I'm shit at decorating

[Lucyloo223]

I just bought my first house and I was really excited to decorate but I just feel like everything I do looks a bit crap :( it's getting me down, I don't feel like doing any more.

80% of decorating is preparation. It's thankless, boring and detailed. I'm pretty good at it myself but it takes me a looooong time as I get bogged down by perfectionism. What is it that you feel is looking shabby? Paint finishes?

What are you needing help with?

Following - I'm awful

I self taught myself this in my 40s after avoiding it for years. There are loads of great videos on you tube. As has already been said it's all in the prep. It takes longer than the actual painting. I cannot fully master cutting in so I spend extra time on the masking tape to get clean edges with minimal skill. And always have damp cloths to hand to wipe any mistakes immediately!

I did our whole house after moving in, over the course of a year or so. Don't try to do it all at once. It looks really good. No it's not perfect to a professional standard if you inspected every edge, but so satisfying and saved a fortune on professionals.

Yeah paint finishes. I've just done skirting boards and door frames for the first time, doors look okay but skirting boards look uneven. The skirting board also overlapped with a worn away rubber seal with the floor so it was impossible to get straight lines.

Is it your decorating or the house though? I live in a very old terraced property and there isn't a straight line to be found anywhere! The decorators did mine and I can spot 'issues' if I look closely enough.
Also, take a step right back....is it really that noticeable? I know I see things in my own home that I wouldn't notice in someone else's house because I am looking at the overall look/feeling the vibe at their house, not nitpicking about their skirting boards!

Use masking tape for straight lines.

I gave up on painting, I’m not a decorator, it’s a tradesman job for me, after I wasted a lot of money and time, oh and DH totally destroyed a carpet. My skills lie elsewhere

Me too. I have always decorated where I could myself. Knew it looked a bit shit, but was ok with it, just had a professional in to do 3 rooms as I couldn’t be arsed, realised the huge huge difference, when he did it, in the finish. It wasn’t about preparation. It was application. The paint is smooth and even, lines straight, it just looks like a proffesional finish, which it is.

if I couldn’t afford it, I’d still do it myself. But accept that it is going to look a bit shite in comparison to a professionals work.

Please don't lose heart! Rome was not built in a day queen!
When we moved into my deceased MIL's house, it was full to the brim with stuff (she hoarded to cope with the death of her eldest son) and it has taken 2 full years and lots of hard work to completely redecorate every single room in the house! We even ripped the old kitchen out and had a family friend fit the new kitchen! 😇
It ground me down, but now we're at the finish line, all visitors compliment us on how bright yet homely and cosy our house is. 💕 ours is a terraced house BTW xx
You can do this, it just takes time xx