Painting at home is not a task that we carry out all too often, fortunately, but from time to time you will have to hand-paint a piece of furniture, door or wall. What equipment and tools do you need?

- Paint bucket. You will find them in the most varied shapes and colors, with or without a grid to drain the roller, but their function is always the same: a paint container in which you can soak the roller or paint brush easily.

- Paint-roller. It is the ideal tool for painting large surfaces such as walls or ceilings. It should not be too large because they become unmanageable. A size of approximately 16 cm would be correct. You can purchase an extendable, telescopic handle for painting ceilings or the upper part of a wall without needing a ladder. There are versions with a long handle for hard-to-reach places, but perhaps it is not appropriate to include it in the basic painting kit, as with a brush and some patience you can achieve the same result.

- Large round brushes, if possible in a couple of sizes, to complement the work of the roller. Round paintbrushes, also in a couple of sizes, for finishes and finer jobs such as a touch of color in a decorative element.

- Long handle flat brushes, ideal to paint in places that are difficult to reach. They are often used to apply plastic coatings and paints. They come in different widths, depending on the surface that you have to paint.

Once you finish the work, clean these items carefully before storage. Depending on the type of paint that you have used, simply wash them with water, or apply solvents such as turpentine. You must be careful with the bristles when storing the brushes; if they are pressed against an object they can distort and the brush will become unusable.

By Webmaster on [30/06/2010 12:23]
Category : Home DIY tools
Comments : 0

Once the basic tools to have at home have been discussed in a previous article, it is the turn for the basic hardware that we should have at home. What do we mean by hardware? Simply those collections of screws, nuts, washers, nails, etc., the consumables of the DIY world.

It is true that we usually tend to buy what we need for each specific job, but you'd better have something in reserve for those little emergencies that always turn up when the shops are closed. Here are some items that should be part of your own small hardware store:

- Flat-head nails, widely used in wood. If possible, have them in a couple of sizes.

- Headless or finish nails. They are small headless steel nails, ideal for delicate work where it would not be aesthetic to see the nail head. They are also used in wooden windows to help hold the glass pane.

- Nails to break. Very thin headless nails about 30 mm long, used in delicate jobs such as holding decorative finishes. Once you have nailed them to the desired depth, the part left out can be easily broken without leaving traces.

- Wall nails designed to drill hard building materials such as cement or concrete. Nailing them can be a somewhat tiresome job and it is best to work with goggles on because of the splinters that may fly, or even a nail that breaks.

- Tacks, also known as upholstery nails. They are used to fix fabric to wood, interesting when repairing chairs or armchairs.

- Staples. They are U-shaped nails with which you can easily fix cables, wires, cords, etc.

- Thumbtacks, for decorative elements.

- Round-head and flat-head screws in different sizes, for woodwork.

- Chipboard screws, very useful now that quite a lot of our furniture is built with laminated chipboard. They are easily distinguishable because their thread is deeper and sharper.

- Wall anchors or wall plugs. They are screws for wood with a helical-tip that allows them to penetrate into the wood easily. The head is usually hexagonal.

- Eye-bolts, screws that bend forming a hook or ring, ideal for hanging pictures.

- Bolts: the typical flat-head screws with nut, ideal for joining two already perforated pieces. Have them in different sizes.

- Nuts and washers, varied.

- Small wooden screw anchors (rawlplugs) and pegs to use when repairing, for example, door hinges.

- Spare joints and blocks for the faucets (taps) at home. Have a roll of Teflon as well.

- Spare bulbs for the lamps you have.

- A small reel of electrical wire.

- Insulating tape.

We could also include in this section a set of different adhesives: the white glue a carpenter uses, instant cyanoacrylate glue, contact glue, etc.

Actually the list can be as long as you want it, depending on your taste for DIY and the space you have, but the basic elements are listed above.

By Webmaster on [30/06/2010 12:19]
Category : Home DIY tools
Comments : 0