Our competitors are the Irwin Marples facing off against the Stanley Fat Max. Both chisel sets were to be employed on the construction of a traditional English green oak frame.

 Admittedly this was a tough test for the chisels, but perfect as the ultimate test of durability and toughness.  The best choice for timber framing would be register chisels, perhaps like those made by companies like Robert Sorby but at a starting price of £50 each (more than twice the cost of our chisels) most people will not be using these for the occasional green oak job. This was not a staged test, the chisels were used all day everyday in site conditions, which includes getting dropped on the floor, used to open paint tins (Nooooo!) and butter the bread for lunch.

 We had a 50mm, 38mm 32mm and 25mm Marples  and a 32mm and 25mm Stanley Fat Max. Both brands are bevel-edge chisels, the Stanley has a through tang design whereas the Marples has a plastic handled moulded around the tang. The Marples plastic handle is very comfortable and lightweight to use, whereas the Fat Max has added some rubber for extra comfort and added a steel end cap to the handle. This was of immediate advantage as the handle of the 50mm Marples was soon shattered when one of our carpenters got carried away and tried to use brute force. Although the chisel was mis-used, the handle was definitely not as tough as the Fat Max. In use the Marples were my personal favourite as they felt better in the hand, and the longer blade was more useful for finishing the sides of joints. For me, the shorter blade of the Fat Max was a bit limiting when used on 8” wide oak beams.

 Both chisels maintained their sharpness well but we found that once blunted and re-sharpened the Stanley chisels performed better than the Marples. I cannot explain the reason for this, but it was something we noted.

 Choosing between the two chisel sets is not a critical decision because either set will serve you well. There are some excellent deals on the Marples sets at the moment (check out itslondon.co.uk) but individually the Marples chisels are much more expensive. A 50mm chisel costs £27.54 (inc. Vat) while the same size in the Fat Max is much more reasonable at £18.34 (inc Vat). This makes the Marples 50% more expensive and the simple truth from our experience of both chisels is that the Marples is not 50% better.

 In conclusion, having used both sets of chisels solidly for a month in some of the toughest conditions they are likely to face, there was little to pick between them in terms of performance. The Stanley is better able to cope with misuse with its steel end cap, and would be a good choice to give to the apprentice. The Marples feels better in the hand and has a longer blade. Totally subjectively, I also think it is a nice looking tool and in the wooden case the set makes even the worst wood butcher look like a pro, at least until the work starts. But we are not only talking about the superficial here. The price of the Stanley is a massive point in its favour and I would say that for a carpenter or serious DIYer it represents better value for money but I suspect people who really like their tools will find there is something about the Marples that is hard to resist.

The KP0810 is a far superior planer in most ways, the only exception being that it is a much bigger unit all round so it takes a little more space to use. But given the first thing you notice as you pick up the Makita is the much improved balance and extremely comfortable handle this is a minor grumble. The adjustment on the dial is another huge improvement. The depth of the blade can be adjusted in increments of one tenth of a millimetre, up to a maximum of 4mm. This has two massive benefits. Firstly, you can set the depth and use the tool and then let your colleague use it knowing that you can re-adjust the tool to your previous requirements. Secondly, you can adjust the depth of the blade with confidence in the degree to which you are adjusting the blade, i.e. by increments of 1/10^th millimetre.

The tool comes with an adjustable rebating guide and more useful, an adjustable guide fence. Yet another feature our old plane was missing. When a narrow workpiece is clamped it is often handy for the fence to be adjustable so it can be moved out of the way. The Makita KP0810 has dual side chip ejection, so with a quick changeover the waste can be directed away from your face and onto the floor. Perfect when planning doors on trestles. For even greater comfort the lock off switch can be accessed from both sides so there is no hindrance to those freaky southpaws. This is a feature that Makita are adding to many of their tools, and they really seem to have developed a comfortable grip. Our old plane had a chunky hard plastic handle with the lock-off switch in the form of a very pronounced push button. I have relatively small hands and found the grip very uncomfortable to use for more than a couple of minutes, and pressing the lock-off switch was genuinely tricky. This unintentionally made the tool safer, but much harder to use. The KP0810 planer has smoothed all these troubles away.

