I’ve asked The Paint Hub in Carlow for some help with this month’s blog post.
I’ve been buying my paint from them for many years now. Even though I’m based in Cloyne, Co. Cork—which is the same distance from Carlow as the Earth is to the Moon. The service, expertise and the range of paint they stock makes it very worthwhile for me to deal with them over that distance. They are simply out of this world. (Did you see what I did there?)
At the end of the year, I like to:
Look back on the year that’s been
Look forward to the year ahead
Doing so fills me with a great sense of gratitude. This year in particular.
Looking back, I think 2020 is best described as …
Read MoreDisaster!
That was the only thing going through my mind.
The acrid smell of a burned-out motor filled my nostrils. My stomach tightened with anxiety. The one piece of kit I absolutely cannot do without had just flamed out and died. In the middle of a job too.
When people say the word ‘vinyl’, it usually means one of two things:
They are old and about to bore you witless with stories of how music was better when Led Zeppelin were still performing back in medieval times.
Or:
I admire anyone who has a go at something themselves. I honestly do. Even if it’s painting their own kitchen cabinets and units. Actually… especially if it’s painting their own kitchen cabinets and units. I know how demanding that can be. And, between you and me, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can go wrong quickly. A bit like flying an aeroplane.
Read MoreI couldn’t live without my hairdryer. I take it everywhere I go. My wife gets quite jealous. Partly because of the close bond I have with my hairdryer. Partly because mine cost more than hers.
I tell my wife she has nothing to worry about. It’s not like I keep track of when I first met my current hairdryer. (3rd February, 2018.)
Read MoreI know two things about reputations.
One, they take a lifetime to build, but only a second to ruin.
Two, your reputation is what other people say about you behind your back.
Read MoreI couldn’t believe it. There was dust everywhere—spewed about the place by the heavy-duty sander that was being used to prep the kitchen.
Read MoreHave you heard of the lac bug? It lives in India and parts of southeast Asia. As a larva, it crawls along branches, excreting a waxy substance. If you paint your nails, you might be wearing some lac bug excretion on your hands right now. It’s the main ingredient in shellac nail polish.
Read MoreThere are several things a kitchen painter doesn’t want to hear after they’ve started work.
“Was that scratch always there?” is one.
Read MoreI’m quite well respected. Outside my own home, anyway. But that doesn’t mean that I simply stroll into jobs. Nor would I expect to. People entrust me with their dream kitchens. They are right to ask a few questions before hiring me.
I must tell you about one job that I didn’t land easily.
Read MoreAnyone can hand paint a kitchen cabinet. But not everyone can do it properly. Even people who say they are professional kitchen painters. Here’s a story about how I was able to rescue a kitchen in Cork after the original painter did a terrible job.
Read MoreWorking in someone else’s house brings with it a lot of care. Quite often, the kitchen floor will be new. The last thing I want to do is leave behind paint drops on a freshly laid tile or wooden floor. Here is how I protect my clients’ floors when I paint their kitchens.
Read MoreThe story of a hand-painted kitchen in Cork and how I went about the job from start to finish, making sure all of my client’s requests were met.
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