Over the years DIYers have kindly sent in lots of tips and ideas to make decorating easier. A selection of these are below for your education, and in some cases, for your amusement. We hope you find these gems from fellow decorators useful.

Please note that these tips have not been tested by Resene and are included below as supplied to us.

• To get paint odour out of a room, cut a large onion in half, place in a bowl, close the doors for a couple of days, and the paint odour will be gone. Don't know how it works but it does and the room doesn't smell of onions.
• After lifting a carpet, I found that there was paper on the floor. To remove it, I used a steam iron (old one) and a spray bottle to soak and remove. Took about 10-15 minutes to remove approx half a metre. From: Susan
• To remove glue from a wooden floor use a wallpaper remover that gives off steam. We had tried everything else -even a spade to try to scrape it off. After holding the steamer onto the glue for a couple of minutes, we could scrape the glue off with just a paint scraper. It saved us hours of work. Make sure you use a mask. From: Joanne
• Plastic freezer containers from the supermarket or empty ice-cream containers make great paint trays for speedbrushing. Clip the lid on between coats to save paint wastage. From: Stephanie
• If you have a bit of spot priming to do on your roof use a pop top drink bottle to hold the paint. Just squirt a drop on the spot you wish to prime and brush the primer out. The bottle is easy to seal and can be put into your pocket and the brush slipped into a plastic bag. No need to cart a can around. From: DG Mansell
• Move your cars to a safe place when you are painting the roof. A while ago we painted the roof on a warm day with a light breeze in the air – once we got down off the roof we discovered our cars had little spots of red paint all over them! True story – we learned an expensive lesson. From: Karen
• My husband and I had just finished stripping the wallpaper in the family room of the house that we were redecorating and were in the kitchen having dinner when we heard a whining noise from the family room. When we raced in to see what it was, we found our dog Betsy lying on the ground with wet wallpaper all matted in her fur! Tip: Close the door when decorating with animals/children in the house!From: Roil
• If you paint around windows but haven't masked them properly use the ceramic cooktop razor cleaner to remove the dried paint from the glass. It has a handle and is easy to use without scratching the glass. From: Lyn
• My best diy/decorating tip is to do one room at a time! From: Shute
• When painting above your head with a brush, paint tends to drip down the brush onto your hand. To avoid this, put a small hole in an ice-cream container lid and place the handle of the brush through the hole. You won't get any paint on your hand as it will go onto the lid. Once you have finished the job you can clean and reuse the lid. From: Nicola
• If you want something done, start on it yourself then leave it half finished. This way your husband/wife will hate looking at it and finish it off for you. This has been tried and tested by me. I wanted the garage painted so started one wall and never quite finished it. When my husband saw it, he couldn't bear to see it half done, so now I have my garage painted! From: Veronica
• Paint one wall of your house each year. Then the job seems a lot smaller. From: Ron
• If your husband says he is going to paint the house, rush out and pay someone that week to do it! Sorry to all DIY hubbys. From: Adele
• When taking out or walling up a door or window, use the gap to create an in-built bookshelf. This is very effective if you have an arched door you no longer want. From: Andrea
• Use a grinder to get melted clothing off an iron. From: Michelle
• When putting up plasterboard on a ceiling and lacking people to hold it up while you screw it in, tack a temporary ledge onto the top of the walls that you can slot the edge of the plasterboard into while you screw the other side to the ceiling. From: Shanny
• Prepare the surface before you start painting, and apply the paint as per the manufacturer's written instructions! From: Samir
• If you are a keen do it yourselfer and have a hands free phone, wrap the phone in gladwrap. It will be kept clean even if you answer it with your hands covered in paint. This is also a good idea if you have a mobile phone. The film does not affect the phone and it does not reduce the sound quality. From: Bob
• When painting a feature wall, use tape. Tape the sidewalls and the skirting boards to protect against paint splashes. When you are cutting into the ceiling, use a 'cutting in' brush. From: Katrina
• To make a tile-like paint effect cut a pot scrubber (i.e. sponge and pot scourer combined) into squares of whatever size you want, glue the scouring side onto a stiff backing leaving space between each square to represent grouting. Paint the squares in various colours or the same colour and apply around dados or doors to get a Greek tile effect. From: Liz
• When painting with a roller, cover your glasses' lenses with gladwrap. Then when you have finished painting, just peel off the gladwrap. From: Noleen
• My Dad put in a watertank at the farm to collect drinking water off the roof. He was up his aluminum extension ladder and had just finished connecting the final piece of spouting from the guttering to the watertank. He climbed down the ladder and as he was putting it away, discovered that he couldn't – he'd put the spouting through the rungs of the ladder. TIP: Always move your ladder before connecting the spouting! From: Jim
