Category: decorating

Even the most enthusiastic DIYer sometimes faces a decorating task that they wish they’d left to an expert. While many jobs can be attempted with limited skills, some more complicated decorating jobs should really be passed on to a professional with the right experience and tools if you want to be sure of a quality finish.

Let’s face it, if you’re having a bash at decorating your home, you don’t want the result to look shoddy! A lick of paint and a bit of sanding is easy enough, but there are some aspects of interior design that take years to get right. If you’re decorating without the right experience, you could end up being reminded of your poor workmanship every time you step into that room – and it won’t be long until you shell out for a pro to make good your mistakes, meaning you pay for the work twice in terms of time, materials and execution!

5 decorating jobs you should hand over to a pro

Here are the main decorating jobs that should be left in the hands of a professional unless you really know what you’re doing…

1. Patterned wallpaper – lots of people try their hand at wallpapering and the results are good enough, but there are certain circumstances where you’ll be glad of professional help. For example, if you’re covering a room or a feature wall in a paper with a complex pattern, you really don’t want it to become a feature for all the wrong reasons! Matching a pattern properly, and doing so without a lot of waste, is really difficult – but a pro decorator will ensure that the joins are faultless. Similarly, if your house is old and a bit on the wonky side, any type of patterned wallpaper can fast become a nightmare due to the walls not being square – an experienced eye may be the only way to keep the paper straight and looking neat and tidy.
2. Coving and ceilings – wallpaper and paste in your face or badly cut coving angles where the walls meet could leave your room looking more disaster than designer. Even if you do the walls and paintwork yourself, these jobs are generally better passed on and paid for. Your stress levels will thank you for that little extra investment!
3. Hall, stairs and landings – ok, so the hallway and landing may not be insurmountable, but scaling the dizzy heights and hard to reach places at the top of the stairs can be a real pain, not to mention dangerous. Unless you have Inspector Gadget arms, you’re never going to manage those extra long lengths of wallpaper, or even the painting if you want to ‘cut in’ professionally. Don’t be a dingbat – call in a pro with the right equipment to safely solve the problem. It’ll take half the time, and look twice as good, and you won’t have a worried other half freaking out about the obvious dangers.
4. Exterior painting – from the walls themselves, to panels, soffits, fascias and shutters, there are plenty of outdoor areas that need attention to keep your home’s exterior looking smart and shiny. However, much like the previous point, getting up that high, doing a good job and staying safe is not for the faint hearted. Many people find that they’re distracted by the safety aspect, and make silly mistakes, or splatter paint where it doesn’t belong. Don’t put yourself through this unless you have a genuine head for heights, a sturdy ladder and some experience of cleaning up, preparing and painting exteriors.

   

5. Tiling – yes, some people are perfectly capable of tiling a kitchen or bathroom and doing a good enough job, but the cost of time taken and mistakes made can soon tot up. A pro will get the job done much quicker, with a result that looks just perfect. Spacing, grouting and patterns will be exactly as they should be, and they’ll know where to start to get the most symmetrical and stylish finish.

These are definitely the main decorating jobs that we’d recommend hiring a professional for, but there are some other home improvement jobs that should NEVER be attempted yourself (unless qualified). The main one has to be anything to do with gas or boilers, closely followed by electrical works – and some more complicated plumbing jobs should be left to the experts too.

No matter how hard you try to avoid it when you’re sprucing up your home, decorating mistakes and accidents can happen. All is not lost though – you just need to know how to fix them!

As professional decorators, we know the processes and procedures to avoid the pitfalls of dodgy DIY. But if you’re going it alone, and you suffer a spill or a problem, here are our tips to fixing them quickly and effectively.

Our top tips for fixing decorating disasters!

Scrapes and gouges – been a little heavy handed with the wallpaper scraper? Don’t panic! Gouges and dents in the plaster can be easily fixed with some quick drying filler. Apply according to the instructions and then sand it down once dried to give you a smooth surface.