Clearly I am enthusiastic for this tool but I have saved the best for last. Planers are on the whole precision tools, used for joinery and so it needs to be well cared for. The essence of the planer is the cutting blade and this is actually very vulnerable. It will continue to spin after the button has been released and remains proud of the base. Any carpentry teacher will tell you that hand planes should never be laid down on their base for fear of chipping the iron. With an electric plane the thinness of the blades and their continued rotation after the button has been released means this rule is even more important. But accidents do happen and the blades remain very vulnerable. On the KP0810 Makita have slipped in an excellent little feature to overcome this, which got us all very excited when we first saw it. At the rear of the planer base a little stand elevates the back of the plane a few millimetres in the air so when laid base down the blades are spinning freely above the surface. When the plane is in use and pushed across the work piece the stand retreats into a recess, but as soon as the tool is lifted a spring pushes the stand out to protect the blades. Simple, but very effective.

The blade protector clearly visible at the rear of the planer base

The Makita KP0810 is a great plane. It has a very comfortable handle, excellent cutting depth (4mm in one pass) and some useful extra features that make it a joy to use. Makita seem to be the masters of producing good tools without any gimmicks. There are no extra features to inflate the price or complicate the job, and everything it does, it does well. I would recommend this tool to anyone, whether they are looking to upgrade an older model or buy their first electric plane.

For many years I had a Bosch angle grinder purchased from a local DIY store. I got a free diamond blade and it was perfect for the occasional jobs. But last summer I used the angle grinder for a months worth of roofing. By the end of that time the grinder was feeling the strain. The dust got into the switch and stopped it working, and the case began to creak and feel as if it was coming apart. No doubt caused by all the moving around and continual bashing that is typical, and unavoidable, on a building site.

So recently I purchased a new grinder, the Makita 9554NB 110v. It came complete with a very sturdy case, a diamond cutting disc and a grinding disc. This angle grinder has been designed with heavy use in mind. Makita boast “labyrinth construction protects all ball bearings from dust and debris.” Frankly, I have no idea what labyrinth construction is but I suspect it means it is very hard for the dust to get to the important bits. What I can be sure of is after ceaseless cutting of bricks and tiles, the tool shows no sign of dust penetration into the switch or the motor.

Ergonomically the tool is comfortable to use, with and without the handle. The switch has moved from the top on earlier models to a more comfortable position on the side. Although this makes it slightly easier to turn the grinder off accidentally (but not on; the action of the switch is designed to be harder to turn on than off) it is still an improvement. Spindle lock for disc change is straightforward. Interestingly, Makita have persevered with their blade guard, secured in place by a screw. It is possible to loosen the screw too much when moving the blade guard so that it falls out onto the floor and is lost forever. On the upside, all you need is another screw! Other brands, notably Bosch, use a catch to secure the blade guard which makes it easier to change position but more vulnerable to terminal damage. It is probably reassuring to see Makita sticking to a method of fixing that is more reliable in the long term than trying to save DIYers a couple of precious seconds.

I have only had the Makita 9554 angle grinder a couple of months but it has worked very hard in that time. What we have then is a solid, dependable and dust proof tool. Exactly what an angle grinder should be. And the best bit of all, it cost £39.13 plus Vat online. For that money, there is surely no reason to buy any other 115mm angle grinder.

Cordless angle grinders

The equivalent Lithium-Ion 115mm angle grinder from Makita costs £259 plus VAT online. Obviously it could be purchased a lot cheaper without batteries but I am dubious of the worth of a cordless grinder in site conditions. Cordless tools have a comfort zone in which they will produce good performance. For example, a drill driver is excellent when screwing into softwood or drilling small holes. Our Lithium-Ion circular saw will slice 12mm plywood all day long. But take those tools to the next level and even Lithium-Ion batteries struggle. The same drill driver hates powering auger bits through joists. The circular saw dies when up against 22mm chipboard. In essence, battery power fails at the top end. And for me, an angle grinder is always working at the top end of its load. The strain on the battery is constant and unforgiving and will surely drain the battery in no time. Finally, what is the point in paying hundreds of pounds for an angle grinder that you can only use on soft masonry? If Makita want to dispute this, send one to TBE and we will road test. Until then, its 110v all the way.

What, Where, How Much?

