Painting and decorating is one of those areas we probably all have dabbled in. Most of us will begrudgingly pick up a roller if it means saving a bit of cash. In the past I’ve always been happy to get stuck in and just accept the results will be a little bit shit.

But recently I had a painting job I just couldn’t face. A massive, newly plastered ceiling. Urgh, A ceiling is bad enough. But one that needs to be sealed that’s three metres off the ground was just a step too far for me. So I called in a professional. I cheerfully paid three hundred and twenty pounds, smug in the knowledge I’d have a beautiful finish that was well worth the money. Well, guess what? It was not worth the money. He did a terrible job. It looked worse than if I’d painted it myself.

I was facing a whole home painting project so I vowed there and then to do it all myself. I’d do it slowly and I’d do the best possible job I could. That was eight long weeks ago. And, even though I do say so myself. The results are fucking amazing. I’m actually blown away by how brilliantly it all looks. The process has taught me a big lesson. Technique can be learnt but commitment and dedication can’t. No tradesperson will ever care as much about the result as you do. You are the best-qualified person for the job!

So pick up your paintbrush with pride. You may not have the experience but I now know painting isn’t really that hard.

Here are my basic tips and tricks that got me through the last 8 weeks. 

1. STIR, STIR, STIR

We all know this right? But do we actually do it? Well, I certainly didn’t. I always assumed a good shake before opening and swirling the paintbrush through the top few inches of paint before I poured it out would be adequate. If you don’t stir like crazy the consistency of paint won’t be even. And worse your consistency of colour will be crap and the end result will be shit. So best to stir. I’m now a stir fanatic, can’t stop! You can buy stirring tools or you could use thick, clean, bamboo sticks from the garden like I did.

2. NEW PLASTER NEEDS A MIST COAT

And this my friend is just watered-down, water-based paint, ie, emulsion. I believed some myth that it had to have PVA glue in it so assumed it was beyond my capabilities. But it’s actually very simple. Pour paint into a bowl then add water. I was advised to use ‘contract matt’ which I did and it worked a treat. It’s basically really cheap, low-quality paint they use in new builds. A 50/50 ratio is good, you want it properly watery and runny. If you don’t do this then your top coat, the actual colour you put on the walls, won’t stick and in time it will just flake off. No thanks.

3. THE MORE COATS THE BETTER

Most brands will state a minimum of two coats but you need to just use your eyes and judge how many extra coats you need to get a perfect finish. I didn’t do less than three in any of my rooms and more on darker / stronger colours. Two coats will give you a bare minimum coverage but three or four will give an intensity of colour and a flawless finish. It also depends on what brand. Trade brands have much better coverage because they are made from synthetic pigments, so the quality is great but the colours aren’t often as good. Top-end brands use natural elements from the Earth to create amazing colours but their coverage is worse. Just keep going until you are happy. It will be worth it.

4. BLEND YOUR CUTTING-IN BEFORE IT’S DRY

Hands up if you usually do the cutting around the whole room. Then come back to the start and begin rollering the walls? That’s what I used to do. But I was advised to do the cutting in on one small area, and then immediately do the rolling. The benefit of this is that you don’t get the darker brush marks. Rolling the walls whilst the cutting in is still wet means it all blends together better. Also, it’s more time efficient because as you move the ladder around the room you do the cutting in and the rollering at once. Rather than moving the ladder around the whole room for the cutting in, and then the whole room again for the rolling. So it saves time and gets a better result.

5. EXPERT CUTTING-IN CAN BE LEARNT (VERY QUICKLY)

Just YouTube it. You don’t actually need to be a good artist or have a steady hand (as I previously believed) to be really good at cutting in. You just need to see how it’s done, use a good-quality brush and take your time. I spent five minutes watching a few videos and my cutting in skills rocketed from a two out of ten to a nine out of ten. Trust me, you can do it.

6. DON’T BOTHER WITH POLYTHENE DUST SHEETS

They are so annoying. Plus they are a terrible waste of plastic. They just billow about and stick to you, but we often buy them because they are cheap. I now just have one drop cloth or dust sheet that I move around because I’ve found, that since I vowed to take my time and do a good quality job rather than a fast job, it’s not actually that messy. I used to get in a right state but if you take your time it’s actually really easy not to splatter and spill.

7. BABY WIPES ARE YOUR FRIEND

It wasn’t until I had a child that I learned the undocumented value of baby wipes. They are awesome. For everything. Why do bastard parents keep this one to themselves? Why don’t they want the young and carefree to be aware of their superpowers?  Anyway. Add them to your weekly shop if you aren’t aware of their work. And have them on your ladder, emulsion can be wiped off pretty much any surface if you’re quick enough! Just don’t flush them down the toilet, ever!