Colour me bad – if you’ve just applied a coat of paint and you’re not happy with the colour, first of all, you need to give it time! Bear in mind that the colour will change slightly once it dries. Also, when you’ve been staring at the same colour for hours, your perception can become a little skewed – so it’s worth waiting till the next day before you decide to cover it with a different colour. If you like the colour but find it’s still too dark after drying, you can always add some white paint to the pot and add another coat to lighten the effect.

Spilt paint – if it’s still wet, use some kitchen towel to soak up the excess. If it’s already dried, apply some warm water and a little washing up liquid with a cloth and let the paint soften – then gently scrape off the carpet with a palette knife. You may need to repeat the process a few times to get it all up. For hard surfaces, a credit card can remove the paint without damaging the surface, but be gentle! A little turpentine or white spirit can be used if the paint is a gloss rather than water-based.

Air bubbles – if you’ve hung some wallpaper and notice a bubble, you can fix it by making a small incision with a sharp blade, then gently smooth the air out from the sides before smoothing down with a cloth or seam roller. If there’s something trapped under the paper causing the bubble, a slightly larger X shaped cut will allow you to gently lift the paper and remove the offending article with some tweezers, before applying a little extra paste and smoothing it back down – always work from the outside in.

Lifted seams – this is usually caused by not using enough paste on the edges of the wallpaper when hanging. You can apply some extra paste using a thin, artist’s paintbrush, then smooth outwards with a damp cloth, before flattening the edge back down with a seam roller.

Torn paper – if you’ve torn a small piece of wallpaper as you’re trying to place it, you can often do a good enough repair by lifting either edge carefully, applying a small amount of additional paste and smoothing it back down. If it’s a bad tear, gently lift off the whole sheet while the paste is still wet, pulling on the direction away from the sheet next to it, then start again with a fresh sheet.

Measuring mishaps – if you’ve cut a piece of wallpaper too short, don’t throw it away! You’ll almost definitely have a requirement for a shorter piece somewhere in your room, such as above a doorway. Put it aside and use it elsewhere.

Of course if all else fails, you can always call in a professional decorator to help make good the mistake.

If you’re planning a decorating or DIY project, it’s a reasonable assumption to think that going it alone will be the cheaper option – but could hiring a professional decorator to do the job actually work out cheaper in the long run? As with many things, it can all depend on your objectives and individual circumstances…

Of course you may accuse us of being bias, but we’ve compiled some valid reasons why the professional touch may be gentler on your pocket.

5 ways a professional decorator could save you money

1. Cheaper products – while you can find plenty of bargains in DIY stores, if you’re a stickler for quality, you’ll probably want to be sure that your paint and other materials are pro-standard. You can still buy higher end products in the shops, but with what kind of mark-up? A professional decorator will have a trade account, sometimes working directly with manufacturers, which means lower prices – savings they can pass on to you. They’ll also insist on quality.
2. The cost of all the kit – if you’ve done plenty of DIY before, when the time comes get all the bits and piece out, you often find brushes and rollers that have deteriorated or hardened beyond repair, masking tape that’s almost finished and ladders that have seen better days. If you’re new to decorating, you’ll need to invest in all the peripherals before you even think about the paint and wallpaper! A professional decorator will already have everything required for any type of project, which could balance out other costs, especially when you consider the point above too.
3. Putting right mistakes – while it may be true that pretty much anyone can paint a wall, when you think about all the preparation such as stripping, sanding, masking off, caulking and the application, such as priming, sizing, glossing, emulsioning and wallpapering you start to realise just how much skill is involved – and if you don’t do things correctly, those mistakes can start costing you money. Additionally, there are plenty of bigger jobs and general planning that if badly done, can amount to more than just a few quid and a bit of extra time to put right. If you’re selling your home, a professional finish rather than a bodged DIY job can even add a bit more value to your home and make it more appealing to buyers.
4. Saving time – not all costs can be measured in cold hard cash, there’s the investment of your time to consider – and no matter what you’ve accounted for, you’ll often find that the job takes a lot longer than anticipated! If you’re decorating over the weekend but you’re still not finished on Sunday night, you’ll potentially be living in a mess for at least a week! Also, many people use up their precious holiday leave to do the work – but why take that hit when a professional can do it in half the time?!
5. Smarter solutions and advice – during the initial consultation visit, a good decorator will listen to your ideas and offer advice accordingly, often suggesting things that will reduce your costs without affecting the quality. They’ll have specialist equipment for more unusual or difficult jobs too, or simply to enable a much better finished result – which may be preferential to hiring or buying yourself.

