One of the nicest things about moving in is starting to make your new home feel like yours. Pictures find their way onto the walls, furniture gets moved around a few times and you’ll probably already have a few ideas about paint colours.
Before making any bigger changes to your walls, though, we recommend giving your home a little time to settle.
Why it’s worth waiting before you decorate
There’s quite a lot of moisture involved in building a home. Materials such as plaster, concrete and mortar all contain water and will continue to dry naturally after you’ve moved in.
As this happens, you may notice the odd fine crack appearing in the plaster, particularly around ceilings, skirting boards, door frames or where different materials meet.
These are called shrinkage cracks. They’re common in new homes and are usually nothing to be concerned about.
We recommend holding off on redecorating while your home goes through this initial drying-out period. Otherwise, you might spend a weekend getting a wall just right, only for a small crack to make an appearance afterwards.
Once your home has had time to settle, any minor cracks can be filled and prepared before you decorate.
Until then, you can still make the place feel very much your own. Artwork, furniture, lighting, cushions and all the things you bring with you will probably do more of that than a tin of paint anyway.
When you are ready to decorate
Have a good look over the walls first. If there are small shrinkage cracks or gaps, these can usually be filled with a suitable decorating filler before you start. Let the filler dry properly, gently sand it back and make sure the surface is clean and dry before painting.
Follow the instructions for whichever paint or wall covering you’ve chosen, particularly when it comes to preparing the surface underneath.
And keep a little paint back when you’ve finished. Once everyday life gets going, the occasional scuff or mark is inevitable and having the right colour tucked away makes touching them up much easier.
Putting things on the walls
You don’t need to wait to start putting pictures and other finishing touches around your home, but take a little care before drilling into a wall.
The right fixing will depend on what the wall is made from and the weight of what you’re hanging. More importantly, pipes and electrical cables can be hidden behind walls, particularly around sockets, switches, radiators, kitchens and bathrooms.
If you don’t know what’s behind the spot you’re about to drill, don’t guess. Use a suitable cable and pipe detector or ask someone with the right experience to help.
For everyday marks on your paintwork, start with the gentlest option. A soft, slightly damp cloth will often be enough. Strong cleaning products and abrasive sponges can damage some paint finishes, so check what’s suitable before using them.
Your walls won’t stay completely untouched once you start living in your home — and that’s exactly as it should be. Give everything a little time to settle, take care when you start decorating and then enjoy making the space yours.
