PAINTING & DECORATING

Spare room to guest room in a weekend

Redecorate a spare room, dress the window, hang pictures, build a bed and anchor furniture safely over one weekend.

Guides in this project

SR-01Plan, measure and buy everything firstClear the room and measure the window, the wall space for pictures, and the floor space for the bed and any wardrobe or chest of drawers. Buy paint, a curtain pole, a roller blind kit, picture fixings, the flatpack bed, and anti-tip straps before you start, so you're not stuck mid-task waiting on a delivery. Work in this order: touch up paint first, then dress the window, hang pictures, build the bed, then anchor tall furniture last. Allow a full weekend for the drilling and fixing tasks, plus extra time if paint needs to cure overnight; total cost usually runs £150–£300 depending on the furniture and window treatments you choose.
2 each · Dust sheets
1 roll · Masking tape
1 each · Tape measure
SR-02Touch up the paintworkFollow the 'Touch up paint without it showing' guide to fix scuffs, scratches and old fixing holes before you drill anything new. Doing this first means you're not touching up paint around fresh drill holes later. Leave the touch-ups to dry fully, usually overnight, before moving on to drilling tasks.
0.5 litre · Matching paint
Buy:B&QAmazon
1 each · Small foam roller
Buy:B&QAmazon
SR-03Put up the curtain poleFollow the 'Put up a curtain pole' guide. Before drilling, always check the wall with a cable and pipe detector, even near a window, and still expect something to be there. Do this once the touch-up paint is fully dry so you don't mark the fresh finish.
1 set · Curtain pole and brackets kit
Buy:B&QAmazon
1 pack · Rawlplugs and screws
SR-04Fit the roller blind in the recessFollow the 'Fit a roller blind inside the window recess' guide. Check with a detector before drilling the recess sides, and use a spirit level on the brackets; an uneven bracket is the most common reason a blind ends up hanging crooked.
1 each · Roller blind kit, cut to size
Buy:B&QAmazon
1 pack · Fixing screws
SR-05Hang the picture framesFollow the 'Hang a picture frame' guide to choose the right fixing for the wall and get the frame level. Check for cables and pipes with a detector before drilling, even for a small picture hook, and pick a focal wall that suits the room layout once the pole and blind are in.
2 each · Picture frames
Buy:B&QAmazon
1 pack · Picture hooks or fixings
SR-06Build the bed frameFollow the 'Assemble a flatpack bed frame' guide. Do this on the cleared, protected floor, ideally with a second person, since panels are heavy and awkward alone. This step doesn't involve drilling into walls, so it's a good one to tackle if you're tired from the earlier fixing jobs.
1 each · Flatpack bed frame
Buy:B&QAmazon
1 each · Mattress
Buy:B&QAmazon
SR-07Anchor tall furniture to the wallFollow the 'Anchor tall furniture to a wall' guide for any wardrobe, chest of drawers or bookcase that could tip, which matters most in a guest room used by people unfamiliar with it. Check with a detector before drilling, and if the drill hits anything unexpected, stop and get a qualified electrician or plumber to check it before you carry on. This is the last job because the furniture needs to be in its final position first.
1 pack · Anti-tip straps or brackets
Buy:B&QAmazon
1 pack · Wall fixings suited to the wall type

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