Super Important Tips To Protect Yourself While Painting

Be it while painting or doing any job, taking safety precaution is the most crucial thing as it is always better to be safe than sorry.  Luckily, those protecting equipment are inexpensive and is readily available in Nepal.

Usually, the safety precautions are taken for hands and eyes of the painter and good thing is the needed safety equipment may already be in your storeroom or garage in Nepal.

The most essential item for surface preparation before applying wall colors is a pair of cloth gloves you normally use for gardening in Nepal. Wear it while scraping, sanding, wire brushing and other tasks of surface preparation to protect yourself from splinters, cuts, and blisters and to avoid it from ruining your day.

You would need cloth gloves for surface preparation as well, as rubber gloves come handy while dealing with just bleach solution to remove mold and mildews or when working with any type of paint remover or acidic material. After completing your paint job, wear it again if you are using mineral spirits or paint to clean up the tools and equipment.

After securing hands for the paint job, make sure to protect your eyes as well. Wear safety goggles especially while working with bleach, acid, or any harsh chemicals on the walls to prevent any contact with eyes. Similarly, wear goggles while scraping, wire brushing, sanding and while painting overhead as well as the wall paints can fall in the eyes. Coming to sanding process, while doing it, wear a dust mask to prevent from inhaling any type of small dust particles. Last but not the least, if you are spray painting, do not forget to wear a vapor respirator in order to prevent from inhaling paint particles and fumes in Nepal.

Even though these tips may look minor, however if ignored, this can not only cause an adverse effect on your health in long term, but it can cause serious injuries as well. You have taken painting project in your own hands, it is wise to take care of your own safety as well.

 

6 tips for storing and using leftover water-based paints

Most of the homes have at least few cans of leftover paints lying in the corner of the storeroom or garage from the previous painting project in Nepal. Whether they have been used or unopened, it is essential to store the paint cans properly to keep it ready to use whenever needed. Here are some tips on how to store it properly:

1. Do not expose the paint to extreme heat or cold

Store it at a neutral temperature. Most of the wall colors can handle the freeze-thaw cycle but at times, extreme conditions can damage the paint and solidify it or change the colour of it. So, if you live in a place with cold climate, do not leave the paint outdoors or in the garage. If you live in places of Nepal with a hot climate, make sure that the paint is not exposed to temperature more than 35 degree Celsius for a long time.

2. Open another container of paint after you finish the last one

Finish one can before moving on to another one so you do not have to reseal it if it does not come into use.

3. Use clean paint stirrers

Like a professional painter, always use clean stirrers to stir the paint in order to avoid bacterial contamination as excess bacteria can make the paint thin, runny, and unusable. Stirring paint only with clean wood or plastic stirrer than a stick or dirty screwdriver avoids the problem. Also, close the paint can when you are not using it. The benefit of using water-based paint in Nepal is it contains extra preservatives to keep the bacteria away.

4. Stir the paint thoroughly

When left unused, the paint often separates into two layers that is why stirring thoroughly is essential.  Stir the paint and test the color before you start applying it on the walls to see if the paint gives same shades as before.

5. Get rid of rust on the edges

If it has been a while since you stored the paint, check if the rust has formed on the surface of the lid or inside the can. If rust is there, pour the paint into another container before you start painting to avoid it from ruining the paint.

6. Seal the paint cans tightly

Before you usher the paint cans back to the storage room, wipe the excess paint on the rim so that lid can fit better and tighter. To preserve the paint better, place a layer of wax paper in between the can and the lid before sealing the paint can.

Follow these tips to store your paint better and find it in the perfect shape when you need it for your next painting project.

12 ways to make your flawed wall look better (Part – 2)

We shared with you the six tips to improvise your flawed walls in the previous article and here are six more.

1. Play with brick options

Brick walls with a lovely texture are a far better option than plain drywall. For some, it may be a big no and can find it ugly, but there are various techniques to showcase it in an impressive way.

Over its typical red or brown, a coat of white shades can give a subtle textural effect but not necessarily complete white. The gentle whitewashing technique can do the job while still retaining the character of the brick. Use a type of wall colors specially made for brick walls or paints thinned with water to apply the paint until you get the shades you want. Or, you can go with a color representing nature or even get inspired by the outdoor surroundings in Nepal.

