Decorating for dummies – a basic guide to painting your rooms
If you have just moved into a new home, then we bet you are faced with some painting and decorating dilemmas. The following guide contains great tips for when it comes to performing the involved decorating and painting work.
Just a few months ago I moved into my first ever own self flat and, of course, I had incredibly high hopes. My flat is in a big old Victorian building and, when viewing it, I got shown around in about five seconds flat and, to make matters worse, none of the lights worked so I couldn’t get a good idea of how anything actually looked – not really the best start! But I was desperate though and wanted to break into the market of new homes, so I snapped it up instantly.
It wasn’t until I actually moved in that I realised how drab everything looked – ancient net curtains, miserable mauve coating the wall and mismatched cheap furniture. Obviously, I made the decision to decorate pretty early on, but the fact that I had absolutely no idea how to decorate never really crossed my mind until I was fighting with reams of wallpaper and splotching paint all over the place.
If you’ve just decided to redecorate and you’re a newbie, don’t worry too much. It isn’t actually as daunting as it might all seem when you’re standing in the paint aisle staring at a million and one different paint colours. My folks actually gave me a list of decorating do’s and don’ts before you set to on any of the work, so for your benefit, I’ll share it with you:
Choose your paint colours wisely
The colours you choose to decorate your home with are incredibly important. Get them too dark and you’ll feel like you’re living in a cave; too bright and it’ll look like a children’s play centre or those insufferable ‘modern’ environments (you know the ones – where everything, even the coasters are white).
Grab yourself one of those paint swatches with examples of all the different paint colours available from any good paint shop and take it home with you. The samples are teensy tiny, but you’ll be able to get an idea of the colours you like. If the rooms in your house are quite small, don’t go for dark colours as this will only serve to shrink the perceptions of space in the room. Light and bright colours are always better and compliment a feature wall design perfectly.
Spend time choosing your paints - don’t rush out to the shops and grab the first tin of paint you set eyes on. If you’re as indecisive as I am, it’s a good idea to grab a small sample can and do a few test brushes to get a feel for the colour.
Matt or gloss?
One of the biggest issues I faced with paint buying was whether I should use matt or gloss paint. If your walls have any defects, like lumps, bumps, or cracks; DO NOT use gloss paint because it’ll show up every single imperfection! It looks great on smooth walls though, so if you’re looking into new build houses it’d be ideal. However, matt paint applies well, particularly when painted on a good undercoat and helps to emphasise the colour of the paint.
How do I get it on the walls?
Okay, this sounds silly, but this is one of the things I didn’t think about. I went to the pound shop and bought myself a cheapo roller and some paint brushes, and as soon as I started painting, the bristles in the brushes began to shed into the paint and the roller decided to stop rolling!
As with any home decorating, invest in some good quality painting tools – you’re bound to need them in the future anyway! A paint tray will also prove vital, as will some painting cloths that you can lay out on the floor and furniture to protect them.
And then there was my biggest mistake – I didn’t buy a ladder! Sadly, I’m not 10 foot tall, so that was another shop visit. Also, always use masking tape to protect your skirting boards and ceilings as you’re painting – something I learnt from the glut of home decorating shows plaguing television in the 90s.
Although it might seem a trivial thing, choosing the right paint is vital to improving your home, particularly if you’re the house-proud sort – so there’s little point opting for the budget range, and of course, ensure that you’re completely prepared. You do get some strange looks when you go back wandering into a DIY shop you’ve already been too, covered in paint!
Decorate one room at a time
It can be easy to become overwhelmed by the thought of decorating an entire house, so make life easier for yourself and focus on one room at a time. It’s completely up to you which order you choose to decorate your house in. Personally, I think it makes more sense to focus on the rooms which you’ll use the most, such as living room, kitchen, bathroom and your bedroom first. Then you can focus on any spare rooms afterwards. You may however decide to tackle the room which needs the most work, first. Or, how about starting with the easier rooms to give you practise for when you come on to the rooms which will require more work? Like I said, it really is up to you.
Use accessories to add colour and style
Rather than picking out expensive wallpaper and struggling to put it up in a straight line, simply paint all of the walls white – this paint colour is often the cheapest – and then buy cheap and brightly coloured accessories to add a sense of style and inject your own personality into the room. Look out for candles, cushion covers, mats, chairs, and vases.
Mirrors are your new best friend
Looking for a way to open up the room and make it feel really spacious and bright Invest in plenty of mirrors. They will reflect the light which in turn will give the room a really light and bright feel. What’s more, they’ll make the room look huge, which can be handy if your house is fairly small.
Save on second-hand furniture; spend on white goods
Furniture is the area where you can really save some money. Ask your friends and family if they would be willing to donate a table, some chairs, or a sofa. Often you’ll find that people have plenty of these items lying around and they don’t often use them. It can give you a great head start and keep you going until you can find the money to buy your own. Check in charity shops too to pick up a bargain. Spend a little more on white goods to ensure that your house is future proof. Things can still go wrong but at least you’re likely to be covered under warranty, so there’s no need to always shell out for a new washing machine.
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