Use resources efficiently in construction and building trades

The costs of decorating can include wasteful use of raw materials, disposing of waste and extra costs for dealing with hazardous waste substances. Cutting decorating costs can make a big difference to how profitable your decorating contract will be.

Practical tips to save money when decorating

There are several ways in which decorators can save money and reduce the impact on the environmental, including:

• knowing the types of waste you produce
• reducing the cleaning of brushes and rollers by suspending brushes in water overnight, wrapping rollers in a carrier bag or using a 'brush mate' wet paintbrush storage system
• reading the label of the products you are using
• washing out emulsion paint tins and using them as paint kettles
• mixing together leftover paints and reusing them as undercoat
• clearly labelling and leaving unused paints on site for touching up
• securely storing tins containing water-based paint or paint residue, removing the lids and allowing the paint to harden before disposal
• reusing solvents and cleaning fluids after solids have settled
• investigating paint recycling schemes for leftover paint, such as Community RePaint
• considering use of natural clay-based and linseed oil-based paints
• knowing how to handle hazardous waste
• knowing how to fill in a waste transfer note for waste that leaves the site

Decorators have specific issues to deal with because a lot of the material with which they work is potentially hazardous, including:

• solvent-based paints, varnishes, sealants, wood stains and wood preservers
• some border adhesives
• lead paint (and burnt-off lead paint)
• two-part fillers
• some mastics
• solvent-based paint remover
• brick cleaner
• spray paints
• lime wash
• fire-retardant paints

If you are unsure if your decorating materials are hazardous or not, check the label or ask the manufacturer for more detail. You must deal with all of these wastes carefully and comply with any legal requirements that apply - see managing hazardous substances.

Other issues of specific concern to decorators are:

• if your work produces unacceptable levels of dust and odour, the local council environmental health department can stop you working
• you must not allow water and chemicals from the washing of paint and painting equipment to enter surface water drains or to soak into the ground
• if you work in a domestic property, you can wash brushes in the sink if the property has a mains sewerage connection
• you must not dispose of liquid wastes to landfill, so check whether you can use surplus paint elsewhere before you decide to dispose of it

You must help to ensure that your decorating waste is properly dealt with - see duty of care for business waste.