2. Covering wall vents

If there are vents on the walls for heating or cooling the room that does not look attractive, you can cover it up with a slotted screen that not only covers the vent but give the walls a dash of the pattern as well as textural interest.

3. Place the bookshelf

If you have a heater, air conditioner or wall vent, instead of covering it up, you can place a bookshelf of the same color just below it. It would look far less awkward and noticeable than it used to when it looks like a part of a big furniture.

4. Manage the cables

Even if the television is a device that enhances the beauty of a room, we cannot say same about the cable lines. That’s why it is better to hide the wires that connect the cable box and not letting the wire hang around the walls. Install wall molding to camouflage such wires where needed, which not only manages the wires, but beautifies the walls as well.

5. Using single paint color

If the walls of your home are uneven and have minor flaws, paint it with a single wall paints along with the ceiling and trim in Nepal. This draws the attention from flaws to the highlighted areas without any imperfections.

6. Creative positives with negatives

The equipment such as a light switch on the walls is essential, even if they do not look so good on the walls. So, rather than hiding them add a cover plate to it or replace with the fancy one so it can add beauty to the room.

With these 12 tips, you can modify and hide the flaws on the walls in several ways. Tell us your experience if you tried these tips in the comments.

12 ways to make your flawed wall look better (Part – 1)

If there are flaws on the walls, it does not mean you should get rid of the wall, right? However, you can definitely conceal it with your designing skills. Here, we have listed 12 ways you can turn the flaws and awkward position of windows, light bulbs, and other things into beauty with little work, techniques and paints and hide those pesky flaws gracefully in Nepal.

1. Art Collage

Instead of trying to hide the flaws on the walls, you can distract eyes from it by blending it with art pieces to create an artistic looking wall, like a magician. To blend, hang a collection of framed pieces next to the odd light switches and watch how it loses its awkward look.

2. Hang frames on a swing arm

You can hide the not so frequently used wall gadgets behind the art pieces, hanging it on a swing arm or a normal hanger putting it convenient enough to reach whatever you are hiding behind whenever needed.

3. Put a clothing rack on display

Be it to cover the ugly wall colors or to enhance the grandeur of a room, you can add in a shop-style clothing rack available in Nepal that also contributes to solving your storage issues. It is more convenient if you are willing to display your favorite attires while concealing the walls as well.

4. Use chalkboard paint

If you are planning to paint eggshell wall paints on the dented or damaged walls, don’t, as the gloss only highlights the flaw more. Use matte chalkboard paint to hide the blemishes instead, to give your walls a non-glossy texture that can be bought from the paint dealer near you in Nepal. You can even write fun messages on it to further camouflage the dents and blemishes.

Chalkboard paint should not necessarily be used only in the place with the kids. It can be used in several places to create unique effects.

5. Put up the long curtains

To hide something big, or an off-center window, hang a long gorgeous ceiling-to-floor drape. It also contributes to beautifying the backdrop of bed or furniture. You do not necessarily need to hide the exact position. Instead, you can divert the attention to drape hanging it in the place where you want to draw it. You can hang it to make the entire wall disappear or fix the asymmetrical window as well.

6. Fix a plain, bland ceiling

The ceiling is also called “fifth wall” as it has its own value as well as issues. To cover up the damage on the ceilings caused by water leakage or other issues and create a masterpiece, consider applying wooden ceiling panels. However, make sure to fix the damaged areas first.

These are the six ways to turn flaws of walls into beauty. Follow our next article to find six more of them. Also, if you try out these tips, share your experience with us.

How to get rid of the kitchen grease on the ceiling fan blades

When we look around in the kitchen, we believe it is clean when the things in our plain sight look immaculate, such as well painted walls with beautiful color, shiny floor, well-cleaned room, but what we ignore is dirt on the nooks and crannies such as grease on the ceiling fan blades. It stays hidden until we make an effort to climb up and have a look or not until it starts throwing away the grease gunk on the walls and other places every time we try to operate it.  As much as you would want to ignore it, cleaning them definitely would bring peace of mind and stop the grease from ruining your wall paints any further in Nepal.

