Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

When painting exterior walls, safe access is of paramount importance, so consider hiring fixed scaffolding if you need to work at height. Always use paint that is specified for exterior use – for walls the most commonly used paint is exterior emulsion, which is generally called masonry paint. Most masonry paint is water-based, but for areas of the country that get particularly bad weather, such as exposed seaside areas, you can get an oil-based masonry paint which has greater durability. read more »

When painting a room, ventilation is vital, so have windows open to provide a good flow of fresh air. Before starting work, try to remove as much furniture from the room as possible. Anything that is left should be covered with dust sheets to protect from overspray, drips and dust. Surfaces should be well prepared before painting. Holes should be filled and all surfaces sanded and cleaned down. read more »

Using a paint pad provides an alternative to using a roller when painting a room, as a paint pad, like a roller, is designed to paint large areas quickly. As with a roller, pads can be attached to extension poles making it easier to paint ceilings for example, and you can also get small paint pads for more detailed work such as for painting skirting boards. read more »

Using a paint roller is by far the easiest, quickest, and best way of painting wall and ceiling surfaces (lovers of paint pads may disagree with me here!). Although many manufacturers say that rollers can be used for oil-based paints, I only tend to use them for water-based paints (emulsions) – the exception being with mini-rollers, which can provide a good finish when applying an oil-based paint to flush doors for example. read more »

Using a paintbrush correctly is the key to achieving the best paint finish. Never use cheap brushes and ideally have a good size selection in your toolbox. Even though you can now use rollers or paint pads, you will always need brushes for cutting in around edges and for the more detailed work. With wood, brushes are still by far the best option for giving a good finish. The main differences when using a brush is dependent on whether the paint you are using is oil-based (solvent-based) or water-based (acrylic). read more »