Decorating Checklist

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Decorating a room: where do I start?

The first rule of decorating – and all home maintenance or improvements really – is be prepared! Planning exactly what you need for your decorating job makes life much easier.

How much paint or wallpaper do I need?

Whether you’re going to decorate with wallpaper or paint, you’ll need to work out exactly how much of either will cover the walls. When painting, it might seem more cost effective to opt for cheaper paint, but you might need more coats than you would if you went for more expensive paint – this will double up how much paint you’ll need. Alternatively, with wallpaper you might need to order an extra roll or two to allow for errors and awkward areas.

Measuring walls and ceilings for painting

If you’ve measured already, measure again. It’s easy to think the measurement is correct, only to mistake an incorrect number if notes are written in a hurry. If you’re not sure how to measure walls for painting, follow these steps:

1. Measure the height and the width of each wall, then multiply the two figures together. This will give you your area in square meters (or square feet if that’s what you would prefer to use). Write down the result for each different wall as you go.

2. Measure the height and width of windows and doors. Also record these square meters or feet.

3. Subtract the figure of the windows and doors from the amount of wall space.

4. Check paint wall coverage on the paint brand’s, or retailer’s, website to see how much paint you’ll need.

5. Plan for at least two coats and some extra paint left over for touching up and finishing.

Measuring walls for wallpapering

When measuring walls for wallpapering, the process is pretty much the same. The only difference is working out the amount of rolls you need. Because wallpaper has the amount of square meters listed, it’s fairly easy to work out. Like painting, having some excess is a good idea, so if you can, plan to have an extra roll just in case of mistakes.

What tools and accessories do I need for decorating?

Decorating can require a lot of planning and some investment, and there are a lot of products on the market that you can use – it's easy to lose track of the essentials. That’s why we’ve put together this list of ‘must haves’ to get you prepared, as well as tools and accessories for specific painting and wallpapering jobs.

What are the best painting accessories?

When asked, “what’s better, brushes or rollers?” the answer is you need both for a complete job. Paint rollers are great for covering large areas evenly, while smaller paint brushes can help you cover tricky and awkward areas.

Removing wallpaper and putting up wallpaper

Wallpapering can be a little more complicated than painting, but the varieties of pattern can make all the difference to a room. By having these essentials in your wallpapering kit, you’ll be off to a great start, for both stripping wallpaper and applying it.

If you’ve found this helpful, we have more advice and inspiration for you at Trade Corner. Find out more about home and garden care and maintenance from our useful guides.

Disclaimer: The information contained on this page is intended as an overall introduction and is not intended as specific advice from a qualified professional. Travis Perkins aims to avoid, but accepts no liability, in the case that any information stated is out of date.