Get a decorator or do it myself?

woodsford

Hi,

I am based in London and I have been quoted £3,800 to do the following:

• Paint (no wallpapering) 4 medium sized rooms and a hallway & stair area
• Install a skirting board in my living room and dining room

I was wondering if I should just get a handy man to install the skirting board then do the painting myself to save money.

What are your thoughts?

grumbler

Well, if you want to make £500/day and can't do even painting, then it's time to start learning.

Skirting board requires more skills and some tools, but not rocket science either.

[Deleted User]

OP might earn £500 an hour!

I will say this - it's easy to paint it yourself and get it looking okay, especially if you use quality paints that are forgiving of being slapped on by a cack hand.

But to get it to really look immaculate, if you don't have the experience yourself, you really are better off paying to have it done.

grumbler

Poster_586329 said:

But to get it to really look immaculate, if you don't have the experience yourself, you really are better off paying to have it done.

The problem is that you can pay, but still get nothing even close to "immaculate". It's a lottery for you, but the other part always wins.

[Deleted User]

You have to wonder how some people make important decisions when they can't even make basic ones !

twopenny

The stairs and landing could be difficult if you have a hall the size I used to . But if it's a small terrace that's not so much of a problem.

I've done most of my own decorating over the years. Not perfect but no one is studying my ceiling for thin spots when they come for a coffee.

I have had that huge hall stairs and landing done by professional decorators and it was immaculate, pristine. But I knew the work of both. I promised myself I'd have the new place done professionally then lockdown happened.No one has yet pointed out that I missed a bit or smudged something when they've visited - and my friends would

Mind they probably know I'd just give them the paint and brush and say if it worries you then fix it.

rob7475

Is the £3800 just for labour or does that include paint etc? Does it include any bits of filling etc to get the walls into a good condition to take a painted finish? Also, will any wallpaper that's on the walls be stripped ready for the decorator or are they doing that too? Is it just the walls that are being painted or are there ceilings and woodwork etc to be done too?

It sounds expensive, but if it includes any repair work to the walls, stripping, supply of expensive paint etc, it could be a fair price.

If I was doing it myself, I'd expect to spend no more than £500 on materials for 5 average sized rooms (5 tins of trade scrubbable at £40 per 5l, 1 tin of trade white satin at around £40, 10 litres of trade white vinyl emulsion for ceilings, bags of filler etc and a few lengths of skiring + fixings). 

If you're going to have a crack at it yourself, may do the smallest room first to have a practice at cutting in etc. Invest in some good brushes, rollers (I've used Purdy for years but recently been using Prodec Ice Fusion which are excellent for the money).

stuart45

Might be worth watching some videos on the methods of using the tools correctly. It does make a difference to the finish, as well as the prep which is really important. 
The only problem with paying a pro, is that painting is probably the most common trade for someone to chance their arm at, especially in the private sector. Even on site there are plenty of them.
The painting foreman on a firm I worked for told me that he could tell from a man's white if he was time served or not.
Someone with newish whites that were covered in paint was a chancer, and someone with old, worn whites with very little paint was probably time served, unless he'd nicked them.

ka7e

I'm in the process of prepping and painting a bedroom as my usual decorator has priced himself out of my budget and the actual painting is the easy part! I've has to remove vinyl wallpaper which has had to be done in 2 stages, peeling vinyl off and then steaming the backing paper off. Washing walls several times to remove all traces of paste. Sanding old gloss paintwork and undercoating. Painting ceiling with extendable roller. Choosing paint colour - unless you're going with plain brilliant white, it's a nightmare of tester pots to see how light on different walls affects the colour.

Good prep is time-consuming but vital. I've also learned that quality paint is important. By that I mean a durable/diamond finish. I've put expensive matt emulsion on walls that literally wipes off with a damp cloth. But now use Dulux trade Diamond colour-matched paint that you could withstand household cleaners and a scourer. I've also found B and Q own brand (Goodhome) to be tougher than Dulux coloured emulsion and they do a "durable" version too.

muffinek

I tried to do it last year and failed had to call in a decorator in the end and he also was swearing a lot, which made me feel better. A lot depends on the walls and sins they hide.

You won't know until you give it a go. I would try, the worst can happen is you lose bit of time and paint. 

woodsford

Thank you everyone. Some excellent advice / tips on here! Definitely will take them onboard.

Just to clarify the £3,800 doesn't include wallpapering or anything - just painting only and installing skirting boards in living / dining room. That is it.

One question though - daft question perhaps - when people talk about "good quality paint" I'm assuming they're talking about the likes of Dulux / Vespar / Farrow & Ball right?