17 Patterns — Jellyfish Wallpaper
17 Patterns are noted for producing wallpaper and fabric designs which always hold the attention.
This extravagant design, which we spotted recently, is their Jellyfish Wallpaper.
Haus — Victoria Park
Haus is a lovely little independent shop near Victoria Park which sells furniture and lighting. We particularly liked these delightful Hans J. Wegner chairs…
How we paint a front door
This is an edited version of two longer posts we have written: read part 1 here, and part 2 here.
A front door deserves special attention from every painter and decorator, and indeed this attention is demanded by every client.
With so many period properties in London, we decided to create a process which does justice to their front doors.
Here is a fine Edwardian front door we worked on recently:
The door was primed after being repaired and prepped…
Next — and this is the work which really distinguishes the finish — two coats of Kodrin Spachtel made by Sikkens, a high gloss surfacer, were applied and sanded with high-grade abrasive.
The first of three coats of Sikkens XD gloss from Holman Paints — tinted to Basalt by Little Greene — is applied…
And, after lots of careful work, here is the finish: a beautiful, flawless shine…
How we paint a front door: no.2
The second in our series of detailed posts on preparing and painting a front door to a high standard — read them for inspiration and guidance, or to gain an insight into our working methods.
Previously…
In the first post, we covered prepping, filling, sanding, cleaning and priming. Let’s continue with the work…
Step 4
With the door prepped, filled and primed it is now time to spot-fill the primed surface, filling any small dings which were missed in the initial preparation.
Step 5
With the door spot-filled, we’re now ready to apply the first coat of Gras a Lacquer.
What is Gras a Lacquer? As its French name betrays, this product — an oil-based high gloss surfacer — is made on the other side of the English Channel by Toupret.
The job Gras a Lacquer performs so effectively is to act as a micro-level filler, levelling the timber to a perfectly glass-like smoothness. It has a wonderfully rich, smooth texture — a pleasure to work with.
We applied a thin coat, waited a couple of hours, sanded with 320 grit Abranet then sanded with 1,000 grit Abranet.
We then applied a second coat, and this too was sanded with 1,000 grit.
We pause to consider the result of the work so far: the flush surfaces of the door are perfectly, wonderfully smooth.
Step 6
The time for gloss has finally arrived: Sikkens Rubbol XD Gloss, tinted to Basalt by Little Greene. by Holman Paints.
To ensure the optimum performance and finish we added 15% Owatrol oil to the paint.
We weighed the paint and the Owatrol — in a traditional metal kettle — on digital scales to ensure an accurate mix.
After ensuring the Owatrol was fully mixed into the gloss, David applied the first coat…
Step 7
When the gloss had dried, we sanded it with 1,000 grit Abranet and applied the second coat of gloss … this was repeated, then the third coat was applied.
[Lesson: next time, we will tint or stain the Gras a Lacquer with some of the gloss — as we were applying a dark colour on top of it, we needed three coats of gloss .. this could be cut down.]
The result
We were delighted.
The client was delighted.
Do contact us if you’d like the Trim finish on your front door…
How we paint a front door: no.1
The first in our series of detailed posts on preparing and painting a front door to a high standard — read them for inspiration and guidance, or to gain an insight into our working methods.
Introduction
Everyone has high expectations for the impact a well-painted front door can make. We favour satin and eggshell finishes for interior woodwork, but seek the highest gloss available for exterior woodwork, particularly the front door itself.
The candidate
This door is a large Edwardian London classic, dating from the early years of the 20th century. Despite some of the original stained glass having gone astray as the decades passed, the joinery is still in fantastic shape. We’ve previously encountered front doors a fifth of the age in much worse condition.
Step 1
While the underlying condition of the door itself was excellent, the condition of the paintwork — a faded black gloss — was only fair. Brushmarks were conspicuous, perhaps evidence of a poor quality brush having been used; limited prep of the underlying surface also appears to have been a factor.
The letterplate and large doorknob were removed and the whole door and frame were sanded thoroughly: 80-grade Abranet for the stiles and rails, 80-grade conventional sandpaper for the mouldings.
Step 2
The door was dusted down, and Bonda Decor Fill was used to fill all visible surface damage; the filler was then sanded flat. Next, a rag dampened with white spirit was used to clean the door thoroughly.
Step 3
We are now ready to apply the primer: we selected Sikkens Rubbol BL, a waterborne product with fantastic opacity. We ordered this from Holman Paints, who tinted it correctly for our chosen top coat, Basalt by Little Greene (also in a Sikkens finish, which we’ll discuss in the next post).
If you’re tackling a front door for the first time in a while, you can easily check online for guidance about the order in which to carry out the painting.
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Summary
— Sand the door thoroughly, clean the door
— Apply 2-part filler, sand back, clean the door
— Apply primer
We’ll be back soon with the next steps…