Prep up

1. First, get everything you need in front of you for the cleaning process.
2. Lay newspapers beneath the fan to prevent grease from sticking to the floor.
3. Tape the fan’s switch to prevent kids from turning it on accidentally while you are still cleaning.
4. If you are working with a step ladder, set up its tray with extra supplies of spare rags, paper towel, and cleaners to get a quick access to it.
5. Wear eye protection and scarf on your head to ensure that the dust and grime do not fall on your eyes or head.

Clean the grease up

As there would be dust stuck in the grease due to its sticky nature, first wipe the blade with clean, soft clothes or dry paper towels to remove the loose dirt, then with damp cloths to get rid of more dirt. Repeat the same process on all the blades, cleaning its tops, bottoms, and edges. Removing the grease simply reduces the grease level and cleaning before that would be just smearing the same grease around.

Grab the household cleaner that cuts through the grease and use it get rid of the greasy gunk from the fan blade. Instead of applying the cleaner directly on the fan blades, put it on a damp sponge or clean cloth and wipe the blades down. Let it dry and touch them to ensure that it is clean. Continue till it feels clean.

After cleaning the ceiling fan, clean up the grease on the walls as well and apply a coat or two of the wall painting color of the shades you prefer in Nepal.

Prevention is better than cure

To save yourself from the hardships next time and keep the fan blades off the grease, keep cleaning it up with degreaser time to time, not letting the grease settle down. Also, dust the blades every week or two, and clean the blades every time after cooking too greasy food in the kitchen to keep it from hardening in place.

If You Spill Paint On Your Clothes

While doing the paint job, not everyone wears old clothes and knows how to take precaution to save it from the spattered paints. Sometimes, even after taking the precautions, you may get drips on your new jeans accidentally or even brush up against the just-painted walls and smudge your favorite clothes. Well, mishaps happen and for that, knowing how to get the paint out of the clothes is essential in Nepal. Here’s how to do it right.

1. Act quick

Stains of any kind are easy to remove when they are fresh. Therefore, to remove it, the first step is to take an immediate action which deals with the half of the problem. The longer you take more difficult the stain becomes to remove it.

2. Know the types of paint

The ways of cleaning the paint depends on its type which means you have to identify the type of paint first. Compared to oil-based paint, water based paint is much easier to clean, but on the other hand, oil-based paint stays wet longer, giving you more time to get rid of it.

While buying the paint, it is best to take precautions and buy the things needed to clean up the mess earlier which includes cleaning supplies so that you can clean the stains in time. Also, check the labels of clothing to make sure the chemicals are good to use in it.

1. Water-based paint

To remove the water-based paint stains, Isopropyl alcohol is effective which you are likely to have at home. You can also buy from the paint dealer near you. First, clean the stain with soap and warm water. If you are washing the stained clothes immediately, you can remove most of the wall paints just with it in Nepal. Next, pour alcohol on the stained area and scrub using an old toothbrush. Once the stain gets off the clothes, rinse it again and let it dry. If the alcohol does not work, try doing same with nail polish remover.

1. Oil-based paint

Oil-based paints are trickier to remove from clothes, but not impossible. However, you need to harness yourself with safety precautions like wearing eyeglasses, gloves, and a respirator before you start working on it. Also, make sure that the place you are working is well-ventilated as the oil-based paint removers are flammable.

Next, scan the paint can label and find out which solvent is appropriate for the cleanup. Mineral spirits are normally used for the purpose. Before applying it, soak the excess paint with the paper towel, turn the clothes inside out and work from the underside of the stain. Then, place some paper napkins underneath the stain while carefully pouring the solvent so it can absorb it. Next, dab the opposite side of the stain with a cotton ball or swab to transfer the paint onto the paper napkins. Repeat it after replacing the napkins until there are no more stains and wash it according to its label instructions. Make sure to remove the solvents properly as the solvent is flammable.

Have you tried these paint color stains removing tips in Nepal? What do you think about it? Share your views with us in comments.

