do two coats. Freshening up will usually just be one coat.
If you're going to use a roller, then wash it thoroughly before use and you're likely to get less bits coming off. As I mentioned previously I use Prodec Rollers and once washed get no bits.
Also if you don't finish the job and need to do another coat later , wrap the rollers, paint brushes and trays in cling film. They won't dry out and can be reused even two or three days later.
I've seen supposed professionals use trade paint and the result hasn't been that good...but then they might not have achieved a good result with any paint.
We've had a couple of issues with the colour mixed paints where a second tin has been a slightly different shade. Now we make sure that we can cover a complete wall with the same tin.
A new colour on a wall and we'll do two coats. Freshening up will usually just be one coat.
If you're going to use a roller, then wash it thoroughly before use and you're likely to get less bits coming off. As I mentioned previously I use Prodec Rollers and once washed get no bits.
Also if you don't finish the job and need to do another coat later , wrap the rollers, paint brushes and trays in cling film. They won't dry out and can be reused even two or three days later.
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Thanks for the update as assumed Trade paint was only available to the trade. We will probably go for a magnolia colour same as what is on walls at present.
Although we could ask either grandson if they could help, we are a bit wary as their finish may be different to the finish we would like and we certainly do not want to upset any apple carts if you get my drift.
I guess dust sheets will be okay to protect the carpets knowing what generally happens when we attempt to do it ourselves. LOL!
Farrow and Ball paints imo are one of the most overrated under engineered paints on the market. In the famous words, “A don’t buy”.
Check the Opacity rating . You will find the Trade paints mentioned above contain far more pigments which means fewer coats are required to achieve a correct finish. Preparation is key to success.
Take a trip to a Dulux Trade Centre, Worcester or Gloucester say, and be impressed. You will discover that even the type of brushes and rollers will make a big difference to the final result.
You can buy plastic backed dust sheets so any drips or spillages don’t go through to the carpet. I also use a paint trim shield when doing edges such as ceiling to wall, or door frame to wall as it makes cutting in much easier. I have three in different sizes and shapes.
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The one thing I never took into account was the radiators. Ours are about 32mm away from the wall so not sure if one can paint behind them?
You can buy long handled small roller brushes that reach behind most radiators. Also there are long handled paint brushes with a cranked stem fir behind radiators and stiff long handed bristles cleaning brushes to get tge fluff out before painting as it can “ grab” your roller or paint brush.
Dulux Trade paint in Wickes etc is supposed to be different from buying direct from a Dulux trade shop (yes man on the street can purchase from them) Dulux trade shop say they have a different mix to Wickes etc. Or that’s what they told me. Dulux trade shop is dearer though 🥴
The Dulux trade paint is a lot cheaper at Wickes. Wickes are our nearest DIY shop, but there is a Dulux trade centre about a mile further away however a lot more expensive than Wickes.
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