Loft Decorating Tips

We would always advise you to employ a professional tradesman to complete the decoration of your loft conversion. You may however, choose to decorate yourself. In this case we have provided you with some guidance from the professionals. If you adhere to these rules you will achieve a standard of finish that you will be delighted with.

New Plaster
Allow plaster to dry thoroughly. With a simple patch job, this will take one to two days, for larger areas like walls and ceilings it can require a week or more depending on the weather and interior humidity conditions. Thick plaster applied in extremely humid conditions can take a month to dry adequately. Once dry, all rough areas must be sanded smooth with medium grade paper followed by a second treatment with fine grade paper. Clean surface of all dust with a dry cloth and then apply a stain-blocking interior water-based sealer recommended for plaster surfaces. Be sure to wear a mask and protective eyewear when sanding.
(source:www.paintquality.co.uk)

Preparing Wood (General)
If the wood surface is rough it should be sanded smooth with a medium grade sand paper. Be sure to sand with the grain, never against it, diagonally or across the grain. Wipe away any dust with a cloth. To achieve the smoothest appearance, apply a coat of water to the wood with a wet but not soaking cloth. Allow it to dry 30 minutes to raise the grain of the wood. Sand with fine paper to remove the raised grain. This will avoid grain raising when applying primer, paint or other coatings. Use a stain-blocking primer applied in a heavy coat and allow it to dry overnight. A second coat can be applied if staining is evident. Solvent-based stain-blocking primers are most effective over high-staining woods such as mahogany and redwood. Light sanding may be required before a finish coat is applied. Follow manufacturer's recommendations for best results. When using solvent-based primers, proper ventilation is required along with use of a respirator.
(source:www.paintquality.co.uk)

A Basic door frame consists of three parts:
Door lining. This is the inner (normally heavier) section to which the other parts of the door frame are fixed. It is also the part to which the hinges and latch keeps are fixed.

Door stops. These are the strips of wood fixed to the centre (usually) of the door lining, against which the door closes.

Architrave. This is the wood strip fixed around the outside of the door lining and is usually flush to the wall. Architraves can be plain or moulded and can be made of materials other than wood.

New Woodwork (Door Frames and Skirting)
(You may wish to remove the latch-keep and other attachments like bolts and chains. It makes painting easier if you are not confident about keeping them clean.)

First scrape off all plaster, dirt and bits sticking to it. Rub down with medium sandpaper, then dust frame and floor around base of frame. Apply knotting (with a small brush or a soft piece of rag) to any knots and resinous areas.

Primer can be applied straight away as knotting dries almost immediately. Oil-based primer is better thinned with white spirit as it does not need a thick coat. Acrylic primer can be used straight from the tin.

Paint the inside of the frame (door lining/stops) first. Then paint along the edge next to the wall, and complete the face of the architrave. Allow oil-based primer 24 hours to dry; water-based primer 3 to 4 hours.

Fill all holes and damaged parts with a proprietary filler such as Polyfilla or Tetrion. Deep holes may have to be filled more than once. Filling can also be done with linseed oil putty. Combining both methods of filling is often best. e.g. Using putty in small nail holes on moulded architrave or in mitred joints.

Joints showing between architrave/door-lining, door-lining/doorstop can be filled using a mastic-gun applying Decorators Caulk. Caulking can be applied after the undercoat as it can be glossed over.

Don't apply caulking until after sanding down is completed. When the filler is dry sand down and dust off. Apply one coat of undercoat (two coats are recommended for new wood.) Allow up to 24 hours to dry.

When the undercoat is dry, sand down lightly with a fine sandpaper, dust off and apply one coat of finish. (Gloss or Satin).
(source:www.bozzle.com)