decorating tips Archives - Page 2 of 5 - Rushton & Co

Our guide to wallpaper for every budget

Posted on 3rd October 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

It can be tricky to know where to start when it comes to choosing wallpaper for your home because there’s so much to consider – colour scheme, texture, backing paper, cost… so we’ve created a guide to wallpaper for every budget and taste. Featuring a range of popular wallpaper designers and retailers at all price points you’ll soon be on course to creating your dream home!

High-end wallpaper

First off we are looking at the creme-de-la-creme of wallpaper, with designer Matthew Williamson. You might be aware of Matthew’s background in the fashion world, where he’s renowned for mixing bold prints, patterns and colour schemes to, in his own words, “Make women feel like peacocks.” We love that he’s clearly carried this philosophy over from fashion to home decor, with a range of decadent and bold wallpaper designs that have the power to transform your everyday home into a vibrant work of art.

Our Pick: Purple Ceramica features photographs of vintage plates bought in Portobello and Kempton, London set against a textile-inspired background.

Wallpaper by Matthew Williamson — Credit: www.matthewwilliamson.com

Mid-range wallpaper

In 1946, Harold Graham and Henry Brown turned a shared dream of brightening up people’s homes into Graham & Brown Wallpaper – one of the most respected wallpaper companies in the world. The company was hugely successful, and they paved the way in new wallpaper technology – most notably the Superfresco brand.

Superfresco wallpaper is easy to hang, can be painted and washed, and is just as popular today as when they introduced it 35 years ago – which makes it the perfect choice for the reluctant DIYer who wants to hang and run!

There are hundreds of designs to choose from, ranging from traditional and understated (White & Silver Boutique Lucia) to outrageous tropical psychedelic delights such as Ubud Mayhem. Graham & Brown also often bring in celebrities to design exclusive papers – Brian Eno and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen have delivered some wonderful creations in recent times.

Our Pick: Rose Gold Reflections Geometric takes the recent trend for rose gold and sits it seamlessly within a traditional geometric design.

Budget wallpaper

Just because you’re on a lower budget doesn’t mean your home decor has to suffer, thanks to this collection from Wilkinsons, which packs a punch without breaking the bank.

With prices between six and thirteen quid a roll, there’s a bargain for every budget! The collection includes a small but lovely range of designs including a bold stripe, damasc, floral, geometric and even tartan!

Our Pick: Cheese Plant Charcoal and Gold is a stunning paper with a botanical design with gold embellishments.

Finding the perfect wallpaper for your interior design project can be a headache, but we hope we’ve fired up your creative juices and given you some inspiration. Of course, if you’re struggling to find a wallpaper that suits your needs and you want some friendly advice, feel free to drop us a line or give us a call – we’re here to help!

Interior design inspired by autumn

Posted on 29th August 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

Artists and interior design enthusiasts have long drawn inspiration for their work from the beauty found in the natural world, and this week we’re going to look at how we can use the autumnal colour palette to influence our decorating.

The rich, inviting colours of autumn are perfect for our living spaces, so let’s take a look at some simple ideas you can use to bring a bit of that warmth into your home.

Go for a walk…

It may seem like a simple idea, but pulling on your boots and a warm jumper before heading off for a stroll around your local park or beauty spot is a fantastic way to get a feel for the spectacular colours on show. Take a notepad and camera along so you can make visual and written notes – you never know when inspiration will strike!

Choosing your colours

Autumnal colours can be used to create a number of different looks, from deep, rich reds and terracottas to more subtle olives, light browns and greens – the choice is yours. Use your notes and images from your inspirational walk to create colour schemes that suit the room’s main use and position – you don’t want dark colours in a room that receives little natural light, for example.

If you’re struggling to decide on a scheme, you can use an online colour wheel to help. These free tools help you to understand the differences between complementary, analogous and triadic colours, and how you can best use them to replicate the natural world.

Paint mixing services

Most of the major paint manufacturers recognise how popular and pleasing autumn colours are and sell a decent range of colours in their collections, but if you really want to bring autumn into your home and use the exact colours you find in nature you can use a paint mixing service.

