Home Decoration & DIY in the past

[Paulus 541]

Remember these DIY, 'Hearth & Home' gems;

Distemper

Wallpamur

Woodchip

Anaglypta

Fablon

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Wallpaper paste made from flour and water...

[littlebro 234]

Can you recall buying wallpaper with a sacrificial edge and using a roller-cutter to trim the edge off?

[MELTONSTILTON 452]

Dad, in an old boilersuit, painting lime wash on the wall, and standing on a wooden stepladder,

[littlebro 234]

Berger Magicote

[Paulus 541]

Dad, in an old boilersuit, painting lime wash on the wall, and standing on a wooden stepladder,

Meltonstilton,

My Dad, long brown coat like a shopkeeper, cussin' & swearin' at the bl**dy wall paper, when it kept ripping!

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

I remember my dad buying paint with a brand name of Robbialac. I wondered if I'd dreamed it, but I've Googled it and it did exist.

[Beduth 202]

Can you recall buying wallpaper with a sacrificial edge and using a roller-cutter to trim the edge off?

Yes littlebro, I remember. My parents had a DIY shop years back. The trick to get the salvage off was to strike the tight roll against a sharp table edge, it would all come off at once. Then do the other end. Wallpaper is still 20.5" wide; just finished the lounge. Sorry, I mean 'sitting room', we didn't have lounges in them days, only in posh pubs.

[LizzieM 9,507]

It was my Mum who hung the wallpaper in our house, don't think she trusted my Dad to do it right!

[Fynger 841]

Apparently Woodchip is illegal now.

[carni 10,094]

Littlebro

,I can remember the edging on the rolls of wallpaper,sitting with the scissors and cutting it off and rolling it up,then it would be stuck on the wall where the paper meets the ceiling as a border,great for hiding where the wallpaper had been cut short,OOPS.

LIzzieM

I have always done the paper hanging like your mum,i really enjoyed doing it in the past,but have had to have help these days,we have very high ceilings which look very nice but i cant balance on the ladders anymore.shame because i would still like to do it.

[MELTONSTILTON 452]

I had an aunt in the 1960's who lived in an old cottage near Boston, who still had the old outside thunder box toilet, and she was mad on keeping it clean and painted, even the seat............

Once we went to visit her and she had just finished painting the thunder box, and I sat on the seat that was almost dry, not knowing she had just painted it , and I almost stuck to the seat, to a youth of about 12 yo it was a very very embarrassing situation having the paint washed off his bum with white spirit...

[ChrisB 150]

Apparently woodchip was once produced as paint (emulsion) containing wood chips.

You would stir it like mad and then you had a few minutes to get painting before the chips all sunk to the bottom and you had to get stirring again!

[mick2me 3,033]

Artex

[DAVIDW 1,683]

Remember these DIY, 'Hearth & Home' gems;

Distemper

Wallpamur

Woodchip

Anaglypta

Fablon

The house we are in , still has lots of Supaglypta in the hall ways / landing , it was here when we came and has had numerous coats of emulsion on it . So tough that I fear if I tried to remove it , it will bring the plaster off !

Supaglypta was thicker than Anaglypta and contains some textile filling as well as paper .

Surprised you didn't mention Polystyrene tiles ! In the 70s they were the in-thing and no idea why no one picked up on the fire hazard . We used to sell lorry loads of them at ASDA .

[StephenFord 866]

I remember my dad buying paint with a brand name of Robbialac. I wondered if I'd dreamed it, but I've Googled it and it did exist.

I'd forgotten that - but it was advertised on TV - Robbialac PEP - plastic emulsion paint.

[RGR 218]

I've been a painter and decorator for 49yrs l guess l was very fortunate that in all those years l never lost a days work mainly because l could hang wallpaper when other painters got laid off there was always papering jobs to be done the best job l had was putting in nearly 35yrs. in General Motors car and truck plant where a crew of 70 painted the whole ficility including offices.Photo of me 1986 in the Truck plant how time flies!!Now retired painting my house.

[DAVIDW 1,683]

Anyone remember the budget paint that was called Home Charm ?

It used to be made by the exotic sounding Silver Paint and Lacquer Company. They have since had numerous changes of ownership but I'm sure at one time merged with International Paint and they were famous for (amongst others) Red Door Step Paint and Yacht Varnish .

[RGR 218]

[Beefsteak 305]

Dad, in an old boilersuit, painting lime wash on the wall, and standing on a wooden stepladder,

Dad in an old boiler suit, standing on an old plank balanced precariously on top of two kitchen stools !! (We didn't have money them fancy things called step ladders !)

My Dad was actually very good at the old DIY, I remember him building fitted wardrobes and toy cupboards in mine and my sisters bedrooms, some of them were built from timber reclaimed from the old wardrobes that we had in the first place, they're still there to this day !!

[Fynger 841]

Pretend brick fireplaces

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I remember my Dad wanting to replace the kitchen tap washer one day, no shut off valve in the house, just the one at the end of the terrace, to which he had no tools to turn it off...

It was funny too! He didn't think so, he removed the top of the tap, a fountain appeared, pressure must have been around 60psi, so no way could he get the top of the tap on...he was wringing wet and had to wrap towels around the tap and call a plumber.......

[mick2me 3,033]

No disrespect to those of that employ but I couldnt be a painter, you wunt catch me with a brush in me hand all day long

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I use a roller where possible, saves hours of hand aching time.

[Limey 242]

I prefer to watch the wife using a roller!