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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Not paying painter due to carpet stains?

181 replies

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 16:13

Starting off with - I’m the most under confident person in the world so any form of potential confrontation feels so hard for me, appreciate I may be making a mountain out of a molehill.
Had a painter out this week to paint 2 rooms. He said on Monday he woolr
get it done that day, but has taken 3 days as said he had other jobs chasing him and his apprentice off sick - fine, no big deal. He finished today while I was out, and I’ve come home to an ok job but it’s patchy still in places and the carpet in one room has a lot of paint on the carpet 😢I’ve attached pics of the smaller areas - for some reason the larger patches pics have been flagged as sensitive😂The areas are damp and slightly white so he’s clearly already put something on it to soak it up which isn’t worked.
I summoned up the courage to call him and he sounded defensive from the off, said he was coming back to finish the darker blue room which had been a “nightmare” as such a dark colour. I told him about the carpet and he said oh is just a dribble? And I said no, there are lots of areas and given they are damp I’m guessing you knew about it and put something down- I just need to know how to get the paint off. He said he’ll sort it over the coming days and rang off.
What do I do? He left an invoice for £680 including materials asking politely for it to be paid within 48 hours. I don’t want to pay it in case he doesn’t come back to fix it, and I don’t think the paint will come easily unless he has a magic solution. WWYD? Do I deduct something from the amount to cover carpet cleaning? If so what would be reasonable? Or will this cause a confrontation?

ugh. TIA

Not paying painter due to carpet stains?
Not paying painter due to carpet stains?
Not paying painter due to carpet stains?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:14

update:
he’s coming tomorrow to fix the patchy areas and clean the carpet, he says it will definitely come out, I’m not optimistic 😢

Not paying painter due to carpet stains?
OP posts:
Rosesanddaffs · 22/10/2025 20:17

I’d be so pissed off, he damaged the carpet, tried to clean it and failed to even inform you!

Don’t pay him a penny until he sorts this out xx

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:18

Oh and he’s just messaged to say he will knock £100 off the bill as an apology

OP posts:
Laura95167 · 22/10/2025 20:22

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:18

Oh and he’s just messaged to say he will knock £100 off the bill as an apology

Dont make any agreement til he fixes it. Might be more than £100 to replace the carpet he damaged

Izzywizzy85 · 22/10/2025 20:26

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:18

Oh and he’s just messaged to say he will knock £100 off the bill as an apology

Don’t accept this. The carpet replaced as a minimum, unless it’s absolutely immaculate.

Rosesanddaffs · 22/10/2025 20:37

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:18

Oh and he’s just messaged to say he will knock £100 off the bill as an apology

Don’t accept this, it cost me £500 to get a professional cleaner in to take the stains out of our carpet and it took a couple of rounds with an industrial machine.

He’s taking the piss and he knows it xx

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:38

Should I just ignore the message or reply to say thanks but let’s wait to see if the stains come out tomorrow?
ugh I hate stuff like this 😢

OP posts:
Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:41

its just so annoying as it’s gone into the landing (which is tiny) but is part of the stair carpet so that will need replaced too, I’m not precious and it’s not an expensive carpet but I saved up last year to get it carpeted and it’s just 😔

OP posts:
themerchentofvenus · 22/10/2025 20:48

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:18

Oh and he’s just messaged to say he will knock £100 off the bill as an apology

I would reply with:

"Once the carpets have been returned to their original state with no stains from the blue paint, I am happy to pay your invoice in full."

That's a LOT of blue paint on the carpet. if he had sheets down then it looks like some soaked through the sheet into the carpet.

Legally, he needs to make good the carpet, so don't let him fob you off. If he can't get the stain out himself, then option 1 is a professional carpet cleaner which he needs to pay for, and the other option is for him to pay for the carpet to be replaced. BUT... you cannot claim betterment, so if the carpet was 10 years old and at the end of its life, then you would only be able to claim the fitting cost, but if it was relatively new, he should be paying the full amount. He should have liability insurance against this sort of thing.

Izzywizzy85 · 22/10/2025 20:48

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:41

its just so annoying as it’s gone into the landing (which is tiny) but is part of the stair carpet so that will need replaced too, I’m not precious and it’s not an expensive carpet but I saved up last year to get it carpeted and it’s just 😔

Even lower end of the price range carpet isn’t cheap. Make sure he makes it right!

INeedAnotherAlibi · 22/10/2025 20:53

I’d decline any further offer to ‘help’. You need to get a professional to look at it and see if they think it can be cleaned. They can work wonders! They got wax crayon off my sister’s carpet and sofa when my DD was..ahem..creative toddler! Sofa and carpet saved. He isn’t a great painter. He’s clearly clueless about carpet cleaning.
Get a couple of quotes. It may be salvageable but it won’t be cheap. I agree with pp, I would say to him you aren’t paying until you know how much. If it’s just cleaning, knock the cleaning costs off his final bill (£100 for avoidable damage is a pisstake). If the carpets need replacing, he foots the bill or small claims. Screen shot any messages where he admits fault just in case as well!

