Many interior paint, stain and stripper fumes aren’t just harmful to inhale, they can also be extremely flammable. You should always keep the area well ventilated by opening doors and windows. Use an exhaust fan to remove fumes from your workspace. Never paint or use solvents, strippers, stain, caulking or clean-up supplies near an open flame like the pilot light of a furnace or water heater. And never smoke while painting!
Top tips for a tradesmen on painting a hallway
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting out, it’s always handy to pick up as many tips as possible to add value to your service. It’s a competitive trade, and it is important that you leave your customers singing your praises to family, friends and any visitors in their home.
Here are our top tips for painting a hallway.
Measuring up the area
Quoting for a job can be difficult and getting it right is a crucial step to consistently having work in your diary.
It can be particularly challenging to measure up a hallway job as it includes the upper landing and stairs area which are often hard to reach. Getting this right first time allows you to become more efficient and profitable, allowing you to provide an accurate quote, including the cost of the materials.
You will need to start by measuring and calculating the square footage of the hall, minus the areas you won’t be painting with emulsion. You will need to calculate the required gloss separately for the doors and skirting. Once you have all the calculations down, you can put together a quote for the job.
Materials to factor in when quoting:
- The paint of choice
- New brushes (if required)
- New rollers with an extension pole and trays (you’re going to need this to access high and hard to reach areas)
- Painters tape
- Plastic sheeting
- Professional Ultra Lightweight Filler and scraper (check the condition of the walls to see if this is required)
- Crown Trade FastFlow Quick Dry Primer (you may need to use a primer if you’re going over a dark colour or if you need to fill numerous cracks and holes).
- Crown Trade Fastflow Quick Dry Gloss
Top tip: It’s not always wise to opt for the cheapest option if you want to leave a lasting impression.
Customers will lean on you for advice
You’re the professional and the customer may want some professional advice on the best paints. Whilst they will have a colour in mind for their hallway, there are some added value snippets of knowledge you can share with them.
As the hallway is a high traffic area and the first glimpse of somebody’s home visitors will see, you will need to advise them on paint options accordingly. A perfect solution would be a more durable matt paint such as the Crown Scrubbable Range , 20 times more durable than the standard matt emulsion. There are over 1,400 colour variations so you’re able to advise this range with the confidence that we will stock your customers desired colour.
Preparation is key
You have won the job, congrats! It’s time to deliver outstanding service.
As you have measured the area during the quoting stage, you should have all the information you need to get the correct amount of materials beforehand. The last thing you want is to be running out to one of our Decorating Centre’s mid-job.
Here’s a quick run-down of steps to take during the preparation stage:
- Don’t forget a large ladder to reach high up area on the upper landing
- Remove any hall furniture, pictures and ornaments that could get damaged
- Cover the floor, bannister and any other area you don’t want to catch with paint with plastic sheeting (you may want to remove the handrail to be safe so bring a screwdriver or drill along)
- Tape up the skirting boards, edges of doors and all light switches/ plug sockets
- Fill in any cracks and holes with your Crown Trade FastFlow Quick Dry Primer .
The job
You’re likely to know all about this stage but here are some tips to help the job go more smoothly.
Paint the edges first – this may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to paint the edges, corners and areas around door frames first.
Avoid cleaning your brush or roller during every break – sealing your brush and rollers in a plastic bag will stop them drying out, and they will be good to go after every break.
Cut the masking tape loose – do not pull the masking tape off before the paint has fully dried out. This can remove whole chunks of dried paint, and you’ll have to repaint the area. Good practice is to wait 24 hours and then cut the masking tape with a sharp knife before removing from the wall whilst pulling up from a 45-degree angle.
Glosswork – once the walls have dried you can get started on the glossing. As you have just freshly painted the rest of the room, you will need to wipe the skirting boards/ doors down with a soft damp cloth to wipe away any dust. Carefully apply painter tape to the wall you have just painted for protection before you start glossing (ensure it is completely dry).
