Decorating - do you sometimes think you are too old to do this stuff!

If I got down on my knees to do the skirtings I might not get up without help.
Age does have some advantages, then!

Kali2 When I have to get down on my knees to do the skirtings I use those padded knee things (don't know that they are actually called!) that strap around your knees, intended for gardening but excellent for any time you have to kneel on the floor. Although a cushion is useful when you have to lie down to see underneath radiators and get into corners.

I'm with maw's dad. We have lots of really good 'professional' workmen that we use.

We also live in a house with not a single straight line so feel it is best to let someone who knows what they are doing get on with the job.

Each to their own - people don't fill their own teeth do they?

I've just given up on my living room update, and got a man to do it.
He isnt much good, but he's cheap.

I do most of the decorating, OH helps with heavy lifting and ceilings. I'm retired now so have the time. We had someone in to paint the bathroom after it was refitted it last year and in all honesty his work was no better than mine - in fact my wood work is much better. I enjoy doing most of it and get a lot of satisfaction from the improvements but it is definitely harder now I'm older. I've invested in some battery powered sanders to reduce the amount of muscle power required.

We hire electricians, plumbers, roofers, fencers and plasterers and get any major work done by others but don't have the spare cash to pay someone to do every job that needs doing.

It can be quite easy in a modern house- not so in a very old house not decorated for decades and with not a straight line in sight.

A friend was recently quoted £1200 to do the hall stairs and landing (materials extra), which I was quite shocked at. We're out in the sticks, so heaven knows how much it must be in London!
Oh, I might be wielding a paintbrush after all!

Auntieflo

*Kali2*, why are you sanding after all the painting, and not before?

I have sanded all the top and ceiling (wood) and doors and windows, but have to do the skirtings now. A young friend came to give me a hand with the ceiling, but could only come yesterday and today- and run out of time.

But you are totally right of course.

We mostly do our own (DH and I share it). Have you noticed though, that we seem to be the DIY generation?
We have helped DC decorate their houses and several of our friends have too. When we aren't around to help they get professionals in - something we would never have dreamed of when we were younger!
A friend was recently quoted £1200 to do the hall stairs and landing (materials extra), which I was quite shocked at. We're out in the sticks, so heaven knows how much it must be in London!

We used to do our own decorating , we couldn’t afford to have someone in. We always hated it.
Now we get a professional in and instead of a week or two , it takes a day or two.
Fortunately DH enjoys most other DIY and is a competent plumber and he put in our new central heating including the boiler. We had it checked and passed by Gas Safe.

Kali2, why are you sanding after all the painting, and not before?

MerylStreep

I do all the decorating because I enjoy it ?
People keep mentioning ladders. Do you not use a platform for ceilings and the ‘top’ of walls?

Added to which I hate doing it

I used to be the preparer but gave myself RSI rubbing down all the paintwork so vowed never to do it again.
We do know a couple of painters and decorators who are excellent.
We refitted the bathroom last time it was done including all the tiling but would get someone in now.

Added to which my balance isn't great now and I am rather a messy painter so no, we get someone in.

I helped move some very heavy furniture a couple of times over the last year, Kali2 and don't think my back has been the same since. However, I may be older than you; be careful.
Are your ceilings very high too?

My DH does our decorating im his cleaner upper. He is good but he never tidies up after . I strip the walls though . I can decorate but he is a bit of an enabler in a nice way. I just let him get on with it. Im more the chucker out-er of stuff.

I used to do the wallpapering and DH painted.
Now I need a lay down at the thought of it.

If it is something we can do ourselves then we always do. Never touch gas. Yes it is often hard work and you sometimes wonder why did we start it! But if you do it yourself the job is done right and as you want it doing.

Yes, OH helped clear the bedroom, so just have an ancient very heavy chest in there and bed frame - double that pulls apart as singles. Got a student to help me yesterday and today- we worked well together- fortunately she is very tall.