• Use old lampshades as funnels when pouring from one paint can to another. From: Peter
• Decorating tip for men: It is obvious that the wife will have ideas on redecorating but will insist on your input, which will then be discarded as either inane, insane or just plain dumb. However it is no use saying 'just do as you like dear' as that will be regarded as not participating properly and will confirm her feelings that you are not really involved with this project. So it is best to listen to her half carefully (as apart from not at all) during proceeding weeks leading up to the decision, and then when the question comes you can suggest some ideas along the lines of those you know she has been thinking. It is even wise to browse a couple of mags she has left lying around (this is not by accident). This is really smart as it saves arguments, she will think you are brilliant to be thinking the same as her and what's more she will come to the idea you have a modicum of taste and may let you buy your own clothes in future. From: Dave
• When painting outside windows, place masking tape around the already painted areas and the windows to avoid unwanted paint splashes. Make sure you take the masking tape off before the paint dries. From: Liz and Stu
• When painting, empty the paint can so there is enough room for you to tap the sides of the paint can with the paintbrush. This helps to remove excess paint on your brush. Stir your paint thoroughly before putting your brush in. From: William-John
• When using a roller, use zigzag strokes, covering the surface in a 'w'shape. Keep the roller on the surface at all times, as if you let it spin, it will spray the paint around. Finish the rolling in one direction.From: Stan
• When painting ceilings, wear a plastic shower cap to stop paint dripping on your head. From: Lynda
• New roller covers tend to leave unattractive fuzz behind on the painted surface, even the ones that say lint free. To avoid this, wrap masking tape several times around your hand sticky side up. Run the roller over the tape several times before painting. From: L Hammond
• Both my bathroom and toilet walls were painted a pale yellow. To liven the rooms up I painted orange from the top corner of each window down to the bottom corner of the door when entering. It now looks like a ray of orange sunlight coming through the windows even on the dreariest days. It is really effective without being overpowering. From: Debi
• Use a 2L plastic milk carton for a paint and brush holder. Simply cut away the side of the container (opposite side to the handle), starting 4-6 inches above the base up to just short of the neck. Pour in your paint and use by holding the milk carton handle as normal and dip brush into the paint via the cutaway side. Take the cap off so you have somewhere for the handle of the brush. Once you have finished painting you can turn the container upside down and drain through the cap hole. From: Paul
• Everyone hates cleaning up after painting so here is a tip on how to make this job easier. After emptying the tins that our baby formula comes in I keep them for cleaning our paintbrushes. They have a plastic lid on top, which means you can cut holes in it if you have a larger than normal paintbrush handle and leave it sticking through. The lid also seals in the fumes from your cleaning solution. From: Anon
• To help keep your children's rooms tidy, paint old beer crates in bright colours and use them to store clothes and toys. From: Jason and Suzanne
• Tips on cleaning brushes: Using enamel (oil) based paint: Half fill a jam jar with mineral turps and dip your brush into it several times. Then rinse the brush clean using warm/hot water. Repeat 2 – 3 times until the brush is clean. My husband scoffed at me when I started using this method as he thought you shouldn't mix oil and water, however 5 years on and I am still using the same brush. Needless to say he now cleans his brush this way too. Using waterbased paint: When cleaning your brush under the tap use wonder soap as well, especially when you have dry paint around the top of your brush head. From: Jane
• I've recently painted my 3.5m stud Kauri ceiling with a brush, as the roller didn't fit between the batons. Rather than walking up and down the ladder with one brush full of paint, I found the best container to carry the paint in was a cut down 2 litre milk container with the handle intact. It held enough for one ladder's worth of painting and had a large well balanced handle. From: Gretchen and Pauline
• If you want to create a neat texture, use springs off a spiral notebook, and swirl it all over the fresh paint. From: Anon
• How to check your spirit level is level – Place your level on the floor. Mark the position of each corner with a pen/pencil then note the position of the bubble. Turn the level around and align it with the markings you made on the floor. Check the position of the bubble. Now do the same with the level upside down. If the readings of the bubbles match your level is level, otherwise use the screws to adjust the vials and repeat the checks until the readings match. From: Matthew
• My tip: Don't let your husband attempt to DIY otherwise you may end up like us: (1) Fixed leak in roof, but now we have a hole that is growing with every drop of rain and one day will collapse. (2) Paint job, yes we (or I should say professionals) will now have to eventually re-paint the roof as he thought he would include other areas not intended. Also thought the carpet needed painting. (3) Lining in pool – Hawke's Bay has had the best weather this summer and unfortunately, even though we have a pool, we have been unable to use this due to his patchwork and neighbours complaining that our pool is leaking in their gardens. It is now empty again. From: Melanie 39. To remove old wallpaper, wipe over the wallpaper with water and dishwashing liquid, leave about five minutes and it will just peel off. From: Richard and Sandra