Top tip: Use Crown Trade Fastflow Quick Dry Gloss to cut the drying time down, so the hallway is not out of action for too long. Cheaper brands can be a bit thicker and do not flow as well.
Clean up & recommendations
Once everything has completely dried, and you have finished touching up any visible blemishes, carefully move all the furniture back into the room, and put the picture back in the wall.
Remember to ask your customer to leave feedback on your website or social media platforms to help you win any future jobs.
7 tips that will help you paint with fire
As a special effects fire photographer with mild pyromanic tendencies, I often get people asking me a bunch of questions on what they should think about/look into when shooting fire. I’ve compiled a list of tips that should help you out if you ever get called upon to shoot a fire show, capture a memorable moment of a friend lighting himself on fire, or even juggle fire on your own. (I’ll add an FAQ section at the end of this article, so if you have any questions, leave a comment below and I’ll add the answer to the article)
Disclaimer: You should only play with fire in the presence of trained professionals. Kids, don’t try this at home. Adults, you probably shouldn’t either. Fire is very dangerous and should never be treated lightly. Please make sure to read the safety section before scrolling down this article.
See the BTS video here
Safety First
1. Make sure you’re in the presence of a trained professional
I can’t stress this part enough. You want a professional capable of preventing things from going wrong. You also want that same professional around when something goes wrong (and I say when, not if, because it happens.) If you happen to be lucky enough to be in Paris, France… check out Burn Crew Concept!
2. Wear organic, not synthetic
Organic clothing will burn whereas synthetic will melt. And while catching on fire doesn’t sound like the best of situations, I can assure you that it’s better than having something melt into your skin. It actually takes a lot longer for cotton to catch on fire whereas synthetic clothing will almost instantaneously melt. Don’t trust me? Try burning your shirt with a lighter. Of course, fire retardant materials like Nomex are even better but for someone who doesn’t work with fire much and who isn’t in direct contact, the best price/efficiency ratio is to have 100% organic cotton clothing handy.
3. Keep your stuff away from the fiery stuff.
Probably sounds stupid but when flammable fluids are out and about and you don’t quite understand what’s happening the best is to stay far far away. Photographers have the tendency to focus too much on their cameras and their target, but in these situations you want to stay hyperaware of what’s happening around you. Accidents happen and if everyone’s paying attention, it usually keeps things a lot safer.
4. Bring water and a towel
Though the professional there should have all safety materials, it never hurts to be too safe. If, for whatever reason, something goes wrong, a wet towel can solve a lot of your problems and put out most fires or even soothe a burn.
5. Beware the wind!
Wind can and will affect the flames. If possible, try to choose a day without wind or at least search for a sheltered location! If it’s too windy, the flames will RETURN onto a fire spitter!
Now onto the fun part…
Tips and tricks when shooting fire
1. Master your camera
Fire, as most of you probably know is a pretty volatile thing. The shape, texture and colour of the flame will vary depending on the type of material and fuel that is being used. Add onto the fact that the elements (wind, temperature) will also change how the flame reacts means that you need to really be on top of your game to come out of there with the results that you want.
Don’t get caught up in one camera setting, be sure to be able to chimp quickly and recalibrate. Whether your pyrotechnician is spitting fire, lighting himself on fire, or spinning poi’s he’s playing with resources that are literally burning away.
2. Underexpose rather than overexpose
Cameras today such as my D800E have a massive amount of dynamic range. This means that you can recover an amazing amount of detail from the shadows. The same can’t be said for highlights. Lightroom 4 in particular does an amazing job recovering detail.
Overexposed flames! No detail! Still cool… but could have been better! See the BTS video here
3. Using flashes? Add a CTO and a half!
If you plan on using flashes to capture some exciting motion blurs, keep in mind that fire burns a very strong orange! To preserve proper skin tones you’ll want your flashes to be properly gelled if you’re blending flash-frozen subjects with your flames. Failure to do so will result in ghostly white models or way-too-orange environments! Grab two 3/4 CTO gels and stack them!
