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Original poster

Painting im in hell i need sympathy and alcohol

31 replies

Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 12:41

I do this everytime i decorate i think it will be alright and everytime i regret it and wish I'd just paid someone. It takes twice aslong as you think it will the whole house ends up upside down. You still need to fit in everyday life around it kids, work, cooking, cleaning, washing etc. I'm miserable please send alcohol and snacks 😫

OP posts:
henlake7 · 22/02/2025 12:47

Ive gone for the 'raw plaster' look in my living room. Stylish and no painting required! (everywhere I choose not to look at the state of the walls!).

Middlepiepush · 22/02/2025 12:51

I feel your pain OP. I hate decorating with a passion but I have the whole house to do.
I feel sick just thinking about it and I haven’t even started yet.

Original poster
Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 12:51

henlake7 · 22/02/2025 12:47

Ive gone for the 'raw plaster' look in my living room. Stylish and no painting required! (everywhere I choose not to look at the state of the walls!).

Honestly I'm going to end up with a half decorated room at this point I'm doing everything to get out of carrying on that's why I'm on mumsnet 🙈 it's like childbirth you forget how horrific it is until you do it again

OP posts:
Original poster
Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 12:52

Middlepiepush · 22/02/2025 12:51

I feel your pain OP. I hate decorating with a passion but I have the whole house to do.
I feel sick just thinking about it and I haven’t even started yet.

Yeah don't once you start your commited. I regret starting. I know it will be worth it when it's done but my god what a Ballache

OP posts:
Cattery · 22/02/2025 12:53

It’s horrific isn’t it. You picture in your mind how good it’s going to look but my God, it takes so long to get there. Get a decorator in. That’s what I do now. Still hate the upheaval but decorating is knackering

Original poster
Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 12:54

Cattery · 22/02/2025 12:53

It’s horrific isn’t it. You picture in your mind how good it’s going to look but my God, it takes so long to get there. Get a decorator in. That’s what I do now. Still hate the upheaval but decorating is knackering

After this room i will never decorate again i know decorators are expensive but that's money well spent in my opinion

OP posts:
Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 22/02/2025 12:55

Yep, painting is one of the circles of hell, up there with washing the car and gardening (any and all gardening). I begrudge paying someone to do it for me though. Easier and cheaper to just not wear my glasses indoors.

(gardening I do enough to make it presentable and then hit the wine, the car can wait until it’s washed by the rain, although I do wipe the important bits occasionally.).

Middlepiepush · 22/02/2025 12:57

Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 12:54

After this room i will never decorate again i know decorators are expensive but that's money well spent in my opinion

Edited
Show quote history

It’s so hard to find reliable decorators who don’t scratch the window panes and leave paint drips everywhere. I’m traumatised by previous bad experiences with awful tradesmen.

Branster · 22/02/2025 12:58

Here's a big bottle of the alcohol 🍷 of your choice OP!
You are absolutely correct!
When our children were young I used to paint a lot at night and very very early in the morning. Stick radio 4 or a station of your choice and do one wall/ one room at a time. Tidy up then move to the next room. A head torch is quite useful because the normal room lights are not sufficient for detailed areas (edges).
Ignore the mess for a week or so and power through the best you can. It will be worth it in the end.
Best to have DH away from home unless he gets on with the work himself. I used to do it when my DH was away with work. For some unexplained reason, his simple presence made all the madness appear even messier.
You'll forget all about it by the time you have to do it all again.

Original poster
Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 12:58

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 22/02/2025 12:55

Yep, painting is one of the circles of hell, up there with washing the car and gardening (any and all gardening). I begrudge paying someone to do it for me though. Easier and cheaper to just not wear my glasses indoors.

(gardening I do enough to make it presentable and then hit the wine, the car can wait until it’s washed by the rain, although I do wipe the important bits occasionally.).

Your my kind of person 🤣🤣

OP posts:
Original poster
Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 13:00

Middlepiepush · 22/02/2025 12:57

It’s so hard to find reliable decorators who don’t scratch the window panes and leave paint drips everywhere. I’m traumatised by previous bad experiences with awful tradesmen.

Show quote history

This is the other thing iv had a couple of friends who have used decorators and they've still ended up fixing their mistakes.