Bring some photos from your nature walk or a selection of fallen leaves and ask the technician to create emulsion or satin paint that exactly matches. We love this idea because you’ll know that your autumnal colour scheme is completely original and an exact replica the real outdoors!

We hope that you feel suitably inspired to get out in nature and use this time of year to fill you with ideas for your latest interior design project, but if you’re unsure about anything feel free to give us a call. We’re always here with friendly advice or can provide a quote to turn your home into an autumn wonderland!

Repairing a concrete window sill

Posted on 31st July 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

Repairing a concrete window sill could appear to be a major job that’s far beyond the skills of the average DIYer, but with the proper knowledge, tools, material and preparation, you might find it’s worth considering having a go yourself — unless a complete rebuild is necessary!

Your sill probably isn't this fancy! — Your sill probably isn’t this fancy!

Assessing the damage

Before you begin, you need to assess the damage to determine the extent of the required repair.

Is it simply a case of chipped and flaky paintwork that needs tidying up?
Do you have deeper cracks that need filling?
Is a more extensive rebuild required?

Once you’ve diagnosed the problem you can get cracking, filling in those cracks!

Freshening up the paintwork

You’ll be pleased to hear that this is a relatively easy job. Use a stiff wire brush to remove all the loose paint and dirt, before rubbing down the existing paint with medium grade sandpaper. Be careful to rub down the edges where any larger flakes of paint came away, so that you have a nice smooth gradient for the new paint.

Brush the sill with a soft brush to remove dust and dirt before applying the first coat of masonry paint – after any of the following work has been done if required of course! Allow to dry completely before applying a second and third coat.

Repairing small cracks

Follow the same initial process as with the above method, but pay extra attention to making sure that any cracks are free from dirt and moss — a clean surface is essential for the filler to adhere correctly.

Using a spatula, apply a ready mixed masonry filler like Sandtex to the cracks, taking care to fill them fully and correctly. Allow to dry before sanding flat with medium sandpaper and painting as above.

Rebuilding the sill

Determining when a sill repair requires professional assistance can be tricky, but if there are large chunks missing or the sill appears to be cracked all the way through, it’s probably time to call the pros.

It is possible to fill in quite sizeable holes with the masonry filler method, but if the edges are crumbling away you’ll need to build moulds to shape the sill correctly – a job that’s probably beyond most DIYers skill level.

As you can see, with anything but the most severely damaged example, repairing a concrete window sill yourself is entirely possible. However, if you still think it’s a job too far for you and you’re in the Leeds or Harrogate area, feel free to give us a call or drop us an email and we’ll happily pop around to give you a quote.

Decorating tips – turning your stairs into a feature

Posted on 25th June 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

When it comes to designing and decorating your home, it’s natural to want to focus on making each room reflect your character. That doesn’t, however, mean that you should neglect the connecting areas of your house e.g. the hallways, corridors and stairs. In fact, with a little bit of creative thinking, you can turn your stairs into a stunning feature in their own right. Here are some decorating tips to inspire you…

Stripped back to the wood

The trend in interior design is very much towards wood – either stripped and varnished or painted. This gives you lots of scope to be innovative with your stairs, such as:

Mixing dark with light – A deep and rich varnish like dark oak for the stairs works great if you use clear varnish for the risers. This style breaks up the stairs and makes them stand out without looking too showy.
Using paint instead of varnish – There’s nothing worse than spending time and money stripping your floorboards back to the wood to find that they’re in poor condition or look ugly. Wood paint will allow you to play around with the dark/light idea while also covering up all the sins of the natural wood.
Mixing it up – Don’t be afraid to try mixing it up and painting the stairs lighter than the risers! This works well if the staircase doesn’t get much natural light as it tends to lift the area.
Painting or varnishing runners – Runners have come in and out of fashion over the years, but we still like to see the creative use of them on a set of stairs. Paint the outer edges the same colour as your skirting boards and either varnish the centre or paint them a visually interesting colour. Consider adding a narrow stripe on either side in the same colour as the centre section for added interest.

More runners

Don’t discount more traditional carpeted runners – they’re fantastic in high traffic areas and will protect your stairs if the wood is old and worn. You can be creative by using nailed down rugs or off-cuts of carpet instead of dedicated runners.

