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Outdoor Decking Paint

Need to paint your decking?

Ok, so we covered how to paint your garden gate. Now let’s talk about getting your decking ready for a bank holiday bbq!

For those who have some lovely decking in your garden, you already know what a great addition it is. Perfect for dining, socialising, sunbathing or BBQs.

However, the trusty British weather probably means you don’t get to use your outdoor space as much as you’d wish. It also means that it will most likely need a bit of TLC after a long winter.

Leave your decking to dry for 24 hours minimum.

1. Cleaning your decking

So we are going to start by giving your decking a good clean. It’s recommended that you keep it tidy all year round, to save a big clear-up once a year. Just a weekly brush should do!

Get yourself a stiff outdoor brush and brush away any debris.

Now it’s clean, it’s time to apply Decking Cleaner. Unfortunately, Decking Cleaner is hard to come by at Seagulls and when we get it, it’s gone within the hour!

You should apply the cleaner directly onto the wood and use your scrubbing brush. Then jet wash this off, leaving it to dry for at least 24 hours. (Make sure you consider the weather; you don’t want to do this and then it rains!)

2. Sanding your decking

You now have a clean deck, but you need to make sure there is no leftover paint! (If you are painting over/touching up skip over this step)

Firstly, take a wire brush and use light sweeping strokes to remove any old paint.

Then you can go ahead with your scraper for that tougher paint. Scraping rarely removes all the paint from the existing deck, and it’s not meant to. After scraping away loose paint, it’s likely the wood will still have plenty of stuck-on paint. However, if it’s not peeling the new paint will still stick.

You can now begin to sand the decking. This smooths out the edges allowing for a fresh coat to be applied. If you have a power sander handy- brilliant! If not, try using a sanding sponge. Before sanding, use a hammer and nailset to countersink any nails that might be sticking up.

3. Treating & painting the wood

It is up to you what tools you use for this project, whether it be a brush, a paint pad or a roller. Make sure you apply your Frog Tape before cracking that tin of paint open though.

What paint should you use?

Here is where we come in handy.

We have everything you will need to bring your decking back to life, if you know exactly what you want, it will be best for you to ask a member of staff to show you where everything is- we have paint in abundance. Don’t be afraid to ask for help too, that’s what we are here for!

– Decking Preserver

We have several different types of Wood preservers. Cuprinol & Ronseal are the most popular at Seagulls, and the best in our opinion! It comes in various different colours, including Dark Browns, Green & Clear.

– Decking Paint

Our Decking Paint is again mainly Cuprinol & Ronseal. We occasionally get the likes of Wickes, Barrentine & Ever Build, though they are rare. Again, they come in colours such as Green, Clear, Oak, Pine, Timber, Cedar, and Mahogany.

You will need these materials too:

  • Painter’s tape

We sell Frog Tape in-store, offering 2 different types. The Green s the most common and better of the 2, it is multi-surface & will cost you £8.50. The Yellow is for delicate surfaces and we charge £9 for a roll of that!

  • Dust Sheets

We sell 12-foot by 12-foot dust sheets for just £2.50 each!

  • Scraper

We sell scrapers instore for £2.50

  • Scrubbing Brush

Unfortunately, we don’t have scrubbing brushes in stock at the minute.

Click here for a list of materials we sell in-store.

Our biggest paint order…EVER!!

Some exciting news from us over at Seagulls… We received our biggest paint order to date!

What was the order?

It was from a lovely lady called Nicole-Rose from Surrey. Her order was for 25 x 10L bespoke paint colours. She also got some brand new white matt, silk, gloss, undercoat and floor paint.

Nicole’s budget was set at £800 although the order came to £842.50! But for an order of this size, we obviously let her off the £42.50. This was still the biggest paint order we have ever received and the team were eager to get working on it!

We knew that Nicole’s order was a bargain, so we broke it down to compare with leading brands. We just knew this would make a brilliant price comparison.

Price Comparison

Through online research, we found that 10 litres of a bespoke colour from Dulux would cost approximately £150.

So, if our calculations are correct this means 25 x 10L is worth approximately £3750. This is already a saving of £2950! Add some new stock on top of that and we’re talking approximately £4000+ for the entire order!!!

It took our team less than one week to mix the ENTIRE order and we loved the challenge.

We deliver within the Leeds area for a £10 fee, for larger orders, we could potentially deliver for free. Don’t let geography put you off a large order, we might still make financial sense, even to pick up as Nicole did! It’s always worth getting in touch.

Over to Nicole-Rose for some lovely feedback:

“Thank you all so much first of all for such an incredible service. Andy particularly was brilliant at keeping me updated on the progress of the order. I heard about you from an art shop in Leeds City Centre (Fred Aldous) when I was looking for a local paint supplier. I was presented with an opportunity to redesign a theatre in Central London and when I visited the space I knew I’d need a lot of paint.

Nicole with her £800 order
Nicole with her £800 order

I looked you up on Google and found your website really easy to follow, so I placed an order. I’m a huge believer in supporting local businesses and I love your philosophy of re-using paint that would have otherwise been sent to landfills because I hate the idea of waste.

