Why Hire a Professional Painter and Decorator

Let’s face it, a Professional Painter and Decorator will set you back a few bob, and they seem to be getting more and more expensive. This simple fact may make you question whether it’s worth hiring a pro at all. Maybe you should do the work yourself in the evenings or over a couple of weekends.

So, Why Should You Hire a Professional?

I’m a Decorator, so you may think me biased, but I’m going to explain why I think it is better to hire a Painter and Decorator than it is to carry out the work yourself.

The Time it Takes to Carry out a Decorating Job

This is quite an obvious one. An established Decorator will have a lengthy waiting list, so even if you do hire one, you will need to plan in advance. But when they arrive to do the work, often as a team, they will carry out the work in a much shorter period than any DIYer.

This ultimately leads to less disruption. They’ll come in, sheet a full room, complete the work, then leave that room clean and tidy once they’ve finished.

Compare that to doing the work yourself. That’s your evenings and weekends gone until the decorating is finished. You might come home from work, put on your scruffs, put a coat of paint on your walls, then have to clean up again.

You’ll spend more time stop / starting than you will grafting.

A Painter and Decorator Has Better Tools

I’m not just talking about the expensive items like airless sprayers and power tools, it’s everything else. We dozens of dust sheets with up, the best paintbrushes, scrapers, filling knives, the best rollers, dust brushes. The list goes on.

No one can achieve a good finish without proper tools. The tools a Painter and Decorator has will be far better than yours, which is another reason to hire a Professional.

A Decorator’s Consultation

A Decorator Will Achieve a Better Finish 

Another obvious point. A Painter and Decorator will likely use proper trade quality paints, have professional tools, and have years of experience. They decorate day in / day out, and they are experts at it.

They probably have expensive dust free sanding equipment, meaning less mess and a better finish. Some have airless sprayers they use on exterior render or interior woodwork.

I don’t care how much of a perfectionist you are, and you may rightly be proud of work you’ve carried out in the past, but you will not achieve the same level of finish as a Decorator.

Less Upheaval 

This alone is a good reason to hire a Professional Decorator, and it partly goes back to the length of time it takes a Decorator to complete the work.

Say they are painting a bedroom for you. Not only will a Decorator be in and out in a couple of days, but there will be less dust floating around the rest of your house because of the dust-free sanders we use.

Compare that to the mess you generate doing it yourself, and how long you’ve got stuff all over the place because you can’t store it in a bedroom. The Pro option equals a lot less stress for you.

The Caveats of Hiring a Professional Painter and Decorator

All the above is true most of the time. However, some Decorators are better than others. I have heard stories of bad workmanship in the past, or corners cut to try and save money. Inviting a stranger into your home can be worrying at the best of times. My advice is to find someone you trust!

If you’re happy with a Decorator you’ve used in the past, but they have a long waiting list, I’d suggest it’s worth waiting. If you’ve never hired a Decorator before, then try and get a recommendation from a friend. You should always check to see whether a Decorator has liability insurance before you hire them.  And try and get a sense of how clean, tidy, and professional they are before agreeing to anything.

FAQs

Is it worth paying for a painter and decorator?

I know Decorators are expensive. We don’t pocket all the money, far from it. We have running costs like any other businesses. However, if you can afford it, hiring a Painter and Decorator will save you time, stress, mess and the results will be far better.

How much should a painter charge per day UK?

I think around £250 per day is a good rate, but some charge more.

Do Painters’ quotes include paint?

Most Painters and Decorators will include paint as part of their quote. Doing it like this just makes life easier for both parties.

Do professional painters prep walls?

Absolutely, the prep is the biggest part of the job. Filling cracks, skimming, sanding, and dusting is down to the Decorator.

Why do painters’ water down paint?

We don’t always; it depends on the paint. However, most trade emulsion paint products come condensed. You can then dilute it to a consistency to suit the task in hand. We dilute paint more when spraying or painting over porous surfaces.

Should a painter clean up?

Absolutely! There’s no excuse for any tradesman to leave a mess.

Do professional painters cover floors?

Yes, don’t worry. We cover floors and furniture as the first job.

Final Thoughts

So, why hire a Professional Painter and Decorator? We’re clean, tidy, quick, and the finish we leave is fantastic! There are a few cowboys around, so make sure you do your homework and hire someone you trust.

Finding a Painter and Decorator can be the hardest part nowadays. There seems to be plenty of odd-job men who take on decorating work, but the finish won’t be the same standard. Proper Painters and Decorators like DC Decorators are in short supply. It’s an aging trade, with less people coming into the trade each year than leaving.