Would it be unreasonable of me to do this behind DH's back?

[VivaLeBeaver]

pay a man to come round and fit the laminate in the hallway?

Dh is going on holiday with his mates in sept for a week so it will be the perfect opportunity.

We bought the laminate nearly two years ago. It's been piled up in a corner of the dining room for two years. The hallway carpet is 20 years old, it smells of dog and has a 2ft square hole in one corner.

Dh says he will fit it but he needs to remove all the skirting boards first and sand the nasty mahogany varnish off. He wants the laminate to go under the skirting boards not up to them. He never does it, if I mention it he explodes and says he's working hard and doesn't have time.

Not true though. He's a bugger for starting stuff and not finishing. This weekend he's spent the weekend sanding and painting all the external windowsills. He's done a fab job but I'd rather he sorted out the hallway.

He won't be happy if I do it as he'll moan that the skirting boards will need painting with new laminate in situ.

Then there is the threadbare sitting room carpet that I'm not allowed to replace until he gets round to plastering under the bay window. That's been bare brick for two years with no sign of it been sorted. I'd like to get a new carpet down in there while he's away as well but no way can I empty the room of furniture on my own.

I'd do it.

YANBU.

In fact your Dh will prob be grateful...

Not unreasonable at all, IMO, as long as it is affordable.

I would definitely do it if you can afford it. He has had plenty of opportunity if you ask me.

Do it.

And I'll get the plasterer in to do the bathroom that remains unfinished after 3 years!

If you can afford it do it. Make sure its done how your dh wants it.

He may do some faux irritation but I think he will actually be grateful.

Yanbu! Don't end up like my mother! She has had a kitchen piled up in the lounge and laminate for 3 years! The house is a complete and utter mess she is 53 and cries all the time about ! The house is beyond repair and they now have no money to do it! My dad would to go mad if she had someone do it but she has no guts and to b fair he would get drunk and prob come and rip it up in temper any way! U shud go ahead and get it done ! 2!years has been plenty of bloody time!

Can you get a handyman in for the time he's away to do all the jobs he hasn't got around to yet? And then gaslight the shurker be very nonchalant about the improvements? 'oh that, didn't take me long at all; had a spare 5 minutes and thought I'd give it a go'

If you can afford it, then def do it. In fact get a plasterer round to do the wall, and get the room carpeted. Some carpet fitters will work round the furniture, so just shop around.

Paint the skirting boards yourself before the laminate is fitted. A pot of one coat gloss will do the job easily

If you are sure you can afford it then go for it!

Do you mean that whoever you get will do it the way he wants it - ie.remove the skirting and have it fitted underneath.

I agree he's had plenty of time to do it but I still think he has a say in the way it is done - he might be really pissed off if it's only done up to the skirting board and then you have to have one of those naff edging strips.

I have form for this sort of thing. I got a child's bedroom decorated and new carpet fitted and then, on a separate occasion, paid for a 'spring clean' - all while DH was on travel with work.

I would recommend paying the person to do the skirting boards too (unless they're some kind of antique skirting board, I suppose). If yours is anything like mine, he'll object to paying for an inferior job, so get it done properly and tell him to shut up.

I had this kind of problem. When we moved house, we moved to a "doer-upper" on my husband's insistence, even though he worked full time and was often home late.

Whenever I asked about things getting done, I would get harumphed at and told he was too tired, etc etc. Then he would do the job really badly and in a really bad humour, which just totally pissed me off.

My mum suggested just getting someone in to do the jobs, and I wouldn't because I didn't want to upse the household, although I did threaten to do this.

Luckily, we moved away and did end up getting professionals in for the jobs as we got the house tenanted.

Therefore, I wouldn't surprise your husband with it, I would tell him that you are sick of waiting and are getting the professionals in. Give him a time-frame to get the job done.

I feel your pain!

I can't paint the skirting boards first, they need sanding back first. Dh would kill me if I painted over varnish. He sanded a 2ft length and it took him all day. I don't have the time.

Remove and sand the skirting boards yourself?

It's straightforward

Yanbu, if he isn't ever going to do it, get someone else to do it
Best all round, he won't have to do something he obviously doesn't want to do and you get a nice hallway

I'll make sure it's done properly. I don't want any of those horrible edging strips.

I did think about being adamant I'd done it all myself. He'd never believe me but wouldn't be able to prove it. I could tell him I watched a YouTube video of how to do it!

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but you can't put laminate flooring up to a skirting board - they do have to go under :( The laminate can expand in hot weather and then it pushes on the skirting board and will warp. It goes under the skirting, a few mms away from the wall so that there is room for it expand.

Although, I may be correct in thinking that there is a thing you can attach top the skirting boards that the laminate boards go under? Hang on, I'll have a Google...

Buy new skirting boards, that will save the hassle of sanding them, if you're going to do it may as well do it in style :o

Go for it!

Right, I've found a man. He's coming round at 7:30 weds morning. I'm having to smuggle him in for a quote when dh isn't about. He's a joiner as well as a laminate fitter so I'm hoping he can do the skirting boards ok. I think I'll ask him about new skirting boarsds.

Abolutely NU! Throw money at the problem!

My Mum waited 10 years fdor my Dad to decorate the house, then saved the child benefit and got one room painted each month.

I'm going to paint the dining room myself as well the same week.

Good plan. He's had two bloody years to sort it out. That's taking the piss