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.

I hate painting. But I’ve never paid anyone to do it and I probably wouldn’t. It is mind numbing but it’s doable. Depends on the surface too. I don’t mind painting smooth walls but mdf nearly murdered me

I love painting. I can do a large room in two days, a small one in a day. I repaint often when I get bored with the colour. 😂

Buy a cutting in brush, go slow. I don’t use masking tape, I find it a ball ache. I just use a cutting in brush and go slow. Depends how steady your hand is, but I don’t find it hard. Before you spend forever masking everything off, try it. If you can’t do it then mask.

www.amazon.co.uk/Harris-103011019-Ultimate-Walls-Ceilings/dp/B086HJQRM2/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&crid=1QOCJZSAGGHGX&keywords=cutting+in+brush&sprefix=Cutting+in+%2Caps%2C180&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1618262385&sr=8-5

I’d like to second the Toupret filler (powder that you mix yourself).
Used it after reading DIY forums. Sands really well.

I've never paid anyone to paint and can usually easily do a room in a day, depending on prep needed. Painting it white would be even easier as mistakes with cutting in wouldn't be noticeable. I would recommend good brushes and rollers though ( need a tapered brush for cutting in )

Thank you so much for all the great advice. I will start with one room and see how it goes. I will post the finished room to show you how well, or how awful it goes!

Not hard but IMO boring. If you are the kind of person who likes doing craft type activities or enjoys doing household cleaning it will be fine. There are zillions of You Tube videos and online articles about how to do it perfectly.

If you are not this person but don't care about paint a few paint blobs on your floor you will also be fine.

I don’t mind the actual painting bit altho there’s an art to cutting back for a professional finish. It’s the prep that bores the shit out of me.

I've painted 4 rooms now and never done any prep, bar a quick wipe down with a damp cloth Our house is newly built though so nothing much needed doing, or at least I'll tell myself that lol.

I enjoy it, stick on a podcast or some music and just get in the zone. Its gotten easier each time and I don't bother with masking tape, just use a brush to do the edges. Its quite relaxing for me tbh!

Get a good blue tooth speaker & music streaming service to subscribe to and crack on. Avoiding getting paint on flooring you don't want it on is most tedious bit for me.

I don’t enjoy craft activities or household cleaning but I like painting!

@CrystalE

Not hard but IMO boring. If you are the kind of person who likes doing craft type activities or enjoys doing household cleaning it will be fine. There are zillions of You Tube videos and online articles about how to do it perfectly.

If you are not this person but don't care about paint a few paint blobs on your floor you will also be fine.

Lol I’ve never crafted in my life, and have had a cleaner for decades. I also mind getting paint on the floor and use a dust sheet, which easily prevents it. And I like doing it. I don’t find it difficult, and am more than happy to spend a day or two getting it done. Music on loud, and just crack on,

I would never pay anyone to paint. If you’ve had a plasterer in you need to do about 3 coats of 50/50 water and paint mix before you can start painting colour etc. I’ve done it loads of times. I actually really like painting. I never use rollers as they just splatter the paint everywhere, just a good quality wide brush and off I go. Without blowing my own trumpet I’m so good at it now I don’t even need to cover anything up before I paint now, it’s just practice.

Painting is pretty easy as long as your physically fit/ capable enough to do it. It's the easiest DIY job really but it does take time. Just look up some YouTube tutorials and you'll be fine.

Painting isn't hard at all but I dream of the time when I could do a whole room in two days without interruptions, listening to a podcast or an audiobook. It's a bit trickier fitting it around small children with no childcare so you have to find ways to do bits at a time. You can do the preparation in stages. Once I start painting I decant my paint into takeaway tubs. You can wrap clingfilm around your brush and roller and put them in the fridge to save having to wash them after every session and this makes it much much easier just to get a bit done in snatched opportunities when the children are napping / distracted / after they have gone to bed. You can also put clingfilm over paint in a roller tray but the takeaway tubs with lids are my preference.

