If you are painting plywood indoors, you should mask off areas that could get paint or dust on them accidentally. Use a combination of painter's tape, plastic sheeting, and drop cloths to protect the area around your project.  For instance, cover areas with plastic sheeting that could get sprayed if you are using a paint sprayer. If there are small areas that could be accidentally painted, use painter's tape to protect them. Before sanding the plywood, fill any holes that will cause the finished surface to be imperfect. Look for obvious holes to fill, but also feel the surface of the wood for small holes that can be filled. These may not show up very clearly on the unpainted surface of the plywood, but will likely be noticeable once the wood is painted.  Follow the directions on the wood filler packaging. Typically wood filler requires that you apply it with a putty knife and then allow it to dry before sanding it smooth. There are some situations when you won't need to fill the holes and imperfections in your plywood. If you are not interested in having a really smooth surface, feel free to skip the filler. The paint will still stick to an imperfect piece of plywood, the finished product just won't be as smooth. If you want a smooth surface after you paint, sand the plywood thoroughly before you start painting. Start with a rougher sandpaper, such as 100 grit, if the surface you are starting with is rough. This will break down the large imperfections. Then change out your sand paper to a fine grit of 180 or 220 to give the overall surface the smoothest finish possible. If the plywood is already relatively smooth, you can simply use the fine grit sandpaper.  Because sandpaper is made of many thin layers of wood, it's possible to sand too long or hard and break through to a lower layer of wood. Use caution when sanding and err on the side of caution when taking off a lot of the surface. If you are not interested in having a smooth finished product, you do not need to sand the plywood until it is completely smooth. Once you've finished sanding there will be a coat of wood dust all over your plywood. You need to remove it to avoid negatively impacting your paint job. If you have created a lot of dust, use a vacuum to clean it up. Then use a dry cloth, such as a microfiber cloth, to remove any dust that remains. There are also tacky cloths sold at most paint and home improvement stores that are made to remove this dust.
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One-sentence summary -- Mask off areas that your don't want painted or covered in dust. Fill any holes. Sand the plywood. Remove any dust from the surface.


If you're using a foam saw that's attached to your work surface, you'll be able to move the foam as it's cutting. However, if you're using an electric knife or wire cutter, you should keep the foam from moving while you're cutting it. You can hold the foam with one hand, secure it to the table with clamps, or set the foam in a vise. Ensure that the part of foam you'll be cutting extends away from the clamps or vise so you have room to cut it. Always use caution and wear eye protection when you're using electric cutting tools. If the cutting will make fine foam dust, you should also wear a face mask to avoid breathing it in. To cut through thick or stiff foam (up to 4 or 10 cm thick), stack the foam together. Plug in an electric knife and turn it on before you touch it to the foam. Use the thinnest blade on the knife to make straight or curved cuts. Go slowly through the foam as the electric knife cuts so you get a clean cut. If you're cutting a very soft foam, avoid pushing down while you cut with the electric knife. This can make it difficult to cut or can move the blade away from where you want to cut. If you cut a lot of foam on a regular basis, consider buying a foam cutting saw. The saw is supported by a base that you set on your work surface. The blade runs vertically, so you'll hold and move the piece of foam against the blade to make your desired cut. If you'd rather hold the foam and move the saw, you can remove the base on most foam saws, or use a common jigsaw for thinner foam boards. Plug in a small wire cutter until the wire is hot. Avoid touching the wire. Push the foam through the blade to make straight, smooth cuts. If you'd like to cut more details (such as waves, curvy lines, or circles), consider using a hot wire foam cutting table. You'll be able to select the thickness of the blade when you buy a hot wire cutter. This will determine the size of foam that you're able to cut through.
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One-sentence summary -- Secure the foam to your work surface, if necessary. Wear protection. Use an electric knife. Cut foam with a saw. Heat a wire cutter to cut through the foam.


When learning any new language, it is important to stay motivated and never give up on your goal of fluency.  Stay committed to your language-learning goal by reminding yourself of how badly you want to achieve it. Think of all of the amazing experiences and opportunities that will be available to you once you've mastered the English language. You will be able to converse with English speakers from across the world and develop new and exciting relationships, you will be able to engage with English-speaking culture like never before and potentially further your career as a result of your new language skills. If you want to gain fluency quickly, you need to commit to practicing every day.  Learning a new language is based on repetition, so if you wait too long between study sessions, you will forget everything you learned previously and have to start all over again, wasting valuable time. However, you shouldn't study so much that you grow sick of English -- try to keep things interesting by completing a different task each day - one day of reading, one day of listening comprehension, one day of writing practice, one day studying grammar, etc. However, you should never pass up an opportunity to practice speaking English, as this is the number one most important thing you can do to gain fluency. One way to make the transition from being very good at English to being fluent is to train your brain to actually think in the English language.  Constantly translating from your native language into English and back again inside your head consumes time and energy. Every language has its own nuances and peculiarities, which makes it impossible to accurately translate from one language to another in certain instances. As a result, your spoken and written English will flow much more naturally and fluently if you can just train your brain to think in English. Think of it like a switch -- when it's time to communicate in English, you need to turn your English brain on and your mother language brain off! One of the greatest tests of a person's fluency in a second language is to put them in a room with a bunch of native speakers and see if they can follow and contribute to the conversation.  The best way to achieve this level of fluency is to make some English-speaking friends and hang out with them in a social setting, like in a cafe or bar. This way, you will be forced to speak in English if you want to interact with your peers, but it won't feel like work or study because you'll be having so much fun! The biggest obstacle that stands in the way of learning a new language is the fear of making mistakes.  This fear serves no purpose -- it is merely a hindrance that prevents you from reaching your goal of fluency. Don't be afraid of making a mistake and don't be shy! Of course you can't speak a new language perfectly at the start. Try to express yourself albeit with difficulty. Remember that everyone makes mistakes when they are learning a new language -- it's a rite of passage. You will almost certainly have your fair share of awkward or embarrassing moments when you accidentally say something rude or incorrect, but this is all part of the fun. Also remember that you are not aiming for perfection when learning to speak English, you are aiming for progress. Making mistakes is all part of the learning process, they will help you to become better, so embrace them!
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One-sentence summary --
Stay motivated. Practice every day. Train yourself to think in English. Make friends with English speakers. Don't be afraid to make mistakes.