Personalizing the home in an inexpensive way (Part- 2)

In the first part of this article, we shared some ideas on how to personalize the home space. Starting off by asking yourself about the kind of space you desire and then visualizing how space would look with the things you chose to put on the show, here are the ideas to follow afterward.

• Add the natural vibes

Positive energy is essential for a home space to give out good vibes and feel comfortable in it. To create such environment, we must set up the home in a way it would positively affect our moods and make our lives better.

Setting a green environment can do the job in a way nothing else can, adding an instant jolt of energy in the surrounding.  Plants and flowers also bring life in the blandest and boring space with its color and texture. You can decorate windowsills with small herbs or hang some fancy pots with flowering plants. Giving your room a natural touch is always among the best option for a vibrant and inviting look.

• Decorate with your favorite items

You might have picked several show pieces and arts you found fancy for your walls from the shops of Nepal and from abroad. Maybe your favorite books can be showcased or your mom’s painting can enhance the beauty of your room or maybe the statue your friends gifted can be put in the places to give it a homely look.

To create a personal space, you can also stack books you love in a creative way, as per their sizes, shapes, and designs to give a personal touch to your space. It would not only add new shades to the room in Nepal but brings out the part of you as well in every design.

• Feature your memories on the walls

Filling your walls with extraordinary wall colors and hanging the chosen photos can look fascinating can bring you a lot of joy by just looking at it. What else can be more personal than the photographs, prints, and your own art pieces that tell the story of your life? Frame them in various shapes, sizes, color, and styles available in Nepal and hang them on your walls in peculiar designs to get more epic and comforting outcomes.

• Inspirational colors are the best colors

Choose the color that gives you personal and inspirational vibe. As the painting is the easiest and cheapest makeover you can do, you can play with the designs and styles all you want. You can get inspired by anything such as the color of the cover of your favorite books, the design you saw in the movie last week or the one you saw it in your Facebook’s news feed.  You can match colors as well with the furniture and curtains in your room. But, whatever you choose, make sure that you are fully satisfied with it.

These are some ideas to help you give your space a personal touch. Was this post helpful to you? Share it in the comments about what you have done to give your home a personal touch.

Personalizing the home in an inexpensive way (Part- 1)

When it comes to redecorating a home, nothing feels better than giving it a personal touch. From painting to adding peculiar shades of creativity, you can try and experience it by yourself if you are planning to redesign your home in Nepal to a completely new level, which also helps to save your hard-earned money. In addition to that, it also allows us to be more creative and makes it enthralling. However, the challenge that lies in the way of designing the exquisite house in the town is when you conclude, it needs to feel like you. If you are willing to reflect yourself rather than going with what is trending in the market, here are six ideas to help you with it without exceeding your budget.

1. Ask yourself

These days, our life has become so busy that we barely take time out for ourselves and decipher what actually pleases us and due to the lack of grasp on our thoughts, we settle down for less. We cannot comprehend and tell what taps on our jovial self and makes us feel contented. Therefore, the first action you need to take while personalizing your space is to question yourself.

• What are the things that you value the most in your life?
• What taps to your gleeful, exceptional, and jovial self?
• What kind of environment, situation, and place relieves your stress and inspires you?
• Any diversions or activities that instantly alters your mood?
• Any games you like and are into it specifically?

Collect these answers and draw an inspiration out of it for your quintessential space with various color. Dig your hobbies deep kept away in your store room and grab what you find, even if you do not picture it as something to exhibit as an extraordinary piece to give a contemporary and energizing vibe of Nepal matching it with the environment and settings.

2. Visualize your perfect space

After you finish discovering inspirations, create a vision board and explore the ideas you can bring to life and work on in your space. Include photos and other personal items that feel home itself. You can also create a collage or pin board to pin your memories on the walls. Put what you find together to originate your own creation and hang it on the walls. Keep on adding items matching it with the colour of the room to create a contrasting environment. As these practices are not often done by people in Nepal, it would contribute in adding uniqueness to your walls.

These are just a peek to the ideas to personalize your home. Check our next article to discover more about them.

