300 Tips for Painting and Decorating ― Tips, Techniques and Trade Secrets

Everything needed for trouble-free makeover projects and creative home maintenance.

In this practical manual, a professional decorator shares hundreds of her personal tips, techniques and trade secrets that will guide homeowners in attractive decorating and regular maintenance tasks, from repainting a ceiling to finding and fixing energy-sucking drafts. These are the how-to's, the wisdom and the time-saving shortcuts that do-it-yourself homeowners will appreciate for years to come.

While the book is designed for beginners planning their first-ever home makeover, more experienced homeowners will find tips and tricks to make their work easier, too. Clear instructions and lots of illustrations demystify all key aspects of every task. There are also handy checklists, tables and diagrams.

The main focus is on decorating with paint, wallpaper and tile, and includes all aspects of surface preparation, application of materials, estimating quantities, using tools, cleaning up and much more. The straightforward ideas and useful tips will achieve a professional-standard result and avoid costly mistakes. Any project can have unexpected challenges, so the author has provided fix-it solutions for common problems.

The six chapters (Tools and Equipment; Walls; Ceilings; Doors; Windows; and Be Prepared and Essential Maintenance) are comprehensive, covering every project the home decorator may face:

• Step-by-step "how-to" sections
• Useful lists of essential tools and supplies
• How to build a decorating kit
• Using equipment safely
• Order of work planning
• Hang wallpaper, match patterns, work in awkward corners
• Ceiling access and safety when working aloft
• Finishing touches: ceiling roses and decorative elements
• Door maintenance and security
• Finding drafts and correcting air circulation
• Installing window treatments
• Using a decorating record and maintenance table
• What to do in an emergency.

Here are two sample tips that save a lot of work: 1. Add dish detergent to the water used to hang wallpaper to help the water stick to the paper; 2. Use color indicator spackle that is pink when applied, and turns white when dry enough to paint.

Alison Jenkins is a features writer for home improvement and lifestyle magazines, including Homes and Gardens and Country Homes and Interiors. She is the author of 100 Things You Don't Need a Man For and has been a guest expert on DIY TV shows.