Decorating & DIY on a budget advice, please!

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I took some photos of what we're dealing with, but I'm pretty ashamed to show them... it looks so much worse when seen through photographs than when you've lived with it. Dad used to always have a DIY or decorating job on the go when he was younger, and while he made some lovely and useful things, like the 12 by 18 foot pond, and made all the garden fencing himself - he wasn't skilled at indoor DIY and decorating, love him! His enthusiasm and work ethic was strong, but not so talented with picking paint colours or doing the right prep, and a lot of sloppy finishes.


I used to help, way back when, but they were elderly, collected a lot of furniture and things - not hoarders, but as with many elderly people of their post war rationing generation, there's a lot of stuff - furniture, knick knacks, things stored away in case they're needed... and it's a big job to sort through what's useful, sentimental, can be donated, or should be binned. Mum and dad both big readers so lots of books - I'm keeping some, but want to donate a lot that I know we'll never read, but closest charity shops aren't accepting books at the moment. But donated tons of records, CD's, DVDs, and binned a lot of videotapes that they'd insisted on keeping. I packed away a lot of knick knacks, donated a lot, and need to clean, pack and store others carefully away, because I've already broken two ornaments that meant a lot to mum and dad while trying to clean and move things around.

 

[Naughts]

Good work with the sorting and decluttering!

It sounds like you will need a primer to prevent the mould reappearing once for have cleaned it, for example Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3.
There are phone apps to 'sell' books, the company will pay a few pence and collect the books from your home. WeBuyBooks or Ziffit etc.

For decorating ensure you have everything you need, and in sufficient quantities, before you start. Otherwise you get slowed down by trips to the shops. I simply open the windows to air dry the paint, I hoover and wipe down after sanding so there isn't any dust floating around. I decorated last week when it was about 17 degrees so I could leave the window open for 16 hours each day. Maybe wait for a mild spell?

If you have any old sheets, curtains (shower ones are handy) or towels use them to cover the floors and furnishings whilst decorating. I much prefer rollers for emulsion as 3 or 4 thin coats leaves a more professional finish than brushing, and is also quick to apply. I like using lino offcuts or floor tiles to protect the flooring when painting skirting.

 

[Myrkk]

Just a thought, but we were stuck for time in one room in our old house and used the wall emulsion to do the skirting boards rather than gloss them. End product looked very good (even if I do say so myself). If it's not a high traffic area i.e. lots of stuff against the skirting boards so they are not getting hit with brooms/vaccums regularly then this may be an option. Then you could do the stuff that needs glossing in the summer when it will dry faster.

One of the big issues at this time of year is the weather, cold n wet, makes gloss a mare.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Good work with the sorting and decluttering!

Thank you! It's a long, hard, sometimes emotional process, so it feels really slow going, but we're definitely making steps in the right direction! There's just so much stuff - going to arrange for the British heart collection to come and collect like six pieces, but emptying, sorting and cleaning them first, plus figuring out where to put the contents, and no car to load up and take a load of stuff at once, it creates the kind of semi-organised chaos. Especially when my scatter brain is attempting to do ten projects at once.

Like, the master bedroom has three large wardrobes. They each had a double wardrobe that I haven't emptied yet - too painful, both packed with clothes and other stuff - and a third ugly 70s wardrobe that was used to store towels, bathmats and things.

It's a big room, but it's a lot of large furniture, plus smaller old cabinets/TV stand/vanity case and chests of drawers, stuff like that. Need to get the charity to collect several pieces to make some space!

I have an antique Edwardian solid wood wardrobe downstairs I bought for less than the cost of an Ikea wardrobe, and will move to master bedroom when I can - so I don't need or want any of the ones in the master bedroom, but brother might want one of them since his is apparently falling apart and unused... told him to pick which one he wants and make space for it in his room(s). He hasn't yet.

It sounds like you will need a primer to prevent the mould reappearing once for have cleaned it, for example Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3.

That's a really good idea... I don't want to get hyperfocused and have my OCD traits kick in, since really, I want to strip it right back, steam and scrape the glued patches, sand away as much of the old paint as possible, since just painting over it means the mould will only return again. I think it's deep into the plaster in some rooms.

