Interior decorating

Evening all.

I've decided to finally concede that I am useless at decorating. Last time I put up some wall paper, it took me 45 minutes to do one strip. When I paint, I always make a mess.

Its time to do up my house a bit. I thought I might just paint the walls. Quick question though. Do I emulsion the walls and then gloss the woodwork (door frames, skirting boards etc) or do I do the woodwork first, given that emulsion is theoretically easier to scrub off when it ends up in the wrong place?

 

I do the woodwork first,like you say the emulsion is easier to clean off

 

Did you ever heard of oil based paint? I`ve repaint all my gloss with oil base paint , it dry quick , no much drop or bad small as the classic gloss .

Since by law most gloss have now less chemicals , the white gloss is getting yellow in moths and no more years .

Another tip , buy good paint , don`t try to save few penny with some economy paint.

 

I alway emulsion then gloss. But I think this is just because I HATE glossing, especially doors.

Rusty

 

As John says, start from the top and work down but prepare everything first, filling, sanding etc. I use a matt emulsion paint on the ceiling as it blends easier than silk, so no patches, you may need more than one coat though. Follow that by painting the woodwork and then the walls, again I use matt paint. Don't forget to cover the floors, it's a chore removing paint from them and rollers tend to spray everywhere.

The only white paint I have in my place is the loft hatch, but my son-in-law used an Eggshell paint for all his wood work, he thinks it gives a better finish.

 

Remove all furniture from room, tape up the windows & place 2.5 litres of gloss paint on a primus stove in the middle of the room.

Stand by with a fire extingusher, if you don't hear the sounds of burning after the explosion, don't enter the room for a week to give the paint a chance to cure.

 

Thanks all. Not looking forward to doing it, but looking forward to when its done

 

Zigs, you're a health and safety nightmare.

Clueless, you'll be okay once you get going and into a system. Preparation is everything, if you don't sort the problems out first, you'll still see them after you've finished. Good luck!

 

Since any gloss painting in a room is usually confined to 'narrow' surfaces - door frames, window frames, skirting boards etc., there is always more chance that some may stray onto surrounding surfaces (i.e. the walls) - thus it makes sense to do any gloss painting first - you don't for example, want to be trying to wipe white gloss paint off your (say) dark red walls. I'm not suggesting you are going to paint your walls dark red, but some people do! Having painted door frames and skirting boards, you then tackle the walls, the emulsion will cover any slight 'accidents' with the gloss and will wipe off it's surface easily.

Another thing is not to be afraid to use a decent sized brush. I've watched my husband (a self-confessed "useless twit" - his words not mine) trying to paint a window frame with a 0.5" brush, and get more paint on the window and himself than he has on the frame - I always used a 1" brush, held at an angle so that the tip of the bristles are just fractionally 'shy' of the glass. Of course, replacement windows now mean that neither of us has to paint window frames!!

Using a roller for ceilings and walls is quick, but if there's a slight texture be prepared to be spattered, a 'paint pad' is much cleaner (and if you're gloss painting internal doors they're brilliant, no 'laying off' of paint, no brush marks, no 'orange peel' effect). Cleaning emulsion from rollers or pads can be a pain so, only clean them once - when you've finished - the rest of the time, either stick them in an old plastic carrier bag or cover them in cling-wrap, keep the air out and they'll happily sit for several days without drying out.

My 'top tip' however is radiators especially, if, like mine, your radiators are the type which have to be painted. As has already been said, gloss paint yellows very quickly and yet people still use it to paint radiators .... why? And why, if the walls in your house are one colour, would you want to make a 'feature' of radiators by painting them white? Mine are always painted with same paint as used on the walls, that way they 'disappear' and no yellowing.

I've used the terms 'gloss' and 'emulsion' here, purely to differentiate between the two finishes - I do realise there are any number of 'finish' options.

 

Preparation is everything.
Fill and sand all discrepancies on the plasterwork,door frames and windows,sand all wood work and remove dust.
Paint the ceiling then walls.
I would very rarely gloss woodwork without an undercoat,so important as it gives body and quality to the final finish.
Clu. there is no need to scrub of emulsion on skirting etc. this will cover with the undercoat and gloss.

It's easy when you know how.............
The problem is if you don't do it very often it is always a chore.
It's like most things ,the more you do, the better you get.

I think I had better give you a price lol...................
Good luck.

 

B n Q How to video below.
I usually clean the walls and paintwork with Sugarsoap , I use a normal sponge on the emulsion and sanding sponges on the paintwork, these are a great tool. Emulsion first then gloss. Cutting in is a pain ! Has anyone used paint pads for this chore ?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-3-x-O...251?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ac02dd5e3

 

I am watching all this with great interest as I plan to decorate throughout in spring, My O.H. did very little D.I.Y., lack of interest, then later ill health. But my first hubby was a perfectionist, and spent many hours watching him, as it took so long. So I have seen how to do it, but will be D.I.Myselfing in spring ,so keep the tips coming.

 

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