Painting by yourself vs paying for walls to be painted

headress

We have painted the walls in our house by ourselves for years. The last time we did it we splashed out on farrow and ball but got a bit cocky (imho) and it was patchy and a waste of the paint. My husband seems to think that it is a waste of money to pay someone to do this job. Any advice and some tips from experts would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to waste the paint but we cannot afford the 500+ he thinks it costs. I have posted on ratedpeople a week ago for quotes for £500 and under and not had a single reply yet.

agasi88

Just take your time and be careful when painting will professionals really do a better job? You would hope so but save your money take your time and have a go!

Leif

I cannot imagine paying someone to emulsion walls, then again, I'm both tight and not flush. And to be honest it is pot luck as to whether or not you get a neat worker. At least I know who to blame for any mistakes.

You will find that a microfibre roller will make it easier to get a good finish, and store the roller overnight in a plastic bag to save washing. Buy a good brush for cutting in, again it makes life easier.

Oh, and if you read all the forums you'll find that most pros do not like F&B, although all the people I worked with at my last job loved it.

pinkteapot

I've done most of our rooms but paid a decorator to paint the walls in the hall, as it goes up high above the stairs and I didn't want to balance on ladders.

The finish was pretty bad, and far worse than my own work.

Two coats done and they were in and out in 4 hours - first coat was nowhere near dry when the second was started. Secondly, the edges are bad - wobbly lines onto the door frames and ceiling.

The one I picked was one that's been working in our area for decades - lots of experience and references. Didn't see any bad reviews online. It's put me right off trying to find a decorator again in the future.

How many rooms did you want painted for £500?

Auntie-Dolly

That's one thing that really bugs me. You pay for a 'professional' and in the end you could have done a better job yourself. I wouldn't pay someone to emulsion - its not difficult.

Yorkie1

I got someone in to do the hall and high stairwell / landing, and to re-gloss the outside landing window. They came recommended through friends and did a superb job. Best £450 I've spent.

I didn't have the equipment, nor the bottle, to do it myself.

nickj_2

if you want F&B colours but don't want the extortionate expense and the poor coverage , get one of their colour cards and get it scanned in dulux or crown ,or johnstones have their version of F&B on their mixers

fatbikersbouncebetter

It never ceases to make me laugh that most people donot consider paining and decorating as a trade wothy paying for.

despite a 4 year apprentaship, 40 years in the trade, my old man always charged too little for very high quality work.

Would you plumb a new bathroom in
Rewire your house
Render a wall
All pretty easy to do, but most would not think to pay less than a working wage for any of the above.

Decorators do it for a living not for fun and as a TRADE expect to pay for their services. Or DIY every few years.

Rant Over..... I still do my own.

broad-sword_2

fatbikersbouncebetter wrote: »

It never ceases to make me laugh that most people donot consider paining and decorating as a trade wothy paying for.

despite a 4 year apprentaship, 40 years in the trade, my old man always charged too little for very high quality work.

Would you plumb a new bathroom in
Rewire your house
Render a wall
All pretty easy to do, but most would not think to pay less than a working wage for any of the above.

Decorators do it for a living not for fun and as a TRADE expect to pay for their services. Or DIY every few years.

Rant Over..... I still do my own.

Considering the the other home improvement jobs you mention, painting seems a lot easier to do yourself (and in some cases legal!). I sanded down our stairs and halls (so I thought), painted it bob on then saw the cracks and lumps! I'll finish it myself and learn from the experience, but I appreciate your point:)

aintshesweet

I was given some great advice by a pro when I was helping to do up a property for charity

The main differences are down to the amount of prep a pro does before. A lot of home jobs people skip the essential "befores" but that's when you end up with streaky, uneven paint and dirt underneath.

• Wash the walls
• Fill in any holes
• Sand filled areas down
• Lightly sand all the wall in criss cross motions (this will help the paint stick better and apply properly)
• Be confidence with roller strokes
• Load the roller with plenty of paint but not to the point of dripping
• For each coat try to paint across the wall evenly - don't go over the same spot twice
• Even with cheap paint, if you do all this it should only need 2 coats ... maybe a primer too if you are drastically changing shades.
• Use the brush confidently - and again - paint up and down only do not go crazy with brush strokes going in all directions

HTH

Leif

aintshesweet wrote: »

The main differences are down to the amount of prep a pro does before.

Yes, prep can take much longer than the actual painting.