• When stripping wallpaper, spray with fabric softener and a little water. The fabric softener breaks down the surface tension of the wallpaper and allows the water to soak in better. This will help the wallpaper come off easier. From: Kathleen
• If you own your own house and want to make exterior painting a little easier, paint the house a standard colour, white is always good, and paint one side of the house each year. This will cut the work down to a more manageable size and keep the house well painted at the same time. From: M Teal
• You can make a paint tray by using an old box with shallow sides and covering it with two white plastic shopping bags. When you stop between coats or colours, just take the bags off and change them. From: Glenn
• Apply petroleum jelly over door handles and hinges before painting to stop the paint sticking to them. Alternatively, foil wrap door handles and other hardware before painting to keep them splatter free.From: R Brooks
• If you hire a ready mix truck to do your driveway, make sure you work from the top of the drive to the road. If you don't, you will be stuck with a truck full of concrete that will set if you don't keep it running (which might cost a bit) unless you want to drive it back over your nice new flat drive that took ages to do! From: Cassie
• Hate stripping wallpaper before you paint? You don't have to! With this tip, you'll create walls of interest. Use a large porous sponge and ready-made plaster. Dip the sponge into the plaster and 'hit' the wall, making sure you make 'peaks' on the wall with the plaster. Let the plaster semi-dry, but before it dries completely, trowel the plaster, using consistent strokes (whatever stroke you chose). Once the plaster dries completely, you can paint the newly textured wall in a variety of exciting colours by Resene. To make the wall even more interesting you can use a basecoat on the wall and then use a Chux cloth (or any other material with an interesting texture) dipped in a contrasting colour and 'hit the wall' with the Chux cloth. In the process of creating a unique design, you'll also cover blemishes. From: Karin
• My top 10 tips for landlords with multiple rental properties are: Buy Resene, anything else is an insult to your preparation efforts. Replace worn wallpaper in rentals with paint (after stopping to a paint finish). It wears better and is quicker and cheaper to repair. Keep walls and exteriors all the same. You can buy your paint in bulk and won't have numerous 1/2 pails sitting around. Maintain the individuality of your houses by using different feature colours. Then write the name of the house and where you used the paint (e.g. roof, trims, sills etc) on the can lid. If you are replacing weatherboards, undercoat them before you put them up. But don't stack them until they really are dry. The best thing to apply paint onto a roughcast house is a car cleaning brush. Get one with a reasonable amount of bristles. Those big square bushes sold in paint shops are good, but they're awfully heavy for a lady and too big to dip into a paint pail. Learn to use a crockpot/cook casseroles. Put tea on and you'd be surprised what you can get done if you do 1/2 hour to an hour most days. Or wait until your little one is in bed and then do internal walls. Wrap your brush/roller in gladwrap loaded with paint to keep it soft. Ladders are better exercise than any aerobic class. Learn to paint with both arms. Take your time to do a good job and enjoy it. Go to 'How To' evenings. You may learn something new. From: Michelle
• To cover an old lounge suite and two chairs buy 1 x double fitted sheet and 2 x single fitted sheets and some small velcro dots. Place sheets over lounge suite and tuck in where needed, then use the velcro dots to fasten down. With velcro dots you can just take off the covers and throw them into the wash. From: Belinda
• To create a weathered Mexican wall look, plaster outside concrete brick walls with cement and plaster by hand to get an authentic look (great way to get the kids involved as perfection is not required!). Paint the wall in your chosen colour (terracotta looks great). Drop small blobs of white paint into the roller tray, roll the roller through it and then haphazardly paint over the original wall colour. This should result in blurred streaks of white throughout the terracotta second coat. Do not roll in a particular direction, just all over the wall. When dry, the wall will look like weathered terracotta. From: Natasha
• Make sure you don't pay for the complete job up front. I bought a house in the north about 3 years ago and the guy that was moving my furniture told me along the way that he was a builder, so I agreed he could help me with my DIY plans. My very big mistake was trusting the jerk. He quoted me about $6000, which like a fool I paid there and then. All he had to do was to put in a wall as three already existed and put in a wall divider. To cut the story short, I fired him after 4 days, as the wall he put in to enclose the room didn't touch the ground! He had charged up tools on my account, ripped me off on materials and not paid some local suppliers. I waited for a few days and then thought I had better get stuck in and finish the job. Two family members joined in and helped and a fortnight later all was finished – YAY!!!From: Roseanne
• When decorating a room, paint a stick or small board with your chosen colours to carry with you when choosing fabrics, accessories etc. From: Meg