Makita 9554NBKD 115mm Angle Grinder 110/240v

Bore Size: 22mm Spindle size: M14x2mm

No Load Speed: 10,000rpm

Input wattage:710w

Net Weight: 1.4kg

Wheel size: 115mm

(Source www.makitauk.com)

Price £39.13 plus VAT

We got ours from

www.angliatoolcentre.co.uk

The impact driver is a very simple tool. It accepts standard quarter inch hex bits which are very easy to fit in the driver. You can insert screwdriver bits straight into the tool or use a bit holder. It has forward and reverse selectors and that is it. But when you start to screw a fixing into the workpiece the tool comes alive. Similar to hammer action on a masonry drill, the impact driver vibrates the screw with 3,200 impacts per minute thus making screwing with large screws into tough wood a very simple job. It provides masses of torque for a very small tool. Our Makita BTD140 delivers a maximum torque of 145Nm. Our previous Makita Combi driver could only manage 45Nm. It can screw oak to oak, and fixing 4”x2” timber together with 100mm screws is easy with no pre drilling required. The speed of screwing is also much faster than with a normal combi drill making it ideal for hoardings, shuttering and flooring.

Such is the power of the impact driver that the screw or bit will give out before the machine does. The reliance on the tool has become so great that the cry of “Has anyone got the impacter” is heard even more often than “tea’s up.” WE LOVE THIS TOOL!

But before we endorse this product whole-heartedly lets remember that tools cost money and they are supposed to make work more efficient and thus more profitable. A tool that doesn’t pay for itself is a liability. A Makita BTD140 with two 3.0Ah Li-Ion batteries will set you back in excess of £250 but each Li-Ion retail at approximately £80 each. Thus a bare impact driver will only cost you about £100 (prices from tool-net.co.uk). As the driver is so often bundled up with other power tools I recommend buying it as part of a package. In fact, the impact driver is so useful it is the perfect excuse to upgrade an old combi-drill just to get one.

One final note of caution for any prospective new purchasers. The Makita BTD140 is quite fantastic at screwing large (plus 60mm) screws into large bits of wood (100mm x 50mm). If most of your work is on a smaller scale, perhaps second fix or fine joinery, then you will not use this tool very much. But if you do first fix or shuttering carpentry, or a little bit of everything, then this tool could make a real difference to your productivity and enjoyment. It only took me five years to find out they existed and now I feel obliged to spread the word. There are drill drivers and combi drills that can put screws in but they are not impact drivers. If you can only afford one then it must be a combi driver but get yourself a package that includes both and you are ready for anything. Screwfix currently offer an 18v Li-Ion twin pack of combi and impact driver with two batteries for £329. Clearly a lot of money but the two tools will cover every cordless drilling and screwdriving application you are likely to encounter.

For any builder or carpenter starting out on their own the first serious power tool to purchase is a mitre saw and they do not come much better than the Makitas. It is a fantastically useful tool, which can be used for eveything from first fix carpentry to the finest joinery.

What to look for when buying a saw

The rule is always buy the best tool you can afford, and i realise this alters with your budget but as we like to say at TBE, "Buy cheap, buy twice." There are two key features to look at when comparing saws. Firstly, there are two main types of saw, those that are 'sliding' and those that are not. The price difference can be significant  but please go with the former. The sliding element of the saw greatly increses the reach of the saw meaning it can cut much wider timber. The non-sliding Makita LS1040 has a big 260 mm blade but at 90 degrees can only cut 130mm wide. The sliding LS0714 with its 190 mm blade can cut up to 300mm wide. Even 6" skirting boards are too much for a mitre saw without the sliding facility.

The second consideration is the depth of the cut the saw can manage. Our LS0714 is only able to handle 50mm deep timber. Fortunately for most jobs this is adequate. It can cut the ubiquitous 4x2, and can easily handle skirting boards and floors. Larger posts our beyond its range but Makita do offer the monster LS1214, capable of 115 x 308 at 90 degrees. To emphasise again, the choice of which model you go for depends on the types of job you do.

We chose to get a second saw because the bigger LS1013 is a heavy (21kg) and bulky piece of kit. For one day jobs, floors architraves or skirting boards the difficulty in handling was the cause of much cursing at TBE. The smaller saw weighs only 12.6kg forming a much more compact model, albeit with similar performance at the lower end of the scale. 

Why we like our Makita

Anyone who has read our handsaw road test will know that we do a lot of sawing. The idea that a machine can do it for you is rather appealing! For first fix, studs and noggins can be cut much quicker than by hand and they can be trimmed by the millimetre if they are slightly too big, very tricky to do with a handsaw. Roof angles can be cut repeatedly with confidence that the saw will cut the perfectly each time.

