Is painting really that hard?

[Tiredmum1990]

We just moved to a three bed house and there are holes everywhere from nails/screws. They will need to be plastered and then pretty much the whole house will need painting. I have said to my husband that I want to do it, but he has said it is too hard and it is better if we get someone in to do it professionally.
I would rather save the money for nice furniture or to have in savings. The entire house will be painted white (like it currently is).
Is painting really that hard?? We both work full time and have two toddlers so I would do it on evenings or the weekend.

It’s just nearly killed me to do a couple of rooms. Even dulux ‘once’ needs two coats minimum just to go over existing white!
It’s exhausting and you go a bit snow blind so then there are always bits that aren’t quite perfect.
I would love to be able to afford a professional to do it.

I've never paid anyone to paint. It is not hard. Some people are more perfectionist than others which can make it more painstaking.

I really enjoy it, you find time for what you want.

@Youdontknowwhatyouronabout oh no!! What colour did you paint the walls? I am thinking white on white might be slightly easier?

I'm rubbish at it, I get it everywhere. Husband does most of it but I would happily pay someone next time.

It's not that hard to be honest. Male sure you have a small brush for cutting in or doing the edges (I have used a brush that came with a Peppa Pig magazine. Genuinely useful!) And wipe up any mistakes asap.

I really enjoy painting!
It’s not hard to do
I have never paid anyone to paint
The worst bits are the prep beforehand- but it’s important to do it properly- filling, sanding, washing walls with sugar soap
I also hate washing rollers
But the actual painting bit I love

It depends on how quickly you want it done. I've done our spare bedroom in lockdown, only doing it on weekends and days off. It's been a big job because a lot of the plaster needed patching up and the whole ceiling was a mess - the people before had wallpapered it (to hide a load of cracks as it turns out!) so that had to be sorted. It's looking pretty good now and I'm quite proud as I've never really decorated before. It's not hard - just time consuming!

White on white isn't easier because it's hard to see when you're doing it, but easy to see the bits you've missed when it's dry.

Painting isn't difficult, but getting a good finish can be.

Preparation is important. Making sure the surface is as good as it can be isn't easy (if you're a perfectionist (hands up)) cut in (do the edges) with a bush & roller the middle.

Give one room a go, then decide. It's not like it has to be all or nothing!

I've never paid anyone e pet for double height hallways where you need special equipment. Otherwise decent paint and an audio book and crack on!

Not hard at all! Buy decent rollers and brushes. Use frog tape at edges to make life easier cutting in. Buy good paint. Don’t worry if you need multiple coats. Get a decent pair of steps so you can reach the top of the walls easily.

Use brush to do edges then fill in with roller. Protect everything with dust sheets. Clean brushes properly at end of day!

It’s really not rocket science. You will do as good a job as 90% of the decorators out there - might take you a bit longer that’s all.

I hate it! Getting neat lines, even with masking tape etc is a bloody art form, partly because walls are also not perfectly straight. It also hurts like hell! (But I am an arthritic weakling, and a perfectionist).
Saying that I have always done it myself so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks for all your replies. When you say cut in, how far in do you paint the walls with a paintbrush before you use a roller?

If its just white then no, it's not difficult. But it does take ages and the prep takes longer than you think it will too. If you're painting onto fresh plaster it will need a mist coat first. And you'll need to do the ceilings too as otherwise they'll look rubbish next to freshly painted walls. I'd say a decent sized room would take the best part of a day to do everything.

Cutting in only needs to be a paintbrush width I'd say. I actually found painting white was the most stressful colour as a pp said, because you can't easily see what you've missed until it's dry! And there's no such thing as one coat paint ime...

Check out Aubrey's Absolute Decorating on YouTube, there's loads of tips on there

It's not hard, particularly if you are just doing a coat over the existing paint in the same colour.
You need to make sure that you cover carpets, and clean down properly with sugar soap to get rid of grease. You need a roller and a brush to cut in ( go round the edges). Don't take risks with spillages - I keep the paint I am using in a cardbaord box, so if it gets knocked over, the mess is contained. Keep a damp rag on hand.
The hardest part is doing it with DC around - you can't do it while they are awake/in the house. So, you could do it once they are in bed, but weekends will be difficult unless they can be taken out, or the room is lockable!

We moved into a 3 bedroom house last year, and like yours the whole house needed plastered and painted. We were advised to wait 2 weeks for the plaster to dry before painting. It took a painter A week to paint all the ceilings, wood work, doors and walls, and that was before we moved in. I think it's doable for you to do it yourself, but would expect it to take about a month.

It’s not that hard especially if everything is going to be white so you don’t need to worry about edges or corners. Get decent brushes and the biggest rollers you can find with a long handle. If possible paint before furniture goes in and you’ll fly through the rooms.

@Tiredmum1990

Thanks for all your replies. When you say cut in, how far in do you paint the walls with a paintbrush before you use a roller?

I'd do about 1-2 metres at a time, cutting in, then rollering. That way, the paint doesn't dry and so it blends better.

If painting over fresh plaster do a 50/50 wash first coat.

I love painting walls but agree you have to put the effort in with the preparation to ensure a decent finish.

For fitting in I use about a 1 and a half inch or one inch thickness brush. You don't want anything too thick as you might not be able to avoid the ceiling in the corners (but if painting white then you don't need to worry about that!) I always put masking tape on the skirting boards and around the edge of the ceiling and make sure I have a damp cloth to wipe up any mistakes straight away. In the past I've used cheap masking tape which has unfortunately taken off some of the paint on my skirting boards when removed, but recently I discovered a blue coloured one (think it was scotch brand) which was good. You can put a plastic bag over the tray and put the paint on top of that so that you just throw away the bag at the end and don't need to mess about cleaning the tray. I also just bin the roller sleeve at the end instead of cleaning to use again.

Cutting in not fitting in obviously!

[quote Tiredmum1990]@Youdontknowwhatyouronabout oh no!! What colour did you paint the walls? I am thinking white on white might be slightly easier?[/quote]
I did white on white and it’s harder than doing a colour, as pp says, it’s harder to see where you have been but it’s noticeable when it’s dry when you have missed a bit.

This is my 3rd house too so it’s not like I haven’t had plenty of practice!

@misty9 and @dailywalk you both mentioned about doing a coat before the actual paint colour. Would this be thr case even if it was just small holes being filled in? And could you just do that first paint with mist paint/50-50 paint and water on just those plastered parts?