Am I mad to think I can line the walls of the stairs and landing myself? On my own?

[user1471530109]

I suspect I am.

The walls of my stairs and then the landing (the landing still has wood chip on which would need to be removed) are on a state. I've painted the main big wall and lived with it since the first lockdown. But it looks a mess if I'm being honest with myself. Even if I could afford a decorator, I am finding any trades person I contact is not responding. Presumably they are rushed off their feet?

I can see you can now buy paste the wall lining paper (although I do own a pasting table). Do you think I could do it with no help? I have done papering before (also on my own) but over 10 years ago and only a bedroom.

The stairs are straight up-no turns. The ceiling is actually very low. Upstairs they are not far off 2m. I reckon I could reach over the bannister 🙈 to do the main wall. Although I'm guessing it's not that easy when attaching paper if you can't quite touch the wall 🤦🏻‍♀️. Is there a special tool?

Has anyone done the stairs? I have a week of the holidays left and tempted but worried I'm biting off more than I can chew....

If you can get long access thingies and wedge a ladder opposite, maybe -DH painted our stairwell area but the plasterer we got in to remove the existing wallpaper and plaster the dodgy bits left the long plank thingies.

Would not want to need to exert pressure beyond a paint roller without a much more solid tower (rather than a wooden balance beam) though!

Just get someone in. You'll have to stare at it for the next 10 years.

I think, and I mean this politely, that if you can’t paint a wall well you probably shouldn’t be attempting lining the stairs and hall

I DO know what you're saying @Mn753.
It's that feeling you get when the summer holiday is nearly over and you start panicking about jobs you should have gotten done.

I've honestly contacted a number of trades people over the summer to do various jobs. Not one has even contacted me back.

I will look at hiring something @randomsabreuse. I expect it won't be much cheaper than paying a proper decorator . I wonder what to search for?

@Bluntness100 it's not that I can't paint. It's more the walls are a mess and rough from the layers of paper I removed when I moved in. Not saying I'm amazing at it, but I've always done the decorating and never had the luxury of being able to afford to pay someone. XH never bloody helped. In fact the one time he did, I think he deliberately messed it up to get out of ever doing it again.

I'd do it myself but through having no cash and/or not being able to get tradesmen out for small jobs, we've taken on more and more work ourselves. We no longer need plumbers or plasterers for example. YouTube has taught us all sorts.

The best success we've had for getting actual people in is to ask on local community pages on Facebook, combined with Trusted Trader and My Builder.

One of my regrets in our last house is that we didn't get all the walls skimmed rather than just the ones we had no choice on. The lumpy finish constantly annoyed me - even with a good paint job so I totally get what you mean.

I think the decorator had some scaffolding planks, which is no help unless you know a a scaffolder who could lend you some!

I think it's going to have to be a no. I knew really that it wouldn't be possible. I have some fancy multiway ladders that I think have been used once in 15 years and probably not for that last 14. I may have a play with them and see if it's at all possible to position them on the stairs (I can see from googling that some allow a higher position on the legs to fit the stairs). But I'm clutching at straws . I think I might just give the wall a fresh coat of paint etc.

Thanks everyone

I papered walls and skimmed others myself. It wasn't really that difficult especially if you have multiway ladders. First time I did the landing I balanced on the bannister, wouldn't recommend that way. Have since invested in some multiway ones, cos my ceiling is bloody high, I had laid the flat pasting table over them and put another ladder on top. Used the dining table covered. in newspapers as my pasting table.

If you're unsure how, youtube has millions of videos. My first attempts at skimming and re-plastering were a mess lol, have since sorted those walls out with youtube vids.

I did get some quotes for the passage,

Yes, you can do it! I've never been able to afford a plasterer so have had a go. Start slowly in an un-obstrusive part of wall. It gets easier the more you do.

There are some great newish self levelling plaster type finishes that you paint on then skim yourself. Most of them have "skim" in the name if you are searching.