Format Multiple Cells in Calc

I was just creating a spreadsheet in OOCalc that required many of the cells to be split in two, and the only way I know how to do so is by merging the other cells so they each take up the same amount of space as two cells. Confused? Sorry :( Anyway, to keep my mouse work to a minimum, I used the "Format Paintbrush" tool to easily merge cells together.

Unfortunately, I had tons of these cells that needed to be merged, and the job would have taken too long because the "Format Paintbrush" tool loses its memory after one use. Basically, you click/highlight the cell/text you want to copy the format of (whether it's bold, italic, a merged cell, etc.), and then you click on the cell/text that you want to receive the format. So I did a quick online search to see if there was any way I could format multiple items at once instead of having to click the original item, click "Format Paintbrush", and then click on the end item, over and over. Using the words "openoffice calc format paintbrush", I got thousands of hits, but thankfully the first one brought me to a helpful webpage over at Solveig Haugland's OO site that addressed the very issue I was looking for.

In short, it seems that all you have to do to retain a certain format in the "Format Paintbrush" for use on multiple items is to double-click the button. At that point, you can click, drag, and highlight as many things as you want to have adopt your desired formatting. To exit out of that mode, all you have to do is click the button a final time. I hope this helps save you time as much as it did I.