Finishing Decorating Work in Bedroom

[Terry34673]

I decorated my bedroom about 2 years ago, but haven't had time to finish the job until now, partly through not having the knowledge about how to do it to a high standard. I am interested in a really nice finish. Please can you give me advice about how to do this and what materials I will need? I am worried that even if I buy exactly the same colour paint as I used before, it may be come out a different shade as fading might have occured over the 2 years.


Here is a video of the bedroom : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBK9ofN5fQY

These are the problem areas :

1. Two new electric sockets / faceplates ; the wall around them is a mess where re-plastering and painting has taken place. I have spare sockets that I can replace them with if required.

2. Two areas in the wall where electric wires going into the loft have been chased in. My girlfreind insisted on painting over one of them herself, not sure if this will make things harder for me. Also, the other one is in an alcove corner which again seems quite tricky to deal with.

3. Area where the skirting board meets the wall ; this is really messy in places.

4. Some patches on the wall and ceiling are a different colour where new plaster is showing through.

5. Ceiling area in alcove was replastered ; not sure how to get clean finish / line between wall & ceiling here.

6. Window frame quite messy, especially in corner where attempts were made to fit a blind.


My plan was to do this decorating work, then fit a new laminate wood effect floor tightly sealed to the skirting board with those little bits of beading / wood to create an airtight seal between floor and skirting board as I have seen what is under the floorboards ; basically over 100 years of dust and muck which I really don't circulating into the air. Might need boarding beforehand as floorboards are currently a bit uneven. Then to fit a nice new solid door with new lock and handle. Does this sound like a good plan or would I be doing things in the wrong order ?

Also, currently the rooms have a constant gluey / woody / varnishy smell, especially in the summer when they are warm ; any idea what might be causing that? I don't think its any of the furniture. Currently my main suspicion is the glue they used to fit the carpet, even though that was about 2 years ago now.

Thanks for any help.

 

[emilybronte]

Thank you for posting the video, that was really helpful.

Tbh, the skills you need in order to rectify the problems your electrican has created and achieve a perfect finish, are not ones possessed by most DIYers. To get the plaster on the walls looking acceptable will involve a fair bit of sanding and the careful use of a filler such as Toupret Fine Filler, more sanding, mistcoating then emulsioning. You'll need a palm sander and a variety of sanding sheets for it, from medium to coarse. Apply the filler to all the holes, cracks and irregular bits, allow to dry, sand down and repeat if needed until a smooth surface is achieved. Then undercoat and paint. You could even ask a plasterer how much he'd charge to patch plaster the areas in question. A couple of hour's work at most, and he would be able to get a near perfect finish for you.

To repair the woodwork (window frame, tops of skirting etc), you'll need some two part filler (e.g. Ronseal) and a lot of patience. Apply the filler to all the rough patches, holes, cracks and irregular bits, allow to dry, sand down and repeat if needed until a smooth surface is achieved. Then mist coat and paint.

What's making the emulsion look messy is the previous decorator's inability to cut in neatly. This takes practice, but is best achieved with a wide brush (at least 3") and a steady hand, drawing the paint across on the tips of the bristles, holding the brush horizontally with your eyes level with the line (or as near to level with it as possible).

I would definitely get fresh emulsion - it's not a huge room and it will look so much better for it. Areas where colour is patchy - just keep painting more coats on and it will cover eventually! I do recommend that you use a decent make of paint though - it will look better (more solid) and only take two coats to cover properly. Try Dulux Trade matt vinyl emulsion rather than the drippy retail sort- you would probably only need 2.5 litres for the walls of that room, 5 litres at most. 2.5 litres of contract white for the ceiling?

The smell - don't know, could be cheap carpet, but is there a lot of chipboard or particleboard in the room?