OP posts:
Original poster
Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 13:03

Branster · 22/02/2025 12:58

Here's a big bottle of the alcohol 🍷 of your choice OP!
You are absolutely correct!
When our children were young I used to paint a lot at night and very very early in the morning. Stick radio 4 or a station of your choice and do one wall/ one room at a time. Tidy up then move to the next room. A head torch is quite useful because the normal room lights are not sufficient for detailed areas (edges).
Ignore the mess for a week or so and power through the best you can. It will be worth it in the end.
Best to have DH away from home unless he gets on with the work himself. I used to do it when my DH was away with work. For some unexplained reason, his simple presence made all the madness appear even messier.
You'll forget all about it by the time you have to do it all again.

Yep got the radio on and my partner has taken the kids out as he does my head in with this stuff I'd rather just do it myself. Yeah lighting has been an issue with it being winter and I took the lampshade of to paint the celing which made the lighting worse

OP posts:
Illagain275 · 22/02/2025 13:03

Oh yuk... I'm in the exact same situation... been waiting over a year to get started and now half way through without ANY inclination to finish. We're colour drenching as well which I thought would be easier but it seems to be taking as long. Yawn. Tedious. One coat goes on and the. it's almost as if the sand paper has to come out again straight away due to yet another fault!
I hear plaster pink is in this year anyway 😂

InfoSecInTheCity · 22/02/2025 13:06

I hate painting, I love wallpaper.

Painting always seems to need more coats than you think, then you still end up with patchy bits or streaks or drips. Wallpapering, ok you have to strip the previous paper but once you get to the application bit, it's quick easy, effective and instant change. I always go for paste the wall stuff as it's easier to apply.

justasking111 · 22/02/2025 13:06

My DIL knocked three rooms into one. Kitchen, dining room snug. It was all newly plastered. It took one guy three hours to spray the walls in the colour she had chosen . We were all stunned at the speed and finish.

Original poster
Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 13:11

justasking111 · 22/02/2025 13:06

My DIL knocked three rooms into one. Kitchen, dining room snug. It was all newly plastered. It took one guy three hours to spray the walls in the colour she had chosen . We were all stunned at the speed and finish.

Omg I need that guy in my life I'm on day 3 😭😭

OP posts:
Siriusmuggle · 22/02/2025 13:25

This is why I married a decorator 🤣 (a good one, not the ones mentioned above).

yourmaw · 22/02/2025 13:37

i am cursed with some sorta mutnt semi absorber patchy artext jaggyseashell nightmare in living room. i will NEVER do another round,wlls i dnt mind.stretch ple,spraydrips n zero jobsttisfaction//thrilled result . NEVER in my full life(52yrs)to dte have i personally or witnessed anyother enter a room for ny reason avilable and first words uttered be ceiling realated(unless cistine screamers off meds) Rum helps...is nice to have a long glass captain morganss ,ice n coke....n hand while swilling at random rage bursts in manner of enrged pirte search for treasure

MumGuilt101 · 22/02/2025 13:39

The issue I have - the edges. All looks fab then you peel off the frog tape and half the paint comes off with it. I can’t STAND it

Original poster
Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 13:46

MumGuilt101 · 22/02/2025 13:39

The issue I have - the edges. All looks fab then you peel off the frog tape and half the paint comes off with it. I can’t STAND it

This. Iv had to re go over where the tape was it just adds even more work

OP posts:
Ridingthegravytrain · 22/02/2025 13:53

My staircase has been half painted for the last 7 years. Fortunately it's not too noticeable as varying shades of white. Now the whole house needs doing again maybe I'll get round to it...

henlake7 · 22/02/2025 14:13

My house is mostly 1970s woodchip wallpaper painted magnolia....I really dont care enough to do anything about it (the walls are really only a backdrop to my huge houseplant collection anyways).

Cattery · 22/02/2025 14:29

Paintinghell · 22/02/2025 13:46

This. Iv had to re go over where the tape was it just adds even more work

Show quote history

Down tools at 5pm and crack open the wine x

Cattery · 22/02/2025 14:30

yourmaw · 22/02/2025 13:37

i am cursed with some sorta mutnt semi absorber patchy artext jaggyseashell nightmare in living room. i will NEVER do another round,wlls i dnt mind.stretch ple,spraydrips n zero jobsttisfaction//thrilled result . NEVER in my full life(52yrs)to dte have i personally or witnessed anyother enter a room for ny reason avilable and first words uttered be ceiling realated(unless cistine screamers off meds) Rum helps...is nice to have a long glass captain morganss ,ice n coke....n hand while swilling at random rage bursts in manner of enrged pirte search for treasure

What time did you start on the rum today? 🤣

theboffinsarecoming · 22/02/2025 14:56

Sympathies OP. Never mind though - just think about how lovely it will look by the time it is half-finished. Wine