Best of both worlds

Another option that works well, especially if you have noisy stairs, is to paint or varnish the risers and carpet the stairs. The combinations are endless, but make sure that you deal with the risers first so that you don’t drip on your new carpet.

Going the extra mile

LED lights have opened up a whole new world of interior design possibilities, but we bet that you’ve never considered them for your stairs! Try attaching strips of LEDs underneath the overhang of each stair to light up the risers – this works particularly well if you paint or stencil the risers with interesting features, but can look really classy with a simple black and white stair theme too.

As you can see, it’s possible to make your stairway a real feature and talking point with some basic DIY skills, but if you’re not sure what would work in your house give us a call! We’re always happy to offer some advice and personalised decorating tips, or we can just pop round and give you a quote.

Painting a ceiling like a pro

Posted on 25th May 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

Summoning up the enthusiasm to do a little home decorating is usually pretty easy, but when it comes to painting a ceiling, most people either call in a professional decorator, or just completely ignore it! If this sounds familiar, don’t worry because our guide on painting a ceiling like a pro will demystify the process and, hopefully, leave your hair paint free too!

Tools for painting a ceiling

As with every DIY job, it’s essential to be prepared and have the right gear. Fortunately, you can paint a ceiling without investing in expensive specialist equipment – although there are a couple of things that’ll make this task easier. Let’s take a look at what you need:

A decent roller set
A paint bucket
Easi-fill filler and filling knife
A good quality 2” brush
An extension pole (or old broom handle)
Lots of dust sheets!
Maybe a sanding pole
Sugar soap and sponges
Step ladders

When it comes to buying paint for the ceiling, it pays to spend a little more and get specialised ceiling paint because it’s designed to be almost splatter-free – something your hair will thank you for! We also recommend using good quality stain block paint if there are any water leak patches on the ceiling.

Preparation

Before you start make sure everything is covered with good quality dust sheets because it’s much harder to contain the mess from a ceiling paint job than almost anywhere else. Use Easi-fill to deal with any holes – it’s so easy to use, dries quickly and sands effortlessly.

If the ceiling is flat painted, a quick rub over with 100 grit drywall sandpaper will help to cut through years of dirt and neglect – after all, who washes their ceiling? Follow that with a wash down with sugar soap and water and you’re ready to go.

Painting

As previously mentioned, you’ll need to go over any areas of water damage with a stain-blocking primer first. A couple of coats should do it, but some stubborn stains may need more.

The devil is always in the details, so take the time to cut in – time spent here will make or break your finish so give it your best attention. Using a quality brush and a paint bucket means that you can focus on the job in hand – you only need a little bit of paint at any one time, and a paint bucket helps prevent major spillage accidents.

After cutting in you can get down to the fun part: using the roller! Investing in the best quality lambswool roller will help keep the splatters to a minimum and ensure a really good coverage in the least possible time – that’s the combination a pro looks for. Work the ceiling in small areas, around 5’ square, first rolling one way and then back across the area at 90° to the first coat. Try to keep one edge wet for the next section to avoid overlapping marks, and feather the paint out on the areas you’re not painting next.

Textured ceilings

With a previously painted textured ceiling, it’s quite tough to get the same level of finish, but if you work slightly slower you should be able to get a good coverage. Be careful not to overwork the paint because you risk pulling the old layers from the ceiling – another job for your high-quality lambswool roller.

As with every DIY and decorating job, if you’re careful and prepare properly there’s very little that can go wrong, but we’re always here for friendly advice or a quote if you’d prefer to let the experts take over. Painting a ceiling isn’t the most fun decorating job, but neglect it and you’ll regret it!

Spring interior DIY projects

Posted on 27th April 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

Last month we gave you our top tips for sprucing up the exterior of your property this spring, but now you’ve made your house sparkle from the outside the inside might be letting it down – don’t worry, though, because this month we’re going to share our top ten interior DIY projects that’ll soon have your house shipshape.

Make your grout sparkle – Nothing ruins a tiled surface like dirty grout. Use a toothbrush or a steam cleaner with a small attachment to give the grout and tiles in your bathroom a really good clean. If the dirt is stubborn, run a hot shower with the doors and windows closed to soften it up before scraping with a grout rake. Finish the job by going over the grout with a grout pen to make it white and fresh again.