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Contemporary Art refers to art that has been made in our times. It represents such a diverse array of art that one would have a task to describe all forms in one place or web site. Contemporary art has evolved in the past, will evolve in the present time and continue into future art, it is and will be an ever moving form of art.

It was known that during the World Wars contemporary art tended to be more darker and there was an increase in demand for grey and black pastels, pencils and paints. This was obviously people's preception of the world at the time, a more darker place, many more evils than they once believed. Contemporary art allow viewers to see the world through the artist's eyes and gain a new perception of the world they thought they knew so well.
 

As stated before contemporary art does not have to take the form of canvas art or framed art, instead it can take the form of furniture, objects put together and many others. In fact many furniture and clothing designers will take their inspiration from talented artists of the times and sometimes there is a fine line between the two.
 

There is some very useful information at http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign this will get anybody clued up on the world of Contemporary Art, the site is regularly updated and covers contemporary art around the world.
 
So i hope this brief article has shown you that contemporary art is nothing to be afraid of and who knows if you take to drawing or another form of art you could be The Contemporary Artist of our times!<p>

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Leroy Neiman has received a number of awards, including the Sport Artist of the United States in 2007. He's listed in the Art Collector's Almanac, Who's Who in the East, in American Art, and in the World. It's quite the honor and for anyone who has seen and appreciated Leroy Neiman original paintings, it's not a surprise. For those want to add Leroy Neiman original paintings to their collection, you can expect to pay several thousand dollars at least.

Why do these works strike such a chord with America? For one thing, there isn't another artist that combines such visual markers for sports scenes. For another, his works are also popular with another market. He drew several sketches for Playboy magazine that were used to set up the cameras for the centerfold shots. Many of the original art sketches are sold for thousands, as well. These "other side" of Leroy Neiman brings a little mystery to the man and that's why Leroy Neiman original paintings are so popular.

When you're looking for Leroy Neiman original paintings, you should start online. There are a number of original art pieces that go up for sale each year and many of them are sold online through auction houses and art brokers. This is usually much less expensive than purchasing a piece through a gallery or from a private party. In addition, the reputable art brokers and auction houses will provide a certificate of authenticity to go with the original art.

You can't be too careful today, as there are a number of rather unscrupulous brokers around, too. A piece of original art that is later determined to be a fake can put the buyer in a bind. They won't be able to recoup their loss in their investment and many times, the insurance company won't pay for it, either. Do your background work on any online art broker or auction site before you make a purchase. Those companies that have been in business for decades are your best bet, but it's also a good idea to check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any unresolved complaints.

In closing, your can find Leroy Neiman original paintings online and for much less than you might think. Using an online source is becoming more and more popular, especially as galleries and private sellers are asking higher prices. When you can get your hands on a piece by your favorite artists and enjoy their work in your home or office, it makes every minute of your search worth it.

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PRE-ORDER NOW! BLUE PAINTING WITH YELLOW HAPPY FACE PRINT www.freewebstore.org CUSTOM PAINTING and PRINTS online store: www.freewebstore.org SHAYTARDS POSTERS FOR SALE!!!! ORDER YOURS TODAY!!! cgi.ebay.com TO PURCHASE ORIGINAL PAINTINGS PLEASE VISIT: EBAY: stores.ebay.com my website: www.raeart.page.tl

Buying contemporary art doesn’t need to be a daunting experience. It should be a fun and exciting experience, where you have the opportunity to view and purchase a wide range of contemporary art by both well-established and new emerging artists. What a lot of people find intimidating about buying art is the concept of what is ‘good’ art and what is ‘bad’ are. No one wants to be accused of investing in worthless art.

The important thing to remember when you’re looking at buying contemporary art is that you’re buying the piece for yourself and your home. We generally buy art that we see as an extension or representation of ourselves, our ideals and what’s important in our lives. When buying contemporary art you should always choose art that makes you feel good and will enhance or add to the atmosphere of your home.

The best way you can ensure you’ll buy contemporary art for your home that is both complementary of your home and enduring in value is to first spend some time looking at different artists and pieces of art. Select a few pieces that you really like and see if you can identify some commonalities in the pieces. It may be something obvious like the use of colours, scenes or textures. You may notice that you are drawn to a particular medium of art, like acrylic paintings or glass art.

By looking at a range of art you will start to develop your ‘eye’ for art and your particular tastes and interests. However, like fashion, your tastes in buying contemporary art may change in another one or two months. So when you’re looking to make a larger art investment ensure that the piece you choose is well suited to your core taste and is not extremely over-the-top or dramatically different to your usual art preference – you may later come to regret the purchase.

