Training courses for tradies: Sustainable trades

The Victorian Climate Change White Paper released last month included many plans for reducing the impact of climate change. One of the items included in that white paper was that the Victorian Government wanted to provide a central, authoritative source of knowledge about climate change and sustainability. They've done this with the launch of the Climate Communities website. Read More...

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Renovating the spare room: New carpet, dangling wires and girlie-fying

After the success of my bedroom renovation, I decided to tackle the spare room next. I might have somewhere nice to sleep but my guests were still roughing it in magnolia spare room, staring at the same ugly wardrobe that I’d ripped out of my room. I was starting to feel bad about it, especially as I was making everyone admire my new bedroom. Read More...

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Renovating my bedroom - carpets, cupboards, blinds, and a feature wallpaper wall

I decided that I’d had enough of sleeping in ratty bedroom with holes in the walls, more shiny, vinyl paint, dirty carpets and ugly fitted wardrobes. I had a week off work, my parents were coming to stay and I had a brand new sledgehammer to try out. It was time to decorate my bedroom. Read More...

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Can't get the sofa in? Just remove a wall. Sensible.

One of the very first things I did after taking possession of the keys to my new purchase was start to tear it apart. I picked up the keys yesterday and now it has one wall less than it did when I signed the papers. The problem was that I can't get my beloved sofa in the living room, the angles are wrong and it wouldn't go through the doors despite being taken to pieces. So rather than take the easy way out and buy a new sofa that would fit, I decided to take the wall between the hallway, stairs and living room down. Sensible. Read More...

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Painting price: Costs for painting your home

When hiring a quality painter, paint and supplies make up about 15-25% of the cost, while the rest goes towards labour. Painting is very labour intensive and requires patience and care - so you won't want to hire just any person who can hold a brush! How much does it cost? Read More...

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Buying the right paint

Colour is not the only important decision when you're painting your home. Here's a couple of tips on picking the right type of paint for your job. What else should you consider? Read More...

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What colour should you paint your house?

Choosing what colour (or colours) to paint your house can be one of the biggest decisions you'll make about your home. Want a colour to make a statement but not annoy the neighbours? Want to have a house with personality but not an ugly one? Want to take a risk but not a risk guaranteed to fail? Here are 10 things to think about when choosing colours. Read More...

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How should you fix skirting boards to the wall?

There are a couple of methods of fixing skirting boards to walls, once the corners have been cut to shape. It usually depends on what finish you want on the skirting boards as to which method you use to fix the boards. If you want to stain or varnish the boards then the best bet is to attach the boards using a glue or adhesive. Read More...

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Making good paint choices: VOCs, your family and your environment

Volatile organic compounds (or VOCs for short) are chemical compounds found in many paints. And it's estimated that 80,000 tonnes of VOCs are released into into Australia's atmosphere annually. These VOCs are captured into the paint in liquid form but they'd rather be in a gas state - so they're volatile! Get some tips for environmental ways to paint and more information about VOCs. Read More...

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How to repair holes in plaster

Got a hole in your plaster wall that needs to be fixed? This simple guide will walk you through fixing big and small holes, as well as giving some quick advice on how to fix cracks in plaster Read More...

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How to Hang Paintings

So you've found the picture of your dreams and you'd love to hang it on your wall... but you're not quite sure how to go about it? Read on for some great advice on hanging pictures and paintings. Read More...

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Service Central helps repair storm damaged Melbourne

Melbourne has turned to Service Central to help repair the damage done by the massive storms that hit the city this Labour Day weekend. Service Central's army of tradespeople have helped Melbournians repair their hail damaged homes, fix leaking roofs, and mop up all of the water left after the weekends deluge. Read on for the full details. Read More...

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Top tips for painting new plaster

So you’ve had your walls re-plastered and you’re desperate to get on with painting them. The first thing that you’ve got to remember is that the new plaster must be absolutely dry before you do anything to it at all. Painting on wet plaster doesn’t work. Here's some tricks to drying out your plaster faster and painting the plaster once it's dry. Read More...