I think the main problem was for decades, dad refused to use the central heating. Hadn't used the two gas fires downstairs recently, would also cook while drinking, leave things cooking and steaming up the kitchen and living room for ages - condensation from boiling pots of veg and potatoes with no vent or windows opened, so frequently the kitchen and living room would be streamed up with condensation dripping down the walls and windows, not ventilated or heated often (elderly people feel the cold more and tend to hate drafts) so beyond letting the dogs and cats in out of the door, they rarely opened windows. So perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould.

They did get the boiler replaced and begin using central heating maybe five or six years ago? Helps, and I like to open windows and let fresh air in when weather allows, and when cooking and it's smoky or steamy, I'll shut the door between living room and kitchen and open the back door and/or window. So hopefully with a good clean, steamer, scraping, scrubbing with wire brush and sandpaper etc, dusted down and cleaned, it won't be too bad to repaint.

Wish I had a better colour though. Despite windows on either side, room tends to be dark, so lighter colours for walls seems like the way to go, maybe with other accent colours. I'm not sure what's trendy now or will work in that room, but even if we prep the walls and woodwork and use the old plain brilliant white we have on ceiling and above picture rail, then the duckegg blue I have left over from when I decorated my flat - then it'll still look better than it does right now!

When I talked it over with bro today, we were trying to remember/work out the last time it was decorated. More than a decade, I think closer to 15 years maybe. Bro mentioned that the last time dad did it (I wasn't living here then) that some of the picture rail came off and he had to replace it, and did we even need to keep the picture rail, or should we remove it? I think I'd rather keep it, but I guess we'll see how it handles being sanded down.

Hopefully sanding it right back, ventilating and properly heating the house, and using that blocking primer, will keep the mould at bay.

There are phone apps to 'sell' books, the company will pay a few pence and collect the books from your home. WeBuyBooks or Ziffit etc.

Awesome suggestion, thank you for that!! I've bagged some up by type, so will check those out!

For decorating ensure you have everything you need, and in sufficient quantities, before you start. Otherwise you get slowed down by trips to the shops.

Very true. luckily I just found my toolbox and decorating stuff I bought back from the flat, and has a lot of the stuff we need, except for the dustmasks.

But always bound to forget something! Just gonna have to not stress about it and be patient...

If you have any old sheets, curtains (shower ones are handy) or towels use them to cover the floors and furnishings whilst decorating. I much prefer rollers for emulsion as 3 or 4 thin coats leaves a more professional finish than brushing, and is also quick to apply. I like using lino offcuts or floor tiles to protect the flooring when painting skirting.

The bonus to pack rat parents of their generation is the tendency to save rags, old sheets and bedding that are too old, thin, stained or damaged to donate, but make excellent dust and decorating cloths! I used a shower curtain underneath my tanks too to protect the stand from water drops. So no worries about drop cloths and sheets, although to be fair, most of the flooring is ruined anyway, and we will have to live with it for now, or sand down to floorboards like in the master bedroom.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

most of the flooring is ruined anyway, and we will have to live with it for now, or sand down to floorboards like in the master bedroom.

The good news is that the master bedroom does have the original floorboards! Dad had glued carpet tiles on the floor rather than buying another proper carpet; But I peeled a couple of them up, and original floorboards underneath.

I wasn't kidding when I said the house was in a bad state. Ashamed and embarrassed even though none of this was my choice.. this is after moving furniture that hadn't been moved in decades, and after cleaning really hard.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

So much to sort and clean, declutter and having some furniture collected next week.

That room doesn't get a lot of light, and I don't know what colours choose, and can't spend too much on paint. But sure you can now see why I want to really scrape, steam, sand and prep the walls and paint before adding huge fish cabinet and tanks.