Once you have rinsed the paint off very thoroughly, roller sleeves can go in the washing machine. Don't do this with paint brushes though!

I love decorating

I quite enjoy decorating but hate the preparation part which is the most important bit. I usually take some time off work to get it done without the kids and in decent light. We’ve never had a decorator in and only ever will for painting the landing and stairs because of how awkward it is.

My sil loves it and is bloody good at it - done well, with care and patience there is no reason why you can't achieve a finish comparable to a professional.

If like me you tend to approach things like a bull in a chinashop, have the concentration span of a dead sparrow and hand-eye coordination that would make a toddler blush, get a professional in.

The prep is the worst bit, and the bit that will dictate your eventual finish. You can see, in my bedroom, the exact point where I got bored and fed up. If you try to cut corners, it shows. I shall be going the professional route in future (or maybe bribing one of my more talented family members to come and do it!) but many more competent people manage just fine.

Have never tried but we recently had a man into paint the bathroom

Day one: no paint touched the walls at all. Just sanding and prepping and rubbing down

Depends how good a job you want doing

The cutting in around skirting boards etc can be tricky

@Tiredmum1990

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/home_decoration_pictures/4218773-painting-pissing-me-off

www.dulux.com.au/how-to/preparation-and-painting-guides/interior/how-to-paint-walls

Until I learned to paint walls properly, including 'laying off' it was a job I always messed up and detested in the process. As previous posters have mentioned, it's all in the prep. Allow a couple of days per room, clean the walls, filling and sanding holes if necessary. Tape off using a good quality tape making sure you press down well for a good seal - this will avoid seepage underneath the tape. Cut in first, then paint using a uniform method. Do not go over any parts when the paint is still wet - you'll only end up pulling off what you've just put on. Instead - this is where an extra coat would be required. If you have a few rooms to do, I would recommend a deep paint scuttle with an integrated upright rolling tray. If you have a Johnstone's paint store near you (presuming you are in the uk) they mix any Farrow & Ball colours extremely well, at a fraction of the cost. Also if you have a number of rooms to do and you're loyal with your business, they may give you professional decorators discount. Painting the skirtings and the walls in the same colour saves no end of time as the cutting in and finishing around the skirtings will be much faster. Not all whites are created equal - but I can thoroughly recommend Farrow & Ball 'All White' vinyl matt finish - mixed by Johnstone's.

If like me you tend to approach things like a bull in a chinashop, have the concentration span of a dead sparrow and hand-eye coordination that would make a toddler blush, get a professional in.

🤣 yep, this is me.

The key is good prep. Scrape all the 'bobbles' off, fill any gaps and make sure the walls are clean.

If you do this the paint goes on easily.

The key is definitely in the prep.

Painting it white is also a great idea as the cutting in (which takes time and if done badly looks a mess) doesn’t matter between the walls and ceiling and is far less important between the walls and woodwork if it is all white.

I don’t like dark colours anyway but as a beginner I wouldn’t use dark colours as the contrast between the dark walls and the white ceiling and woodwork is much more obvious and if the cutting in isn’t done well it will be really really noticeable.

Some great tips on here!

Just reading through as I'm about to start decorating a bedroom. I like painting and agree it's the preparation that takes the time, it's so boring too! However, it is worth it.

We get a decorator in for our stairwell, as its too high. One thing he uses, which I'd never heard of before, was decorators caulk. It's great for those hairline cracks between ceiling and walls, gives a really good finish when used. I always use that now... Adding another job to preparing the room!

Good luck!

I once heard a saying "if you can piss you can paint" / no it's not hard if you take your time

You don't need to replaster for a few nail holes. A bag of easi fill and some sand paper does the trick

Don't forget decorators caulk to make a nice finish

Invest in some nice brushes

I do all the decorating in my house - I decorated my twins bedroom whilst 8 months pregnant 🤷‍♀️