Painting is a DIY task that people either love or loathe. However, many are unaware of how long it can take to paint a wall from start to finish.

We’ve teamed up with a panel of our very own painters and decorators to cover everything you need to know about interior painting. From sanding to filing, primer coats to application techniques, read on to become a painting pro.

Many people associate painting with slapping colour onto a wall. In reality, a lot of prep time is needed before you get to that stage.

We asked our experts just how much prep and paint time is needed for a typical painting job. The majority quoted 70% prep time versus 30% paint time.

They also reiterated that “there are no shortcuts when it comes to preparation, as that will define the quality of the job”, and that if “you don’t get the prep right, the paint will not have a quality finish”. One even said “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.

TikTok has become a significant resource for DIY advice and tips, with #paintingtips accumulating over 433 million views and #painthack over 199 million views.

We shared the most popular hacks with our expert panel of painters and decorators to determine whether these tips are genius or just bonkers.

30% of the panel had heard of this paint hack, but almost 60% said they would not recommend it to users as it’s not completely fool-proof. Instead, they suggest using painter's tape to cover anything you do not want to paint.

90% of the panel had heard of this paint hack before, with the same amount recommending it to DIYers. Rather than potentially damaging brushes by washing them after every use, the plastic wrap helps to keep the paint wet.

60% of our experts had heard of this brush-softening hack, but the majority (53%) would not recommend it to DIYers. Instead, they advise scraping the dried paint off and soaking the brush or roller in either warm water, white vinegar or rubbing alcohol to fully remove the paint.

Three-quarters (75%) of the panel had heard of this hack before, with 68% recommending it to DIYers. The tape is less likely to pull off the dried paint which prevents it cracking.

90% of the panel had not heard of this painting hack, but over half of the experts (53%) would recommend it. Vanilla extract does not affect the paint’s colour or consistency, so it’s perfect for masking the strong odour.

Painting can be a relaxing DIY job. However, some areas of the home are more challenging to paint than others – even for the experts.

Our panel of experts revealed that the stair bannister is the most difficult area of the home to paint, with a difficulty score of four out of five. In fact, 50% of the panel said it is the hardest of all areas in the home to paint due to small intricate areas and having to paint round many corners. Our experts recommended“having a high-quality brush that isn’t too large to reach the tighter corners”.

This is followed by radiators, also with a difficulty rating score of four out of five. 30% of the panel said this is the most challenging area to paint in the home since they require specialised metal paint and avoiding streaks can be difficult. The experts commented, with a radiator “it's important to avoid having too much paint on your brush, you don’t want to apply more paint than necessary.”

High ceilings take third place, with a rating of three out of five. According to Google search data, this is the most searched-for ‘how to paint’ area in the home, with 124,000 searches since 2022. These can be very difficult to paint without an extendable roller because you’ll need to work off a ladder – which can be both awkward and dangerous. For ceilings the experts advised to “take your time and try to use equipment to get the right height, i.e., extending poles or step ladders to avoid stretching over”.

According to online communities, tight corners are another notoriously difficult area to paint. However, our experts only ranked them with a difficulty score of two out of five. The same goes for skirting boards, which were rated two out of five.

We’ve delved into two years of Google search data to uncover the most asked painting questions in the UK and put these to our experts.

Comparing 2022 and 2023 Google search data, we have uncovered trending paint colours, revealing that brighter, bolder colours are on the rise.

While classic wall paint colours white and grey lead with 50,700 and 21,900 searches respectively, bolder colours like pink, orange, red, and purple have seen increases in popularity.

‘Pink wall paint’ has seen an increase of 39% year-on-year, whilst ‘beige wall paint’ has seen a similar 33% uptick.

‘Purple wall paint’ seems to be a tone to watch out for, with searches rising by 71% year-on-year from 2022. ‘Red wall paint’ has also seen a 56% increase in searches.

We asked our experts which colours are the hardest to paint over during a room makeover. Red came out on top, with 45% of decorators saying this is the hardest colour to paint over, followed by black (30%). Blue followed, with 10% saying this is the hardest colour to cover, while 5% said that green, yellow, and purple are the most challenging colours to paint over.

Ready to tackle your next painting job? Toolstation has all your painting and decorating needs covered.

From dust sheets to paint brushes, rollers, and a vast selection of paint in 2023’s hottest colours, bring out your inner Michelangelo and paint your house from top to bottom.