Got the decorators in....

[Charlie]

I decided this time that it might be more cost/time effective to get from professional decorators to paint our bedroom as it's pretty large.

After the first day I noticed a number of blobs/flecks on the walls but checked with him that he was coming back to them. He said that it had been a gloomy day so the light wasn't very good but he'd go over them again. I did innocently ask him if he used lamps - he said "No". This sort of seemed an fair question to me - it's what I would have done if I couldn't see very well. Is it reasonable for him to use poor light as an excuse?

Just got home this evening to find that the wood work has now been "prep'ed" and painted with eggshell (one coat or two I'm not sure) The paint seems awfully thick and has dripped slightly in couple of places. I'm certainly no expert but I've never seen eggshell so shiny. Is this due to it being painted on so thick? The finish isn't as good as I we'd initially agreed - it seems likes he's in a rush.

Am I being overly picky here, I've always just sort of done it myself and presumed a professional would be able to get a better finish than I could?

Charlie

[Dean Heighington]

Tis a tricky one. But if you're not happy then you need to tell him, he won't like it but if it's that bad he'll know and you can tell from his reaction. Can you show him something you've done and explain you wanted it 'better' than what you could achieve which is why you decided to pay 'professionals'. What brand paint is he using? Did you buy it or him? What condition are his brushes/rollers in? Are they professional tools or B&Wickesbase cheapies? If there's a lot more to do, I'd stop him now and have a meet. There's a saying that 'if you can piss, you can paint' - trouble is, some people's work is piss-poor!

[Charlie]

I saw that he was using Leyland paint, is that any good? It's near the end the of job. Hopefully the eggshell won't look so bad when it's dry.

I guess I'll just ask him to redo any bits I'm not happy with. I haven't paid anything yet and I've got the original quote in writing. it's just nice to have some reassurance as to what standards I should expect and what is reasonable. Sometimes I worry I am too an*l, about getting things right.

Cheers

Charlie

[The Medway Handyman]

AAMOI did you go for the cheapest quote?

[cynic]

You do realise the Northern meaning of having the decorators in? Sometimes the variant "she has the painters in" is used.

[Charlie]

No I didn't, advice here is always to ignore the cheapest quote :-)

[Charlie]

Yes I did, sorry that. I'm from down south

[ARWadsworth]

It matters not. The correct saying is "to get the painters in"

[Andrew Gabriel]

No.

My parents have used decorators a few times. I noticed a couple of them started by replacing the central light with a bare lampholder with 150W bulb in it. There seem to be a couple of 150W bulbs in the cupboard which they have left behind (we've never bought any). I've noticed them for sale in trade outlets.

I use lighting whem I'm painting. I have a couple of those 300W/500W halogen uplighters with swivel heads which are good for this (but not much else nowadays), and I also have a 4 x 18W modular ceiling office light, which I hang vertically on a picture hook - it makes a sort of artificial window.

Time is money. That's a really big difference when you D-I-Y.

Some can, but it's certainly not a rule. I plaster better than the professionals I used to do two of my rooms, but they did them faster than I can.

[Charlie]

Thanks Andrew, that really helps

Charlie

[Newshound]

Leyland paint is very good. They mainly supply the trade market.

[NT]

its irrelevant, what matters is the end result.

You can get pros that will do a pig's ear of a job, skilled people, and everything in between. Its a matter of what wil you accept, how long does that take the pro, and what price - and its hard to pin it all down beforehand. If you want a good job, you need to see their work first, or diy.

Leyland is good stuff.

NT

[Terry Fields]

We had a room decorated last year, and we asked for the woodwork/radiators to be done in eggshell. I thought the chap had applied gloss, it was so shiny, but in a couple of weeks it had gone to the eggshell finish.

[Mark]

Indeed. And it not just used in the north.

[Mark]

Acrylic or solvent-based? When I use the former on walls it looks OK straight away.

And there's no reason I can think of to paint without enough light. Sounds lazy/stupid to me. It does sound like he was in too much of a hurry.

[Peter Johnson]

And when I worked for Crown it (Leyland) had the reputation of being the cheapest on the market, comparable to Brolac/Macphersons, Crown's 'value' brands.

[Charlie]

I explained that I wasn't happy with the finish (rough edges, drip marks) and after various excuses said he would come back to have another go. I sanded down and painted part of another door and asked for it to look like that. I'll post back when he's finished.

Charlie

[Charlie]

Thanks to you all for your advice, it gave me the confidence to stick firm and demand a better finish from the decorator. In the end he worked an extra (4th) day at no extra cost to get a better finish, although I must have about half and inch of paint on the woodwork!

To be honest it they'd had it like that at the end of the 3rd day I wouldn't have said anything. It was just the repeated excuses as to why the finish wasn't good that riled me somewhat.

After they'd gone I painted the other side of the door myself and I realised what a crap job they'd done. I might go back and revisit some of the woodwork (the walls are good).

Thanks again.

Charlie