You don’t necessarily need to buy from a well-established artist. You also don’t need to be any kind of ‘talent scout’ looking for the next big thing when looking to buy from new and emerging artists. The reason many people buy from emerging artists is the opportunity to own a quality piece of art to hang in their home at a fraction of the cost of established artist counterparts. If you’re purely looking to decorate your home with original contemporary art, it is well worth your time doing some research on the Internet and attending local art fairs.

If you’re looking to buy contemporary art as an investment, you will find it helpful to visit art galleries and enlist the help of a professional art advisor. Art advisors work with you to get an idea of your tastes and lifestyle to help build your own art vision and create a sound investment in your art collection.

Buying contemporary art should in no way be an intimidating experience. Remember that your art collection should be a representation of yourself and your own particular tastes in art, don’t let others tell you what is good or bad art.

Kyla Art Online Gallery

Kyla Art Gallery Sale

Aesthetics and theory of painting :
Aesthetics tries to be the "science of beauty" and it was an important issue for such 18th and 19th century philosophers as Kant or Hegel. Classical philosophers like Plato and Aristotle also theorized about art and painting in particular; Plato disregarded painters (as well as sculptors) in his philosophical system; he maintained that painting cannot depict the truth—it is a copy of reality (a shadow of the world of ideas) and is nothing but a craft, similar to shoemaking or iron casting. Leonardo Da Vinci, on the contrary, said that "Pittura est cousa mentale" (painting is an intellectual thing). Kant distinguished between Beauty and the Sublime, in terms that clearly gave priority to the former. Although he did not refer particularly to painting, this concept was taken up by painters such as Turner and Caspar David Friedrich.

Hegel recognized the failure of attaining a universal concept of beauty and in his aesthetic essay wrote that Painting is one of the three "romantic" arts, along with Poetry and Music for its symbolic, highly intellectual purpose. Painters who have written theoretical works on painting include Kandinsky and Paul Klee. Kandinsky in his essay maintains that painting has a spiritual value, and he attaches primary colors to essential feelings or concepts, something that Goethe and other writers had already tried to do.

Iconography has also something to say about painting. The creator of this discipline, Erwin Panofsky, tries to analyze visual symbols in their cultural, religious, social and philosophical depth to attain a better comprehension of mankind's symbolic activity.

Beauty, however, a concept to which painting is essentially linked, cannot be defined as an objective matter, purpose or idea. Much aesthetics and theory of art is connected with painting.

In 1890, the Parisian painter Maurice Denis famously asserted: "Remember that a painting – before being a warhorse, a naked woman or some story or other – is essentially a flat surface covered with colors assembled in a certain order." Thus, many twentieth century developments in painting, such as Cubism, were reflections on the means of painting rather than on the external world, nature, which had previously been its core subject.

Julian Bell (1908-37), a painter himself, examines in his book What is Painting? the historical development of the notion that paintings can express feelings and ideas:

"Let us be brutal: expression is a joke. Your painting expresses – for you; but it does not communicate to me. You had something in mind, something you wanted to ‘bring out'; but looking at what you have done, I have no certainty that I know what it was…."

Painting media :
Different types of paint are usually identified by the medium that the pigment is suspended or embedded in, which determines the general working characteristics of the paint, such as viscosity, miscibility, solubility, drying time, etc.

Examples include: Acrylic, Encaustic (wax) , Fresco, Gouache, Ink, Oil, Heat-set oils, Water miscible oil paints, Pastel, including dry pastels, oil pastels, and pastel pencils, Spray paint (Graffiti), Tempera, Watercolor

Painting styles :
'Style' is used in two senses: It can refer to the distinctive visual elements, techniques and methods that typify an individual artist's work. It can also refer to the movement or school that an artist is associated with. This can stem from an actual group that the artist was consciously involved with or it can be a category in which art historians have placed the painter. The word 'style' in the latter sense has fallen out of favor in academic discussions about contemporary painting, though it continues to be used in popular contexts.

Abstract, Abstract expressionism, Post-Abstract Expressionism, Art Brut, Art Deco, Baroque, CoBrA, Color Field, Constructivism, Contemporary Art, Combined Realism, Cubism, Expressionism, Fauvism, Figuration Libre,
Folk, Graffiti, Hard-edge, Impressionism, Lyrical Abstraction, Mannerism, Minimalism, Modernism, Naïve art, eo-classicism, Op art, Orientalism, Orphism, Outsider, Painterly, Photorealism, Pluralism, Pointillism, Pop art,
Postmodernism, Post-painterly Abstraction, Primitive, Pseudo realism, Realism, Recto version, Representational Art, Romanticism, Romantic realism, Socialist realism, Stuckism, Surrealism, Tachism.