For joinery, select a finer blade and you can cut as accurately as your eyes will allow you. Much like computers, this saw will do exactly as you tell it to do and if something is not right you need to question yourself before you blame the machine. We have laid solid oak floors, built wardrobes and staircases with these saws and they are totally reliable. Unlike some of their smaller cordless tools that might be getting a little over elaborate (the 18v MXT Combi Drill 3 speed springs to mind) the bigger kit is still classic Makita. Solid, purposeful, minimal and accurate.

House construction  in the UK is a very conservative environment, the builders fearful to look forward and much keener to 'stick with what you know' So two hundred years after the industrial revolution introduced machines that were denounced for deskilling the workforce while the mill owners became millionairses, UK builders are starting to catch on. With a Makita LS0714 any novice can build a stud wall or fix skirting boards to a high standard without having to go to college, serve an apprenticeship and spend ten years passing tools to the master carpenter before finally learning how to use a handsaw just before he retires. Some people preferred it that way but for everyone else I suggest you buy the Makita LS0714 or one of its bigger brothers. It will earn its money back for you. Your work will improve in quality. And then you can pay a boy to do it for you while you drink tea. 

 A while back we reviewed the Makita chain mortiser. We were very positive, but underlined the importance of making the tool economically viable. It was only worth the outlay if it saved sufficient labour costs. The same consideration must be made with this bench mortiser. It is undoubtedly much quicker than hand cutting, but the real advance is in the accuracy of the machine. It enables first class joinery to be produced by someone with less than first class joinery skills.

Being a man of the world, and a keen watcher of Norm Abram on New Yankee Workshop  I felt I knew all about a bench mortiser. Sadly, our delicate egoes were dealt a crushing blow when we couldn’t fathom the Rexon for the first half hour or so. It got even worse when we decided to read the instructions. Our problem was a misunderstanding of the way the tool worked. An auger drill bit is encased within a square chisel, which are available in various sizes. I was under the impression that the chisel would move and remove the wood. However, the chisel only forces its way into the wood as a handle is pulled down. The auger bit drills into the wood, pressure being provided by the handle, and the chisel squares the edges. It is the sharpness of the chisel that cuts the wood, it doesn’t actually move itself. If I were permitted to excuse our idiocy I would explain that we tried it first on French oak, a hardwood. On softwood the auger bit pulls itself into the wood and much less force is needed on the handle. That said, after a few attempts it was a perfectly natural routine and the mortiser was working like a dream.

So lets throw a few stats at you. The first thing you notice about this tool is the weight. Most of its 30kg is made up by a really sturdy, confidence inspiring, cast iron base. With a chunky vice thrown in the workpiece isn’t going anywhere once you have it clamped. The chisel can drill to a depth of 176mm, and I can't think of any joinery that would need anything bigger than that. The centre of the chisel is 76mm from the fence so a 150mm wide board can be accommodated.

As with all power tools, there is a certain amount of setting up before you can do any cutting, but once you have used the tool a few times it is quick and easy. Obviously two hundred pounds is a lot of money to spend out but this Rexon SM-16A has two gret things going for it. Firstly, it is quick to cut when compared to a hand chiselling. But secondly, and most important, this tool is astonishingly accurate. It will cut a square and true hole every single time. The only thing that can go wrong with this tool is your marking out. If you want joinery within a millimetre of accuracy then this will do it for you. It may upset the purists, but this rexon will produce perfect mortises for somebody who has never picked up a chisel. If you need it, buy it. You won’t be disappointed.

Just a quick note on availability and price. We had trouble tracking down a bench mortiser, especially as it was needed at short notice. None of our local tool suppliers had any in stock, nor could they get one reasonably quickly. So we turned to Screwfix and unsurprisingly they were out of stock. But they managed to get us this Rexon SM-16A within two days and we paid £199. If you have time then it would be worth looking for deals, ask for a chisel set to be thrown into the bargain. But I would say the price is fair for the quality and capability of the tool.

We thought we would carry out a very scientific trial of three popular saw brands as we are continually arguing on site about which one is the best.

The Test

We tested our saws on three different construction materials.

An 8x5” Green oak timber. Used in period renovations, hi-spec new builds and cart lodges. This is a hard material used in big dimensions. It is usually hand rather than machine cut and will shrink and move once installed. As such, accuracy to the last millimeter is not critical as joints will open up over time. A good green oak saw needs to be sturdy and fast.

