Decorating is a funny old game. It’s good money if you hit it correctly, stay organised and price your work correctly. That said, decorating can also be stressful. So, we asked professional decorators from The Decorators Forum UK Facebook group about their pet hates from within the industry. This is a sample of what they came back with…
My pet hate is unrealistic completion times on site work and low prices.
Just give us more time and a higher price and we will do a nice, decent job. It’s not much to ask you greedy big builder c**ts. It can be hard to make a living as a decorator sometimes. 🖕
The inconsistencies of paints, particularly with water-based versions of gloss and satin. You’d think that every manufacturer would be able to make quality products for decorators to use, but apparently not.
My only real pet hate is the stress that comes with being a self-employed decorator. Customers don’t seem to realise, but sometimes problems crop up on a job which causes extra work. They want you to do it for free.
Jobs run over, your next customer gets a strop on because you’re not there when you’re supposed to be. Or you knock a TV off the wall and need to claim on your public liability insurance.
All this whilst keeping on top of cashflow, quoting for work, keeping tools clean, admin work.
Don’t get me wrong, the decorating industry is fantastic at times. Other times, you just feel as though you’re drowning.
Working behind other trades who leave a sh*t finish is my biggest pet hate! We’re expected to make their shoddy work look good!
The f***ng snag list that u get after the builders tradesmen have opened the door and thrown a grenade in!! Other tradesmen do not seem to respect our work, especially when site bashing.
People that say “Lick of Paint”, or “you’ve missed a bit” is my pet hate.
When you’ve just finished walls on a new-build and then this happens.
Know it all’s, thinking they’re the best decorators, just because they do their own house. 😡
Radiator fluff!! Dust, sanding, paint site painting! The list goes on!
my biggest pet hate about being a decorator is the actual paint!! It’s gone downhill over the past few years and it costs more than ever!!
Customer’s that make really s*it tea. Or even worse, never offer you a cuppa! Have some manners!
apprentices and mobile phones, that’s all I’m saying
For me, it’s all the running around doing unpaid stuff. Going to see quotes, colour consultancy, nipping back to jobs to touch up, cleaning tools etc. The list goes on!! It isn’t easy being self-employed sometimes.
My pert hate is when the paint tins that help gather dried paint around the edges. Then when you open the tin to decorate, it all falls in.
Doors and rads. I know they need to be painted, but I hate doing them!
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