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www.blurb.com Visit: www.rbmcgrathfineart.com Still Life Paintings from the Studio of RB McGrath in Jacksonville, Arkansas, a Newfoundlander abroad. Seven of the paintings shown in this video are on exhibit in the Jacksonville gallery. The remaining fourteen are in private and corporate collections throughout the US and Canada. This series of Still Life Paintings was created between 1999 and 2006. All works are oil on canvas paintings. Background Music Alone at The Crossroads. Brian Carter – Piano. Please enjoy.

Countless angles and settings are used to capture the magnificence of the day. Photographers and videographers are almost intrusive with their lenses and recorders as they work endlessly to preserve the wedding experience in images. As a result, floods of images are glanced over and then placed in a book or on a cd and forgotten about for years.

In the past, images that were “blown up” to be utilized for displaying were available as posters that lacked a professional element. Today’s technology overcomes those rudimentary images by producing crisp, clean, colorful images that resemble works of art worthy of a position in a prominent area in the home.

The process is highly affordable and most images can be converted into a canvas print and shipped to the buyer in 3-4 business days. Imagine the look on the new couples’ faces when they return from their honeymoon and see a canvas print of them from their wedding day as your gift to them.

Photos to canvas service providers have the ability to custom frame your selection. Canvas prints can also be wrapped around a wooden frame which results in the look of a work of art from a gallery. Search the web to locate a photo to canvas provider, and make a fantastic memory last forever for that special couple.

All are original artworks by Edward Bowie. This work and more is online at www.bowiesarthouse.com, blog at www.bowiesarthouse.wordpress.com. Also on facebook and Twitter. Please email me for images of work or descriptions. Commissions and portfolios are available. Feel free to contact with any questions. Piece names, materials and dimensions: 1) Promise. Oil on Canvas. 16 x 12″ 2) Glint. Oil on Paper. 10 x 10″ 3) Beach Breaker. Oil on Paper. 10.5 x 8″ 4) An Unknown Future Awaits. Oil on Canvas. 32 x 21″ 5) Final Approach. Oil on Canvas. 32 x 12″ 6) Barren Sunset. Oil on Paper. 17 x 13″ 7) Looming Weather. Oil on Canvas. 16 x 12″ Drift. Oil on Paper. 11 x 11″ 9) Morning Mist over Preseli Mountains. Oil on Paper. 8 x 6″ 10) Dusty Summer. Oil on Paper. 31 x 21″ 11) Harvest Evening. Oil on Paper. 17 x 13″ 12) Luminescence. Oil on Paper. 17 x 13″ 13) Newgale Sunrise. Oil on Canvas. 12 x 32″ 14) Northerly Wind. Oil on Canvas Sheet. 5 x 7″ 15) Purple Horizon. Oil on Canvas Sheet. 4 x 6″ 16) Solva Glow. Oil on Canvas. 18 x 16″ 17) Twilight Hour. Oil on Canvas. 16 x 12″ 18) Sapphire Seas. Oil on Canvas. 32 x 12″ 19) Earth & Water. Mixed Media on Wood. 47 x 23″ 20) Gulls. Oil on Paper. 13 x 9.5″ 21) Winter Landscape. Oil on Paper. 40 x 30″ 22) First Thought. Ink on Paper. 31 x 21″

PREPARATION!!!!! This is essential and is carried out always, before we can apply any of our long life paint and coating products, especially damp proof coatings for walls.

As we offer a 15 year guarantee on all works we do, using the correct preparation techniques is paramount when either having professional work done by a contractor, or in fact, doing it yourself. Any tradesman (or woman) who value their reputation and have pride in their work will tell you that unless the walls are properly prepared, the job will not look as good and not last as long and it will cost twice, or frequently more, in terms of time and money spent. So in essence, if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right especially if it something as important as waterproofing or damp proofing rendered walls or brick walls……….

Which is where we come in!

So with the above considered, how can we distinguish what type of wall needs what. Here below is an explanation of the different types of exterior walls, typical problems, and an explanation of what an Authorised NPA contractor actually does to each individual project?

There are many types of house walls…….

There are many different types of exterior walls that one can see in a typical town or city in the United Kingdom. Many exterior wall finishes are appropriate to certain factors such as the age of the house, the method of construction, the typical weather at the location, and other factors such as people extending houses, converting them, and so on. Maybe in the future, houses will have to be adapted to combat changes in temperature etc caused by Climate change?

When NPA does work on a house or applies a wall coating to a commercial premises such as a shop, we first ascertain what the existing wall surface is, and then tailor our repair and preparation methods accordingly.

Here’s a selection of different exterior walls, and the methods we use to repair them…………….