8. USE CLING FILM TO WRAP BRUSHES

I stopped regularly buying clingfilm about two years ago because it’s heinous stuff that kills our marine life, but the one place you will find it is in my painting cupboard. There is no substitute for it (that I know of) wrap your brushes and rollers in between coats and they will keep for days.

9. PAINT MULTIPLE ROOMS TO BE MORE TIME EFFICIENT

Agreed this creates more chaos. But if you can juggle multiple rooms at once you can be super efficient. This is because you never waste time waiting for paint to dry. While the walls are drying in one room you can paint the woodwork in another. Or get a second coat on the radiator in a different room. It’s brilliant because you never lose a minute. If you have the energy and time you can just keep going and going. I did my whole house top to bottom in 8 weeks but it would have taken more like six months if I did one room at a time.

10. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

I struggled for ages with how to do the cutting in on the landing above the stairs. It’s a bugger to get to. I looked at scaffold boards and hiring specialist stair ladders. But in the end, I used a Shur-Line Paint Edger. It had 50/50 reviews with some saying it was a piece of shit and others saying it was the best thing ever. For fifteen quid I thought it was worth the gamble and it worked just fine. I had to really take my time and practice for a while before I did it for real but it paid off and the result was pretty good. So just because something seems challenging doesn’t mean you need to feel forced into using a professional. Sometimes there is a budget solution!

11. DECORATOR CAULK IS THE BOMB

I went from never using it before in my life to being obsessed. For those who don’t know decorators caulk is a fine filler that smooths joins between wood and walls. So it fills gaps between skirting boards or door frames and your walls. It comes in a plastic tube and you need a gun (a holder) you squeeze to apply it. Then you run over it with a wet finger to achieve the most satisfying smooth finish. Twenty minutes later you can paint over it. I was aware of it caulk, but again thought it was exclusively for experts. But it turns out any idiot can use one and it creates a perfect finish so give it a go. But don’t apply it until you’ve finished any sanding and prep work as it’s not sandable and you’ll make a real mess of it, so leave it until you are ready to apply your paint.

12. SAND AND PRIME WOODWORK

I knew about the sanding part. The purpose of sanding stuff like skirtings and architraves (door frames) is that it creates a ‘key’ which basically means it roughs up the surface enough for the new paint or primer to stick to. If you just paint new paint over old it won’t stick properly, the minute it gets knocked it will just chip or flake right off. So it looks fine for a while until you ram it with the hoover.

The bit I didn’t know about is that you should prime after sanding before you apply your paint. The primer is formulated so that the paint adheres really well to it, to again protect against knocks.

So the steps are:

Sand with 120 grit sandpaper, any lower and you will scratch the woodwork that will show through the paint. You just need to take the sheen off.

Apply one coat of water-based primer/undercoat.

Then apply your two coats at least (of eggshell or gloss).

Time will tell if all my effort pays off. I’ll keep you posted!

13. ZINSSER BIN IT

This is literally a magic product. It’s for lazy people who are just not willing to go through the steps above. Or for really minging, filthy, stained areas that need covering up before you paint. No prep is required. Just whack this stuff on and it will cover up any stain (allegedly). I used it on my stairs because they had never been painted and are pine, so I used it to seal the knots and stop any staining coming through. Again time will tell if it really does what is says on the tin but all the professionals swear by it. My top tip is to work really, really fast as you apply it. It dries so quickly that you will create dragging and curling with your brush if you go over it once it’s started to dry. And it dries in seconds.

14.  FROG TAPE WORKS A DREAM

If you are masking off floors you want to protect when painting skirtings then spend the money and use frog tape. It is well worth the money. I painted a really dark colour on a skirting in a room with a really pale floor and the result was flawless thanks to this product.

15. DON’T SKIMP ON DRYING TIMES

As tempting as it is, don’t apply another coat before the recommended drying times. Particularly on woodwork. The paint may feel touch dry but it needs to start to harden. If you slap on another coat before it’s properly dry it’s not going to go on very smoothly and you are going to get a shit finish. So consider yourself warned.

I know these may seem pretty basic but honestly, painting is pretty basic if you don’t rush and have the right tools for the job. And remember what I said at the top of the blog. It’s the desire to do a great job that will get you the best result.

So take my lead and always do your painting and decorating yourself. Not only will it look better you will also get the biggest sense of achievement and feel more emotionally invested in your home.

Join the conversation by sharing your top tips in the comments below.

And if you would like any help with any interior projects then get in touch. I offer my design services across Southampton and Hampshire and would love to help you 🙂

Sarah x