Dodgy decorator or am I being pedantic

[Mlb123]

Hi all, total newbie and I know I should really contribute prior to posting asking for advice but only really thought of this type of site, as really need some fellow like minded people to ease my pain or tell me I'm being a totally twit... I will ensure I contribute now I have signed up, as I would like to think i have a fair bit of knowledge of various elements of the good old Do It Yourself.

Back story;

Basically me and the missus brought our first home about a year ago and since then have been going room to room stripping back and refinishing.

When i say stripping back its a flat that was built in the 1970's, it is all dry lined so we have removed all the wallpaper/lining paper prepped for plastering, replaced skirting in places, stripped all wood work back to bare wood due to the many many years of poor coats of paint,replaced the mahogany doors etc etc.

Anyway, we have managed to get a couple of the rooms finished up to this point, bathroom and spare room and I dont wanna blow my own trumpet but they are, IMO on point!

I stupidly decided to strip a couple of rooms back in one go, rather than going for the one at a time plan, this has created a bit of chaos, as I mentioned it's only a flat and as a result we are living and sleeping out of the lounge at present surrounded by mess Any way it was with good intention, but unfortunately work has gone mental and I have been struggling to find the time to get round to doing much at all in either room.

The rooms currently in midst of being done are the hall and master bedroom.

I decided to arrange for a decorator to do the works in the hall as this was the bigger task that I just cant see myself getting done in the timeframe we really would like for it to be done in.

Anyway decorator came and quoted us to;

Paint ceiling and walls with our choice of elmusion. Prime undercoat and finish all wood work including the newly installed doors and our old mahogany door on the inside (not aloud to change this).

Was happy with the quote and timescale In which he could start (good couple of months) as he was fully booked (good sign).

Anyway, he has started this week and so far things haven't gone as great as I'd have thought.

First problem is, we have newly installed oak flooring, it was a decision we made to have it laid prior to decorating as we wanted the skirting to be laid after to eliminate scotia, also again time run away and i didn't get round to paiting anything else as planned, prior to the floor going down (it was booked in with a local very reputable company, that had again along waiting list).

Anyway I thought this would be a problem as I'd protect it throughout painting.

Wellllll..... the decorator hasnt shared the same logic and has not bothered to use dust sheets, he has used the good olde frog tape around the edge of skirting and floor but no protection to the floor, paint has ended up on the oak flooring and when pointed out by my missus he has decided in his wisdom to use a STANLEY BLADE!!! to scrape this off. This ofcourse has damaged our flooring. He has agreed to pay if necessary to have this fixed. but I just dont understand the logic. When questioned his main response was we should have had it laid after decorating ! Surely this shouldn't matter as what if this was a standard redecorating job or worse a 100 year old piece of historic flooring you cant just say oh well not my problem should have ripped it up and relaid it after I was finished. (See photo)

Anyway to a degree I got over this and agreed I wouldn't hold it against him.

Now I have come home to find he has painted only one coat on the ceiling and there is still clear mark's coming through the paint where I had previously prepped. dont get me wrong it's as he quoted, 1 coat. But he hasnt said " I think itll need another coat as it's not covered as well as I'd have thought it may cost a bit more and take x amount longer" or something similar (See photo) surely you cant just think well I only quoted for one not my problem it looks ****e.

Then I have had a look at his priming and under coating on the woodwork and have come across this mark that was in the wood to start with (surely he is going to fill this!) Please see photo.

Thennnnnnn I have spotted a couple of the doors he has apparently finished painting, drips galore. Please see photos.

I have sent him an email and asked for all of this to be rectified prior to him finishing and have done so in the most polite way i could. but i am concerned it is going to get bitter. I just wanted to know before i jump on my high horse and stand my ground when it comes to, please sort this out before payment or please reduce payment and il bloody do it myself. I am being unreasonable or is this just poor ?! I have requested a service to be done and am paying for a profession decorator. Surely I should get a profession job and more to the point, finish.

Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks in advance

Kind regards

 

[EddieM]

Well couple of thoughts, you did it the wrong way round, basic rule top to bottom, work with gravity,

So should have been, if of course able, strip room, get walls and ceiling prepped, paint, lay floor, attach skirts, paint skirts.

 

[Mlb123]

Hi thanks for your response Eddie, I get that yes in an ideal world scenario the floor would have been laid in the exact order you have stated but like I said, time unfortunately ran away with me and the flooring was booked in to be laid and so was the carpenter that fitted the doors and skirting at the same time as doing so.