Revitalise your skirting boards – Over time gloss paint starts to yellow, so consider rubbing down, priming and repainting your skirting boards. You’ll be surprised at the difference this makes!

Windowsills and wood frames –The same goes for your windowsills and wooden frames: a rub down with sandpaper followed by primer and a lick of gloss or eggshell paint will make them come to life.
First impressions count! – Giving the kick boards by your front and back door a rub down and coat or two of paint will mean the work you did on your exterior to create a great first impression isn’t wasted.
Touch up the walls – Give your walls a scan with a critical eye to see if they need a little TLC. You may not want to paint them all, but check for areas of high traffic to see if they need a fresh coat to bring them back up to scratch.
Decorator’s varnish to the rescue! – Once you’ve painted those high traffic walls, add a coat of matt decorator’s varnish so they’re easy to wipe down – it’ll save you time and money in the long run.
Decals can make a difference – You might like to change things up a little with your interior design without redecorating completely. Decals can add a little interest and freshen things up quickly and effectively.
Paint your radiators – Scuffed and scratched radiators can be a bit of an eyesore, so use radiator paint to bring them back to their former glory. You could also consider investing in some radiator covers for a faster alternative solution.
Patch up peeling wallpaper – Look for edges that have peeled away: if it’s patterned wallpaper use paste to stick them back down; if it’s lining paper you can cut the loose parts out with a sharp blade, mix up some Gyproc Easy-fill and fill in the gaps. This can then be rubbed down and over-painted for a perfect finish.
Deal with mould! – Use mould cleaner to remove mould patches from walls in the bathroom and repaint the affected area. Use mould-resistant paint if it’s a recurring problem. If your silicone around the bath is black the only real solution is to cut it away and start again. Tape up along the line of the wall and bath to create a smooth line, run the silicone along the gap and smooth down with a wet finger before removing the tape.

Get to grips with some or all of these jobs and your home will look much brighter ready for the summer. Of course if you’d prefer to get some professional help with your interior DIY projects and you live in the Leeds area, we’ll be happy to pop along and provide a free quote!

Sprucing your home up this spring – exterior decorating projects

Posted on 29th March 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

Spring has finally sprung, and it’s the perfect time to make a start on those DIY jobs that make a massive difference to how your home looks and feels – especially those exterior decorating projects!

This month we’re going to give you our top tips on sprucing up the exterior of your home so that you’re ready to welcome friends and family around for a BBQ or garden party.

Revitalise your house with these 6 exterior decorating projects…

Paint your garden fence: a new colour will lift the whole exterior of your property, so rub that fence down with a wire brush and apply a couple of coats of wood treatment. Make sure that you use a soft brush to remove any loose dirt before applying the first coat, and then choose something like Cuprinol Shades. Easy to apply and offering many colour options, it’s ideal for the DIYer and provides 5 years of protection.
Paint your gate: Is your metal gate looking sorry for itself? A rub down with some wire wool and sandpaper to remove any rust and dirt will prepare it perfectly for some metal paint. Lay a sheet down to protect the floor, give it a good clean with sugar soap, and then apply primer. Once dry you can use a small brush to apply two coats of metal paint.
Paint your doorstep: A coat or three of decent masonry paint can transform a worn doorstep and give your house a completely new look. As with all masonry painting, prep first with a good sand and clean before applying the paint.
Paint your window sills and surrounds: Old Victorian terrace houses often have concrete window sills that look fantastic when painted. Rub them down with wire wool, fill in any holes with ready mixed stone repair and rendering, and then apply primer and paint. Use the same colour and technique for the arches and surrounds.
Jet wash your paths: A year’s worth of muck and grime will make any exterior paths or driveways look terrible, but a day with a hired jet wash and some elbow grease and your paths will soon look sparkling clean!
Paint your house: A fresh coat of paint to your house’s exterior will make it look like a new property. It’s best to stick to fairly simple and neutral colours in our climate rather than attempting to bring a little continental sparkle with a brighter colour – we simply don’t have the quality of light to pull that off successfully so white works best.

