For colour schemes and inspiration try the Housetohome website http://www.housetohome.co.uk an excellent site with lots of ideas.
If you want to try your hand at decorating the Expert Advice on Housetohome site provides a room planner as well as project calculators to help you work out how much materials you will need.
Also included is some handy advice, such as:
How to Strip Wallpaper
Spending time stripping away wallpaper may be a boring decorating job, but you’ll be glad you did all that scraping when you see the smooth finish to your walls.
Before you start work clear the room as much as possible. Anything that has to stay should be pushed to the centre of the room and covered with dust sheets
Run a wallpaper scorer over the paper. This will allow the water and steam to work into the paper more easily.
Fill a bucket with hot water. Add some liquid detergent and a handful of wallpaper paste to thicken the water, this will stop it running down the wall quite so fast.
Slide the stripping knife under the wallpaper and see how easily it comes away. Most walls will need a steamer to effectively remove wallpaper.
Hold the steamer pad at the bottom of a wallpaper length for a minute or so, until the paper around it appears damp. Move the pad up onto the next section, while pulling off the damp paper with the other hand. Loosen stubborn areas with a stripping knife. Strip each length from bottom to top. Take care not to damage the plasterboard or plaster behind the paper with the blade of your stripping knife.
Decorating tools
| Paint Roller Buy both short and telescopic handles for reaching up walls. The best-value rollers have synthetic heads, which are ideal for painting smooth surfaces with emulsions and water-based paints. |
Paintbrushes Buy the best-quality brushes you can afford, look after them well and they should last for years. You’ll need a 50mm for doors and 100mm for walls, floors and ceilings. Smaller brushes, 2.5cm, and sash brushes (used for cutting in) are essential for fiddly work. |
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| Wire brush To remove flaking paint and rust. |
Paper-hanging scissors Extra-long blades help you cut straight lines. |
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| Masking tape Don’t rely on your painting being accurate – always use tape to cover wall sockets and window frames for a professional finish. |
Sponge Keep mess to a minimum: a good sponge can mop up paint and paste spills quickly and easily. |
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| Scraper Removes old paint and paper. |
Steamer This is the fastest way to strip wallpaper without damaging the plaster. Buy one for around £25 or hire for around £18 for a weekend. |
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| Sandpaper You’ll need fine and coarse to smooth and finish wood and plaster. |
Dustsheet Spills do happen so use a dustsheet to cover and protect walls and furniture. |
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| Chalk line Great for easy, accurate drawing of straight lines |
Plumb line A simple device to ensure you’re hanging paper vertically. |
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| Paste brush Specialist wallpaper paste brushes have softer bristles, so they’re easier to use, though you can use a large paintbrush instead. |
Paint tray Make sure it’s wide enough to fit rollers and paint pads. A deep end section will hold more paint so you’ll need to refill it less often. |
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| Wallpaper table A W-leg paste table is very sturdy and folds flat for easy storage. Plastic models are easier to keep clean than wood. |
Paint shield Often called a ‘George’, this keeps your windows, skirting or cornicing splash-free when painting |
Seems like hard work!
Not to us though, you will be amazed how quickly our skilled painter decorators can strip your wallpaper and paint, decorate your room leaving loads of time for you to shop for the right accessories!
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