How To Prepare A Room For Decorating

When wanting to completely transform the interior of their property, many homeowners will decide to undertake some DIY painting. It goes without saying that generally speaking, painting is fairly easy to do yourself and it can make such a huge difference to the look of a room, making it the perfect DIY job to undertake.

However, it can be easy to spot a DIY paint job if the homeowners have overlooked any required preparation. It is fair to say that one of the most important stages when deciding to paint a room yourself is the preparation and you can guarantee that you will thank yourself in the look run for putting time and effort into this when you have achieved a professional-looking finish to your walls.

So, to help any homeowners who are wanting to re-paint their walls, our expert team here at Decor Express have put together a list of three essential steps to undertake when you’re preparing a room for decorating. Trust us when we say that you really shouldn’t overlook anything mentioned below

  1. Fix any imperfections in the wall

Ideally, when painting, you want a smooth surface to paint onto. Unfortunately, the vast majority of walls in the home aren’t perfectly smooth. Whether you have small chips or cracks in the current paint or dents and holes in the plaster, your first step is to fix these imperfections. This should be quite an easy process.



For a quick fix, interior filler is the best solution. Take something like Toupret filler, for example, their ready to use filler or quick-drying filler is brilliant for this. Once you have used this Toupret filler to fix the imperfections, you then need to sand the wall down to get the smooth surface required. This single step makes a world of difference to the finished look.

  1. Protect the trim of the wall

Next up, a step that is almost always overlooked by homeowners who are undertaking a DIY paint job, protecting the trim of the wall. If you have ever painted before, you will know how easy it is to get paint on the trim and over any edges you were trying to avoid, so don’t overlook the importance of this protection.



Use some painters tape, like Tesa masking tape, for example, to cover the trim and line where the wall meets the ceiling. If you’re painting different walls different colours, you should also use this Tesa masking tape to line the edge of the wall too. Even though this process can be time-consuming, getting it right is essential and it is worthwhile spending time on it.

  1. Use a primer or undercoat

Lastly, the third step that is essential when preparing a wall to be painted is using a primer or an undercoat. This is something else that is commonly overlooked but, again, very important to do. A primer/undercoat will provide a better base for the paint and it will also help to cover any stains that you may have on the walls to prevent you needing multiple coats of colour.



Both primers and undercoats need to be used similarly to a coloured paint, so apply an even layer of them covering the whole of the wall. Lots of big-name brands make this essential too, take Dulux primer and undercoat, for example, their quick-dry option is brilliant for homeowners. Once your primer/undercoat is dry, you are then ready to start painting your chosen colour.

Preparing a room for decorating

Now you are aware of all of the essential steps required when preparing your walls ready to paint them, you can ensure that you’re giving yourself the best possible chance of being able to complete a professional-looking DIY paint job. It is always worthwhile spending time on the preparation and whilst it may seem like a lot of unnecessary work, you can guarantee that you will see the difference when doing everything mentioned above before you start painting.

If you’re looking to purchase all of the bits mentioned above to help you with your preparation, from Tesa masking tape and Toupret filler to Dulux primer and undercoats, we have everything you could possibly need here at Decor Express. We also have a huge selection of high-quality paint to choose from too, so we are a one-stop solution to all of your DIY decorating needs. If you have any questions about any of the products you’ve seen on our website, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.