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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed with DH re decorating?

40 replies

Holesinmysox · 15/10/2023 15:39

We are redecorating. Walls are in good condition having been skimmed about eight years ago so we were just going to put another layer of paint on.

DH has gone a bit trigger happy with his electric sander and, in ‘lightly’ sanding the walls, has sanded away an oval of paint to reveal the plaster underneath.

He’s all, “this is a good thing as it shows the paint would have flaked off.” Whereas I’m pretty upset as it means when we paint it there is going to be a really obvious patch in the paint with an egg shaped rim.

His proposal is to lightly fill it and sand again but I just want him to leave it alone.

AIBU?

OP posts:
Original poster
Holesinmysox · 15/10/2023 15:43

Oh my god I have just gone back into the room and he’s got a scraper and is making a bad situation even worse. I could cry

OP posts:
TibetanTerrah · 15/10/2023 15:47

This is why I do DIY by myself. Otherwise I get the rage. Mistakes are mine and I don't get as stabby towards my own stupidity.

Can you cover it with a pictureframe or similar?

Majbluemug · 15/10/2023 15:48

Well you can't leave it. But I wouldn't let him fill it. I'd do it myself. Is he normally this incompetent?

DustyLee123 · 15/10/2023 15:48

Get a big mirror to cover it !

Majbluemug · 15/10/2023 15:49

Also it absolutely doesn't show paint would have flaked off he talking nonsense.

Crooklodge · 15/10/2023 15:52

Thank feck I'm married to a painter.

Dramatic · 15/10/2023 15:53

Huh? Won't the paint just cover the plaster anyway? Why does it matter?

Pigeonqueen · 15/10/2023 15:55

He’s an idiot. If the walls were fine as they were all you needed to do was literally paint them. That’s it. I’d be furious. Dh does stuff like this a lot - he will see a piece of wallpaper slightly coming away and rather than just use superglue or whatever to stick the edge down he’ll pull it off and declare the whole lot needs re doing. I do all the decorating myself now as a result and can’t stand him doing any.

Wingedharpy · 15/10/2023 15:58

Could you make a feature of it?😉

Sumtimesiamgreen · 15/10/2023 16:05

Don’t ask him again. He is incompetent and needs to resign immediately as a painter,

Original poster
Holesinmysox · 15/10/2023 16:05

It’s below the dado rail. I am furious.

To be annoyed with DH re decorating?
OP posts:
Original poster
Holesinmysox · 15/10/2023 16:06

In scraping the paint off there are now chip marks in the plaster.

He says “it’s all going to be fine I’m going to sand it down again.”

I’ve had to leave the room.

OP posts:
Original poster
Holesinmysox · 15/10/2023 16:07

Dramatic · 15/10/2023 15:53

Huh? Won't the paint just cover the plaster anyway? Why does it matter?

Because there will be ridges in the wall. The wall was perfectly smooth. It was fine. No damp or anything. I could actually cry.

OP posts:
MyDogSmellsTerrible · 15/10/2023 16:11

He's an idiot.

But at least he's trying.

Maybe tell him in a calm way that whilst you appreciate the intent, you don't want him to go anywhere near any other walls with the sander.

You won't notice it after he's filled the dinks and given it a couple of coats.

FallingAutumnLeaf · 15/10/2023 16:21

Unless you are going quite dark, that black is going to need A LOT of coats to cover it.
The transition will be fine.
We had unicorn and rainbow shaped holes in the paint when we removed the predecessors wall stickers. A couple of thin coats over the "hole", a very gentle sand at the transition, then 2 coats over the whole lot, and you can't tell.

Let him go with it. Don't go in the room til he's done. It will be fine.

Heyhoherewegoagain · 15/10/2023 16:22

Why the hell was he even sanding it? Presuming it was emulsion , in which case you just slap another coat on top.

remove the power tools!

LovelyDaaling · 15/10/2023 16:38

What a lemon he is. It needed the merest wipe over with finest grade sandpaper - by hand. He doesn't have a clue.

Iknowthis1 · 15/10/2023 16:43

I have a wall like that. I'm pretty good at diy but no amount of sanding will fix it. The ridge still shows through the paint.

How do you feel about wood panelling?

Reallybadidea · 15/10/2023 16:49

You need some Zinsser peel stop around the edges to prevent any more peeling and then on the bare section toupret fine surface filler blended with the paint edges. Or get it all reskimmed.

Reallybadidea · 15/10/2023 16:52

DH did similar when we were tarting our house up to sell. I felt similarly murderous but the above did pretty much fix it

oohsharon · 15/10/2023 16:59

My god he's hacking at it. Are you keeping the dado rail? Personally I'd see this as an opportunity to get the rail off and modernise a bit

Original poster
Holesinmysox · 15/10/2023 17:17

Reallybadidea · 15/10/2023 16:49

You need some Zinsser peel stop around the edges to prevent any more peeling and then on the bare section toupret fine surface filler blended with the paint edges. Or get it all reskimmed.

Edited

😭

you have got to be joking

OP posts:
Autumn1990 · 15/10/2023 17:22

A wall paper steamer is better for bringing emulsion off the walls

MatthewsMumFromTikTok · 15/10/2023 17:41

I second the Zinsser

It will need more than a coat of paint

Original poster
Holesinmysox · 15/10/2023 17:45

He is now in a massive grump and has proposed lining paper.

OP posts:
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