Paint mess, decorator says to chill out

[JediNinja]

NC as I disclosed town in a recent thread and my painters are a local business.

We have just installed a new kitchen and tiles, which we haven't used yet. The team doing the kitchen were super careful with everything and covered every surface with big mats and towels. They have finished and decorators came in to paint the walls and the ceiling. They are using small brushes because they said that the gaps are not big enough for rollers, although there is a big wall without cupboards or anything. They have been three days and every time I come in from worm and check I'm getting anxious about all the drips and small splashes everywhere. I raised up with them and they were quite laid back saying it's water paint based and it will come off easily. But it's still there. They are finishing on Monday and said not to worry, that they will clean then whole thing before handing it over. Yet I have just now been ten minutes on a tile trying to get the paint off just with warm water, soap and an sponge and it doesn't lift easily. I imagine they will have to use some strong product or a scraper, and it's making me feel annoyed and worried that the new floor will end up with scratches or without some protective layer if using chemicals, which might make them stain easily. Floor is cream coloured with patterns, paint is water-based washable kitchen paint. I'm actually losing sleep over this, literally, worried about having to spend hours checking and cleaning bits left behind or that by the time they hand over my new floor won't look like when the kitchen company finished. Maybe I have been spoilt with the other team as they were so incredibly tidy and careful. Maybe the painters are right in saying not to worry and let them clean it. DH says that if I'm that bothered we can tell them to stop and we finish it ourselves, as we cannot be much messier anyway.

YABU - chill and let them finish, it is indeed easy to clean and that's standard

YANBU - I would stop them, it's a pain to clean.

I really don't like conflict. I don't know what I'm scared of but the idea of standing there and telling them I'm unhappy makes my heart race, my throat close, my brain gets fuzzy and my eye sight feels blurry. I don't have to face conflict in my daily job or life and I find it hard.

My kitchen tiles are porcelain tiles matt finish, cream background and dark patterns. I have been saying ceramic but checking the documents it's porcelain.

With our decorator we got rid of, I kept pointing out the millions of speckled splashes, he kept saying that they will flick off... He painted the bathroom ceiling without putting anything down on the floor, millions of spots, I asked him to clean, he got his car keys out and started scratching it!!!

I would be very upset in your shoes. I would ask them to clean the mess first before they go any further. Or just get rid of them completely.

They sound very unprofessional and if you hadn’t already paid I’d be a bit more inclined to kick up a fuss. If there’s only a couple of hours’ work left it’s probably worth giving them the benefit of the doubt and hope that they fully clean up rather than getting rid and having to sort it all yourself.

I wouldn’t worry too much about not being able to get the paint off however. As someone else mentioned the wipes that tradespeople use are great at getting paint off (PVCu solvent cleaner also works). We moved into a house where the previous occupants had decorated (badly!) and we managed to get rid of all the splashes. They are right that it can be scratched off some surfaces quite easily with your fingernails as I did this on the laminate floors and it worked.

They should use dust sheets but decorator wipes will make quick work of any splashes

Do you still need to pay the kitchen company any money?

This is shit execution. I paint immaculately. Yes you might get the odd drip from overloading the brush but it'll land on drip sheets & not on anything that matters. I'd be furious about paint splashes being allowed to dry solid before removing.

My (very cheap) decorator spent two days carefully cutting up plastic sheeting and taping it to everything. Two days!! By the time he opened the first tin of paint, there was nothing left to splash except plastic sheeting. I’m sorry but these guys don’t sound very good. There shouldn’t be any tiles / worktop in sight to splash, it should all be covered up, by them.

Reminds me of some builders I had who installed brand new windows then splashed plaster and concrete onto them and said it’ll come right off when you do the clean, didn’t you know that everyone always hires cleaners for a deep clean after having builders. Cleaners were not able to get all of it off and neither can I. Brand new windows, permanently filthy 😭

Anyway. Totally understand what you’re saying about hating conflict but either you argue with them, or get someone else to argue with them, or they’ll take the piss and rip you off. Those are the only options with guys like that.

If you don’t wanna discuss it would you consider texting them saying you’ve had a look at the kitchen, the level of damage and lack of care for your new products is unacceptable, you are concerned that they know nothing about protecting fittings and you don’t want them back in your house as clearly they aren’t able to protect what is there. Do it all by text message so they can’t intimidate you.

Yes I understand that. You feel intimidated in that situation and they are taking advantage of your timidity. It's cheeky and not their place to tell you to chill out - but that's what glib chancers are practised at - or that they'll clean it up afterwards, although that is a mode of thinking with some workmen. They are in your house, working for you, to your requirements and standards and you need to make clear that you want the surfaces covered and they must clean any drops as they go. (Although you could cover the floor yourself.)

If you can't manage to do that out of fear, then you can't but you can tell the kitchen company what is unsatisfactory and that you are not happy being told to chill out in your own home by people who are supposed to be doing a skilled job for you. And that you want them replaced

I was thinking the tiles might be finished to be stain resistant. You could probably remove some of these stubborn drops using a softer plastic scraper rather than a metal one. You could improvise with whatever you have to hand, such as a plastic, rubber or wooden kitchen utensil or stiff cardboard or a soft wooden ice cream stick. You could add some washing soda (sold as Soda Crystals in the supermarket) to the water to soften it. It's generally a good stain and dirt remover.

@LadyB49

Which part of the country are you in? I'm in desperate need of a good decorator!!

