Not paying painter due to carpet stains?

Just read the whole of OP's updates and this is shocking. OP, did you manage to get the paint off your bathroom suite? The carpets look wrecked, he's tried to clean them with some sort of product and it looks like its bleached the carpet. Leaving them wet is also awful, it needs a carpet cleaner to get the water out, they can't just be left wet especially when it's cold out. Get lots of photos as evidence and put together a claim against him. If you can't get that paint off the basin it's a much larger fix.

I'd be livid tbh our decorator never gets a drop of paint on carpets i on the other hand manage to get it everywhere 😅 ( hence why I now use a decorator ) get a professional to clean the carpet and deduct the cost if it comes out if not get a price for a new carpet and charge him

Do you have a photo OP?

I agree with this. I’ve had bad stains from baby weaning and got quotes for cleaning companies. All of them said they’d try but…. some stains came out, some are still there

You may be in a position where you pay for cleaning and still need to get them replaced. The cleaning company will also want to know what he’s used to try and get the paint out as they may say this has made it set in/bleached it.

I would get some quotes from cleaning companies and carpet replacements. I’d also say some very good carpet companies can cut and stitch patches back in which have mixed success. Especially if the can get the original carpet still

Id Also check your contents insurance as you may be covered for replacement carpet through them and the you’ll just have to pay the excess (as I’d imagine the quote to replace carpets will be more than his invoice so you’ll be out of pocket if paying for it yourself)

Sorry OP, really unprofessional job but I think he realises this

There's a good chance that if you bring in a carpet cleaning company for a quote it'll very much be, 'We can try, but that might not come out.' Depending on what on earth he's used on the carpet, it could have had a bleaching effect, and/or taken off the protective coating. As he clearly doesn't know wtf he's doing with painting, it's likely he doesn't have a clue how to clean it without ruining the carpet even more.

I'd book professional cleaners ASAP. If it's successful then knock off the cost off the bill. If it's unsucessful, get a new carpet fitted and knock that plus the cleaning fee off the bill. Do not pay the bill, until the carpet's sorted.

Whatever you do, you don't want to follow his advice of letting the carpet dry before getting professional cleaners in, if you can already see that there are still blue paint stains!!

The whole thing is just shocking. Total cowboy, left you to sort the tape in hopes you'll accept his 'offer' of a bigger discount, not wanting to face you knowing he's fucked up your carpets.

I meant accept the £100 off once everything is put back as it should be. Clean carpets or replaced, paintwork done, tape removed etc.

If you let the paint dry it will NEVER come out
☝🏻 This, OP.
Let him know you are contacting a professional cleaning company for their advice and quotes for cleaning, then do it. ASAP.
Don't pay him. Also tell him you expect him to remove the masking tape. I bet he forgot to do it or didn't want to stay over time so left it. Useless git.
Stay friendly but unbudging, an air of polite regret should do it.

Also...it looks like he has tried to bleach one of the areas he has "cleaned"..that is just flat out ruined.
And he washed his brushes in your bathroom sink. ?
What a cowboy.

If you let the paint dry it will NEVER come out.
Ideally it should have detergent massaged into the areas to make sure it cant dry and then it should be extraction cleaned repeatedly.
However as soon as your touch it it becomes a you problem..unless you have legal cover on your insurance in which case, if you contact them you might be able to get it professionally cleaned immediately and your insurance company will claim against your painter.

I would not pay him a penny for now, wait until the tape has been removed and the carpet dried and THEN assess the situation.

As the carpet is likely still stained, I would be contacting a professional carpet cleaner NOW and asking for a quote to have the stain removed and IF it can be removed.

If the cleaning company say they wouldn't be able to get it out then you need to go down the replacement route. You could contact your insurance who can then claim the costs from his insurance. Or there is the small claims court option.

No. Not from a professional - and he clearly isn't! You do NOT wait for the paint to dry before removing the tape because it will lift paint with it. That's going to be a disaster.

Also: "The absolute joke that is a (apparently) professional painter saying the colour of the paint makes a job "a nightmare"
Does he normally only paint white or something? A painter who struggles with colours 😁
If anything a dark colour is easier because you don't need as many coats to cover up the previous colour. Painting a dark blue wall white would be much harder." This is incorrect. Dark colours are harder because they show every mark and imperfection whereas a bright white has a blurring effect that's more forgiving. Painting over dark colours can be difficult but not if you use a primer first. A professional would know how difficult it can be working with different colours. He once again is showing that he isn't.

Definitely do not pay anything yet. Get advice and written quotations from professional carpet cleaners. I would also get legal advice (from CAB if necessary) on where you stand with paying the shortfall if you have to replace the carpet. He's clearly not a professional so the likelihood of him having public liability insurance is slim.

I think his text is fine. It’s ok to suggest letting the carpets dry out and seeing how they look. I think his previous text offering £200 off and apologising was ok too. He was chancing his luck with a low offer but he wasn’t rude and he was properly apologising.
OP, what do you want from this? I think I might be ok with keeping all the money for the painting and then I’d probably not change the carpets, DEPENDING what they look like when they have dried out.

I be careful about sending some of the Mumsnet suggested texts. Some are very pompous and unnecessary rude. I prefer to deal with situations like this more practically. I wouldn’t back down but I’d avoid getting into battle with someone. I think you are more likely to get a satisfactory result if you stay level headed.

Make sure you are taking lots of photos and videos.

My take from that is that he knows the paint wont come out and it’ll need replacing and he’s saying keep the money instead of paying him.

He either hasn't got insurance or doesn't want to claim off it.

I wouldn't press him about replacing the carpets until you have had them cleaned. There is no point in him replying to your question until he knows that the carpets have to be replaced.

He's admitted fault in his messages so just hold off for now and see how they look when dry. (Eta: how wet are they? Get the windows open and heating on to dry them quickly).

I’d just wait and see how the carpets look when fully dry and go from there. He is probably ignoring your question about replacing them as he’s hoping it won’t come to that!
It might all be ok when dry and if not there’s a professional cleaning as next step for him to organise.

Don't forget to leave an honest review when this is all over!

The fact that he told you to wait until the paint is dry to pull the tape shows he has no idea what he is doing. I perform a great deal of DIY painting and it's axiomatic to remove the tape ASAP when paint is wet.

Do not ask him "what do you normally do?" or "what does your insurance cover?" Those are NOT your problems.

You say "I paid for a professional paint job that does not involve permanent damage to my home. I expect the carpet to be replaced with the same quality as was installed last year." How he pays for it is not your problem.

He's a total cowboy.
As others have said, stay strong.

Just so you have your facts together why do t you call the carpet company and see how much they would charge to replace the carpet. You could probably get rid of the old carpet for free on Facebook so could save the ‘removal’ cost.