Decorating your home
Moving into a new home with a blank canvas ready for you to style, is a great feeling. You’ll want to decorate and style your home to suit your tastes. We recommend that you wait to wallpaper or paint walls for the first year. During this time as your home settles and the plasterwork dries, you’ll find small hairline cracks, a natural process. It’s better to wait until all settlement has happened so that your new decor isn’t damaged by ongoing drying out or settlement.
HANGING PICTURES AND MIRRORS
Please note that the process may differ slightly between stud and brick walls. If you’re planning to hang mirrors or pictures on the wall, we recommend that you use a cable detector to establish where electrical cables are located.
To ensure you hang your picture or mirror in the right place, you should use a cross line laser to choose the perfect place and alignment.
Hold your picture to the wall to determine where you’d like the picture to hang. Use the cross line laser to ensure your picture is straight and then use a pencil to mark the wall on the top corners of the picture. Then measure down from the top of the picture to the top of the picture wire. That is where you will need to place the hook
Use the cable detector to check that there are no electrical cables where you plan to drill or hammer your nail. Make a small pilot hole first and once you’re happy with the location, drill the hole fully. You’re now ready to hang your picture.
If you are hanging a heavy mirror or picture, you may need specific fixings to support the weight. Please check before proceeding.
Drying out
Your home was hand built over a period of months. During this time it is exposed to various weather conditions and once completed, it takes time to settle down, dry out and breathe. This is a natural process for all new buildings. There are several actions you can undertake to ensure the drying out and settling period is successful.
- Try to keep your heating at a constant temperature throughout the house (not too high, not too cool) and a maximum of 20 degrees
- Keep trickle vents open (these are the ventilation at the top of your windows) to let some air flow through
- Open windows when the weather allows
- Make sure you don’t place wet washing over radiators at any time, as this will cause condensation
- Leave wardrobes and cupboard doors (not including kitchen cupboards) slightly open to increase air flow
