How often do you decorate?

That's a good bargain Charleygirl. I'm getting my kitchen at cost price because my builder is a friend who's just setting up in business and I will give him lots of word-of-mouth recommendations if he does a good job. I'm confident he will because I've seen his own house!

As little as possible, I am alerts if to paint, hate it , I had my new home decorated before I moved in and it will not be done again whilst I live here

When we came here in'86 we put woodchip in DS2's bedroom and (probably) gave it a coat of white emulsion. He proceeded to cover the walls with posters, photos of dogs, motorbikes, cars, lady tennis players, bands etc. For the next twenty years or so. When he left home the posters came down and the room became our guest room. I painted over the woodchip with cheery yellow paint and it is a lovely room. I love woodchip; I know that is controversial but this is an old cottage with uneven walls and the woodchip is great in there.

Only buy new furniture every 5 to 6 years'

Main living area downstairs every 5 or 6 years. The DC bedrooms were done as they grew. One had a space theme for 10 years. They have been redecorated in neutral colours as the DC have left home.

Both bathrooms have been completely redone. They will see us out if we stay here or help to sell if we move. Cost quite a bit to do,

Our bedroom was last decorated in 1997......That's the next project. Followed by new kitchen.

Rubysong our bedroom is the last room in the house to have woodchip. I suspect it will be the first room the new owners decorate.

Our suite is 40 years old. It has been recovered and reconfigured a couple of times. We still have our 40 year old dining table which is in pieces in the garage and comes out when someone needs it.

We completely decorated our last house, over 2 years, prior to selling it. All in pale neutral colours.
We decorated the study in the new house, as it had been the son's bedroom, navy blue with yellow paintwork. Surprisingly we preferred white! We also toned down a red and white feature wall, in the dining room with a subtle pale green pattern.
I think that's enough for a few years!

We've been in our house for 3 years and have completely redecorated apart from bathrooms. They're both tiled floor to ceiling and whilst the tiles are not our choice they have been beautifully fitted. Abs straight and even grouting lines! It seems a shame to take them off or panel over although we are considering this for the ensuite. Had summer house done last year as we converted it to DH's office.

When I can no longer stand looking at it!

Gutted and redecorated our lounge two years ago after 23 years. Had new ceiling, log burner installed, all new plaster, new wooden floor and new sofas. It cost a small fortune so never want to decorate again. DH does most of the work but can't stand the upheaval. Dining room and son's old bedroom need doing now but can't bear the thought.

Generally on election night - I find that shouting at the telly really speeds up painting

I don't believe it paddyann, "only buy new furniture every 6-7 years"!!! . You must be loaded!
we only replace stuff as it wears out - the house never looks shabby but 'lived-in' . hate the present chalk paints that were in the house when we moved in 4 years ago. they show up every fingerprint and child having dragged its hands along the wall, and can't be washed either... Hoping to repaint where these horrible paints are with good plastic emulsions. unfortunately, at the moment we are dealing with subsidence issues, so need to wait until all that is done before bothering. and for once, we shall employ someone else to do the job!!!

Gosh this is lovely, enlightening and a pet theme of mine. I am midstream in my 'project' of doing the house from top to bottom room by room. Just finished No 5 until yesterday when I noticed I hadn't replaced the curtains. Dilemma.....I don't dislike the present ones but they don't REALLY match and it seems a shame not to complete the room in question. Mmmmmmm. Downside is how much I hate making the selection. Ugh! Was on to room 6 (paintwork all prepared an half of it already glossed) when I noticed this. Handyman arriving tomorrow to do the ceiling and then when I finish the gloss a decorator will do the walls (paper stumbled upon quite by accident when I was looking for something else. Hallelujah!). Then carpet - another pain but narrowed by wallpaper colours and this time I may even notice the curtains! Should say this was last done 20 years ago. Nothing as awful as you may think (I'm not a messy liver) but everywhere was just plain tired. Just as you all may now be from reading this.........!

I read once that you need to do two rooms a year (aaggh!) The average three bedroom house with bathroom, dining and living room, kitchen and hallway has eight areas to do, and will therefore get redecorated every four years. You might add to that a downstairs cloakroom if you have one and a utility room, which then means it's every five years for each room. I wanted to lay down in a darkened room when I read that . Our house needs a complete redo right now - that won't be happening!

I read once that that it is most common for people to 'do over' rooms every seven years and when I moved into my present house I found four layers of wallpaper which equated to the 28 years' occupation of the former owners.

We do rooms receiving more frequent traffic about every seven or eight years and spare rooms a bit less frequently.