I'd like either a light, nature, garden feeling theme, or tropical hints because the room houses the birds, fish and houseplants, so was thinking maybe a light minty green, yellow, or pale blue. But I'm not confident in my taste

 

[MattW]

You shouldn’t be ashamed at all. In fact I see a boat load of potential for that room. Your plan of prepping the walls and redecorating sounds like a perfect start IMO. In my room I went for white and a grey accent wall to help light the room up. Even with two velux windows the natural light levels were too low for my liking. The colours really helped for improving that. One thing I would suggest is looking at clearance sections of hardware stores. I’ve had quite good luck with Homebase for paint in the past. I got a 2.5L pot for £6 from £18 because of damage from delivery. A few others I would suggest Screwfix, Toolstation and wickes. In fact just had a look at wickes and they have a few on sale only problem is the offer ends Wednesday.

a side note that arm chair just gave me flash backs to my grandmas old house almost Identical

 

[Colin_T]

The canister filter won't suck fumes into the aquarium. If you have coverglass on the tank, that will also reduce the fumes that can get in. You can add some activated carbon to the filter while the room is being painted and that will make sure the fish don't get poisoned from fumes.

Water based paints don't have the same fumes as oil/ turpentine based paints.

I would move the birds out of the room completely and put them somewhere else for a week (couple of days at least) so the paint can dry and fumes dissipate.

Have the window open during the day to help reduce fumes and also dry the room out. Not sure if there is mould in the room but if there is, it needs to be treated before painting otherwise it will just grow through the paint.

After the room has been painted and dried, try to have the fish tanks and birds on inside walls, not next to the external walls. The inside walls have less temperature fluctuations and won't affect the temperature around the birds or aquariums. External walls (even if insulated) can allow cold through and this can cause the birds to get chills or the aquarium heaters to work more. It's not a major issue but something you should try to do if possible. This might also leave better access to the window so that can be opened more often to air the room out and help reduce mould problems.

As for painting the room, a light yellow on the walls and maybe a pale blue ceiling. If the sun shines into that room, a moderate yellow or pale orange can enhance the morning or afternoon sunlight that shines in there. In Mandurah where I was living before the pandemic, the bathroom was facing west and got afternoon sun. For about 30 minutes in the late afternoon the entire bathroom glowed this beautiful orange colour and the colour extended into the side rooms. It wasn't as intense in the side rooms but it was a nice change.

You could do a feature wall, which is usually a much more intense bold colour (red or green or pink) and have the remaining 3 walls a more mellow colour. It depends on how long you plan on staying there for too. If you are selling and moving soon, then paint it a pale neutral colour so people don't walk in and go AHHH. But I would stay put for a few years and get yourselves organised. Have a feature wall or paint a mural on a wall and when you go to sell, just slap a coat of paint over that wall. You can paint green plants or a blue ocean or whatever you like on the wall. Make it a tropical paradise painted onto a wall. You can also get posters and material pictures that can be hung on walls. The material pictures are more common around Christmas but can be bought all year round. They are basically a huge sheet of material with a picture that has been screen printed onto it. You hang it on a wall and pack it up and take it with you when you move.

Something like this but a different subject.

Server Busy

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

You shouldn’t be ashamed at all. In fact I see a boat load of potential for that room. Your plan of prepping the walls and redecorating sounds like a perfect start IMO.

Thank you so much! Just was always embarrassed as a kid by the house, and I've been living here for a few years. But most of that was hidden by cabinets with two record players he only used briefly, and they hated if we interfered with any of their things, let alone suggested getting rid of anything...! I gave up that battle as a kid, and as a teen and then adult, especially once I'd moved out, I had no reason to argue otherwise, it was their house and their belongings after all!

In my room I went for white and a grey accent wall to help light the room up. Even with two velux windows the natural light levels were too low for my liking. The colours really helped for improving that. One thing I would suggest is looking at clearance sections of hardware stores. I’ve had quite good luck with Homebase for paint in the past. I got a 2.5L pot for £6 from £18 because of damage from delivery. A few others I would suggest Screwfix, Toolstation and wickes. In fact just had a look at wickes and they have a few on sale only problem is the offer ends Wednesday.