100mm x 50mm Softwood. The classic! 4x2 softwood studwork. Miles of this stuff gets used on building sites and diy projects every week in the UK so you need the right saw. Because the studwork is normally nailed rather than jointed a good fit is critical. A good studwork saw needs to be quick and accurate.

12mm Plywood. Cutting sheet materials is a very laborious pastime so its best to get it over as quickly as possible. But the bounce in these large sheets makes cutting tricky so a strong and quick saw is best.

The Contenders

I quote below from the manufactures the various attributes of the saws. Take with a large pinch of salt!

Bahco 244-22 Hard Point Hand Saw 22

 Price on Screwfix 2/5/08 £6.29

"8 teeth per inch The Bahco is a universal saw designed for general purpose cutting of all types of timber. A Universal tooth with high frequency hardened teeth giving up to five times the life of conventional teeth. Fast efficient cross cut and rip performance including chipboard, hardboard and hardwood. Screwed plastic handle."

Stanley Jet-Cut Heavy Duty Saw 3-15-288

Price on screwfix.com 2/5/08 £8.88

 " Machined set three-sided Jet Cut teeth for easier sawing. Traditionally designed saw has ground teeth which offer professional performance.  Manufactured using new “Hardening technology” for long lasting sharpness. Provides an aggressive, fast cutting experience. Chrome nickel alloy steel blade holds its edge. Extra wide handle designed for comfort and control. Excellent value for general household use. Dimensions measure approximately 50cm / 20” / 7TPI. Eight-points per inch."

Irwin jack plus 880

Price on screwfix.com 2/5/08 £6.39

"FINGER-REST For maximum control. Water based lacquer gives four times better rust protection than traditional lacquer. 0,85MM BLADE with high quality C75 steel is stable and ensures maximum power transfer. Light and strong ultra sonic welded soft-grip handle for increased grip and enhanced comfort. Hard Point teeth (HP) stay sharp 6-8 times longer than nonhardened teeth. 90° & 45° angles integrated in the handle for ease of marking out. New triple ground tooth design makes the 880 Triple Ground 25% faster than the double ground version."

Results

There is not much to choose between the Bahco and the Jack, both have a very similar tooth setting, weight and feel. The Stanley Jet-Cut is a little different. The teeth are coarser, longer and set at a sharper angle. The saw is also much heavier.

The Stanley is by far the quickest saw for cutting through all the materials. Even through the oak you can feel it slicing through the fibres with consistency and relative ease. It makes light work of the softwood and the stiff blade is excellent for cutting through the flexible plywood. The Bahco and Jack were a little slower to cut through the oak. The smaller teeth do not penetrate as deeply as those on the jet cut and the teeth tend to become clogged with sawdust. On softwood the difference between the saws is less obvious. The jet cut is quicker but the smaller toothed saws have an advantage in accuracy. At the start of the cut it is much easier to get a cleaner start with the smaller saws, the coarse teeth on the Stanley mean the start of the cut can meander all too easily, albeit allowing for incompetence from the monkey using the saw!

The Bahco feels like a superior saw to the Jack. It seems to cut quicker and the teeth are a little keener to bite into the wood. But there is not a huge difference between the two.In conclusion, bearing in mind that all these saws are disposable, and all retail at less than £10, one is unlikely to be much better than another but there are still differences. For quick, coarse cutting the Stanley Jet-Cut comes out on top but it would be risky using it on work where greater accuracy is required because it is a touch unrefined. The Bahco is a better saw than the Jack and offers better all round pereformance. It can tackle large oak beams, but would be equally useful for architraves or skirtings. If you only want one saw in your toolbox make it the Bahco. If you like to have the best tool for every job and have a decent amount of larege dimension timber to cut, treat yourself to a jet-cut.

When it comes to buying power tools the cost can run to hundreds of pounds and it is essential to get that money back through labour saved. There is only one economic maxim for the building trade, ‘time is money.’ Any spending on equipment must be recouped by helping a job progress quicker. The Makita chain mortiser is a tool that is both very expensive, and very useful.

Essentially a mini chainsaw on a stand, the mortiser makes light work of cutting into green oak beams to a depth of up to 150mm. By using the tool in three easy to select positions a 130mm long and 30mm wide mortise can be cut in one pass. The mortise can be easily enlarged with some minor adjustments of the measuring gauge.

