Investing in my future

Last week my flex sander bit the dust, it had had a good outing for £35 so I can't be too annoyed. It did leave me somewhat lacking in the power preparation area so I needed to buy a new one. I looked online at what I could get, I was looking at 125mm size due to the fact I still had about 130 abranet discs left. A couple of Festool sanders looked good and I was very tempted to get one plus many have said how good they are but then I saw Dulux was having a 25% off everything week. Thought I'd see how much the Mirka Deros would be. I was offered it at £299+vat and it came with the extraction hose, 5 packs of 150mm abranet discs and a 125mm and 150mm discs. Considering this would come to nearly £500 normally I decided to invest in it.

This investment is for the long term benefit of my business. I still have many more to make over the next 12 months, this is the biggest I've made so far though. Currently working on my own property on the staircase, ideal place to trial the deros. So far I've only used it for 20 minutes and I am extremely impressed. It stripped a piece of timber from painted back to bare in 2 minutes using a 80 grit disc. If this is the kind of results I'm going to be getting from this it's gonna start repaying the investment in no time. Trouble is I want a smaller one for woodwork now!

Having these sanders is only worthwhile if you have the correct extraction unit, or at least a hoover. Currently I use a titan hoover from I brought from screw fix. It does the job, albeit on the noisier side of things. Next investment is for a better unit, like a nilfisk or if funds allow it a festool midi. Yet again it is an expense many old school decorators question and I can see their argument but at the same time spending £600 on equipment to eliminate any dust in your work can only be good for your health. Once you see what dust has collected in the dust bags, you realise how much would've been breathed into your lungs, that £600 is small fry. Add in the lack of dust in your customers homes everybody is a winner. It's using this equipment and using the latest in water based paints that is moving the painting industry forward these days.

On the investment front also I'm currently overhauling my workwear, both in overalls and branded clothing. The branded clothing is on the way and I'm very excited to see it. Overalls I have gone for some from Englebert Strauss as I heard many great things. At the moment it is the cheaper pair, can't yet allow myself to pay £60 for work trousers that get dirty quickly! These seem extremely comfortable and of a good made quality,  the proof will be after a few weeks work in them.

Treated myself to some Preform Blaze brushes as well and on the couple occasions I've used them I'm very impressed. No matter what brushes I use though, I still come back to the trusty purdys. Over 10 years I've used them and will continue to do so. New dust sheets brought and I tried out a couple of items from the Dunlop range of fillers. The caulk is possibly the best caulk I've used, though the price is a lot higher than what is readily available in the stores. I won a bag of rapid rescue filler on twitter before christmas and have used it recently. Brilliant stuff. Completely set within 90 minutes. Both products have given me confidence to try others in their range and will do so soon.

Last point on this blog I would like to push is my business (it's my blog, indulge me!). As I've mentioned I am a Dulux Select Member. This means a lot to me, as ever since I became a decorator I wanted to join this scheme. So naturally I will push it in all aspects of my business. But it is for good reason. as part of select I can offer all my domestic customers a two year workmanship guarantee, as long as akzo nobel products are used. It's this guarantee that sets my business apart from others around me. This is in no way suggesting I am a superior decorator to those who aren't in the scheme, I'm far from that. Too many great decorators are working out there to do them a disservice. What I am saying is that with my business, I will guarantee my own workmanship for two years. If for any reason it fails I will return at my own cost to put right what is wrong. Dulux will guarantee their products for the same time also. My work has been assessed to confirm it is up to the standard required to offer this, something I am proud of. I am also a member of TrustMark, a government backed scheme to provide trusted tradesmen, and a member of Checkatrade. Its these schemes which I feel gives my customers confidence in myself and my work and gives me the incentive to keep up standards that are worthy of that trust.