That's a really good idea, I hadn't thought of hunting through the clearance sections in those places, but I love a bargain hunt!

a side note that arm chair just gave me flash backs to my grandmas old house almost Identical

Haha, there's more than one like that! They used to have a matching tapestry sofa too. Plus lots of pictures and ornaments of dogs, birds and things that I've packed away or donated. Not surprising when you consider my parents were in their 80s That shape of armchair is actually pretty useful for older people, you see very similar style chairs in nursing and retirement homes too, because the tall back and arms either side are helpful for them pushing up and out of the chair, when older legs, knees and backs aren't as strong as they once were.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The canister filter won't suck fumes into the aquarium. If you have coverglass on the tank, that will also reduce the fumes that can get in. You can add some activated carbon to the filter while the room is being painted and that will make sure the fish don't get poisoned from fumes.

Thanks so much, yet again @Colin_T you've been a rock and so helpful with advice for me!

Water based paints don't have the same fumes as oil/ turpentine based paints.

I would move the birds out of the room completely and put them somewhere else for a week (couple of days at least) so the paint can dry and fumes dissipate.

Yep, gonna move the parrots upstairs entirely - other downstairs rooms don't have enough space or will also get paint fume drafts, so better to have them on a completwly different floor while we sand prep and paint that room. Not worth the risk, but definitely worth the hassle of getting them and cages up there, and it'll only be for a few days, so they can't complain too much

I don't have coverglass for any of the tanks sadly, it only has a big hood, but I'm planning to set up the airflow and fan so dust/fumes are blown out the windows and door away from the tank, and I'll keep a close eye on the fish and tank during the process.

Not sure if there is mould in the room but if there is, it needs to be treated before painting otherwise it will just grow through the paint.

Oh there's definitely mould in that room, has been a long term fight, and we've tried everything to treat it over the years and fight it back, even straight bleach. It returns. Those pics are after deep cleaning, straigh bleach, mould killer - it's not just on the surface, it's also beneath layers of paint/glue- I think it's in the plaster by now. Maybe the walls themselves. But I haven't given up! We'll see how those areas look once I've sanded them back hard... then going to use one of those mould and stain blocking primers before paint. Worth the investment if it finally keeps it at bay.

Plus we're both better with opening windows and not leaving open pots boiling on the stove in the evening for hours, steaming up the living room and kitchen..! I'm sure that's a big cause. Bound to cause mould.

After the room has been painted and dried, try to have the fish tanks and birds on inside walls, not next to the external walls. The inside walls have less temperature fluctuations and won't affect the temperature around the birds or aquariums. External walls (even if insulated) can allow cold through and this can cause the birds to get chills or the aquarium heaters to work more. It's not a major issue but something you should try to do if possible. This might also leave better access to the window so that can be opened more often to air the room out and help reduce mould problems.

Will certainly try, but it's an awkwardly shaped room.

Will add some more photos in another post below to show the other side/shape of the room, but only the window walls are truly exterior walls, and the birds are there because they like looking out the window plus being in the most active area of the house, and cages are on wheels so accessing the window isn't hard, Oscar is used to me moving his cage around for his showers, cleaning the cage out, or accessing the window

But a dream I've always had, and reconsidered lately if we/I stayed here long term and could somehow afford it, would be to build a conservatory onto the house on that wall. That window overlooks the patio and back garden, and a lot of neighbours have built conservatories, I'm sure for the same reasons of the houses shape/sizes making those rooms quite dark as soon as it gets dark and overcast (and it's overcast a lot in the UK!) and having french doors leading to a conservatory there would allow a lot more light into the room, add value to the house, and make the whole house more spacious and attractive. I'm sure birds would love it too!

These houses were built by the city council in the 1920s, and remained council houses until the 80s I think, when a "right to buy" thing was introduced where people who lived in council houses had the option to buy them, often at a reduced price - so a great deal of them on the street now, including my parents house, are now privately owned. But because of being council housing, were designed for squeezing families in rather tight and narrow/awkwardly shaped rooms, rather than designed for light and comfort! But there are some good aspects too, and I realised a long time ago why so many neighbours added conservatories.

Also means there's likely asbestos in the attic...

But being the UK, houses were built with the aim of keeping the cold out, and heat in, so there are double layers of bricks with insulation in the gap, and folks did have the insulating foam re-done at some point.

 

[TNG]

The 4th picture in post #20, is it a rendered brick wall? Is it on the ground floor? Is the ground outside the wall wet most of the time?