@JediNinja sorry you're having to deal with this. As mentioned above, I swear by these wipes - recently they took new paint splashes off the ceiling we weren't painting without damaging the old paint, I'd definitely try these before trying to scratch it off. B&Q and dulux decorator centres sell them too:

www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Wipes-BGW2420-Heavy-Duty-Cleaning/dp/B00IT3RXA0?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A2I6JD2BX3O0SM

Get some Methyl Hydrate & a damp cloth. It will take the paint off. You don't need much & make sure the room is well ventilated when you use it

if it does need a little help with a scaper/ blade you can buy plastic ones & they won't damage even the softest of floor finish. In my hob I spend a lot of time cleaning up after bloody painters.

OP we had the exact same issue (are you in Scotland??)

I spoke to the kitchen people and said if not pay the balance until it was all sorted

Take photographs for your own records in case you notice scratches/damage once they've 'finished'

My mother was given matt tiles from a friend and she was so angry when it came to cleaning them. The dirt just seemed to embed itself. Scrapers were useless because the surface wasn't smooth.This is how i finally was able to clean them. I used washing up liquid in a old towel then soaked with warm verging on hot water. Let it soak in and then scrub with a brush once the paint has been loosened.

If they're in the middle of other work and they've been sent as a favour by the kitchen company, they didn't quote you for the job themselves and they're probably not getting paid as much as they would be if you'd engaged them directly. As such they're even less likely to be invested in doing a decent job, so they'll be sloppier with prep and cleanup.

Water-based paint cleans up really easily if it's wiped up with a wet cloth as you go. Once dry, it should come off when you dampen it and scrape it off. It should clean up without solvents or anything too aggressive.

Don't be afraid to tell them what you want. It's your house and they're professionals getting paid to do a job. I have to say if it was me and I'd just spent a ton of money on a new kitchen, I'd be painting it myself and doing it properly. Painting really isn't hard if you have decent materials and you're careful.

Ignore! These are the same folk who think you should pay more than a cleaner quotes. Why the hell would you. Also the fact they think they're gonna pay tax on that is actually hilarious

OP Just to throw a spanner in the works

I would have thought that before the new kitchen was fitted the walls would have been made good and painted , not afterwards

Be sure to cover thoroughly anything still exposed (using tape to seal down).

IME there is always some cleaning up mainly those horrible tiny specks that go everywhere. They sound like they’re just doing a favour to kitchen company therefore are not answering to the customer & not bothered about the finish or how drawn out it is (if understandably are squeezing you in).

If it’s that bad & you can’t paint off I’d abort now as damage limitation. It sucks though.

If it's any help, I struggled to get a part of my kitchen clean (not paint) when I was having it decorated. I panicked a bit, and then when I arrived home one day it has been cleaned perfectly. The decorator had done it for me with ease. I don't even know how.
I think they are experienced in these things, and have a way of doing it that we don't consider. I don't think they would use damaging chemicals. That would cause repercussions.

But I do agree and understand why you are so anxious over this.

Good luck

Some very reassuring posts here. I contacted the kitchen company who said not to worry and they will come and check work and ensure it's clean. They did say they have some professional wipes that can remove any splashes (@HouseIsOnFire ), so at least I feel a bit more confident that they might be able to remove with ease what seems very hard to me.

@Abitofalark I had one of those plastic scrapers so I have tried it in a corner and relieved to say they do work. I might be panicking for nothing, but still bothered about the lack of care. They should finish tomorrow bits and bobs, including cleaning, so I'll update when I'm back from work!

@Wonnle , that's what I thought too but everyone looked at me as if I were mad when I asked, including DH. Apparently it's bonkers to paint just to put cabinets on top. But in my opinion even if you don't paint the whole wall, at least enough than you don't want to be that precise with the edges? Plaster apparently needs to dry super well before putting paint, I was told, and because we patch-plastered it was better this way, as we could start putting the cupboards and cabinets in. No clue. If it were me doing it, I would have painted before installing the kitchen.
@thaegumathteth not in Scotland, how far do they travel though? 😅 Sounds quite similar

I can't find the post about plaster and cement on the windows, that sounds so frustrating! Have you tried a different cleaning company that advertise themselves mainly as cleaners for building work?

possibly VAT but not if he works for modern slavers who pay less than NMW

If he works for himself, at those rates it's highly unlikely he'd earn above the VAT threshold.

I would have thought too, but when my kitchen was fitted they claimed they didn’t have time to wait till the new plaster was dry, so they wanted to fit the units over damp plaster. We compromised on them being fitted after the weekend (so the plaster was at least mainly dry).

So the other company came and cleaned well enough that I didn't freak out when I came back from work. I can still find (occasionally) here and there small splashes that are indeed wipeable, but nothing major. Not a spotless perfect finish, but at least it's done and we can leave all the stress behind. We didn't have to pay extra, so clearly a favour they were doing between themselves. Having spoken to other people in the area, we were probably wrong to assume this should have been included. Other school mums have said they organised the decorating separately. Nevertheless, I do think that more care would have been better as I am sure I will continue to find splashes and spots and bits. Plus the wall is not as smooth and neat. Nothing major, though, and we can live with it.

My kids have already lightly scratched a door so I feel this is the best it will look and I'm just grateful that we have a nicer kitchen than before. The previous one was outdated and impractical for us as a family, so we are looking at the positives. Thank you for your advice, I certainly will take it into account when we start with the downstairs bathroom, which is the next project!