Decorator - what is reasonable to expect

[towser]

I hired a decorator / handyman to do some work for me last week.

Used the guy before and he has done a good job. He finished up on Thursday although I wasn't in when he completed the work.

I'm not happy with the work done. Lots of paint splashes on skirting and wooden flooring which took me a few hours to clear up on Friday.

Also seems that some parts haven't been painted that well as I can see old paintwork showing through. This is in certain parts of the house, in general the rest seems to have been done well.

Also seems to have been forgotten to paint round one of the doors - sanded down but not painted.

Anyhow - charge for the work was £1500, I paid £1,100 on the understanding he'd come round on Friday morning to finish off the patchy work and the door surround. No show on Friday. Then get txt stating paint we provided was of poor quality hence splashes and poor coverage ( I'd provided Crown and Dulux paint for the job ).

So - I know I can remedy the unfinished work in a couple of hours - kids permitting. Im still unhappy about paying full price for the work. Conscious I might be being a bit arsey though. What's reasonable to withhold if anything in this situation? Just looking for opinions! Ta

[R1 Indy]

As an electrician I come across quite a few decorators etc.

And have to say the quality of "most" seems to be absolutely awful!

Poor preparations, painted around/onto sockets etc, missed bits, brush marks, lumpy paint, rough skirting boards/door frames, it goes on.

I would never use a decorator as I know I would never be happy with the outcome.

I think the only way is to pay top money on day rate (not fixed quote) and explain your standards!

But maybe I'm just a bit OCD?

[Pferdestarke]

If you're supplying paint he should offer guidance on quality. It's a poor excuse and he should be either letting you know that it's caused extra work, not simply leaving it unfinished and walking away.

[trev540]

I will not let the client supply materials as the choice nowadays even when from a named brand is so different i.e. Dulux trade and retail is so appalling and all Crown products are ste in my opinion. If the client insists on supplying I walk away as I dont need the grief. Having said that there is no excuse for a professional decorator to leave paint on floors etc and poor workmanship.

[VX Foxy]

trev540 said:

I will not let the client supply materials as the choice nowadays even when from a named brand is so different i.e. Dulux trade and retail is so appalling and all Crown products are ste in my opinion. If the client insists on supplying I walk away as I dont need the grief. Having said that there is no excuse for a professional decorator to leave paint on floors etc and poor workmanship.

What paint do you recommend?

[trev540]

I think that Dulux trade is fair. Little Greene bit better or if on a budget Johnsons but steer clear of any thing from B&Q etc . Also if you have a Brewers Decorators merchants in your area their emulsions are not too bad for the price.The problem is most people still think you can get 5ltr of any sort of paint for £20.00 and it will be good stuff. All trades have people who talk a good job but fall down when it comes to it.

[RevsPerMinute]

I have to say Crown Trade Acrylic Satin is nice for doors and skirts.

[Simpo Two]

towser said:

So - I know I can remedy the unfinished work in a couple of hours - kids permitting. Im still unhappy about paying full price for the work. Conscious I might be being a bit arsey though. What's reasonable to withhold if anything in this situation? Just looking for opinions! Ta

He had the bolthole of 'user-supplied paint' and immediately dived into it. Not professional.

The obvious riposte for you is to fix it yourself in two hours and keep the £400. But cover yourself with letters/e-mails and take photos just in case he goes legal.

[Stu R]

I'd have no problem with a customer holding back a few hundred, we do it all the time. If we screwed the job up, which we don't, I wouldn't have the nerve to ask for payment in full. Just tell him his services will no longer be required and you're terminating any agreement you had owing to poor craftsmanship.

Sounds like your guy hasn't got a clue what he's doing, frankly.

[Patch1875]

The fact he is a decorator/handyman and not just a painter & decorator speaks volumes.

[wiggy001]

What constitutes "poor" paint? I've just done out lounge/dining room myself with B&Q own paint and am very pleased with the result. I was expecting it to be a messy job because of the paint but it went on (roller onto decent walls) fine.

As for the OP - if you've withheld an amount pending completion of the job and the job hasn't been completed then you should feel under no obligation to pay that withheld amount. If he felt that the outstanding work was only £100 worth, then he should have agreed that you only without £100.

[towser]

wiggy001 said:

What constitutes "poor" paint? I've just done out lounge/dining room myself with B&Q own paint and am very pleased with the result. I was expecting it to be a messy job because of the paint but it went on (roller onto decent walls) fine.

As for the OP - if you've withheld an amount pending completion of the job and the job hasn't been completed then you should feel under no obligation to pay that withheld amount. If he felt that the outstanding work was only £100 worth, then he should have agreed that you only without £100.

Thanks all for replies. I'd used the chap before and he'd done a good job so I'd kind of trusted him to be as reliable this time around. Problem is, by his own admission, he is really busy and had already cancelled on us to complete another job at the start of September. I think he's rushed this one to get onto another so finish / attention to detail is not what I'm happy with.

I've been thinking about it over the weekend - I'll keep back £200 to cover my time to complete the job. I reckon it'll take 1/2 day at my pace to sort the bits out I'm not happy with. Will email him confirmation of this and just draw a line under it ( hopefully ).

Thanks also for advice on providing vs. not providing paint. As a layman I always figured that "branded" paints such as Dulux, Crown etc...were of decent enough quality for use around the home. Next time I'll know differently.

As a householder, trying to get tradespeople interested in doing smallish jobs is a nightmare. No shows being the norm. And now what appears to be a rush job to get onto the next job!

[shtu]

Patch1875 said:

decorator/handyman

That means "I own a set of screwdrivers AND paintbrushes!". Any decent decorator would want to use their own materials - DIY stuff is very different from trade paint.

Splashes onto floor? It should have been covered, never mind this "poor paint" nonsense. Missing bits? In a rush to finish. Bin him off (sounds like he's done it to you first tbh), keep the money, finish it yourself.

My experience with decorators has been as above - don't bother with dustsheets, or masking, don't take off sockets or handles, wave a bit of 80 grit around for 5 minutes, leave the dust where it is, remember that undercoat is for mugs, and wang on a coat of The World's Thinnest Gloss using a 4" brush for everything.

[steveo3002]

own materials opens you up to all sorts of hassle , if it peels off in 6 months that will be down to your materials too