4. Shooting a fire show and don’t have time to change settings? Try Bracketing!
I don’t know about you canon folks but the Nikon D7000 and above has a nifty bracketing function which means that you can set your camera to shoot at a variety of exposure settings without ever needing to tweak your camera settings. This can be useful when you’re not sure what the next effect is going to be thrown your way as you can set your camera to capture in continuous burst a -2EV/0/+2EV (for example) series of images that will give you a greater chance of capturing the unexpected.
Of course, as you get more and more familiar with how a show goes, you can confidently toss your camera into manual and change settings without your eye ever leaving the viewfinder!
5. Capturing someone spitting fire? Fast shutter speed!
Fire spitting essentially consists of creating a miniature explosion. This means that you have an extremely rapid “movement” of expanding gas. As all you photographers know, what do you do when you want to freeze movement? You got it! Fast shutter speed!
See the BTS video here
6. Capture someone spinning fire? Slow shutter speed!
Similar to light painting, you can also do fire painting with a burning torch. Keep in mind that you can either keep your camera on a tripod to “burn” in the environment or you can paint with the camera too by moving or zooming it around.
Click HERE to see the BTS video and blog post!
7. Too easy? Try combining slow shutter speed, fast shutter speed AND flashes all at once!
Check out this article and BTS video I wrote on using multiple exposures to combine a slow shutter speed, fast shutter speed and flashes to create the image below.
See the BTS video & blog post to create this image here!
Hopefully these tips and tricks helped you out. Be sure to check back on Wednesday the 1st of Febuary for yet another exciting BTS video and article on my latest fire shoot Subscribe to the newsletter to receive it straight in your email!
Announcements:
- I’ve been nominated in the [FRAMED] awards as one of the best conceptual photographers! If you like what I do, drop me a vote or two to support me: http://bit.ly/10QntqG
- Like the fire stuff? Did you see my previous BTS video with Andrey DAS?
- Are you a long time fan? Tell me about yourself and sign up for my newsletter! I answer each one personally and would love to get to know you! –>http://bit.ly/10ZAuOF
- I will be giving a CRAZY 2.5 day workshop and conference in London, UK on the 22/23/24th of March… Check it out HERE
Step 5: Clean Up and Dispose of Paint Properly
Many people don’t know that leftover latex paint has to dry completely before you can dispose of it. Even if you have used all the paint from a can, allow the empty container to dry with the lid off before discarding. If there is less than a quarter of the can left, you can let the paint dry by leaving it in a well-ventilated area until it hardens, stirring it once every few days. When leaving paint out to dry, be sure to keep it in an area that’s away from children, pets and open flames.
Clean brushes and rollers with non-toxic, citrus-based cleaners or turpentine — an environmentally friendly solvent made from the resin of coniferous trees. For additional tips, see Proper Paint Prep and Cleanup Tips.
Helpful Tips
When purchasing low-VOC paints, only buy what you need for the job at hand. Before you begin, measure the area carefully (height x width = total sq. ft.). One gallon of paint will cover approximately 350 to 400 sq. ft.
Don’t waste paint! Save any leftover paint for touch-up jobs or use it to paint a small area of your home. Think about donating extra paint to someone who can use it, like an artistic friend or a theater group trying to stretch its financial resources.
Step 6: Properly Store Excess Paint
Always store paint in a dry location where the temperature stays above freezing. Replace the lid firmly and store the can upside down to prevent air from entering the container.
If you have young children, it’s a good idea to purchase a lockable storage cabinet for all paints, chemicals and solvents.
Good work. By following these simple tips for safe painting, you can complete any paint project safely.
Project Shopping List
Here’s what you’ll need to complete this project successfully.
- Fan
- Respirator
- Dust mask
- Power sander
- Sawdust collection bag
- Painter’s tape
- Low-VOC paint products
- Protective gloves
- Protective clothing
- Lead testing kit (for homes built before 1978)
- High-powered vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter
- Paint scraper
- Citrus-based cleaners
- Turpentine
- Lockable storage/utility cabinet (optional)
- EasyCare Ultra Premium Interior Paint
