Prepare to decorate

By Tom Gard

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DOES giving all or part of your home a much needed makeover feature in your list of New Year's resolutions

Once you've decided what you want to do, it is always tempting to throw yourself headlong into the task so as not to lose that initial wave on enthusiasm.

But just stand back a minute. Have you got everything you need before you start

There is nothing more frustrating than having to down tools every few hours and traipse back to the DIY store for some forgotten item. Even worse is discovering that you have run out of that particular shade of paint or those colour tiles half way through the job, only to discover the supplier has run out and won't get another batch until next week.

Thorough preparation can save you time, money and frustration. First do a checklist of all the tools you are likely to need:

• brushes, including small ones for cutting in and getting into tight corners
• rollers
• ladders
• dust sheets
• masking tape
• filler and filling knife
• paint tray and or paint kettle if more than one of you are painting at the same time
• sand or glass paper
• cloths to wipe away mistakes or drips
• wallpaper striper (if necessary)
• a�sharp knife
• surface cleaner, such as sugar soap

Next calculate how much paint or wallpaper you are going to need. Measure the wall and ceiling space to be covered. Most paint manufacturers give an estimated area of coverage on the side of the tin.

Working out the number of rolls of wallpaper needed can be tricky, as you need to allow for a certain amount of wastage to cover awkward corners, doorways and the odd mistake.

As a rule of thumb, measure the entire wall area from skirting to ceiling, including doors and windows and divide by the length and width of the rolls. The Focus Do It All website at www.focusdoitall.co.uk has a handy online wallpaper calculator.

You've got the tools and you've got the paint and paper but are your walls and ceilings in a fit state to be decorated

First wash down to remove any grease, sand off any loose paint or paper and fill in cracks and holes. Porous surfaces, such as new plaster or woodwork should be sealed with a primer before painting.

If you want to paint over wallpaper make sure it is strongly bonded to the wall, otherwise it may start peeling when paint is applied. Bear in mind the dye in patterned wallpaper may 'bleed' through the paint and is best stripped off.

If all the legwork hasn't put you off, it's finally time to get cracking. Happy decorating. Click here to get answers to more of your DIY questions.