SOS urgent painting WWYD?

[Kate88kate]

Hi,
Sorry I know this is a first world problem.
I’ve got estate agent coming tomorrow for photos then will be viewing from Wed/Thursday. I have today off to make things nice. We are short notice hence limited time.
Our hallway paintwork (bottom stairs, up stairs and halls on each end) is grubby and needs repainting but it’s a really tall wall above the stairs and I cant get to the top.

Wwyd-

a) leave it
b) magnolia the bits you can reach- this will cover most of the grubby marks etc but might show a colour difference between top and bottom. I can do this today
C) something else?

Pjs it’s big standard magnolia at present

Don’t just paint the bits you can reach it will look even worse!
What about getting proper stuff and washing the walls? Those miracle sponge things are quite good.

Can’t wash it as it’s shit paint that’s been on from new build, if you wipe it it goes thru to the boards 😩

Leave it.

I doubt it will show on photos and anyone who comes to look at the house will either like/not like the house anyway, regardless of some marks on the walls.

Paint it all an off white and stick a brush to a broom handle and do the ceiling the same colour?

Or just leave it

Wouldn't have put me off

I’m a bit embarrassed for people I know to see it 🙈

If leave it and spend the day decluttering, then decluttering some more.

I'd leave it

I’m all decluttered 😅

Ok. I was in exactly the same position last autumn. You can get a really long pole from b&q. Like 3m long. Stand on your landing and go as far up as you can. I had this in my last house which was a huge Victorian terrace. I'm the only adult in the house so I had to make it work without a scaffold etc. I did the best I could. There were some tiny bits at the top but it was barely noticeable and the bits you did notice going up the stairs where there were grubby hand prints etc was all clean.

Oh NASHVILLE QUEEN this is an idea.
My gut is erring towards painting as I’m cringing looking at the grubbiness and I know local people I know will all be looking (small village life)

I would wash all the gloss paintwork, and walls in the bottom hallway with sugar soap to spruce that up as that will be immediately seen once the front door is open, blending gently into the hallway/stairwell area so you do not need to do the height thing, and wash the worst marks off the staircase/landing.

When we sold our house in April, we used sugar soap to resolve this issue. Took an hour or so to scrub away, but it all went and left the stairway looking good as new. I was really impressed.

Baby wipes might clean the wall without taking the paint off

Have you actually tried washing it as I’d give it go first if I was you!

Ive tried baby wiping and it takes the paint off :(

Leave it they don’t usually photograph the landing and stairs do they?

Try to wipe lightly or use a rubber? Magic erasers are sandpaper but if you can do gently you might get the dirt of and leave paint on. You’ve probably tried this though.

Can you put a picture in that space? It kind of diverts the eye.

Thanks all, I went with furiously repainted at last minute with giant tub of magnolia and it looks great! In face I touched up half the house 🤣

As a buyer I'd rather see the marks, as I know I will repaint anyway and in the colour of my choice (anything but Magnolia) rather than seeing a job badly done (I recently chose to not offer on the house because the paint job was so bad, it need to be done all over again).

I hate it when people do a half a job. Do it proper or don't

@smalalalalalala

As a buyer I'd rather see the marks, as I know I will repaint anyway and in the colour of my choice (anything but Magnolia) rather than seeing a job badly done (I recently chose to not offer on the house because the paint job was so bad, it need to be done all over again).

I hate it when people do a half a job. Do it proper or don't

Does this make sense? You've gone from "I will repaint anyway" to not offering on a house "because the paint job was so bad" You can't have it both ways.

You've done the right thing, OP. If the paintwork looks unloved then potential buyers will wonder what else has not been done.

Thanks. It looks tons better, I’m really pleased I threw a few hours at it.