Painting & Decorating

90% of a good paint job is preparation. Fill holes, sand smooth, clean surfaces, tape edges. Skip the prep and every brush stroke shows your shortcuts. Do the prep and even average technique looks professional.

Cutting in is the art of painting a clean straight line where wall meets ceiling, wall meets woodwork, or colour meets colour. Once you master it, you'll never need tape again. It's the single most impressive painting skill.

Rolling is the fast part — but technique matters. Even coverage, no roller lines, no drips. The secret: don't overload, maintain a wet edge, and work in W-patterns. Two coats minimum for a professional finish.

Skirting boards, door frames, window frames, and doors. Woodwork needs different paint (satinwood or gloss), different brushes, and more patience than walls. The finish is unforgiving — every drip and brush mark shows.

Wallpaper is back in fashion and hanging it is more satisfying than you'd think. The key: a perfectly plumb first drop, proper paste application, and smooth but firm brushing to eliminate bubbles. Feature walls are the perfect first project.

The most paralysing part of decorating isn't the painting — it's choosing the colour. This module cuts through the overwhelm: understand undertones, test properly, and pick finishes that work for each surface.