Retailing at over £500 the tool is a significant investment. But anyone who has ever worked with oak beams will know how time consuming cutting them by hand can be. At TBE we estimate that a large mortise, say 200mm by 50mm, would take an hour of chiselling by hand. And there are still the problems of keeping the hole square and at a constant depth. The Makita chain mortiser will do a hole that size in less than ten minutes. Some brief maths would work as follows:

Hand cutting 4 mortises in an oak beam = 4hrs

Machine cutting 4 mortises = 40 mins

The chain mortiser is six times quicker than hand chiselling. The machine could do 48 mortises in a day, compared to 8 by hand.

At £150/day it will cost £900 in labour to cut 48 mortises, assuming the chisel was already paid for.

After spending £600 on the mortiser and £150 on labour the total for one day is £750.

The chain mortiser will clearly pay for itself, provided there is enough work for it to do. Anyone building any oak framed structure would make a serious saving. Over time it would also prove economical to builders who work on old timber framed buildings where sole plates and other beams need replacing or repairing.

This is a tool that can only do one job, and a very specific one at that, but it does that job very well. It saves time, and provided they are competent with power tools, an operative can use the machine to cut mortises that would have been beyond ability with a hammer and chisel.

If you do any real quantity of timber framing, or work with large size timbers on a regular basis, this tool will save you time, and thus money. Don’t be put off by the initial outlay, look long -term and you will be quids in.

The Paslode is simple and complex at the same time. Very easy to use, but quite an impressive piece of engineering.. It fires a range of nail types and lengths, from 40mm -100mm. It operates with a battery (4000 nails per charge) and a fuel cell (1200 nails per cell) to provide the explosive charge. The nail packs are expensive compared to traditional fixings, and you obviously have to charge the battery and replace the fuel cell at regular intervals. By some strange quirk, the gun always needs reloading at the most inconvenient moments, but that’s life. It is also not the tool to give the new boy on his first day. There are inherent dangers with tools of this type. It can easily shoot across a room but it is most dangerous to the operator. This writer has had the pleasure of shooting a nail into his hand before. Ouch.

The decision on whether to purchase or not should be down to pure economics. The Paslode IM350 will make the job much quicker and so, increase productivity. For roofing, it massively speeds up the fixing of tile batten. For building studwork, it can fire three 4” nails a second. No hammer can compete with that. The nail gun is also less damaging than hammering a nail. Despite the big bang, it causes fewer vibrations. Perfect for restoration work where there is a risk of damaging existing structures.

There are many builders and serious DIYers who love having the latest toys, and will probably splash out on a Paslode regardless of financial reason. But for those who take a more considered approach I would suggest that the expense of a nail gun can be recuperated by using it for just a couple of weeks of studwork or roofing.

There are a couple of other nail guns made by Paslode. We have used their straight Brad nailer in the past. Designed for second fix site carpentry, it fires small brad nails leaving a tiny hole behind. The tool does have its uses but we found it jammed quite a lot and it didn’t seem as rugged as the IM350. It would take a lot of architraves and skirting boards to get back the initial investment in our opinion. And if you want a brad nailer for workshop joinery it would be prudent to compare prices with compressed air nail guns as the benefits of a cordless nailer are much reduced in a workshop environment. But we would love to hear from you if you have a brad nailer and have found it indispensable.

Why do we like it?

• It’s a gun. It fires big nails. Obviously quite appealing.
• It will definitely save time, and thus money, if you do even a modest amount of first fix carpentry or roofing.
• Wide choice of nails available, including stainless steel, to suit a most situations.
• Young builders don’t have to worry about learning to hammer a nail in straight; anyone can fire a nail gun.

Availability

• Any decent tool shop, the internet.
• Good deals will see you paying a little over £300 inc VAT
• See www.paslode-cordless.com for more info.

Rather than blistering or flaking, Superdec slowly wears away over time so redecoration is simply a quick rub down and a new coat of paint. This is much easier than trying to re-cover spoiled oil based paints.

It is very quick and easy to apply, so you can put a lick of paint on your joinery during installation, go for a cup of tea and it will be dry when you get back.

Why do we like it?                                                                     

· Quick and easy to apply requiring minimal surface preparation.

· Water-based, so its easy to clean brushes, and yourself!

· Long lasting and easier to repaint than oil based paints.

· Quick drying, so get the whole job done in a day.

Availability

• White and black, a further 45 colours, plus many more to special order. Contact supplier for details.
• 1, 2 and 5 litres. Stocked by builders merchants and good DIY stores.
• Expect to pay about £15 for a litre can
• www.sadolin.co.uk