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Original poster

Would you do this yourself or get professionals in?

42 replies

64rabbits · 14/08/2023 07:26

Strip wallpaper (including ceiling woodchip!), prepare and paint stairs, hallway, 2 bedrooms and a living room..?
Is it too much for a single person with not much experience to do by themselves? I'd need to buy all the equipment.
Would you do rather do this yourself and save the cash or get professionals painter decorators in and save the hassle?

OP posts:
SpidersAreShitheads · 14/08/2023 07:29

What are you doing to the ceiling after you strip away the wood chip? I ask because you might not be able to just paint back over it. it might need filling/sanding/skimming depending on how long the wood chip has been there and the state of the surface underneath.

All of the painting - no problem. Even as a total novice. Once you've got your paint and a roller/brush you'll soon get the hang of it.

The ceiling though - speaking from bitter personal experience with a grotty surface under the wood chip, I'd not be certain about tackling that.

DustyLee123 · 14/08/2023 07:30

I’d get someone in. It will be done much quicker than you can do it.

Angie147836 · 14/08/2023 07:31

That's a lot of work! I painted my hall, stairs and landing a few years back and all that woodwork / prep on the bannisters and doorframes.....

FWIW I have never stripped walls before, just painted over the existing wallpaper but obviously with woodchip I can see why you want to.

I think it all depends on how much it will affect your finances to pay. If you DIY (especially as a novice) I think that's going to take you 2-3 weeks - or longer if you're working at the same time and only doing it evenings and weekends.

Dotcheck · 14/08/2023 07:33

Can you afford to get someone in?

I would strip wallpaper myself. And also prep walls. I’m not sure I’d do the ceiling though, but I have zero experience with stripping wood chip off ceilings

MintJulia · 14/08/2023 07:34

I did my walls myself because I couldn't afford to get anyone in.

It was certainly a good way to learn but it took me about 14 months to do a 2 bed cottage.

How high are your ceilings? Can you have them plasterboarded over and skimmed. It can be less expensive and also an opportunity to add insulation.

Pascha · 14/08/2023 07:41

I'd pay a professional for that amount of work.

LightSpeeds · 14/08/2023 07:42

That's going to cost a lot of money to get someone in to do.

I'd do it myself (but I've got a lot of decorating experience). On the plus side, you will learn a lot (useful for the future to have decorating/DIY skills) and feel proud of yourself afterwards 😀.

Original poster
64rabbits · 14/08/2023 07:42

Thanks all. Yes the ceilings worry me too. I've no idea what will happen when the wallpaper comes off. The whole place in wallpapered unfortunately. I'm worried about costs increasing if there is plastering to do.

Does anyone know if it's possible to remove the wallpaper from the walls without removing it from the ceiling? Would that look like a mess?

My budget is £4,500 but that needs to cover painting, decorating, and new flooring for the whole flat. I'll get some quotes but worried it won't stretch to what will be needed.

OP posts:
Original poster
64rabbits · 14/08/2023 07:45

MintJulia · 14/08/2023 07:34

I did my walls myself because I couldn't afford to get anyone in.

It was certainly a good way to learn but it took me about 14 months to do a 2 bed cottage.

How high are your ceilings? Can you have them plasterboarded over and skimmed. It can be less expensive and also an opportunity to add insulation.

I like the idea of learning new skills, but I definitely can't spend 14 months on it 😂

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Original poster
64rabbits · 14/08/2023 07:47

Do you think it would be feasible to strip the wallpaper myself, but then get someone in to do the prep and painting to save money? Or would they hate that? Can imagine they might think I didn't remove the wallpaper in the way they would have liked.

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Theraffarian · 14/08/2023 07:51

Honestly I’ve been decorating my own house for 30 years and I would do a lot of that myself but not the wood chip ceiling . Woodchip is more than a pain to get off walls but a ceiling would be a killer , I wouldn’t under estimate the time mess and neck pain it will cause you to do the ceiling , and I would be budgeting for a plaster skim afterwards . Obviously get the ceiling prepped and painted prior to anything below it.

Painting the hall stairs and landing I can do in 4 days , we have a solid bannister which makes that part easier , but a double height stairway as it goes around a corner . Make sure you get some decent cutting in brushes , a paint roller extension pole , paint pads can be handy for straight lines at the top of hard to reach areas .

I would start on an easier room though . It’s going to be a long job , but rewarding to do yourself , however I do know some people would rather pay than attempt decorating .

CatsOnTheChair · 14/08/2023 07:51

We have currently repainted 2 rooms, stripped wallpaper and painted one room, and stripped paper and repapered one room.
We are getting someone in to strip the paper off the hall/landing/stairs and paint.
I'd happily do the room walls. I'm not sure I'd do the ceilings or stairs.
FWIW, under a week to do 2 sets of stairs, and well under a grand.

booksandbrooks · 14/08/2023 07:53

Someone paid me to strip wallpaper when I was a teenager. You can definitely do the walls yourself.