Thank you for the brilliant service and a warm welcome and a really quick turnaround in getting the paint ready in line with my deadline. You have a customer for life as far as I’m concerned.

Outdoor Decking Paint

Painting Your Metal Gate

Hey folks, we have had a few questions about painting specific materials, so we thought why not make a series of blogs about just that! First up we are taking a look at painting a metal gate.

Here are some valuable tips before we begin:

  • Look at the weather, you will need the weather to be on your side for this project as it involves a lot of air drying.
  • Wear face, eye and hand protection. You’ll thank us later.

Step 1 – Prepare

Make sure you have the correct surroundings. It would be best to take the gate off its post and rest it on 2 saw-horses. Be sure to put a dust sheet down to protect your surroundings. Also, safety first- get yourself an eye mask and face mask, no one wants rust in the eyes or fumes in their lungs!

Step 2 – Remove Rust

Use a wire brush to remove any rust the metal gate may have accumulated. You want the smoothest base for better application of the new paint, and you can also then tell which bits have been affected most by rust. Then, just let it dry out! (Make sure you’re wearing your gloves for this)

Step 3- Smooth it out

Now that it is all dry, wipe the gate down with a cloth to eliminate any debris. Now it’s time for the wire brush again. We don’t actually stock these as of yet, but keep your eyes peeled! The wire brush is needed to smooth the surface once again. You can also add some rust neutraliser if there are any tough spots!

Step 4- Primer

Again, make sure your dust sheet is down for this step. Apply an outdoor metallic primer using a paintbrush, and wait until it is fully dry before you do a second coat. You can also apply it to any previously rusty areas, just the help seal any gaps left by rust. Again, allow the gate to dry according to the primer manufacturer’s guidelines, before moving on to paint the gate.

Step 5-Paint

After your gate is dry (this may be a long process I know!). Simply start by painting the outer edges first, then the decorative embellishments over it, and then to the backside of the gate.

Be sure to cover any hard-to-reach places, and use whatever works for you, as long as the paint is perfectly laid on the surface.

If you are wondering what paint is best, not to worry- we’ve got you sorted. You would use a high alkyd paint, such as Hammerite for metal materials. We have a variety of Hammerite in-store, but colours and stock will vary with what we have picked up recently!

We also sell Red Oxyd Primer and Metal Primer, two different variants of primer. Again, it is not guaranteed what specific colours we have but just pop along and our excellent staff will help you with your project.

Ruksar in the Painting Pods

Want to learn how to decorate?

We sell paint (of course) but do you know how to use it when you get home

Let’s talk decorating workshops!

We host 3 different decorating courses here at Seagulls, all held by Ruksar.

Ruksar is a professionally trained decorator, with years of experience under his belt. He is an engaging facilitator and the courses are very much hands-on and full of practical tips.

If you have met him, you’ll know he loves to talk and share his knowledge, so expect to come away brimming with painty solutions to your decorating woes!

You will be learning in our ‘Painting Pods’. These pods have been built to emulate a real room setting, to give you the best experience possible for learning decorating techniques

Here is what you can choose from:

A Beginners Guide to Painting & Decorating

This crash course in decorating will equip you with all the basic techniques and skills needed to tackle a room from preparation to finish.

Learn the basics

Here is what to expect:

1. Preparation; learning how to get rid of pesky stains, and the best types of fillers for different jobs.

2. Ceilings

3. Cutting in- perhaps the most important aspect of decorating to get that all-important professional finish. We will spend a reasonable amount of concentrating on this technique as it’s so easy once you know how and have had some practice and you’ll never need to use masking tape again!

4. Rolling off the walls

5. Woodwork; skirting boards, windows and doors.

Duration: 3 hours

Price: £46-£64.49

Book Here

A Cutting in Masterclass

Learn the art of brush control. A cutting in Masterclass, it’s simple when you know-how!

Brush control, it’s easy!

Fed up with wonky lines? The wrong colour paint on the ceiling and fiddling about with masking tape? Then this is the masterclass for you.

We think ‘Cutting in’ is the most important decorating technique to get right when painting a room. Perfect this technique and you can have a decorated room to be proud of.

In this short and sweet workshop, you will learn:

1. Different types of brushes & Brush control

3. How to perfect your line between wall and ceiling, wall and skirting board and fiddly light fittings and sockets.

4. Practice in our rooms before unleashing the brush on your own walls.

It’s not rocket science but there is skill involved, once you know how you will never look back, it’s a skill for life!

Duration: 1.5 hours

Price: £18-27.54

Book Here

Ceilings & Walls: Decorating Masterclass

This advanced course will equip you with all the tips, tricks and techniques needed to give you the perfect finish when painting walls and ceilings.

Get your ceilings and walls looking professionally done

This Masterclass focuses on:

1. Preparation- learning how to get rid of pesky stains, the best types of fillers for different jobs, and how to tackle a room.

2. Brush and roller techniques- the difference between the finishes depends on the tools you use with a focus on brush and roller control and how much pressure to apply.