Exterior wall coating on Brick and stone walls

Brick walls are arguably the most common one in everyone’s mind, even spawning the phrase “hitting a brick wall”, not literally, but meaning coming to a dead end, perhaps in researching something, for example? Brick walls are what most walls nowadays are made of and this also included block walls, made from breeze blocks or large faced blocks, such as bath stone walls.

The bricks are laid end to end, one course (or layer) at a time, in a specific fashion, by a bricklayer or builder, leaving gaps for opening such as doors and windows and the installation of lintels above the openings to carry the course of bricks over the window, for example. The bricks are arranged in a specific fashion for the best strength.

These ways of laying the bricks have certain names such as Flemish bond, stretcher bond, running bond, pattern bond, and refers to the specific way they are laid. They are held together by mortar joints, often called “Pointing”, which consists of a mortar mix laid on the top of one brick, and the bricklayer adds a small lump of mortar to the side a of a new brick, lays it on top of the existing brick, and repeats, until the desired wall is completed. The mortar is sometimes referred to by “brickies” (Bricklayers) as “muck”, “compo”, “mix” or if you’re from the east end of London, “German Band an’ cemun’”…………….whatever that means!

The bricklayer will smooth the mortar joints and remove excess mortar as he or she goes along. It would be another article altogether to explain in full, all about bricks and bricklaying, so we’ll leave it there for now!

……. …and onto what NPA would do in this case.

If NPA was refurbishing a brick (or stone) exterior wall, we would have 2 options.

1) Coloured exterior wall coatings
2) Transparent, liquid silicone waterproof coatings.

The coloured wallcoatings would be the most labour intensive, and would require identifying any loose, missing or broken bricks and repairing or replacing them. (The coatings are special damp resistant coatings, and not only do they make the outside of your home look great, the anti damp nature of the coatings means your house will also feel warmer inside.)

Then we would repair and fill any loose or missing pointing or mortar joints, then we would mask up and protect all areas not to be coated, such as doors and windows, and also of course protect the path by laying dust sheets. We would then do a process known as “Bagging” or “Bag rubbing”, which involves making (by the bucket load each time) a liquid mixture of sand and cement and a PVA Bonding agents, such as Unibond™. This should be mixed to a smooth “creamy” paste, and applied with very thick brushes, or small broom handles. Gloves are essential when doing this, as if not worn, the cement will eat into your skin and cause great discomfort.

We then apply the bagging mixture to the wall, starting from the top and working downwards, and being careful not to let the mixture thicken as this will create an uneven surface and “brush lines” in the surface, which would show through to the top coating and look unsightly.

One this has been done and the cement coating has dried out, we then apply an “off-white” waterproof primer by hand, and then, using a GRACO president airless spray machine, we spray apply our textured exterior coatings, which once applied to the external wall, will not chip, crack, flake or peel, stops damp, and has a 15 year insurance backed guarantee. The same method would be used on walls made of stone. After the coating is applied to the house, you would still be able to see the natural stone outlines, preserving the character of the property, but with the added benefit of the house walls being resistant to penetrating damp, plus also being maintenance free. Again, please ask us for more information about what we would do to your house and how much it would cost.

CLEARSHIELD exterior waterproofing damp proof clear coatings

Our Clearshield system is suitable for stone or brick walls and it does not change the appearance of the house in any way.

We carry out all repairs as stated above, and then we apply 2 coats of silicone based sealer, which soaks into the brickwork, as opposed to laying on the top surface, which means it is not subject to normal erosion from the weather and has a life expectancy of at least 10 years. Click the link above to read more………….

Exterior wall coatings and painting hung slate walls

Generally speaking this was an old and fairly effective way of weatherproofing a house in the “olden days”. The house walls would be made either from cob, stone or brick, and left unfaced, that is, it would not have a mortar or render coating over the bricks or block wall of the house. Wooden battens (thin pieces of wood) would be nailed to the walls, and then slates would be hung, literally, as in the manner of the roof of a house. This forms an effective barrier against the weather.

Although they can be painted, both with normal masonry paint and exterior wallcoatings, we can do a tremendous amount of repair to this, save for replacing any broken tiles or rotten battens behind the tiles. We would then apply a coat of stabiliser, a coat of waterproof primer, and then spray apply our NPA exterior wall coatings over the top.

THIS WALL TYPE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR THE RENDER-BASED TROWEL APPLIED WALL COATINGS and you should contact your local wallcoatings specialist for advice.

Devon cob walls

Devon cob walls are normally found on VERY old houses, often subject to preservation regulations and/or listed status and great care must be taken when working on this type of house. The building method used goes back hundreds, even thousands of years and evolved as the builders would have used whatever was to hand in the immediate area. These houses are often also referred to as “vernacular” houses.

