Talk me through decorating prep in small words...

[StoatOfManyColours]

I need to paint walls, ceilings, bannister and spindles. There may also be hardwood window frames to add to this, dependent on the outcome of my thread in Home Decoration.

We have a couple of cracks that have reappeared after being filled by professional decorator, do I need to do something different this time than the standard polyfilla?

Do you have to rub down the entire wall, or just dinks and bumps? I've only ever done the 'chuck paint on' type of decorating before, but want a better quality job this time.

What do you do with wood that has previously been varnished? Is it better to just replace the varnished skirting boards as they're cheap? I'm thinking they get more of a battering than other woodwork because of hoovering so the paint job need to be really good.

Sand down everything, fill holes, sand them when dry, then vacuum then cut in (that's basically painting edges first using dmulsione) then roller for the main parts.
Woodwork the same but without cutting in and use gloss, protect the floor and clothes as gloss doesn't wash out. You'll need white spirit for any spills and to clean brushes 👍

*using emulsion

Personally wouldn't replace skirting unless it's rotten. It could pull plaster off your walls or damage the floors, it can be quite a bit job and then you still have to gloss them.

Clean the walls first, and make sure they are dust and cobweb free!

Fill holes as instructed above the use a damp cloth to swipe over for a really smooth finish.

Buy a half decent cutting in brush, do that first. Let the paint dry completely before second coat.

I would just wash the walls and fill in holes, leaving it to dry and then rubbing down to smooth.

For skirtings, I would just lightly sand them and then paint.

For woodwork, think about your finish: the options are gloss, satinwood and eggshell. Gloss is shiny, eggshell isn't, satinwood is in-between.

For walls, your emulsion options are matt and silk, but there are options around wipeable matt depending on the brand. Worth thinking about if you have kids or it's a high-traffic area like a hall.

Thanks all! What about calking?

Caulking is for cracks rather than holes. It stretches and compresses to doesn't fall out of cracks when there is a small amount of movement. Great for cracks in corners of tops of skirting board

Cheers. And these cracks that have opened up again, should I make them bigger and put a different type of filler in?