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Video - Interior Painting Tips

A video on the secret to a successful paint job inside your home. Read More...

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Video: Tips for painting trim

Video tips on how to paint trim easily. Read More...

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Autumn checklist for your home

Summer has flown by and its already time to start thinking about having the last evening bbq's with friends and family and preparing for the cooler months ahead. Shortly the leaves will start changing colour and falling to the ground as the days grow shorter and shorter. With the right preparation you can relax in the full knowledge that your home is ready for Autumn. Read More...

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How to repair a small hole in plaster

A simple video guide on how to repair a small hole in a plaster wall. Read More...

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How to wallpaper around corners

A video guide to how to wallpaper around corners. Read More...

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How to wallpaper

A video guide to how to hang wallpaper. Read More...

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How to prepare a wall for wallpaper

A quick and easy video guide to how to prepare a wall for wallpaper. Read More...

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How to paint walls with a roller

A video guide to how to paint walls with a roller. Read More...

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Questions to ask a Tradesperson

A tradesperson's answers to your questions can give you a good sense of whether you could work with him or her. Here's a list of questions to help you work out which tradesperson is best for you. Read More...

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Fixing rough or textured walls

If your walls are badly uneven, rough and textured, you can try to fill and sand them back. If that doesn't work you have two additional options. Read More...

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DIY: Recoat your deck in a day

Bring your deck back to life in a day in just 3 easy steps. Read More...

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Solutions to Painting Problems

When your painting project doesn't go to plan you need not despair. Many painting problems are quite common and can be easily fixed. Here is a guide to solving painting problems with painting solutions, with a list of 8 common painting problems and tips on how to fix them. Read More...

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Painting - Choosing a Colour

Whether preparing your home for sale or renovating a californian bungalow, choosing the right paint colours is integral in bringing out the beauty of your home. Read More...

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Tools of a Painter

A fully equipped painter has the right painting materials and painting tools for the job. Different materials and tools are required for different jobs, for example painting concrete can require hydrochloric acid and painting metals can require a wire brush. Below is a list of painting materials and painting tools to consider. Read More...

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Guide to Painting Metal Surfaces

Around the home you can paint many metal surfaces improving the look or your home and improving its value in the process. Painting metal surfaces can be more complex than traditional painting, with the key to good painting results being preparation. Read More...

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Guide to Painting Interior Surfaces

Painting inside the home is an important part of every home renovation. Guiding you through the painting projects inside your home, we have outlined the various surfaces inside the home and how to paint them. Interior painting can include painting gyprock or plasterboard, ceramic tiles, laminates such as laminex, and painting texture coatings. Read More...

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Guide to Painting Exterior Surfaces

There is a variety of surfaces outside the home that can be painted including painting bricks, masonry, cement render, painting concrete tiles, driveways, patios, and painting fibreglass sheeting. This guides groups each of these exterior surfaces into the various external painting techniques and walks you through the different approaches to painting. Read More...

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Painting - Selecting Paint: Acrylic or Oil, Cheap or Expensive?

Colour is the first thing most people think about in selecting paint. Yet colour should be the last concern. It is more important to choose the correct paint for the job. For both interior and exterior applications, there are many paints to choose from: acrylic-based, oil-based, one-coat, two-coat, under-coat, over-coat, trench-coat, expensive, cheap and any combination of these. Read More...

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Paint colours that make the room look bigger

When it comes to choosing a paint colour to make your room look bigger, the reality is anything white, close to white, or even a very light shade of whatever color you choose will help the best. However, the real secret comes in how you approach other aspects of the room once you have chosen either to paint the room white or something very light, the following are some tips that you may find useful. Read More...

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5 things to check for after painting

Here are 5 ways to check the quality of the paint job you received. Do a thorough inspection and while you are doing so, ask yourself: Read More...

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Painting Tips for DIY Painting

When embarking on a home painting project you may find the following painting tips useful. Read More...