Often I do a quick makeover where I will paint the window sills or tops of the skirtings and cover any marks and scratches with paint. This usually produces a very good effect and puts off a major makeover for another year. I have to paint my bathroom window sills every four months because of condensation and mould.

Also, it is easier sometimes to paint, e.g., skirtings, than wash them. This new water based paint dries in a an hour and it looks fabulous.

That said, I love a major decorating project!

The house was completely redecorated when we moved in 7 years ago and is starting to look a bit tired now. Needs a good coat of looking at first...hmm.

Paddyann, what on earth do you do with your furniture, that it needs replacing so frequently? We bought our dining room furniture, G plan, sideboard ( they are back in fashion) table and chairs, in 1961, just before we married. At the same time we bought a triple G plan wardrobe. All still in very good condition. The chairs were reupholstered a few years ago. Our two cream leather sofas are now 14 years old, and so comfy.
It costs a fortune to replace and renew, so ours are staying, at the moment.

Our lovely painter is out in the kitchen painting away now.

Well done Auntyflo. That was our attitude when we got married - buy quality items to last. We didn't succeed though as a lot of our stuff was secondhand and did wear out. I thinker had been married 30 years when the last of the secondhand stuff went.

I love doing a makeover but it has to be budget.
Have enjoyed doing my apartment this past year, but it'll have to last a while. Getting up and down off chairs and step ladders becoming more and more of a challenge. I've always gone for painted walls but have tried a William Morris wallpaper on one wall here. Not sure I like it but it'll have to last. An aim would be to repaint every 6 - 7 years or earlier if getting shabby. Replaced some furniture 6 years ago after making do for 24 years! Then had to sell some of it because this apartment has fitted wardrobes, and the lovely table and chairs were too big. Weep! Have had my sofa though for a long time (14 years?) - . It's shabby chic with removable covers that can be washed and came with a spare pair.

I gave up redecorating when I was eighty, thirteen years ago. I had emulsioned the walls so my help just washes them down. Some of my furniture belonged to my mother, some G plan from the fifties. My kitchen is the original one from when the bungalow was built. A posh kitchen doesn't make a poor cook a better one. Ihave better things to do rather than look at the walls and furniture. I did buy a recliner chair two years ago.

I moved 2 years ago & haven't got round to decorating yet. I need help from my family or pay local odd job man to do it. It's all primrose yellow apart from kitchen which is magnolia.

I have wallpaper for my bedroom, problem is moving the furniture. I have a wet room so no decorating needed. Kitchen is small but does need a freshen up. Lounge/Diner is a big room with 6 windows so not a lot of wall, Anaglypta & emulsion, problem is deciding on colour. Hallway needs brightening up. I have paint ready but....

I already have new blinds for kitchen & bedroom, waiting to be put up (Christmas presents at my request). Will need new curtain poles & curtains, I know what I want but it will take me ages to find it

I've just has my staircase and landings painted, same old magnolia, I love that colour. Last time it was done was when I moved in 27 years ago !!

Blimey !I though some people were a bit OTT but ...
We have been in our house 29 years. I painted the dining room as soon as we moved in as it was a horrible mushroom colour but the rest of the house had been freshly painted white anaglypta everywhere. Except the bathroom and loo which were papered (!)
We were too poor to do anything for years except replace the main bedroom carpet which was that sculptured stuff and made DH sneeze
16 years ago we had the sitting room papered and recarpeted and a new suite -to replace the one from DH first marrriage which I'd lived with for nearly 20years.(said new suite ,from a household name shop, faded really badly so we replaced it 6years ago )
Did dining room -paper and matching curtains and blinds -15 years ago Repapered-a bugger to get paper which matched the soft furnishings-when we converted it to a study 6 years ago
Hall etc 14 years ago ( scheduled for later this year Complete revamp)
New bathroom and loo 16 years ago. I repainted the non -tiled bit the same colour earlier this year and bought new towels .
New kitchen 15 years ago -a lot of building work so not high end .Also scheduled for replacement this year .Had wooden floor all downstairs except lounge.
Our bedroom .New built in wardrobes 9years ago .Repapered and new curtains Kept the carpet though New bedlinen this year
Other three bedrooms done 7,6 and 5 years ago .Just repainting when children left homeAnd new carpet in one room
But I no longer enjoy the 'faff'of deciding on colours etc and feel weak at the thought of doing the sitting room (four huge bookcases to empty and move)which will look very shabby when the hall is done ..
And we havent done complete revamps anywhere after the initial decoration .Just a bit of freshening up .