None of these jobs should be too much for the brave DIY enthusiast, but we’re always here to offer some friendly advice. Some exterior decorating projects can feel a little overwhelming for the novice though, so if you live in Leeds, Harrogate or surrounding areas, please feel free to contact us for a quote!

Everything you need to know about decorator’s varnish

Posted on 23rd February 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

There are many tricks that professional decorators use to ensure that we deliver a level of finish and durability in our work that sets us apart from the average DIYer – and one such trick is the application of decorator’s varnish.

For that pro finish, preparation is absolutely key – which is why we mention it so often in our blogs! But equally important is the peace of mind you get from knowing your decorating exploits are going to stand the test of time. Decorator’s varnish helps to provide a longer-term result where it’s most needed.

What is decorator’s varnish?

Essentially, it’s a varnish that you can apply to nearly all surfaces to provide a strong, waterproof layer of protection without impacting on the existing colour and texture. It’s a water-based varnish that’s available in three finishes – gloss, satin and dead flat – making it an ideal solution for a number of decorating jobs.

Where should I consider using it?

There are so many potential uses for this product, but these are the most common:

Apply to wallpaper in your children’s bedroom to create a washable and durable protective layer – no more headaches about crayon marks and dirty hand prints!
Apply to high traffic areas such as the wallpaper up the side of the stairs – this is an area of the house that we’re often asked to come back and reapply paint to, but decorator’s varnish makes this largely unnecessary
Perhaps you want to use an expensive statement wallpaper in your bathroom, but it’s not waterproof – a couple of coats of varnish will seal it in and protect you from expensive mistakes
Painted your kitchen cupboards and found that the paint scrapes off too easily? Apply a couple of coats to create a rock hard and washable protective layer
Protect wooden furniture without altering the finish or colour
Apply to chalk painted walls to seal in and prevent marks on such a soft surface
Can be used to seal plaster

As you can see, decorator’s varnish is almost a cure-all for the DIYer!

How do you use it?

Because it’s water-based rather than oil-based, decorator’s varnish is very easy to apply without streaks or runs – just use a good quality brush or roller and apply the varnish in smooth strokes. Choose the dead flat version for wallpaper and painted walls, but always try a small test application somewhere inconspicuous first to ensure that the varnish doesn’t alter the colour – it should dry undetected, but there can occasionally be a slight colour change. Better safe than sorry!

In kitchens, where durability is more important, apply a coat of satin followed by dead flat – the result will be a rock hard scuff-resistant layer.

The varnish is usually touch dry in 15-20 minutes and ready for a second coat after an hour – that’s the beauty of water-based products!

We hope that this has given you the confidence to try decorator’s varnish for yourself, but if you’re not keen on tackling your decorating alone and if you live in the Leeds area, please feel free to call us to arrange a free estimate.

Filling and sanding walls ready for painting or wallpaper

Posted on 31st January 20175th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

We’ve previously written a brief guide on preparing walls, but here we go into a little more detail on how to smooth the surface by applying filler and sanding walls to help you get that genuine pro-standard finish…

The main thing that separates the average amateur DIYer from the professional decorator is the attention to detail during the essential preparation stage. When it comes to painting or wallpapering a wall, every extra hour spent ensuring that the surface is as perfect as you can make it will increase your overall sense of satisfaction upon completion.

Washing the walls

The first step is to wash away some of the grime and paste left from previous wallpaper by sponging down with a sugar soap solution. This is a good idea even if the walls haven’t been papered before, because any wall in a living space will attract dust and grease over time, so don’t be tempted to skip this step!

Filling in the blemishes

If money is no object it’s always worth having the walls skimmed by a master plasterer before painting or decorating your walls, but this is an expensive solution and unnecessary if your current plaster is in reasonable condition. Fortunately, there are products on the market that make filling smaller to medium holes relatively easy for the layman.

wall with lots of filler — Some walls need a lot of filling!

Gyproc Easi-Filler is easy to mix and use, dries quickly and sands down with the lightest of touches, making it ideal for the kind of blemishes you’re likely to find on your walls. It doesn’t shrink and sticks to most dust-free surfaces, but it has a tendency to dry out quite quickly so work fast! Oh, and wear a dust mask during the mixing stage because it’s a very fine powder.

