How do you get a room to look neat and finished?

[infinitediamonds]

So I have tried decorating, and we had the kitchen redone. Kitchen floor wasn't done properly (by a professional, so I had to relay it but basically its the wrong type of flooring so will always look wrong) but its otherwise mostly OK. Rooms I've painted look messy as whatever I do its not possible to paint an exactly straight line. I tried wallpapering and it seems impossible to get it exactly right there either. We've got rooms where shelves or picture frames don't quite line up. (One of the wonky shelves was put up by a handyman so I largely gave up on them after that.) Both bathrooms are bodge jobs for different reasons. So, other than completely gutting a place and starting again with professionals, how do you make anything look decorated and neat and finished? I genuinely don't get it as neither I, nor any tradesperson I've ever found, has actually managed to do a decent job at it.

Nothing's ever perfect. The things that bother you the most, you could tackle one at a time and spend time on getting it better. If you put up photos, you could ask for suggestions on what would improve. Or you could learn to live with things as they are. Depends how you feel.

We had a complete refurb of our flat. The final thing was the mastic man who filled in lots of tiny gaps between LVT floor and skirting and new windowsill s and so on. It made a difference.

Are you using a very dark colour? It’s harder to get a good looking border between a dark colour and white skirting boards. I use a thing like this but DH doesn’t like it.

If a professional can’t manage it either, then maybe you have unrealistic expectations. Can you add a photo of a bit that annoys you? It’s natural to notice things in your own house that guests would never see.

You could paint everything white?

Forgot the pic

My other thought would be that you’ve used crap tradesmen. Did you find them through recommendation?

OP, have you seen this series - ? Worth a watch....

Do you live in an old house? We do and even though we replastered most of it, had new skirting boards to replace the worst ones and new flooring etc it never looks perfect because the walls aren’t straight, floors aren’t flat etc. It looks better than it did but it will never be pristine

When it comes to painter and decorators there are two types. The ones who did an apprenticeship and went to college to get their city and guilds or HND, learnt from experienced people on the job. Then there are the ones who think "I'm pretty good at painting, I'll buy a van and some brushes and do that, you don't need a qualification like being an electrician or plumber".

Which type are you using? Skilled painters are very good at what they do but there are a hell of a lot of unskilled ones out there.

I know the feeling OP. We have used numerous tradesmen for our extension all of whom have had excellent reviews and have felt that very few of them achieved a great finish. Maybe I do have unrealistic expectations however I get the impression that most just want to rush the job and are not too bothered on the finish and most clients don't tend to give negative reviews which makes it hard to identify the few good people who are out there.

OP have you tried using painter's tape or masking tape (not as good, but often better than nothing)?
Example here with clear pic to explain.Disclaimer: I have not used this brand.
projects.truevalue.com/paint/interior/prep_cleanup_and_safety/best_ways_to_use_painters_tape.aspx

If you’re struggling with white against another colour try using caulk. Helps to hide any minor bumps and create a smoother line.
Could you shift bulkier furniture around and add prints and frames to hide any major blemishes on walls?

We lived in a terribly wonky house and always hung shelves to the eye rather than the spirit level.

Also being neat and tidy helps.

The trick is to paint the skirting the same colour as the wall

Our painter and decorator went around our ceiling (where it meets the wall) and the bottom of the wall with white caulk. Finished it off perfectly. Covered any slight inaccuracies in the cutting in. Such an easy tip.

I caulk lots. It really does make a difference IMO. Also prepping the hell out of a wall. I polyfil all the obvious holes and basically skim the walls, I then sand then polyfil again. I then do the first coat of paint and if this shows up any imperfections I skim over some bits again.
I also tend to paint the room all the same colour apart from the skirting. I do have a fairly steady hand, but I think it is calming to have the same colour all over.
There are also tons of professional decorators on YouTube who will explain how to paint a wall properly. I haven’t dared to do wallpapering yet though!