This type of wall construction is also known as “Rammed earth”, “pisé de terre” and Adobe or clay lump. Adobe houses can still be found in South and central America, amongst other places. (The Eden project in Cornwall uses adobe (mud) walls which are very effective.) Houses of this type should be treated with great care and refurbishment and repair of such walls requires specialist skills and advice and is not recommended for DIY projects. The house with this type of wall is usually made by mixing ingredients such as mud or clay, gravel, straw or horse hair and water. Walls of this construction are usually up to half a metre thick and examples can be seen in the English countryside, and the houses often benefit from excellent insulation, which coupled with a thick, thatched roof, can make a nice cosy home!

As mentioned above, GREAT CARE should be taken on this type of house. Repair should be carried out using the same or similar methods or materials that had originally been used, which is often why a specialist contractor should be called. A good exterior coating that I would recommend on this type of house would be a limewash or some other breathable coating, but again, remember on traditional houses, traditional methods should be used.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Exterior textured wallcoatings, either spray applied, ORtrowel and roller applied wall coatingsshould NOT IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE be used on this type of dwelling.

Textured coatings and paints on Render or stucco walls

NPA has over the years applied exterior textured wall coatings and protective weatherproof paints to a range of rendered houses across the Uk and Ireland. A rendered house requires us to check the entire wall surface for defects such as loose and hollow render, poorly done DIY or cowboy builder repairs, scars and uneven wall surfaces where alterations have been carried out to the house and of course cracks in the external walls.

We cut out the cracks with an angle grinder and fill them with a special expoxy resin mortar which binds the 2 parts of the building together, and then we “face” off the repair with a final coat of sand and cement, smoothing with a “float” 1st and then a damp sponge at the edges. Quite often on smooth rendered walls, it is advisable once the waterproof primer has been applied (and has dried) to further smooth out the edges of the crack repair in the wall buy “floating” or “skimming” small quantities of the textured coating product, using it as a fine surface filler.

Once the exterior walls are repaired to our satisfaction, we mask up the doors and windows, cover the ground with dust sheets and then hand apply our weather resistant, waterproof primer paint. Once this has dried, we spray apply a damp proof paint coating on top, which is available in either smooth or textured exterior wall finishes.

After this, the masking is removed, and the whole site is tidied up. The coating is 20 times the thickness of normal paint and as such takes longer to dry so you should avoid placing anything against the wall, or touching it, for at least a week. It would be touch-dry in 24 hours and fully hard in about 28 days. The coating will remain breathable, similar to the human skin so that moisture is allowed to evaporate out of the coating film, but cannot get back inside and cause dampness.

Wallcoatings on Tyrolean, Pebbledash and Spar dash walls

Pebbledash, tyrolean and spar dash walls go in and out fashion every few years. If you’ve ever tried painting a pebbledashed wall, you know how tough it is! The methods we use are very similar to the brick wall system above, so instead of repeating myself again, take a look at this page all about painting exterior pebbledashed walls, but remember to click your BACK button to come back here afterwards!

Pebbledash is a nasty substance and was invented purely to cover poor quality brickwork during the building boom in the UK during the 1920′s and 1930′s. A pebbledashed exterior wall finish is created by rendering the house with a soft sticky render coat and literally throwing stones or small pebbles at the house. Traditional pebbledash is made from small pebbles, but modern dash is usually spar dash or spa-dash and is applied in the same method above but small flint chips are used instead of pebbles. This inferior external wall finish is very coarse to the touch and the editor himself has literally taken the skin off the back of his hands when accidentally brushing up against a wall that has been spar dash, and let me tell you……….IT HURTS!

Tyrolean, also sometimes called “Sprayed cement” is brittle and doesn’t usually last very long unless it has an exterior coating treatment on it. Contact your local wallcoating specialist for advice, but to read more about tyrolean, follow the link posted in the previous paragraph above.
And finally………..

As you can see, there are a variety of exterior wall finishes on existing houses, and this article has only touched on some of them. When we work on your home we take many factors into consideration which is why, much as we would like to, we don’t have any “average” prices, preferring as we have done since 1986, to come and see your home and give it a full survey. More details of this can be found HERE

I hope that upon reading this article, we have given you, our valued customer, an insight into what we do and how we do it. No matter how old your home is, no matter where it is (We cover the UK, Ireland and Spain), and no matter what your home is made of, we can refurbish and beautify almost any property, in any condition so what are you waiting for?

Give us a call on 0800 970 4928 (or 0044 121 286 8558 from Spain) and have a chat with one of our friendly surveyors. This is totally without obligation, and you never know, you could end up saving a small fortune of home maintenance!

This is an original article written by Guy Bell of NPA. If you choose to use this text you must put a live link back to our exterior wall coating website.