The stages that make up a decorating job
Every room follows roughly the same order: clear and protect, prepare, paint ceilings, paint walls, then finish the woodwork. Protecting floors and furniture comes first. Preparation covers filling, sanding, sealing stains and caulking. The ceiling goes on before the walls so any drips land on surfaces not yet finished. Woodwork is normally last, because it needs the cleanest conditions and the steadiest hand.
Each coat has to dry before the next can go on. Water-based emulsion is usually recoatable within a few hours in a warm, ventilated room, but a cold Scottish winter house can slow that noticeably. Oil-based and some water-based woodwork paints need longer.
Typical timings by room
Bedrooms and living rooms: when the walls are sound and the room is cleared, painting walls and ceiling is often achievable in a day or two. Adding skirting boards, a door and a window frame generally extends that.
Kitchens: less wall area than you might think, but lots of cutting in around units, tiles and appliances. Grease must be cleaned off first, and a durable wipeable finish is usually chosen.
Bathrooms: small but fiddly, with moisture-resistant paint recommended and good ventilation needed for drying.
Hallway, stairs and landing: normally the longest single area in a house because of height, access equipment, numerous doors and spindles. It is common for this space to take several days.
What adds days to the schedule
Wallpaper stripping is often underestimated; old layers, painted-over paper and vinyl backings can all slow it down, and walls sometimes need repair once paper is off. Cracks, blown plaster and heavy patching may need skimming, and new plaster then needs time to dry before it can be sealed and painted. Big colour changes, such as covering a deep red with a pale neutral, may need an extra coat.
Occupied homes also matter. If rooms need to be usable each evening, furniture moves back and forth and the working day is shorter.
How to keep the job moving
Clear small items, pictures and curtains before work starts, and agree colours in advance. Keep the heating on and a window cracked where possible to help drying. Decide early whether woodwork is included, so the plan does not change halfway through. If you are having plastering done first, allow the plaster to dry fully before booking the decorating.
Planning your project with LJAY’s
When you ask for a quote, Louise will look at the rooms and explain how long the job is likely to take and what order the work will follow. Core working days are Monday to Friday, with some weekend availability depending on the project, so it is worth mentioning any deadlines such as a house sale, a new baby or visitors arriving.
A worked example: refreshing a bedroom
Picture a medium bedroom with sound walls, a single window and one door, being changed from a pale grey to a warm white. Day one is typically spent protecting the carpet and furniture, filling small nail holes and hairline cracks, sanding the filler flush, and then applying the first coat to the ceiling followed by the walls. Once those coats are dry, the second coats go on.
If the skirting, door and frame are included, they are usually lightly sanded, any gaps are caulked, and the woodwork is painted after the walls. Depending on the product, woodwork paint may need a longer interval before a second coat, which is one reason a room that looks almost finished after the first day can still need another visit.
Change any one of those variables, such as a dark colour to cover, old wallpaper to strip, or a cracked ceiling, and the timeline moves accordingly. That is why a decorator will want to see the room before committing to a schedule.