It’s easy once you know how and have had some practice (on somebody else’s walls).

Duration: 3 hours

Price: £48-£64.49

Book Here

Colour Match For Paint Service

Do you know about our bespoke colour-matching service?

If you are a Seagulls regular, you may know about our bespoke paint mixing service. This service bespoke service means we can match whatever colour your heart desires, just for a few pounds extra than off-the-shelf paint. Off the shelf, paint starts at £5.50 for 2.5L, whilst 2.5L of bespoke colour-matched paint starts from just £11.

Shopping at other businesses, such as Farrow & Ball could set you back £52!

Dulux and Farrow & Ball are two colour charts that we work best off, and there is plenty of them in-store, or you can find them online too. A lot of you request colour matches of specific items, which we love to do.

We thought this would be the perfect place to show you guys some examples of our colour matching skills, and what our paint mixing experts can whip up.

Match It Monday – Bespoke Paint Mixing In Action

If you follow us on social media, you may have seen our weekly ‘Match It Monday’ TikTok videos. Every Monday, we pick something random from Seagulls and put our paint mixing experts to the test. They never fail! Take a look for yourself;

@seagullspaint

You can’t live in Yorkshire without saying ‘Ey Up’ once in a while.. so we made a mosaic kit of it #yorkshire #eyup #mosaickit #mosaicart #diy #craft #leeds #uk

♬ As It Was – Harry Styles

Remember folks that our colour match for paint service is done by eye, no fancy colour machines around our place.

9/10 we’re bang on, the odd occasion may need a reblend but this is rare. If you have a certain colour in mind it’s always best to pre-order through our website (it gives us time to play with colour).

Bespoke paint mixing by eye also means we can never guarantee the same colour twice. Please make sure you order enough paint for your project to avoid any disappointment.

One last thing, our mixing magic does not extend to specific colour matches for Woodwork Paint. The pigments we use are only suitable for water-based emulsion, meaning we are unable to mix the same colours in gloss that we can in the emulsion.

The UK’s waste paint crisis

Our paint collection points at recycling centres

The UK is in a waste paint crisis, drowning in leftover and unwanted paint. Yorkshire alone has 4.5 million litres of leftover paint, this is enough paint to cover the Tees Transporter in Middlesbrough 229 times. It is even enough paint to cover the footprint of Barnsley twice with some to spare.

So, what’s the solution to the paint crisis?

Seagulls has been part of the solution for nearly 20 years, helping to divert over 3 million litres away from landfill and reprocessed it for sale in our paint store  

The Paint Store

What’s happening across the rest of the UK?

Firstly, Seagulls are unique, really making traction in the world of paint. There is no one else like us! Opportunities for recycling paint are patchy across the country. There is a scheme called Community RePaint that may operate in your area. However, you may need to check their site too see what they accept, as it is often limited to newer tins of paint.

However, all is not lost. People in high places have began to talk about what happens to leftover paint, which will work to fight the paint crisis. In spring 2021 the Royal Society of Chemists approached Seagulls, keen to understand what we do. The outcome being that they asked Seagulls to be their case study for a national campaign.

Why is a campaign needed?

According to research by the Royal Society of Chemistry, ‘Lockdown-inspired decorating has led UK households to stockpile enough paint to coat the Forth Rail Bridge 212 times.’ In partnership with celebrity decorator, interiors stylist and DIY queen Linda Barker, the Royal Society of Chemistry is calling for government action as it launches an industry task force to make DIY more sustainable, with Leeds-based reuse and recycling initiative Seagulls Reuse a perfect example of how paint could be recycled across the UK.’

Linda Barker with some of our team!

Facts & Figures

To put this amount of paint into context, the Royal Society of Chemistry has crunched some numbers, equating the amount of leftover paint to landmarks throughout the UK. It makes for some interesting reading.

North East

2 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle 170 times.

North West

5.5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover the Silver Jubilee Bridge in Runcorn 194 times.

East Midlands

3.5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover the entire footprint of the city of Lincoln.

West Midlands

4.5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover Sutton Park, Birmingham over 5 times or paint an area the size of the Bullring shopping centre 469 times.

East of England 

5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover the footprint of the city of Cambridge 1 and a half times.

London

5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover Tower Bridge over 229 times.

South East

7 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover the footprint of the city of Brighton.

South West

5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover the footprint of the city of Bath nearly twice.

Wales

2.5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover the Menai suspension bridge in Anglesey over 508 times.

Scotland

5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover Forth Rail Bridge 20 times.

Northern Ireland

1.5 million litres of leftover paint, enough to cover Rathlin Island, off the coast of Ballycastle, with some to spare or paint the Giant’s Causeway over 22 times.

You can read more about the Royal Society of Chemists campaign and if you don’t have a scheme in your area you should write to your local MP and ask them for one! Details can be found here

Staff and volunteers collect paint from a household waste site.

If you live in Leeds you can donate paint by taking it to your local household waste site. Find out where your nearest site is by clicking here

You can also sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with the campaign, our news and for special offers

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