Swish Aluglyde White Curtain Track Complete With Fittings 150cm, Aluminium Drapery Rail, Window Track System, Gliders and Brackets

Decorating tools and sundries are the kit for preparing, painting and finishing a room: brushes, rollers and trays, abrasive paper, scrapers and filling knives, dust sheets and masking tape. The range also covers wall coverings, self-adhesive film, and curtain wires, net rods, tracks and blinds.

Brushes and rollers

• Brushes: synthetic filament brushes are made for water-based paints such as emulsion and help avoid brush marks. Check the paint tin for the applicator and cleaning method it recommends.
• Roller sleeves: the pile length decides the finish. Short pile leaves a smooth coat on flat plaster, woodwork and metal; medium pile suits most walls and ceilings; long and extra-long pile carry more paint into brick, render and textured masonry.
• Frames and trays: match the sleeve width to the frame, and use a tray or scuttle wide enough for the roller.

Preparation

Abrasive paper is graded by grit number: the lower the number, the coarser the grit. Start coarse to take off old coatings or level filler, then move to a finer grit before painting. Cover floors and furniture with dust sheets, and mask edges with tape suited to the surface.

Older paintwork

Many wood and metal surfaces painted before the 1960s may contain lead, and some paints contained small amounts of lead until the early 1980s. Where lead is suspected, test the surface first. If paint must come off, avoid dry sanding and never burn it off with a blowlamp; wet abrasive paper or a chemical stripper keeps dust down. Sound paint can simply be painted over.

For coatings, see paint; to repair holes and cracks first, see fillers.