Worst DIY job...?

[NWJocko]

Just spent 4 hours stripping wallpaper, by far my least favourite diy task.

Steamer makes it less of a ballache but getting covered in cold, damp, sticky wallpaper is horrendous.

Whats your least favourite diy job? Any advance on mine?

 

[GB72]

Tiling and grouting, tried it once, never again.

 

[Imurg]

DIY - Destroy it Yourself!

Decorating, any DIY and gardening - I'd rather nail something to the table....

 

[thecraw]

Glossing, I hate glossing. Painting I don't mind, in fact I quite enjoy it once I get going but glossing is a nightmare, its time consuming, it stinks and it gives me such a sore headache!!!!


Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[viscount17]

loft insulation - I'm itching already!

 

[Golfmmad]

Glossing, ah yes. If you're using white, why not try Satinwood. OK, you don't get the shine but a lot easier to lay on, doesn't discolour and yellow. More importantly, doesn't stink the house out!


Golfmmad.

 

[brendy]

Coving when bay windows etc are not 45 degrees. Hateful job.

 

[richart]

Tiling and grouting, tried it once, never again.

Worse than that is removing old grouting and tiles, and then re-tiling. I got such severe tennis elbow from scraping the old grouting out, that i had to drink left handed for two years.

Only plus side was that as i couldn't play tennis, i decided to take up golf again. Fortunately i could swing the club, although my follow through was a bit curtailed. Basically couldn't straighten right arm.

 

[Crow]

Preparation, all that faffing about and you've still not started the job in hand.

And trying to make do with the wrong tool.

 

[sawtooth]

Glossing, ah yes. If you're using white, why not try Satinwood. OK, you don't get the shine but a lot easier to lay on, doesn't discolour and yellow. More importantly, doesn't stink the house out!


Golfmmad.

Are you sure? I used Satinwood brilliant white when I last did mine and 12 mths on it now looks magnolia. I actually think its worse for discolouring than gloss.

 

[richart]

It is the effect of the old paint underneath that causes a lot of the discolouring. If you strip back to the wood and start from scratch it stays white much longer. Awful job though, and you need to be careful stripping old lead based paint. I did it to my panelled doors, and they look great, unfortunately the architrave was impossible to strip, and is now yellow.

 

[Golfmmad]

Glossing, ah yes. If you're using white, why not try Satinwood. OK, you don't get the shine but a lot easier to lay on, doesn't discolour and yellow. More importantly, doesn't stink the house out!


Golfmmad.

Are you sure? I used Satinwood brilliant white when I last did mine and 12 mths on it now looks magnolia. I actually think its worse for discolouring than gloss.

That's surprising, did you undercoat first? I've used Dulux Satinwood before and never had a problem.

Golfmmad.

 

[sawtooth]

Cheers that makes sense, but there is no way I'm going to strip all the doors, architrave, skirting, etc back to bare wood.

I will just accept that it goes magnolia

 

[Golfmmad]

You don't have to strip back to bare wood. Just rub down to provide a key, one undercoat and then topcoat.

Golfmmad.

 

[link80]

Glossing, ah yes. If you're using white, why not try Satinwood. OK, you don't get the shine but a lot easier to lay on, doesn't discolour and yellow. More importantly, doesn't stink the house out!


Golfmmad.

Are you sure? I used Satinwood brilliant white when I last did mine and 12 mths on it now looks magnolia. I actually think its worse for discolouring than gloss.

I'm a decorator and I love it when people choose satinwood over gloss, as said it paints better, smells better, to me it looks better and it cleans off brushes easier, wether it stays white longer I honestly couldn't say, it depends on the quality of paint and workmanship. The best advice I could give to anyone painting woodwork etc is dulux trade primer and undercoat. It's two in one so no need for seperate primers and undercoats, it paints like a dream, it drys in no time and is recoatable in about 40 minutes, it's water based so doesn't smell strong and is easy to clean up after.
I'm currently doing a job for a friend, 3 bed ex council house, top to bottom interior, stripping 80's anaglypta of unskimmed plasterboard in every room and re-papering and painting eveywhere as well as hanging all new doors and fitting new floorings. It's hard graft but there's nothing like taking a dump and transforming it in 2-3 weeks.

 

[Golfmmad]

Glossing, ah yes. If you're using white, why not try Satinwood. OK, you don't get the shine but a lot easier to lay on, doesn't discolour and yellow. More importantly, doesn't stink the house out!


Golfmmad.

Are you sure? I used Satinwood brilliant white when I last did mine and 12 mths on it now looks magnolia. I actually think its worse for discolouring than gloss.

I'm a decorator and I love it when people choose satinwood over gloss, as said it paints better, smells better, to me it looks better and it cleans off brushes easier, wether it stays white longer I honestly couldn't say, it depends on the quality of paint and workmanship. The best advice I could give to anyone painting woodwork etc is dulux trade primer and undercoat. It's two in one so no need for seperate primers and undercoats, it paints like a dream, it drys in no time and is recoatable in about 40 minutes, it's water based so doesn't smell strong and is easy to clean up after.
I'm currently doing a job for a friend, 3 bed ex council house, top to bottom interior, stripping 80's anaglypta of unskimmed plasterboard in every room and re-papering and painting eveywhere as well as hanging all new doors and fitting new floorings. It's hard graft but there's nothing like taking a dump and transforming it in 2-3 weeks.

Good luck with stripping the anaglypta, on unskimmed plasterboard

What will you do, lining paper and paint, or re-skim and paint?

It's good when you've got a blank canvas, luvverly job.

Golfmmad.

 

[link80]

Most of it's stripped now and my friends doing whats left. It's been a bitch and I ended up taking the plasterboard down and redoing it on a couple of the really hard to strip walls. Yes most rooms are being lined and emulsioned with some rooms being lined and then having patterned paper on. Would have been nice to have all the walls skimmed but it's an extra cost my friend doesn't want and it's something I can't do myself, though i'm planning on doing a course soon. I'm a qualified joiner but i've been decorating on and off for ten years as well as a bit of tiling and artexing so shouldn't have too much trouble picking it up.

 

[John_Findlay]

Glossing used to be my least favourite but after a few years in the property developing game I discovered that a wee drop of Owatrol Oil makes the job a pleasure.

http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/sp-44...best-friend.asp

Only really glossed outside doors but it's really easy with a dash of this stuff added.

Dont mind wallpaper stripping, love painting.....hate sanding walls down but it's the most important part so it has to be done!

 

[Smiffy]

there's nothing like taking a dump and transforming it in 2-3 weeks.

Like Craw. Glossing. Hate it. Don't mind whacking some emulsion on the walls, quite enjoy it actually. You stand back, look at the new colour and think "Yes, I'v achieved something. That looks lovely and totally transforms the room".
Glossing woodwork. All that bloody preparation, rubbing down, undercoat, another coat on top blah blah blah. You stand back and think "Yes, it's white. But it was bloody white before"

 

[USER1999]

Plastering. I'm rubbish at it. Messy too, well it is the way I do it.