Applying masonry paint can seem like a daunting task. Especially on uneven surfaces such as pebbledash or breeze block. Because of this, you may well be tempted to use a paint sprayer. But is this even possible? Can you spray masonry paint? We did some testing at our workshop to find out for you. The…
Sugar soap is a great decorating cleaner. But maybe you don’t have any to hand or you might just be looking for a natural alternative. Either way, you want to know what is a good sugar soap alternative? Well, let’s have a look. Natural Alternative Despite the natural-sounding name sugar soap is actually all chemicals….
Hardboard is commonly used for filling gaps in walls and boxing in pipework. For this reason, you may need to paint it. But can you simply paint hardboard with emulsion? let’s have a look. Yes, you can. Hardboard is a great surface for painting onto and emulsion can be painted straight onto hardboard. Painting Hardboard…
Enamel paint is known for being incredibly hard-wearing and has many uses. But it is not one of those paints most people are familiar with. Because of that, lots of questions come up when using enamel paint. One such question is how long does enamel paint take to dry. Let’s have a look and find…
Varnish is great for protecting wood from damage. but with so many different varnishes on the market, the drying times can be all over the place. To dry and make things easier for you we have broken down the drying times for the more popular varnishes below. Ronseal Diamond Hard Varnish This Ronseal interior varnish…
When working with oil-based paints one important factor to consider is drying time. Everyone knows that oil (or solvent) based paints take a lot longer to dry than water-based paints. But just how much longer do they take? let’s have a look at some of the more popular oil-based primers and find out. The short…
v700 Premium Blend Wall & Ceiling Excellent scrub-ability and great stain resistance mean Blend v700™ withstands the toughest household stains from felt tips to black coffee. Making it perfect for busy homes and high-traffic rooms, such as children’s bedrooms, dining rooms and hallways. Drying Time – 1 Hour v500 Blend Wall & Ceiling Easy to…
Hammerite is a fantastic metal, and actually, multi-surface, paint. It can offer a lot of protection to anything it covers. But even if it does offer protection do you need to add lacquer on top of Hammerite? In my opinion, and this can only really be answered by an opinion, you don’t need to lacquer…
If you have just been painting your fence and have some leftover paint then you may well be wondering about using it on your garden furniture. But does this work? Can you use fence paint on garden furniture? let’s have a look. Why Fence Paint Might Not Be A Great Choice The first thing to…
Sugar soap is a great all-around decorating cleaner. But just how potent is it? Could it remove paint for example? No, sugar soap will not work as a paint remover. It can remove paint from surfaces like uPVC and should not be used for cleaning paintings. Sugar Soap Uses Sugar soap is really good at…
Yacht varnish was created to be used on yachts, you don’t say! but has since become so popular it is used in a multitude of circumstances. Yacht varnish is a clear, marine-grade varnish. It is ideal for use on yacht woodwork, doors, gates, fascias, sheds, furniture etc. Can be used over existing paintwork to increase…
Hammerite is a popular metal paint, we have done tonnes of experiments with it here at the Bloke Cave. But one thing we have not tackled yet is how long it takes to dry? Well, let’s fix that. We will jump into the drying times for all of the different versions of Hammerite paint. Regular…
So you’re just about to embark on the quest of painting some MDF and are not sure if you need to prime it before painting. Can you get away without priming? Or is it essential? Let’s find out! The short answer is no, you don’t need to prime MDF before painting it. Most paints can…
Using a roller is a great way to achieve a high-quality, quick and easy paint finish, but can you use a roller on a door? Even one with panels? Well, I know one way to find out for sure, and that is to paint a door. Preperation All great paint jobs start with good prep…
Rollers are a great way to achieve a high level of finish, because of this you may well wonder if they can work well on a radiator? Well, there is only really one way to know! I happen to have a radiator that needs painting and a roller, so let’s try it out. In order…
If you are anything like me and spend a lot of time looking at DIY blogs then you will have come across the term mineral spirits. This is a term used by our American friends all the time. If you have ever looked to purchase mineral spirits in the UK though you will have probably…