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Do It Yourself Decorating Tips

DIY decorating can be great fun and really makes a huge difference to your home. DIY decorating allows people to express their personality and taste. Preparation is very important. When preparing to decorate a room, first remove any items that are movable such as rugs, pictures or ornaments. Move the furniture together in the centre of the room and cover with dustsheets. For decorating the floor, remove the furniture altogether.

To prepare walls for decoration, wash old paintwork with sugar soap and hot water. This will remove the shine from gloss paintwork, giving a textured surface for repainting. Another option is to use fine sandpaper lightly on the surface. So long as wallpaper is not peeling away from the walls, it may be possible to paint over it. To remove old wallpaper, score the surface with a wallpaper scraper, and soak the paper with hot, soapy water. Use a steam stripper to remove wallpaper. Wear protective clothing (long gloves and long-sleeved top) though to avoid being burnt. Surfaces for painting or papering need to be flat with no cracks or bumps so you may need to use filler to fill in any holes or cracks, and to sand down uneven patches. Walls which crumble when you strip the wallpaper may need re-plastering. Use plastic bags fastened with elastic bands to protect light fittings from paint drips. Use masking tape to protect glass and other edges. Turn off electricity and unscrew light switch fittings to allow paper to be stripped from behind them. Old paint and wood finishes can be stripped using a blowlamp or a hot-air gun which melts the paint so it can be scraped off. Test pre-1960s paintwork for lead before using a hot-air gun.

Common options for decorating walls are wallpaper or paint. Using lining paper before decorating can hide superficial imperfections in the wall and give a smooth surface for wallpapering or painting. Painting is a popular choice of wall decoration and there are various techniques for patterns and a more textured look. Be careful to cover up the floor and use masking tape on skirting boards to protect from drips. When selecting wallpaper, bear in mind that plain paper is easier for beginners as they won't have to try and match up the pattern at the edges. Likewise heavier wallpaper is easier to hang. Textured or embossed wallpaper helps cover up slightly uneven walls.

A popular and cheap option for flooring is to sand down existing floorboards and apply some sort of finish. This looks particularly good in older properties. The cost of hiring a sander and the final finish is cheaper than carpet. The floor boards can be finished with varnish, paint, stain or oil to provide a beautiful, hard-wearing floor. Carpets are better at keeping the heat in during the winter. Linoleum, vinyl tiles or quarry tiles are good choices for bathrooms and kitchens as they are easier to clean and more hygienic.

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