TOP TIPS! What are your top tips that you CAN share?

[fitch]

Take the spring clip off the side of a tape measure ( rarely used ) and attatch it to the side of your paint brush. Its enables you to clip your brush to the side of your mettle paint kettle: especially handy when working up ladders painting gutter boards ect; keeps brush secure and paint away from the handle.

[MadRay]

If your ancient like me and sometimes use linseed putty.....spit on your hands first to stop it sticking... eventually you will develop lovely soft hands for your Mrs.

[Bikergirl]

I throw my roller heads in the paint tub if I'm going to be using a big tub over 2 or 3 days. Any longer and they start to dry out. Then when I've finished I get as much paint off as I can then they go straight in the washer with my work clothes. Never had a problem, but then our washing machine is only capable of 50 degrees! Other half has no choice.
For heavy duty sanding, I still like a sanding disc (cut from a roll of sandpaper, not bought) in the end of the drill. Dusty, but rips old paint off a treat.
Re the door handle issue... locked myself in a room before and had to use an angle grinder to cut through the lock, but that was extreme... and if I take a door handle off I clamp a pair of mole grips on the spindle instead.
Extra wide catering cling film to line the roller tray- just pull it out when finished.

[Tom d'Angler]

Re the door handle issue... locked myself in a room before and had to use an angle grinder to cut through the lock, but that was extreme...

and if I take a door handle off I clamp a pair of mole grips on the spindle instead.

Or ... you could just leave the handle in the room where you are working

[Bikergirl]

Or ... you could just leave the handle in the room where you are working

I do, it just saves me having to look for it or make sure my hands are clean before I pick it up.

[Tom d'Angler]

[MadRay]

If your white gloss isnt going to cover .... add a 'stick of black' ....just add a tiny drop of black gloss to it.... surprising how it covers..(Crown and dulux white gloss is very slightly grey to make it cover better)
Add a tiny squirt of washing up liquid to contract matt to make it slide on without thinning (havnt done this for a few years so dunno if it still works)

Add Owatrol to oil based undercoats for a really smooth finish, can add to gloss but can lower the gloss sometimes.

Leave gloss in sealed can by radiator overnight...no need to thin and goes on like butter

[fitch]

A good money saving tip for the airless sprayer is to use anti freeze instead of pump saver, because its the same stuff. The airless spray manufacturers are making milions by putting anti freeze into smaller bottles; calling it pump saver, and trippling the price.

[MadRay]

When wallpapering.......hang a complete wall then cut all your tops and bottoms in one go.....its called 'Top n Tailing'
Its quicker to cut your wallpaper to length on the boards using a 'Rip stick'
Mix your paste the day before you use it.....its better to use

[Puma]

Dipped doors are really terrible to bring back into good condition - they go furry, can leak tannin stain, and can take weeks to shrink back to size cracking at the seams as they go - avoid if possible!

Unscrew fixings completely when wallpapering or stripping, pull away from the wall and tape up the backs. Screws can go in your wallet for completely safe keeping.

When stripping some paper like wall papers react extremely well to a light going over with p60 and suddenly suck up water like a normal piece of paper.

Grind down screws and nails on skirtings with a metal grinding wheel on a drill driver - the chippy probably hasn't put them all the way in because they were difficult and several years later they'll be more or less impossible. Or try to hammer to smithereens when on a flat surface without faffing around with a nail punch.

Hammer in rawl plugs as well - surprisingly quick and effective in almost all cases, fine as you have to fill anyway.

Always over quote and take the risk of earning too much rather than the other way around!

Repairing cracked coving to good condition can be a an unbelievably slow business. Heavy cracking, needing a double fill, about an hour per 2.5 meters!

[Tom d'Angler]

Always over quote and take the risk of earning too much rather than the other way around!

That's the best tip on here!

If you feel guilty about over charging if the job actually takes less time, or uses less paint, than you thought then the customer is always delighted when you say "The invoice is £40 less because I didn't need as much paint as I initially thought."

[JK Decorator]

If your white gloss isnt going to cover .... add a 'stick of black' ....just add a tiny drop of black gloss to it.... surprising how it covers..(Crown and dulux white gloss is very slightly grey to make it cover better)

I wouldn't admit to this, It's an old council tosh trick usually alongside 'two-and-one' as in two parts undercoat and one part gloss AKA super bump!

Not that i've ever done such a trick

[MadRay]

Ever got bitumen or oil based undercoat on your hands?...then use margerine, butter especialy Flora to remove it.
Shampoo is much better than soap to remove paint on hands
White spirit will remove dry Pliolite even after years

I now use painters hand cleaner (beeline) and keep the Flora for the toast

[MadRay]

'Dont blame the material when something goes wrong, and take all the credit for good workmanship when everything goes right'

[Clunk]

This is more for the diyers than the pros. When mixing paste stir and keep stirring as you empty the paste into the water- no lumps!It works for custard too but don't hang your wallpaper with it