Laura95167 · 22/10/2025 21:00

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 20:38

Should I just ignore the message or reply to say thanks but let’s wait to see if the stains come out tomorrow?
ugh I hate stuff like this 😢

Id ignore it. Hes not doing you a favour. Id keep those pictures too.

Id give him the chance to finish the patchiness, and attempt the stains and if it works great, take £100 off the bill and pay as agreed but if it doesnt Id reiterate that youre cleaning/replacing the carpet and deducting the cost for £680 and paying the difference. Id honestly have company there when he comes by, or a DP in Id not hover. Just be nice and chill but any balance will reflect the cost of fixing his mistake

Hes been a dick. Hes off schedule. Rushing. There's multiple large spills, this isnt one drop where the protector slipped. He made a mess, didnt make sure he prevented more he just hoped youd be meek enough to pay him anyway.

MadeForThis · 22/10/2025 21:02

Don’t reply at all.

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 21:04

Thank you so much. I’ve not said anything to him about having the carpet professionally cleaned or replaced yet. Do you think I should or best just to leave it until he’s come tomorrow? Dreading it as on my own and just worry it will become an argument, he was happy to leave it like that so I’m not hopeful he’ll respond well to me saying I’m not paying him.
forgot to add I paid him £100 cash upfront for the paint, balance left is £580 (now £480 with his added discount)

OP posts:
Laura95167 · 22/10/2025 21:13

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 21:04

Thank you so much. I’ve not said anything to him about having the carpet professionally cleaned or replaced yet. Do you think I should or best just to leave it until he’s come tomorrow? Dreading it as on my own and just worry it will become an argument, he was happy to leave it like that so I’m not hopeful he’ll respond well to me saying I’m not paying him.
forgot to add I paid him £100 cash upfront for the paint, balance left is £580 (now £480 with his added discount)

I wouldnt say anything yet. Id be breezy and let him do what he said he would.

I wouldnt begrudge the deposit, youd have paid the £100 to paint it yourself probably. But he doesnt deserve more if hes damaged the carpet. You paid for a "professional" to avoid this.

But when hes finished, id inspect the job and say if it is no better. Pointing out you let him have the chance to fix it and he hasnt.

Get a friend or relative round when hes there. A movie night or something.

Cherrysoup · 22/10/2025 21:13

No money goes to him until you are 100% satisfied with the carpet. If he can’t make it right, tell him you’ll get a quote for a replacement as they were new last year and he’s been careless. Also, what about the patchy areas of paint on the walls? He needs to put on another coat (with sheets down!) I’d be furious.

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 21:13

Just gone into the bathroom and there’s paint in my bath and sink. 😡😡😡or is this normal for a painter?

Not paying painter due to carpet stains?
Not paying painter due to carpet stains?
OP posts:
Horsemadlady1234 · 22/10/2025 21:14

You ask for his insurance details and claim before paying!

ButtonMoonLoon · 22/10/2025 21:15

Definitely have somebody with you tomorrow so that yoh don't feel pressured/intimidated into paying the full bill.
I wouldn't let him touch your carpets- and doing it at 6pm rather than when there's lots if natural light means you may not be able to tell if the stains are out. The carpets will need to dry out- and I think it should be dome professionally

TheatricalLife · 22/10/2025 21:17

Just seen your update with the sink and bath. Not great! Luckily you'll be fine getting that out with some elbow grease, but it just isn't acceptable to leave a customers house like that. Not a chance I'd be paying a penny of that invoice until the carpet was sorted. And no, it's not normal for a decent decorator!

Cherrysoup · 22/10/2025 21:19

Reasonswhy · 22/10/2025 21:13

Just gone into the bathroom and there’s paint in my bath and sink. 😡😡😡or is this normal for a painter?

Not normal! I was fuming with my plumber who left black marks all over my rads and beige carpet like he’d had something on his shoes. God knows how he didn’t notice. He’d also replaced a pipe in the hallway and it had obviously spurted all over the walls/ceilings so I had to wash them. The carpet needed a thorough clean. 😡

I very much doubt that the carpet will go back 100% 😟

justasking111 · 22/10/2025 21:22

I'd put a wet tea towel over those patches so it doesn't dry out Call a professional carpet cleaner asap.

ElizabethsTailor · 22/10/2025 21:23

Sorry to say, but I’d be surprised if the stains come out if the carpet. The sink and bath should be OK, but clean them tonight just to be sure.

Have someone with you tomorrow. Ask for his insurance details. Calmly explain that you are prepared to let him try to clean it, but if it’s not back to the exact same state as it was in at the start you will be getting in a professional cleaner at his cost, and having the carpets replaced if the professional clean doesn’t work.

He’s an absolute cowboy.

Melonjuice · 22/10/2025 21:23

Tell him he either cleans it off or you will get a quote for a cleaning specialist and pay whatever is left
that takes the piss . Carpet is expensive and he hasn’t cleaned it . Cheeky asking you to pay up wtf
where did u get him from ?

BuildbyNumbere · 22/10/2025 21:25

Do not pay anything until the job is complete and you are happy!