Ultimately, whether you choose to hire a professional decorator or go the DIY route will often come down to your budget – but it’s certainly worth assessing the costs of both before you make a decision. Even if it does end up costing a little more overall, the reduction in stress and hassle, and the assurance of a perfect finish could be worth its weight in gold!

Planning on a spot of decorating and confused about the different types of interior paint on offer? We take a look at the different finishes available and explain when and where they’re best used.

One of the most common questions we hear when quoting for work or getting ready to start a job is ‘What type of paint should I use?’

While we’re happy to help our clients select their paint (and even purchase it for them), we thought that we’d give you the lowdown on interior paints, to help you make a decision if you’re going down the DIY route.

Matt/flat finish paint

This is one of the most common types of paint used for interior decorating. The matt finish doesn’t reflect light, so it can be a good option if your walls are slightly less than perfect, as it won’t show those little lumps, bumps and cracks as much as a light-reflecting paint. Used for walls or ceilings, it’s very easy to apply using a brush or roller, but you may need more than one coat – especially if you’re covering a darker colour with a lighter one. This type of paint is easily marked though, and while you may be able to remove some of these with a damp cloth, you’ll need to be prepared to retouch it occasionally to keep it looking fresh and clean.

Matt enamel

This is a more durable version of regular matt paint, so it’s a great option for kids’ rooms or kitchens. It’s easier to wipe down and remove marks and can be applied using a brush or a roller.

Satin finish

In terms of finish, satin paint sits somewhere between matt and gloss, resulting in a slight sheen. It offers greater coverage in terms of square footage compared to matt paint and is easy to clean – but if you’re painting the walls of an older house, be aware that it will show imperfections more readily. It can also be used on woodwork if you want to avoid the high-shine finish of a gloss.

Eggshell

An eggshell paint will give a subtle sheen but doesn’t have as smooth a finish as satin paint. It’s a good option if your walls are in very good condition but not quite perfect, and it generally only requires one good coat to get a nice even coverage.

Gloss

Gloss paint is very hardwearing and produces a very shiny finish. While you can use gloss on walls, it’s much better for use on woodwork because it’s more difficult to apply and generally needs more than one coat. It’s easy to clean – just use a rag or sponge with soapy water.

Kitchen and bathroom speciality paint

Kitchens, and especially bathrooms, can create a moisture-rich atmosphere, so these paints have been developed to help combat mould growth. They usually have a matt finish, although satin options are also available, and it’s easy to apply with a brush or roller and can cope with regular cleaning.

Floor paint

Another speciality paint, floor paint can be used on floorboards or concrete (make sure concrete has fully dried and cured before applying). They are generally solvent based, although you can get organic or water-based options – but these tend to be more expensive. You can find floor paints in a range of finishes; matt, satin or gloss. They’re very hardwearing, so they’re great for heavily trafficked floors.

Metal paints

These are suitable for both internal or external use and come in hammered, smooth or gloss finishes. They’re similar to gloss paints to apply, so take it smooth and steady. One great advantage of most metal paints is that you can apply it directly over rust if needed.

It’s important to note that depending on what you’re painting, you may need a primer or a ‘first coat’ paint to give a good base. It’s also with noting that if you’re concerned about the strong smell that can linger after paint application, there’s now an extensive range of low VOC paints available on the market.