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.

You don’t know what you can do until you try!

When you fill the holes sand it when dry with fine sandpaper so it is even with the wall.
Trade paint is more expensive but much better and you might only need to do one or two coats as opposed to 2 or 3. It is much better to work with too.
Buy good bristle brushes as they won’t loose hairs all the time which is frustrating. March 2020 I varnished the front door, painted a new door from scratch and the sitting room plus some shelves. We did ( for the first time ever) get someone in to paint the hall after new plaster. £200 for undercoat and two top coats. No gloss. We got him in because they have the equipment to do the stairs.
Good luck.

@userxx

I'm unbelievably shit at painting, I'll buy paint, give it a go, royally fuck it up then get someone in to put it right. Ends up costing more in the long run.

That is so me too! Spend ages planning and prepping, them screw up the paintings! Can’t seem to stop myself !

@ivfbeenbusy

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 🤷‍♀️

Love the “ piss and paint” saying. I can definitely puss, but pain, that is questionable! I will keep trying though 👍👍🤞

@ivbeenbusy that should be PISS and PAINT

@ivfbeenbusy thank you, so I will use easifill rather than polyfilla :)
Thank you so much for all your tips everyone!!

"Is painting really that hard??"
No. You just need time and patience.

"We both work full time and have two toddlers so I would do it on evenings or the weekend."
I have two young children and if DH and I both worked full time, I would hate to spend my evenings and weekends decorating. Obviously one of you will have to look after the kids, cooking and clearing up, etc, while the other decorates. I think it could work if you're happy to take your time and just do it room by room over a long period of time. But if you want it done quickly and well, it would be better to pay someone.

DH and I are crap at DIY (we're also not into cleaning or crafting, weird comment!) but we enjoyed decorating together... pre-kids I have fond memories of decorating our first flat and DC1's bedroom together. We'd put the radio on and treat ourselves to a takeaway afterwards.

Since having the DCs we haven't done any decorating, though, we've paid people to do it... but circumstances were a factor (I was heavily pregnant, had PGP, we had a demanding 3yo to look after, and several rooms that needed painting before baby's arrival). Perhaps when the DCs are older if we just want to redecorate one or two rooms we'll do it ourselves.

I think it makes sense to buy good quality paint, not the expensive "premium" stuff (F&B etc) but trade paint, we found Brewers had a good selection for decent prices.

We're painting every room at the moment and the best investment we've made is in some cutting in brushes, saves loads of prep time and gives a really neat edge!

@Sassymcsasserson

We're painting every room at the moment and the best investment we've made is in some cutting in brushes, saves loads of prep time and gives a really neat edge!

Which brushes do you use? Are the Harris brushes any good?

Painting isn’t difficult. But there are a lot of steps and it’s time consuming. Woodwork needs to be sanded. Holes and cracks must be filled. Dust must be removed and it’s important to cover floors with drop clothes and mask out places where paint mustn’t go. You also need to unscrew all the switch plates and wall sockets.

It’s easiest if all the furniture is out of the room.

Because we had removed the furniture to do the floors I decided to give the dining room a bash. I wasn’t working at the time (looking for a new job during lockdown.). It took me two weeks to do it. We already had brushes and drop clothes and gypsum easy fill. So it was just a couple of hundred pounds worth of paint and my time.

One before (yellow) and two after shots.

@BlitzenandMikey we got the cutting edge brushed from Amazon, think it was £15 for 3, well worth it. Not seen the cutting in brushed by Harris but use Harris for everything else.

I actually didn't realise but one wall in the playroom is grey. It has a blue square on it (as attached). I think that is where their TV was. How do I go about painting this? What would be easiest to do? A dark grey or a light grey? And would I have to use primer? I don't mind it not being perfect as it is a room the toddlers will be playing in most of the day. Would it be possible to just use primer on that blue section? Thank you for any help.

@Sassymcsasserson with the cutting in brush did you not have to use any tape?

@Momsincharge looks so professional!! Love the colour 😍

@Tiredmum1990 no tapes at all which also means no having a patchy ceiling when the tape takes the paint off the ceiling.

I have also been quoted £250 to paint each room with no ceilings or woodwork which I think is so expensive considering the rooms are not very big at all!!

You don't need primer for walls. Just paint over the blue with a coat or two of white first to take the darkness down. Then just paint the whole wall with whatever colour you are using.

Just painted our living room and fitted a stove, did it all myself. Just do 2 coats of white paint and then finish with your chosen paint. When cutting in use a good brush I like Hamilton. I tend to use a roller up to about an inch below the ceiling or wherever and then use the brush,

Thanks @Tiredmum1990.

I showed the pictures for you to have an idea of timeframes. It took me about ten days (I am middle aged and didn’t work 8 hours everyday on it. It’s tiring!)

Painting the walls in latex is the easiest bit. I would not pay someone to do that. Sanding and filling woodwork is much harder. Walks are a breeze.

Not walks, walls!

@Tiredmum1990 it is honestly easier than you think it will be, I actually find it quite therapeutic and there's such a sense of achievement. I too have a toddler so can't spend ages on it, I just spend a few hours here and there. I'm out old house we touched up/repainted in colours close to what they had for ease but I'd actually recommend just doing it exactly how you want it. Will save you changing it in a couple of years and you'll love the place even more.

Definitely pay someone it's not as expensive as you'd think, I got a quote yesterday to do my kitchen, living room and hallway (upstairs and downstairs) for £300,

That's very cheap, @Justanticipating. Is that labour only or materials too? Round here (Midlands) it's typically a £140 day rate for labour only.

@YippieKayakOtherBuckets

That's very cheap, *@Justanticipating*. Is that labour only or materials too? Round here (Midlands) it's typically a £140 day rate for labour only.

It's £150 a day so probably more expensive than yours haha but yeah labour only I just need to supply paint, he's got all the tools. He said he can do it in 2 days. I expected at least a weeks work and about £900 minimum so very happy. Even if it takes 1 more day, that's still good.

To do it ourselves, we'd need to buy all paint and tools, plus we have cats and a 1 year old so would be a logistical nightmare and take us weeks to do. I'd rather pay than have to move and cover things each time we get chance to do a tiny bit.