Apply it with a plastering trowel for larger areas or a smaller decorator’s knives/wallpaper scraper for smaller holes. It’s dry to the touch within the hour on smaller areas, but large holes will need to be left overnight.

There are plenty of fillers on the market though, so do have a look in your DIY store to see what’s on offer!

Sanding walls down

This is a satisfying job that will transform a tired old wall if you follow our advice and this is an essential step if you’ve had to fill holes in the plaster:

It’s important to wear a quality dust mask for this job – please don’t forget this!
The grade of sandpaper you require will depend on the state of your walls, but a general starting point of 70-grade will quickly remove the worst of the debris from your walls
Use a sanding block to ensure a flat sand, and work in a circular motion as you move across the surface
After your first fill and sand, check the walls again and fill any spots you missed
Repeat the sanding process but with 120-grade paper
Go over the entire wall, as a quick sand will help create a key for paint of paste
Once you’re happy that the walls are smooth you can wash them down again

If your wall’s very big, it might be worth using a quality brushless random orbital sander to make this job easier. Make sure that it has the option to plug into a vacuum cleaner unless you want to make a lot of mess!

Follow this simple guide to filling and sanding walls and yours will soon be in perfect condition for your wallpaper or paint – but if you’re unsure or uncomfortable with the process and live in the Leeds or Harrogate area, you can always drop us a line and ask for a quote to do it for you.

Decorating colour trends for 2017

Posted on 23rd December 20165th July 2018 by Louise Nelhams

If your New Year’s resolutions are more geared towards improving your living space than going to the gym then this is essential reading for you! This month we’re going to explore the forecasted decorating colour trends for 2017, so you can be sure that any design ideas you may be toying with are bang up to date.

Fortunately, colour trends don’t shift as quickly as high street fashion, so if you’ve decorated in 2016 there’s a good chance that your choice was a good one – but these are the colours grabbing the headlines amongst trendy interior designers.

Blue is the colour…

It may be the start of an old football chant, but in 2017 blue most definitely is the colour! Trend experts at Dulux have chosen Denim Drift as their colour of the year because ‘Blue is the colour of life; it is the clothes we wear, the sky we gaze at and the water that revitalises us,’ say Dulux. ‘Blue has been, and will continue to be, a constant in every aspect of our lives. From the deepest ink blue to the palest misty blue, this colour spans every spectrum of life; it is a royal colour, but it is also used for workers’ blue jeans.’

Dulux has created an entire complimentary palette around this key colour, allowing you the opportunity to use subtle warm shades of blue – something we often consider impossible – to create rich and welcoming, yet completely modern colour schemes in your home.

Terracotta

We’ve always loved the warmth and welcoming depth of terracotta, but this year the trend is to move away from the rustic look into matte finishes for a clean and modern feel. Use sparingly on a feature wall to break up white or magnolia and add a touch of contemporary earthiness to a living space.

Blue-green

We’re seeing more and more interior designers talking about green again – not the rich forest greens that have always been popular in a living space or bedroom, but blue spectrum greens.

Traditionally used in bathrooms and kitchens, these colours can be a little cold if used in the wrong space, but we think it’s worth throwing caution to the wind and going for it! Accent them with bright orange furniture and splashes of colour to make your kitchen and bathroom the talk of the town!

Grey

Light grey has always been a perfect colour to build a room around because it’s so neutral and allows you to create contemporary styling with your furniture and soft furnishings. This year, however, designers are getting excited about the bolder use of matte mineral grey – a daring choice for a bedroom when accented with deep, rich reds and browns.

Pantone’s Greenery

As eagerly anticipated as Dulux’s colour of the year is the choice of Pantone, and this year they’ve gone for as natural and grounding a green as we can ever remember.

Greenery will make you yearn for the first days of spring – a neutral yet natural green that works fantastically as a main colour or accent for some of the other bold choices we’ve mentioned.

We’re excited by the beautiful colour trends for 2017 that designers are moving towards, and hope to get the opportunity to work with you in turning your home into a stylish contemporary space that you can feel relaxed and comfortable in. If you want to chat with one of our decorating experts about any of these ideas you can contact us through our website or on Facebook or Twitter.