Have you ever painted a 2 bed flat yourself? How long did it take you?

[AmericanPastoral]

It's not a big flat - about 670 square ft. We are getting the ceilings painted by the managing agent as we had water damage. We need the walls and skirting boards and window frames. The walls will need some filling in and rubbing before they can be painted. How long do you think it would take to do this work and how much would you expect to pay? Is my husband delusional in thinking that he could take a week off work and get this done himself? We've had a guy come round who is due to get back to us but he said it would take him and another guy 2-3 weeks. Thanks.

I've always done my own painting (so for about 30 years now) and I could paint the walls of an average size room in a day. It really doesn't take that long. What always takes more time for me is moving all the furniture out of the way! Filling etc could be done prior to your DH taking a week off so you're ready to go. Skirting etc I find a bit more fiddly but he could definitely do the majority of it in a week. I would never pay for a decorator unless it was absolutely unavoidable. If this guy is saying 2 people at 2 to 3 weeks, you're talking a lot of money I'd imagine.

As above, do the prep first so you are just painting. Experts do a very thorough job and charge a lot. I'm happy with a more basic job and doing it myself!

Small tip- use the same colour everywhere as far as you can- it's saves so much time, mess and money. You can always do more exciting stuff next time round!

If you Google (other search engines are available) calculate decoration costs, you should find some online calculators which will give you a rough hours/cost estimate.

How many rooms? I recently did three rooms in a day with one coat, so would say it’s possible to do it all in a long weekend. Depends on how distracted you get.

I'm happy with a more basic job and doing it myself

I'm curious. When it comes to just a standard painted room, how do people tell the difference between a professional job and a basic job? Genuine question. I mean obviously I think my own painting looks great! lol. But when I go to peoples houses I really see no difference in one painted by them as opposed to professionals.

Thanks everyone.

Storm good question. I'm curious too.

The two of us did a 2 bed 870 sqft flat in 3 days working longish hrs. If you do the prep as suggested in advance and have everything you need at hand then one week is plenty for one man. May not be a bad idea to do a room over the weekend prior to taking a week off as a yardstick.

This was also our first time painting.

Thanks Mondrian

2 and a half days. Kitchen, living area, two bedrooms, a bathroom and hallway.

I can tell when a professional P&D has decorated a room as I live with one. Proper seams matching in wallpaper, no brush marks or roller marks, no scuffs where the paint hasn’t covered and the one bit that gives it all away - the cutting in either where 2 colours meet or under coving.

To the OP paint everything white - no cutting in but spend more time prepping than you do painting that’s the important bit to get a good finish

the cutting in either where 2 colours meet or under coving

I get around that by using masking tape where I don't want the colour to go. Bit of a faff sticking it up but it comes out perfect then.

The cutting in on a professional job should be precise. Mine is not.

I took 2 weeks to paint our 3000sq ft house, amongst looking after toddler and unpacking. Did not have the 10K to pay someone else

DH does our 4 bedroom house in two weeks, but that is walls, ceilings, skirting boards but not window frames (natural wood) and only a couple of doors. All the same colour. But he is experienced at decorating.
His tip to use good quality paint and paint pads for the walls and ceilings, good quality and different sizes of brushes for skirting and doors. You will waste a lot of time and money trying to ‘ecomomise’ with cheap materials.

The difference between mine and a professional is cutting in around the ceilings, and also the finish on the woodwork. A professional is going to thoroughly sand fill undercoat and paint. I'm going to give it a wash then paint over what is already there, filling and patching up as i go if it needs it.

Thanks so much everyone.