Sarah Coussens, Head of Marketing – Trade at Hamilton, explores essential time-saving techniques and tool recommendations
Time is money and this rings true within the building trade. Multiskilled professionals are constantly balancing the delivery of high-quality projects with the desire, and sometimes need, to complete as many jobs as possible throughout the day.
While there will only ever be 24 hours in a day, with the right tools and techniques, builders can shave minutes off job times without sacrificing quality. This will not only improve job outcomes but also potentially boost customer satisfaction and business growth in a highly competitive segment.
Time-saving tips
One of the more time-consuming elements of painting is endless touch-ups. Each brushstroke adds another minute to a job that should be considered complete. By following the tips below, you can reduce the number of dreaded touch-ups and save yourself both time and energy.
Start by cutting-in
You can’t roll your way out of cutting-in unfortunately. Not even the highest quality roller will fill in the corners, edges, nooks and crannies, so preparing walls with a first-rate cut-in is an unavoidable but crucial step.
Use a proper cutting-in brush, around 50mm wide, and apply a layer of paint roughly 5cm wide down each corner of the room, along the skirting boards and around the door and window frames.
Paint over where you’ve just cut-in
The difference between painting over your cut-in will be noticeable once you’ve tried it once. For a super-even finish delay getting out the roller just yet and see the difference in texture with a paintbrush. This professional painting and decorating tip will get you an enviable finish every time.
Grab a mini roller of the same pile and material as the main roller and paint over the cutting-in as closely as possible to the corner or edge.
Don’t overload your tools
There is an understandable temptation to overload brushes and rollers with a lot of paint when time is running away from you. But the excessive paint on your tool will lead to an overloading on the surface when painting, making it harder to get a smooth, even finish. The inevitable drips and spillages will inevitably result in a sloppy, uneven outcome and additional work.
Load your brushes and rollers, with the appropriate amount of paint, evenly to prevent drips on the floor, down the walls, and the skirting boards, saving yourself additional clean up and touch-ups.
Finding the right tools
It goes without saying that a key factor in achieving a high-quality finish is using high-quality tools. When looking to achieve the perfect finish quickly, a dependable tool is non-negotiable. For the multiskilled trader, finding a comprehensive brush and roller range that provides a flawless finish without breaking the bank is a priority and some manufacturers are meeting this industry demand.
Hamilton’s For the Trade range was designed and developed in response to this exact need. Easy to use and doing exactly what you need them to do; the For the Trade range helps a tradesperson achieve a good job quickly with brushes and rollers that will remain in your toolkit for a long time.
For example, the For the Trade 2” flat brush has been proven to complete a panel door 25% faster than a leading competitor, with more even coverage and no tramlines. This totals a time saving of approximately 30 minutes in the average house. The For the Trade 9” medium pile sleeve completed a similarly sized area just over 30% faster than a leading competitor.
Efficiency should never come at the cost of a good finish. Finding proven time-saving products guarantees a speedy job with a reliable result every time. The combination of having the right tools and techniques under your toolbelt is the secret to delivering quality work when time is tight. When put into practice, painting only becomes more lucrative- and perhaps more enjoyable.
For further information on Hamilton visit Professional paint brushes, rollers & tools | Hamilton.
