How often do you redecorate?

[PottyLotty]

I genuinely think to redecorate 1 room a year is not unreasonable.

I have 2 reception rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms plus hall/stairs/landing so it generally works out each room gets decorated every 6 or 7 years.

My husband, bless him, thinks this is far too often and that if it still looks in good condition its ok to leave it. He also feels its too expensive to redecorate every few years.

When do you redecorate ? Would you leave things more than 7 years ? Is it a waste of money ?

As and when needed really. I've been in my (rented, but will live here for foreseeable future. Maybe forever ;) ) house for 5 years and only painted my DDs room, the kitchen ( after new one was fitted), fresh coat white paint in bathrooms and fresh cream paint in the hall.

Looking forward to decorating my room and the nursery before Xmas though! But only cause the walls are being pulled off, insulated and re plastered.

only as needed. my aunt (interior designer) has rooms that have been unchanged for 15 years because they don't need changing. My mum's house is similar - good curtains should last a very long time, so maybe just freshen up the paint but otherwise leave it.

I do it right and then leave it well alone
ideally once per house

seems often to me

we are doing it all in our new house and then hope not to for a good decade or two.

When it needs doing. Decorating this house is not easy (very high ceilings, ornate coving, ornate picture rail, ceiling Rose) so probably every 10 years for living/dining/conservatory/hall/adult beds.
Same goes for bathrooms
Family room/kitchen/utility & downstairs WC might get a coat of paint more often as they take more of a beating and are white.
Kids bedrooms as they grow
My office probably once every couple of years (it's very White with sparkly lights and I have clients in the studio so want it to look pristine)
DHs office - will probably only be decorated once when everything else has been done. It's got too much stuff in to decorate more than that.

Every 10 or so years. Maybe every 5 for the hallway that is high traffic and gets grubby quickly

when we can afford to do it and feel it needs a change
have just done downstairs - after 9yrs
upstairs and h/s/l desperately needs doing but we can't afford it

So far once per house

I've never lived anywhere long enough to redecorate again

Huh? I have to decorate more than once?? We moved on here in 2009. It was a new build. So far we've painted the living room, hall, DS's bedroom, the downstairs toilet and the cupboard under the stairs.

I once read that you should do a room every 4 years!
Longest we have left a room is 11 years that's our bedroom, probably because there's not much going on in there!!

My Mum is a serial decorator. She does 1 room every month then has 3 months off decorating over winter to start again in the spring. I thought I was being restrained by only doing 1 room per year....now im thinking im weird and theres no way im telling the husband you all agree with him

I better show DH this thread. Bedrooms done about 10 years ago, not likely to be done for another 10 years at least. Kitchen 15 years ago with new kitchen, have mentioned this and may be done in next 5 years or maybe more realistically 10. Hall about 15 years, needs redoing but not likely to be anytime soon. Bathroom and toilet about 5 years ago. Living rooms 5 years ago, hope they last a few years yet.

The thing with decorating is where do you put stuff while it is being done. DH has got loads of books and stuff to shift and there is so much disruption, I don't think I could face that each year.

I think one room per year is perfectly reasonable!

It freshens it up. High traffic areas more often (if the cif doesn't get marks off)!
I don't mean new carpet and curtains, but new paint every 3-6 years at least.

I do one a year, although being slowed down as the next one due is dd1's room and it is the attic and massive so I cant be bothered.

My parents' house was built in the early 90s and still has a magnolia room.

well, I did the hall/stairs last year and it needs doing again already the paint is wipe clean but it just gets too much traffic.

The paint you use makes a huge difference. I did dd2s room when we moved in, lovely colour, now 3 years on it looks dreadful, mainly because you can't wipe it/clean it, it seems to spoil the look of the paint.

When I did dd1 room this year I bought matt finish wipe clean paint. It isn't actually totally matt, so not as lovey a finish, but it won't need re-doing.

And to me decorating means a new coat of paint, I wouldn't re-wallpaper or change curtains etc.

I have done about 2 rooms per year since we moved in, and by the time I have done the whole house once i am going to have to re do the first rooms which is very depressing.

I think it's difficult to judge when it needs doing though....people get so used to the way their own home looks, they cannot see it as being dated or tired even if it is iykwim.

bravemerida - I agree, I did walls downstairs, but not doors and skirting.

then with a bit more time, I did upstairs properly. I was quite stunned at the difference the newly painted skirtings made, and was a bit at the downstairs.

(still haven't done them though! - in fairness, builders are expected)

We moved into our house 2 years ago and decorated every single room when we moved in as it was disgusting! We had to put in new curtains in every room and replace the flooring in the living room, kitchen and bathroom. This year we got fed up of the wallpaper in the living room so we've redecorated it, bought a new suite and curtains. We've re-done ds' room and recently swapped bedrooms with our dd's so have redecorated our bedroom and will be doing dd's bedroom before xmas too.

We do need new carpet on the stairs, hall and landing as well as in all the bedrooms but we can't afford them at the moment so it will have to wait another year or so for them.

I'm hoping that's it though and it won't have to be touched for a good few years after that as it's costing us a bloody fortune having to keep decorating!

Godddddddddddddd - we moved in in 1993 and are half way round the living room.... but the rest of the house is clean and bright and functional...

Never. We have lived in the same house for 12 years. Decorated the living room once about 5 years ago. Ditto dcs rooms. Master Bedroom and hall never been redecorated and are horrible but hoping to do hall in new year.

Finally got rid of the minging avocao green bathroom this year but kitchen is still the same 30 year old one and not likely to get done for another couple of years.

I would love to just sell this house to one of those we buy any house people but dh wont discuss it

Only been in house since end Feb13 and have done DS room top to bottom...stripped off 60 years of previous decoration, lined and painted, woodwork and new carpet/curtains etc...needed it! Main bedroom next, have everything bought, just need to find the time!

Lived in current home for six years.

In this time we have:
Changed kitchen flooring
Bathroom flooring
Hallway flooring
Carpet on landing
Painted hallway
Touched up paintwork in other rooms

We have not changed curtains or blinds.

It depends on the condition of the paint and on how dated it looks. I really think it's expensive and time-consuming enough to keep on top of the chipped and grotty paintwork, so I try to choose looks that will stand the test of time.

I know a woman whose house always looks fresh and stylish, though she hasn't changed her choice of carpets (oaty/beige berber) or walls (creamy neutral paint) or curtains (Liberty or William Morris prints in neutral colour schemes) in decades, even when she moves house. I'm not that disciplined yet, but I think it's something to aspire to... A signature classic style that gets you out of the latest trend - dated - latest trend cycle.