If the answers are “no”, then it’s just a ventilation problem which could be easily fixed.

If the answers are “yes, yes and yes”, the problem is likely caused by water seeping from wet ground outside the house and works its way up the wall. The solution to that is to keep the ground outside as dry as you can by improving drainage, but that’s easier said than done.

The current building standards in Aus, and I’m sure in the UK too, specifies a damp proof course (the black sheet in the picture) between the 2 rows of bricks to stop water from seeping up. But I don’t see how you can retrofit that to an existing building .

 

[Colin_T]

If you don't have coverglass on the aquarium, put some Gladwrap (plastic lunch wrap) on top of the tank to help prevent fumes getting into the water. Have them a little loose so they sag in the middle and water doesn't drip over the edge. Have a gap at one end to allow some air in. It will let some fumes in but hopefully not too much. And if you have a fan blowing air out the window, that will help too.

If there's mould in the wall cavity, you will probably need a professional to deal with it. At least look online and see if there's any way to deal with mould in wall cavities by yourself (without calling in a professional). You should also check outside the building on that wall and see if anything is leaking. It might have blocked gutters or damage brickwork that allows some moisture in. Fixing that could stop more mould occurring in the future.

Asbestos is an issue in houses and not something you want to touch unless you absolutely have to. Then call in a professional, it's much safer for you.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

The 4th picture in post #20, is it a rendered brick wall? Is it on the ground floor? Is the ground outside the wall wet most of the time?

If the answers are “no”, then it’s just a ventilation problem which could be easily fixed.

Luckily, the answer to that is no!
That side is the attached side, so next door house is built attached, and the outside of both houses has concrete that slops down and drains well, then the entire garden slops downwards somewhat, leading to a stream that runs along the back of all the houses, specifically created to allow drainage from this row of houses and gardens, and the back gardens from the houses on the opposite side. The drainage does need improving at the bottom of the garden, where dad's two sheds that he built aviaries onto, does get very muddy and boggy in sustained heavy wet weather, and we're on heavy clay to boot. But that's a long term problem that's much more easily solveable!

I'm also lucky that my best friend is a landscape architect, so I can always get free garden design and plant help

If the answers are “yes, yes and yes”, the problem is likely caused by water seeping from wet ground outside the house and works its way up the wall. The solution to that is to keep the ground outside as dry as you can by improving drainage, but that’s easier said than done.

The current building standards in Aus, and I’m sure in the UK too, specifies a damp proof course (the black sheet in the picture) between the 2 rows of bricks to stop water from seeping up. But I don’t see how you can retrofit that to an existing building .

I'm 99% sure that there was a damp proof course fitted, or fixed, at the same time they had the insulation in between the brickwork done.

But as @Colin_T says below, I do worry that there may be a problem with the roof or guttering affecting it, since so many rooms especially on the unattached side of this semi detached house are the ones with the most damp and mould.

But hopefully it's a result of the general neglect/lack of decorating skill and lack of ventilation, rooms that fell into disuse, and hoping that sanding back to the plasterwork then sealing primer and new paint, better ventilation and maintenance will resolve the issue" Hopefully. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for that please, since we'll be inheriting this house, and I've recently heard of the costs of a new roof, and removing asbestos (although since we're not converting the attic to a room or anything, so not breaking up asbestos sheeting, best left alone unless we have to do something with it) and my brother and I will then co-own the house and any issues with it, hoping it's not a case of needing a new roof!

 

[Naughts]

Bro mentioned that the last time dad did it (I wasn't living here then) that some of the picture rail came off and he had to replace it, and did we even need to keep the picture rail, or should we remove it? I think I'd rather keep it, but I guess we'll see how it handles being sanded down.

Been meaning to say, it would be a real shame to lose the picture rails - they add character and work well with contemporary decor. Also, they would leave a mess where they are were - and removal may even mean the walls need to be replastered?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Been meaning to say, it would be a real shame to lose the picture rails - they add character and work well with contemporary decor. Also, they would leave a mess where they are were - and removal may even mean the walls need to be replastered?

Agreed, I want to keep the picture rails, so we will