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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be absolutely gutted with this paintwork?

148 replies

123Holly · 04/10/2019 22:05

I’ve had a painter and decorator in to paint a hall and stairs as well as the woodwork. The woodwork was going from stained wood to white so yes it is a pain in the backside type of job, but I really don’t think this is acceptable. I was here when he did the walls which were done really well but the woodwork is awful.
Where do I stand on payment? I’ve not paid him anything yet, but he wants me to BACS him £600 tonight.

To be absolutely gutted with this paintwork?
To be absolutely gutted with this paintwork?
To be absolutely gutted with this paintwork?
OP posts:
Original poster
123Holly · 04/10/2019 22:08

More pics

To be absolutely gutted with this paintwork?
To be absolutely gutted with this paintwork?
OP posts:
LegArmpits · 04/10/2019 22:09

It looks like worse than if I'd done it! 🙊

nearlyfinished1moreyear · 04/10/2019 22:10

That's a terrible job? Is he a professional? I would simply contact him show him the pictures and withhold payment until the work is rectified.

Original poster
123Holly · 04/10/2019 22:10

Yep I think the same. It’s so bad. DH doesn’t even want to have him back to come fix it, and just lay him!

OP posts:
NorthernSpirit · 04/10/2019 22:14

Appalling job. Is is a trade served painter & decorator? Looks like a toddler has got hold of a paint brush!

Looks badly prepped & executed and why he couldn’t take the door handle off instead of attempting to paint around it (and over it) I don’t know.

I would call him (don’t hide behind a text message) and say you aren’t happy with the works and you would like It putting right before it’s paid.

MargotLovedTom1 · 04/10/2019 22:14

Definitely don't lay him! Grin

It's crap work. Agree, show him the pictures and ask for a reduction of you'd rather not have him back.

HippoClampus · 04/10/2019 22:15

Fucking hell that's awful.

I think you might need to invite him back to 'make good' but I've been in a similar position (bad plasterer) and I just paid up and left a bad review as there was no way I wanted him back to make it worse!

Sparklesocks · 04/10/2019 22:15

Oh Christ that isn’t good at all. How did you find him?

Original poster
123Holly · 04/10/2019 22:16

He’s just messaged me saying he can knock it down to 450 and we can sort it ourselves.

OP posts:
NorthernSpirit · 04/10/2019 22:18

CF. He obviously knows it’s bad (probably not the first time it’s happened). I doubt he would be able to make this good. I would pay a token (not £450) and get someone on who can do a proper job.

Original poster
123Holly · 04/10/2019 22:20

I’m gonna have to sand it back to the bare wood and start again. Bloody gutted. Not got the money to repay for someone else.
A mum at school recommended him.
Best part is I done all of the woodwork upstairs and he’s taken pictures of it and put it up on his Facebook page like he’s done it Angry

OP posts:
RainOrSun · 04/10/2019 22:20

How much would it cost to have the gloss done professionally? Thinking about the emulsion/gloss tome when we had a decorator in earlier in the year, I'd say about equal time on the 2.
So, 300 plus 50 for the paint he wasted. Offer him him 350.

FizzyIce · 04/10/2019 22:23

Did he hold the paintbrush with his feet? As that’s what it looks like ..
Wowsers

LazyDaisey · 04/10/2019 22:23

I’d definitely say something on his FB post. Like no, that was already done. This is what you painted ... and post those.

Newsheet · 04/10/2019 22:24

Is he a painter, or a handyman?

£600 seems very cheap for a decorator who is time served?

Still a shit job, but pay peanuts and you get monkeys.

Reallybadidea · 04/10/2019 22:24

I would get a quote for it to be fixed and withold that amount from his fee. And comment on his pictures that it's not his work!

RightYesButNo · 04/10/2019 22:25

YANBU! I wouldn’t pay him right now, to start with, and then I would get in a professional trade painter (was he one???) and have him/her write up exactly what caused it to look like that, and then write up what that painter says in a more official letter when you refuse to pay him, period (i.e. it wasn’t cleaned, prepped, sanded and primed if it was wood or whatever is necessary for wood).

But seriously, PP is right - looks like I, with no experience, painted it after a few gins Confused And even I could avoid painting a fecking doorknob.

LizzyMac40 · 04/10/2019 22:26

That is an awful job. He should have sanded the paint work down, and washed it all down beforehand. I have just repainted a bathroom and did all this beforehand. I am giving it a second coat tomorrow. I am still to do the skirting. It takes seconds to clean up paint drips, and using masking tape ensures paint doesn’t drift anywhere else. I would be looking for a reduction in the cost as £600 seems very expensive. I paid £16 for a tub of paint and did it myself, mainly due to the fact I don’t have the money to get someone to do it for me.

Ohnononono · 04/10/2019 22:26

Oh that’s bad. Looks like he hasn’t cleaned his brushes properly so lots of bits of old paint in them. And the runs in the paint! Awful.
I have just had my stairs painted and it’s nothing like that. That’s very frustrating for you.

Ontheboardwalk · 04/10/2019 22:30

How much time did he spend on the job for the £600?

Do not pay him. It’s going to cost your serious time and money to strip that back so it can be painted properly

GettingABitDesperateNow · 04/10/2019 22:33

Dont pay him. I guess if you're feeling generous you can find out how much it's going to cost someone to sort it out and if it's less then pay him the difference for doing an undercoat. I'd also ask him to take down private pictures of your house that have nothing to do with him and if he says no you can respond that you will post pictures of his actual work if he doesn't

RightYesButNo · 04/10/2019 22:34

Saw your other comments, OP.

Do not pay him a damn thing until someone tells you what it will cost to fix the woodwork! The fucking cheek to say he’ll “knock it down” to £450 so you can sort it, like he’s doing you a favor. Another painter may tell you that painting the hall was the cheap part and painting wood is actually much more expensive, so his cost for painting your hall was £50 or something, and painting the woodwork correctly with priming and such would have cost him £150 or such. Wait until you talk to another professional. A good one should be able to tell you in five minutes, and then you’ll know if they can sort you, or if you have to do it yourself as it’s too expensive (in which case, he can’t have the money because you’ll need it to do the job yourself!).

And you can report those photos of the work you did he's pretending he did on Facebook! What a total CF. They’re of your house and he’s misusing them - you have every right to report them and get them taken down.

People who take advantage like this, and then have the brass neck to press you for the money, are such utter wankers.

Original poster
123Holly · 04/10/2019 22:37

He spent 5 days in total 9.30-2pm that was including doing walls.
I can literally pull bits of hair and debris out of the stair area. He’s just messaged again saying sorry if it’s not up to your standard but the lowest I can do is 450.
I better get the sander out the garage.

OP posts:
user1494055864 · 04/10/2019 22:42

I wouldn't pay him a penny. It will cost you time and money to put that right. Put those photos on his Facebook page.

PepsiLola · 04/10/2019 22:42

It's not "your" standard. It's a professional standard!

If we (non tradesmen) can see it's a bad job then surely a professional can see!

It not "how low he can go"... it's how much this is going to cost you to repair!

Tell him you're getting someone in to see the cost of fixing his errors and will knock that off the £600