Create a Beautiful Nursery For your Newborn

If you are expecting a baby soon, surely you must be super excited about it. How about recreating your room to a nursery for your baby? You do not necessarily need to follow the mainstream, painting it blue or pink. Instead, you can paint it with some other cheerful wall colors that are perfect in Nepal for a new born. Let your inner child out and design a perfect environment as a gesture of a warm welcome for your child with paints. When you are painting, keep in mind that babies love the different color, shapes, and patterns. Let your imagination soar high and create a space your kid would love to be in.

If you are planning to stick with blue or pink, no problem. You can be creative with it too, adding patterns and textures as well as by applying modern painting techniques such as sponging or ragging to soften the look of the walls and enhance its appearance in Nepal. Do you want to be more creative? Add light stripes with the alternate rows, choosing the color from the wide range of lighter or pleasantly neutral shades.

However, if you think you just have stripes in the option while working with these advanced paints, you are wrong. You are free to draw any shapes you find fancy like polka dots, hearts, flowers, etc. If you are skilled or hiring a professional, you can even draw cartoon characters to make it look cool and even create or buy stencils from the stationary shop or department stores in Nepal to create the perfect shape. Department stores might also have unpainted wooden letters and numbers which you can buy, paint and hang in the room writing your baby’s name, date of birth, or some wise and sweet quotes.

While you take care of the four walls, do not forget the fifth wall that is a ceiling as babies spend most of their time laying on their backs. You can be as imaginative as you want with it. For example, you can create a faux sky and clouds on the blue ceiling with white base sponging off the blue plain or painting white clouds on the blue ceiling which would look exquisite in a nursery room. You can even opt for glow in the dark wall paints available in Nepal to create the whole galaxy in the ceiling.

After you are done with painting the walls and ceiling, find some good art pieces to hang there. You can look for other baby photos that would make the walls look cute and make people go “aww” and other art pieces as well that you can hang seasonally.

You can go as much as creative as you want to create a warm and cozy place for your baby. Just remember that color, shape, and patterns can make a big change in the nursery you are creating and create a happy space at home in an easy way.

Fixing Minor Painting Problems

Nobody is perfect and we cannot guarantee that we would accomplish whatever goal we set perfectly. It applies while we paint too. Sometimes it does not go as we planned. However, you do not need to worry. We have got ways to fix the several painting mistakes like stains, drips, brush marks, etc. that occurs while painting your house in Nepal. For this task, you will need tools like sandpaper, drop cloths, scraper, roller, paint brushes and sander and materials like wood sealer, paint, top coat, stain blocker or oil-based undercoat, chemical stripper, and primer.

• Drips: It usually occurs if the brush is overloaded with paint while applying it on the walls. It may look ugly, but you can mend it easily. For that, scrape it using a scraper, until the area is smooth and sand it with sand paper before repainting.

• Stains: In case you have skipped this prime step of using primer, stains are likely to appear on the walls. However, it is not the sole reason. Even mildew can result in stains, but do not worry as you can fix this easily. Clean the area with Trisodium phosphate or cleaner, and leave it to dry. Afterward, apply oil-based paint or stain blocker on the affected area, and after it has dried, paint the top coat of high quality paints available in Nepal.

• Rough finish: If the surface has rough finishes, it is probably due to improper preparation of the surface. In case you are using old paints, make sure to sieve and decant it as the gritty paint can ruin the look of the walls. If it is already gritty, sand it, clean the dust with a piece of cloth, and finally apply a top coat of best paints you have or buy it from the paint stores near you in Nepal.

• Wrinkled paint: It causes when the wall paints do not get enough time to dry and dries quickly, especially due to the high temperature in Nepal. To fix this, you have to strip, sand and re-paint the wall. First, strip the paint using chemical, following it by sanding and then repainting.

• Brush marks: When the paint is applied in a wrong way, it leaves brush mark making the surface look uneven. To fix it, sand the area and clean it off with a piece of damp cloth. Repaint the walls with a top coat and wooden surfaces with natural wood finish available in Nepal making sure to apply the stain with the grain while keeping the edges wet.