The ceiling you could paint yourself with a roller on a stick but I can't imagine how you'd strip it without killing your neck and your back. A professional would have a proper stand.

Why don't you try and do the walls by yourself and see how you get on? Don't invest in loads of stuff. Just buy a scraper and get a bucket of water. You may as well just make a start, even if you pay someone else to finish it, or decide it needs plastering, the more you do the less there is for them to do.

You also need to price up how much all the paint, flooring and equipment is going to cost. You can calculate online how much paint you'll need depending on the brand. Also get quotes from professionals.

winteriscoming2022 · 14/08/2023 07:55

I've painted the whole of my Georgian, four storey dump in two years myself with little experience, it's really not hard, just time consuming. However the walls were Ok ish and I'd never, ever attempt to remove chip paper from a ceiling! It took me around six months to remove from one room in a previous house and that was only walls.
Could you ask the advise of a decorator or plasterer as to what else could be done on the ceiling
Also cost wise, decorators here charge around £180-200 a day not inclusive of paint. I think I'd pay for a few days of prep ( they always do it better than I can) and do the actual painting myself

lljkk · 14/08/2023 07:57

I couldn't stomach paying £4000+ for a professional to do it. I'd do it myself.

Seaitoverthere · 14/08/2023 07:59

It is possible to strip the walls but not the ceiling as just been done in ours. I guess they used a standing knife to score a line.

In your position I would get someone to board amd skim the ceiling then do the rest yourself, starting on an easy room.

calmcoco · 14/08/2023 08:01

I'd do what I could before getting someone in to do the bits I couldn't.

Starseeking · 14/08/2023 08:03

I would strip and paint the walls of the rooms myself. If it's just you, and you're doing it around working, it'll probably take a few weeks, doing one room at a time.

Stairs and ceilings I would pay someone, as a professional could probably do in 6 days what it would take me 6 months to complete!

ecology1989 · 14/08/2023 08:03

From experience - you can strip the walls yourself, get some descent filler, sand, fill, repeat. It’s just time and patience. Getting a coat of cheap white paint on there as a base once you’re fairly sure you’ve finished your sand and fill also shows up any final areas you want to work on before getting your final colour on the walls.

But, woodchip ceiling - get a professional in to batton the ceiling and plasterboard over it. I did spend several days removing woodchip from my lounge / dining ceiling and then patching it - result was dire. I did end up paying to get it plasterboarded and it was worth it. You don’t have to have it skimmed (I couldn’t afford too) and was happy with the decorator to ames tape the joints. It all looks fine and I’ve now done this in all the rooms in my bungalow (all were woodchip!!)

1990s · 14/08/2023 08:03

I’ve done wood chip off a ceiling for exactly the reason that I was quoted a lot for a professional to do it as obviously no one wants to do it as it’s a horrible job.

Got a steamer, and just went at it for a full day. Got it done. It wasn’t a hallway though - can you get to it all at the top of the stairs etc without a particular ladder?

Original poster
64rabbits · 14/08/2023 08:04

@Theraffarian Would you advise leaving the ceiling & woodchip as it is? Is it possible to remove wallpaper from just the walls do you think, or would it all have to come off?

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Original poster
64rabbits · 14/08/2023 08:07

The ceiling above the stairs is not very high, and there's not much woodwork, just a couple of bannisters. I've attached a photo so you can see the stairwell and some of the wallpaper! It's textured. I can't live with it can I? It has to come off? Would anyone just leave it and paint over?

Would you do this yourself or get professionals in?
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fruitbrewhaha · 14/08/2023 08:10

I’d do it myself. It will take a while, months not weeks. You may need the plaster reskimming. You’ll pay more than 4k getting professionals in for all that.

Caprisunny · 14/08/2023 08:15

Honestly I would do what you could yourself and save as much as you can in case you need a to have it plastered. Probably would get someone in to do the ceiling.

I am have just started a similar project in my small 3 bed terrace. Buying equipment in bits. YouTube and Tiktok have been great for tutorials. As this bit of Mumsnet.

It’s taking a bit of time, but I am actually really enjoying it and enjoying learning new skills.

Kerberos · 14/08/2023 08:16

It depends on your priorities. On a tight budget I'd live with it for sure, if I had £4500 I'd do as much as I could myself and get a professional in for the ceiling.

I'd start with one of the easier rooms and get the right tools for the job. We had a lot of woodchip in this house to get rid of. Some rooms worked with just filler and sanding, some needed a replaster.

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