Festool with you everyday: Nick’s Story

Nick has been in the painting and decorating industry for 17 years. His career started by chance when the original college course he wanted to go into was full before he could even apply. Nick had to find a secondary option, which was a Painting and Decorating course. Today, he is a proud owner of Rushmoor Painting and Decorating business. He has previously won the Painter and Decorator of the Year Award in 2019, Nick is happy of what he has achieved in the industry over the last 17 years

“I‘m by no means the best decorator in the world, but I was chosen as the one that you know, they felt was representing a high standard of work. It was overwhelming but at the same time I felt in a way I deserved it because I‘ve worked hard over the years”.

“I‘m a much more vocational person, and I just wanted to do something that I felt I was going to be good at”. Nick always helped his dad around the house, painting and decorating in the summer months when he was a teenager, but painting and decorating runs in the family as his grandad was a painter and decorator many years ago

“I have a big interest in all the other trades but painting and decorating was the one that kind of stood out for me”

Nick’s competitive side of wanting to do best in everything has won him many other awards in other areas of life. He has won different awards in motocross and other competitive sports. Currently he’s part of a basketball team in a competitive league. Nick likes being part of the team, “we have a great laugh, but we also take it very seriously. It‘s a very competitive league we‘re in and it‘s something that when you‘re doing it you lose all sense of what‘s going on outside of the team”. This is a reason why Nick uses Festool, he feels the support of the brand and is part of the Festool team.

“I use Festool for a lot of reasons, one of them being the quality of products. It’s all about the quality of your preparation, it will dictate the quality of the job. With Festool the quality of the sanding and quality of the dust extraction is second to none and they work as a really good system”.

Here's a list of Nick’s favourite Festool products:

1. Mobile dust extractor CLEANTEC CTM MIDI – “The dust extractor is easily the most used tool I have from Festool. You can have every sander under the sun but without a good dust extractor they're pointless. It gets used for a lot for clean-up work as well”.

2. Cordless orbital sander RTSC 400 – “This sander is one of the first sanders that comes out of the van when choosing my tools for the job. If there is sanding to be done, then this is certainly getting used at some point”.

3. Long-reach sander PLANEX LHS 2 225 – “Nothing compares to the PLANEX 2 when it comes to large surface sanding. Sanding ceilings and walls with this machine cuts prep time drastically. The suction settings are a great feature for taking the weight out of your arms and shoulders when working high up. Also, the light is a game changer”.

4. Mobile dust extractor CLEANTEC CTM 26 E AC – “Without this dust extractor the PLANEX 2 wouldn't be half as efficient at what it does. The auto clean function paired with an open bag system means the suction is always at an extremely high level. When sanding down copious amounts of filler/joint compound that's imperative as any drop in suction means dust is getting in the air”.

5. Eccentric sander ETS EC150/5 – “If using the PLANEX 2 isn‘t an option due to access (tight spaces) then the ETS EC 150/5 is a great sander for ceiling and wall prep. Plus, it‘s great for large flat areas of woodwork too”.

6. Working light SYSLITE DUO – “Every painter and decorator needs a good light, especially in the winter months. I call it the portable sun as it's so bright. It illuminates the workspace well. Making sure you're able to see imperfections that would only ever be visible on those bright days, means your work is always at a consistently high level”.

7. Geared eccentric sander ROTEX RO 90 DX FEQ – “I can't have a top ten list without having my first ever Festool tool purchase in it. The RO 90 is such a versatile piece of equipment, maybe the most versatile sander available. Being able to switch from hard sanding mode to fine finish, to a delta head for intricate work is great. It can even be used for polishing as well”.

8. Systainer³ SYS3 M 187 – “The Systainer system from Festool is a work of art and I couldn't possibly choose one specific product from their huge range, but this is as close as it gets. With so many varieties of Systainers available there is something for everyone. It's my favourite way of keeping things organised on and off the job in the van. It's the epitome of true professional tradesperson organisation”.

9. Cordless mobile dust extractor CLEANTEC CTMC SYS – “The new cordless range of dust extractors are great. My favourite one is the CTMC SYS. Having such a compact and portable dust extractor means there really isn't any area of a job that can't be sanded. Sometimes the hose isn't quite long enough, or you'd have to buy an extra-long hose which even then may not be long enough. With the CTMC SYS you can have it on your shoulder like a sports bag and take it right to the top of the ladder or tower with you”.

10. Stirrer MX 1200 RE EF HS2 230V – “Mixing paints and fillers is quite a common job for a painter and decorator believes it or not. A lot of products have specific mixing speeds so it's important not to over or under mix them. Having a specific mixer with accurate mixing speeds for a variety of materials is crucial to getting the best out of your products”.

Nick would also like to give a special shout out to the cordless drill T 18+3, geared eccentric sander ROTEX RO 150 FEQ and cordless eccentric sander ETSC 125. These Festool products are part of his team, and often are used on different jobs and sites.

Thanks to Nick your shopping list is ready! Discover Nick’s story on our Festool UK YouTube Channel and look out for more of our customer stories coming soon.