I can hardly move now - and OH is cooking dinner.
Tomorrow will be very hard as I will have to get down to floor and shuffle around to sand skirtings. Rest on Sunday then student coming again at 10 on Monday. Hopefull will have it all finished by Tuesday. Then renting sander for the parquet and matt varnishing- and then .... putting all furniture back in! Then NO decorating until mid September.

Only had professional in once- nice chap, but honestly, preparation and finish never up to my standards. At least if I mess up, I know I am to blame and I haven't paid a fortune for it.

Hetty58

I used to clear a room, then clean and redecorate it, all in a day or two.

Now, no stamina, restricted movement, aches and pains, loss of balance (plus back, knee and shoulder problems) demand an entirely different approach.

Bit by bit, little by little (like the song) - just one wall or section of ceiling at a time, one or two hours maximum - then a day off - and I get there in the end (takes a month or so).

Yes, with a cleared room it is a MUCH ncicer job.

I stripped paper and paint, dismantled built in wardrobes, took off tiles, plastered and painted my whole house before I moved in. An elderly man lived here before me and it was awful. His taste was truly vile. But it was LOVELY being able to decorate in bare rooms. SO much easier.

Now my DGS & his Mum live with me. When they leave, the whole thing will need doing again.

I used to love decorating and often did it myself.
Mainly painting, - I'm not brilliant at wall-papering.
But it's not so easy now I am ancient and have a bad back.
I might just do the kitchen cupboard doors in the autumn.

I used to love decorating. One Mother’s Day present from my ex was that he’d look after the children for the day while I decorated the bedroom. But I can’t do it now. I had a young lad that used to decorate for me. He had some sort of brush cleaning gadget which was wonderful as I always found cleaning the brushes afterwards the worst part of the job and I spent a fortune on brush cleaner and restorer. By the time he’d bought the paint etc cost price it hardly cost more to pay him to do the job than for me to do it myself.

I used to clear a room, then clean and redecorate it, all in a day or two.

Now, no stamina, restricted movement, aches and pains, loss of balance (plus back, knee and shoulder problems) demand an entirely different approach.

Bit by bit, little by little (like the song) - just one wall or section of ceiling at a time, one or two hours maximum - then a day off - and I get there in the end (takes a month or so).

Financial necessity I used to do ALL the decorating. In the laarge Edwardian Family house I decorated and renwed every part of it on several occasions. Even taught myself to tile the bathroom. Loved wallpapering - even managed to take down and completely rebuild an old lathe and plaster wall between two bedrooms many years ago. Only task I found beyond me was trying to lay a fitted carpet in a small bedroom.

Last time I tried to do the stairs well, I had a bad fall which was nearly very much worse, but still involved eight stitches in my leg. Never tried that again. Before I moved had a man come in to do that whole area - and it was a lovely professional job, far better than I could every hope to achieve.

Since here I have managed to paint the spare bedroom and one wall in my bedroom. Took me so long.....as I could only do it in very short bursts with long rests between these. Think that is all I will do now. Feel that in my 80's anything else will go to professionals.

As young marrieds, wanting to paint the sitting room in time for the christening of our first child, we discovered that we had completely opposite approaches - with a new baby I wanted everything out and back in three days, DH took a perfectionist approach with many breaks for coffee and a look at the paper and was prepared to spend his entire school summer holiday on the job.

We have never decorated since!

I used to do all the decorating: wallpaper, paint, curtains... OH moved the furniture for me. Then, the hall and landing needed to be done. I’m quite short and would have found it hard to reach everywhere! So we got a man and subsequently got him to do several other rooms. He is in fact coming on Monday to do the downstairs loo, which was last done about six years ago. I used to do all the gardening too, but now have a gardener. Ooh, and a cleaner. Surely it’s a good thing in these difficult times to provide work for others?

No, not a fan of wall paper anyway. I really prefer paint. And I'm not a fan of feature walls or another other twiddly features fortunately!

I DID have a rag rolling phase in the 1980s and rag rolled a whole room. I'd shudder to see that much 'texture' now.