old window with no paint

Paint preparation anyone?

Every paint manufacturer recommends that prior to applying new paint you thoroughly prepare the old paintwork by cleaning and then sanding to provide a ‘key’. But most people seem to think you don’t need to bother too much with paint preparation anymore. Especially as it’s hard work (to do properly), tedious, boring and not very glamourous, especially when compared to the lovely feeling of sliding on that fresh paint. The problem with skimping on preparation is that your great looking finish just won’t last. Paint preparation is all about adhesion and without …

Restoring old hand tools

Old hand tools can still be found for a song these days and many of them are endlessly restorable. This old shovel is 28 years old; I know because I bought it as a fresh 16 year old just starting out in the world of work. It has dug many hundreds of tons of earth out of foundations in difficult to reach areas and mixed countless tons of concrete and mortar for brick and block laying. It has been run over by a fork truck (thanks Pip!) and left unwashed …

How to Tell if Your Lath & Plaster Ceiling Needs to Come Down

It’s a difficult decision isn’t it? We all love the period charm of an older house but what to do when repairing something as notorious as a lath and plaster ceiling? It can be difficult to find that point where you need to stop repairing a ceiling because removing the ceiling is the cheaper option. I always shed a tear when an original old lath and plaster ceiling comes down, as I can’t shake the feeling that the house will lose a little of its character. But times change and …