But my point is regardless of whether the floor was new, if I had booked a decorator to re paint the hall because it was getting a bit shoddy and had, had this flooring down for a couple of years I'd still expect care to be taken to protect it? Surely it cant be a case that everytime you decorate you need to install new flooring ? Anyway as I said **** happens and maybe I can take this as a genuine mistake but what about the other points, hes not doing me a favour I am paying a considerable amount of money for this hall to be decorated.

Thanks

 

[chris1982]

Did the quote state he'd fill any holes in the woodwork? It sounds like you hired him to do a list of tasks (i.e. one coat of this or that), rather than to decorate a wall or a ceiling. The latter to me would have him required to make good as necessary, but the former I am not so sure.
Either way I think he should have protected the floor, and the drip marks are annoying. For sure you can ask him to make these good.
(Note: it is possible my assessment is off, I just got annoyed by a plumber who came today to fit a basin - in the process he cracked three tiles (he did replace as I asked him to) and the basin is not level)

 

[johnny2007]

WTF!!!
He's not a decorator, at best he's a bad diyer.
Decorators protect floors, they don't drip paint and prepare surfaces by filling where necessary.
AAAAAND, no decorator would ever use only one coat on anything.
BODGER!!!

 

[Mlb123]

Quote stated he would;

Sand, fill and repair any cracks and holes prior to priming, under coating and finishing. There are dents and holes all over the wood work and it doesn't seem like he has sanded the woodwork down to be honest prior to priming. trouble is I'm not sure if he has any intention of filling some of the holes in the wood work now that its undercoated prior to top coat. Again dont want to jump on my high horse for him to say well I was going to do that I haven't finished yet.

I am very close to telling him to not bother finishing the works and just paying for what he has done so far. Or do I just tell hime to focus on the wood work and leave the walls for me to finish.

My biggest gripe is I know I can do a better job than what he has done so far but it just takes me time and unfortunately I have got much atm, which is why I decided to pay a "professional"

 

[Brigade77]

I'm with johnny2007, there's a few things there that screams to me he's not a professional decorator.

IIWM I wouldn't be paying & I wouldn't be letting them back on site for any effort to put right.

 

[leegsi]

Being a new or old floor you would protect it.

 

[Keithmac]

Of you want anything doing properly do it yourself as the saying goes..

 

[Bosswhite]

IMO its all down to the cost of the job, one pays for what one gets , low price one would have to accept there will be flaws,
it is basically a DIY type of finish .

 

[Mlb123]

Boss white, what would you consider to be a reasonable price for a reasonable finish ? 5 doors to be painted that are already primed. Ceiling to be painted, walls to be painted and skirting and door frames to be painted. Floor space is only approx 7-8m3

 

[HERTS P&D]

Didn't the horse outside give you a clue?

Sorry MB, this is not a professional.

Andy

 

[Notch7]

But my point is regardless of whether the floor was new, if I had booked a decorator to re paint the hall because it was getting a bit shoddy and had, had this flooring down for a couple of years I'd still expect care to be taken to protect it? Surely it cant be a case that everytime you decorate you need to install new flooring ? Anyway as I said **** happens and maybe I can take this as a genuine mistake but what about the other points, hes not doing me a favour I am paying a considerable amount of money for this hall to be decorated

Ive been involved on many site jobs where floors are down but other trades are working, of course its possible, if not ideal.

In your situation floor protection is vital. Personally I wouldve bought some floor protection sheets -its thin correx board. It can be gaffa taped together and makes a good flat surface -its what pro builders often do, it allows boots to be worn and ladders wont damage floor.

I think all decorators Ive seen working protect everything first, they always seem to be the tidiest trades, clean overalls and they seem to have perfectly folded clean dust sheets.

A pro decorator would be horrified to see a run -they pride themselves on brush skills.

 

[opps]

WTF!!!
He's not a decorator, at best he's a bad diyer.
Decorators protect floors, they don't drip paint and prepare surfaces by filling where necessary.
AAAAAND, no decorator would ever use only one coat on anything.
BODGER!!!

As a professional decorator I fully concur with your post.

 

[opps]

I'm not sure if he has any intention of filling some of the holes in the wood work now that its undercoated prior to top coat.

Top coat, singular?

If eggshell, which requires two top coats, you can get away with filling pin holes and (depending on the filler) two coats of eggshell will be fine.

That said, it sounds like you have commissioned someone that will sell your granny when you pop out to buy a pint of milk.

Sorry.

Where did you find the "tradesman"?