Can DIY painting achieve a professional finish for halls and downstairs?

[Letthesunshine1234]

I have been quoted £15k to paint my hallway and downstairs in house. I don’t have the budget for this. Has anyone managed to master DIY painting to a professional standard and if yes how? I would need to do ceilings, walls and woodwork.

Absolutely paint pads, they are the smoothest finish you'll ever get and no splatters and you can go right up to your cutting in edges.

And lots of prep to smooth down the wall

My advice would be don't assume that a 'professional' decorator would provide a better finish. A good one would but there are so many people who have set up as decorators and don't take the time in preparation/ masking off and rush the paint work.

thank you for this - do you recommend any particular brands for brushes? Also any tips on cleaning the trays and brushes?

@Letthesunshine1234 brushes/rollers/pads and trays for emulsion paint easily clean in water as the paint is water based.
For gloss the easiest thing is to wrap the brushes (and tray if you're using but gloss is usually straight from the tin) tightly in cling film between sessions. When you're done, white spirit to clean but tbh it may be worth just buying new ones next time.

You don't need a course. Just watch some vids on insta. There's loads of painters on there who show you in easy to digest clips how to do the prep work and get a good finish.

That is insane money. I'm in Ireland where trades are expensive and I got the entire house painted for 4k (euros) including all glosswork, ceilings, paint, etc. My house is a relatively small 3 bed semi. I know I could have gotten it even cheaper but these were local lads that I wanted to give the business to..

I know - it really is this much. Painting used to be the cheapest trade but now one of the most expensive

I’m in south-east but not London

£15k? I’ve just had a quote to paint the whole interior of my house for £3k!!

When we had carpets fitted to a newly decorated room the carpet fitter asked me to pass on a well done to my husband for the great paint work - I'd done it myself!! (DH isn't allowed to decorate as he always does a crap job). As already said take your time with the prep and make sure you have a dust free environment to paint in. Also don't let the paint get too thick - just stir a bit of water well in if needed. You want to aim for a runny custard consistency. And be prepared to do extra coats - 2 or 3 probably. I never mask up as can get a better finish doing it by hand so you might want to have a go both ways and see what you're most comfortable with.

Prep is key.
Clean, sand, fill, sand again, then clean.
Tape for edges if you're not confident with brush control.
Use a decent primer on wood and trim, zissner do a brilliant range.
The prep takes longer than the actual painting.
Paint ceiling first, then walls, then skirting and wood trim.
Buy the best quality paint you can afford and decent quality rollers and brushes.
I find painting very therapeutic, and have had actual professionals ask me how I got such a good finish as I do such a good job.

Also .. let’s be honest at some point something will get wiped on a wall .. or chipped.. or a hole gets added for a painting and another hole for Xmas decorations.

If you paint it yourself you will not be in tears when that happens!

Or if you are you will still have £15k to spend to take the pain away !!!

do it … you’ve got the tips here and it is the simplest of DIY projects.. save your money for plumbing or electrical work!

I would get a few more quotes just to be absolutely sure. We had a whole 4 bedroom house professionally painted for just over £5k this time last year and that included all interior woodwork and internal doors as well as walls and ceilings. We are in SW england.

Sounds like you could hire yourself out….

@reservoirdawgthat dark bedroom is stunning. What paint is that?

I’ve done all the decorating in my house. As PP have said, prep is key and YouTube is your friend.
i highly recommend Little Greene and Mylands. F&B have beautiful colours but the pigmentation isn’t as good and you’ll need 3 coats so it ends up costing a fortune.
The one thing i wish I’d outsourced was putting up lining paper over a very uneven wall. It was my first time wallpapering and I found joining the paper very difficult.
Other than that I’d crack on myself!

Defo can be done. Dulux trade and little greene are the two easiest to use for me. DH has a steady hand so he does all the cutting in.

And DiY store Dulux isn’t as good as Dulux Trade. Cut in with a narrow brush, maybe using a hand help guide to get a straight edge. Use a good roller, straight up and down.

I've always done my own painting. Watch a few diy videos and you'll learn. Buy a lot of painter's tape and get the best brushes/ rollers you can find. Be prepared for aching shoulders and upper arms the first day.

Yes she Harris paint brushes, mask the bottom end of the brush so the bristles don’t come off onto the paint (such a pain) use grit

• 120 grit – for rough areas, old filler, raised paint edges and anything quite uneven.
• 180 grit – ⭐ your main one for general wall/ceiling preparation and smoothing filler.
• 240 grit – final smoothing before painting, especially over filled areas.

Also water down your paint a little bit so it’s easier to apply. Use Matt paint not silk so it don’t highlight the imperfections, preparation is key, the more you prep the better the outcome; if your not good at cutting in go for lighter colors

Oh and dampen your roller too, sorry for the drip feed

When you use the roller paint in a W motion

Prep is the key- IME good professional painters spend much longer on the prep than on the painting. It's really tempting just to crack on as prep is boring and painting is fun, but resist the urge.

Use these