Tell me how to decorate

[fedupandnogin]

Single mum in my own house now and want to decorate and to freshen up. Where do I start? Tell me how please. Walls are all plastered (but with a few small cracks, etc) and painted so no wallpaper. I guess I need to fill and sand first but then what? Do I do the gloss/woodwork first or after the walls. What other preparation do I do for the woodwork and walls. Thanks.

I prefer to do the woodwork after painting walls but I've seen advice saying otherwise. I prefer satinwood or quick drying gloss to normal gloss. Satinwood is waterbased so easier to clean up but it's more of a Matt finish. Use masking tape everywhere. Cut in first, then use a wide roller for walls. I use a mini roller for smaller spaces. Wrap brushes and rollers in cling film between coats to stop drying out. Dont leave masking tape on too long otherwise it can peel off paint underneath.

What a great idea for a thread. I'm in the same situation with three small kids.

I've done a bit of painting before. When choosing colours I cut the sample out of the book and match it up to furniture/curtains that way.

There's a green tape called 'gorilla tape' for protecting the edge of wallpaper, skirting boards etc.

If you are stopping for a break, a coffee, put the brushes in a plastic bag and fold down the end.

Email yourself a list of what colours went on which room. You will forget.

It takes ages. Schedule more time than you expect.

Make sure you have easy prepared meals for that week.

Do the prep the day before you do the painting.

That's it from me. Oh, except to say if its kids rooms then those big wall stickers are great. When they're older you just replace them.

Anyone know an easy approach to wallpapering, especially patterned wallpaper.

If your replacing carpets as well as painting fill in space below woodwork with sealant. This stops dust/dirt rising and marking the edges of carpet with a dirty mark very noticeable with pale carpets.

We always do woodwork first as its easier to wipe off emulsion from it then wood paint off walls.

Very good advice from posters above. It takes longer than you might think but worth getting all the prep done well, including moving as much furniture out of the way as you can, filling and sanding and undercoating the woodwork before applying topcoat. Oh and when painting, start with the ceiling.

if you are painting over more than one day - put the brushes and paint tray in a bag and freeze overnight - take it out an hour before your ready to start next day - cleaning it all.

Great tips thanks so much. And thanks for the 'it will take longer than you think tip'. I obviously want it all done in a day! I'm starting with the easiest room in the house (the living room) as I can just move everything into the centre. What exactly do I do with the (already painted/glossed) woodwork?

I would personally move as much furniture as you can out of the room but if that's not possible and you move it all to the middle of the room, cover with dust sheets. If you paint the ceiling/walls with a roller, it can create lots of tiny specs of paint!

I'd typically do the woodwork first as emo just wipes off. Be careful most satinwood is not water based although more and more water based options are available now including some satinwood option.
To prepare existing wood work lightly sand with a medium paper such as 120 grit, try not to rub through to bare timber. Fill and sand any small defects, if there is no bare timber you can usually top coat over most fillers. A lot of modern parts are self undercoating so if you do have bare timber prime it in water based acrylic prime or similar and use one of the self undercoating top coats. The acrylic primers are very fast drying but I think you'll still be pushed to get it done in a day if you want to achieve a nice finish. All primer or undercoats will need sanding and must be properly dry to be sanded.
Water based tops tend to keep their colour longer (especially white) but show every brush mark and can be infuriating! Hope this helps.

For the previously painted woodwork, you need either to lightly sand it (to remove the gloss and give the paint a surface to stick to) or you could use a very 'grippy' primer first, such as Zinsser 123 (or any primer that specifically states that it covers glossy surfaces) and then apply the paint over that - or a combination of both.

My favourite paints for woodwork are:
Primers - Zinsser 123, Zinsser BIN, Zinsser Coverstain.

Top coats - Sikkens Satura Rubbol BL, Dulux Trade Satinwood.

Important tip - when using the modern water-borne paints, you MUST use a synthetic brush, not bristle. The brush that will do the best job, imo, is the Purdey Monarch Elite. It's expensive, but will last for years if you look after it.

Thanks engineers. I think I understand. Any tips on what paint I should use for the woodwork? It's very confusing! ie brand and type. I've just been looking at the Dulux quick dry satinwood. And can I put this straight on the gloss woodwork I already have (after sanding). What about sugarsoap? I remember doing this when I decorated once before in a previous life.

"Water based tops tend to keep their colour longer (especially white) but show every brush mark and can be infuriating!"

I agree that water-borne paints stay brilliant white, but I disagree with your other statements! You will get brush marks only if you use either an inferior paint or the wrong type of brush!

I guarantee that you will not get a single brush mark if you use the paints and brush that I recommended above! The Sikkens Satura Rubbol BL, for instance, is an absolute joy to use. It flows like silk (over a suitability prepared surface) and the finish is a beautiful soft sheen, with no brush marks to be seen!

The emulsion is done first, then the woodwork. I find it's much quicker and easier that way. It's easier to control a small brush when painting woodwork than it is a larger one when painting the walls where they border the woodwork. It doesn't matter if you get a small amount of emulsion on the skirting or architrave, as it will be covered by the primer and topcoat later.

Buy the gloss paint that can be cleaned from the brushes with water. My personal favourite white gloss is made by Crown. The oil based paints generally have a strong odour, and the brushes need cleaning in white spirit, which is a total pain, and smelly!