AITA - Decorator Issues

kitkat9933 · 18 Jun 2023 at 19:35

We hired a decorator to do repaint most of the walls & ceiling in our house. In addition some woodwork that needed tidying up. We asked for it to be done in durable wipeable paint and it is is confirmed in text and in the invoice/quote. Cost was £4000 for all materials and two guys for 10 days.

Turns out it’s not durable or wipeable paint.

I feel like I AITA for asking them to redo it in what was asked but the the job they have done is good and most of the cost is labour. As it means they will have made no money on the job in a cost of living crisis. I can’t afford to get it redone either though. Most of the work was filling etc so I guess would be quicker to recoat.

AITA?

kitkat9933 · 18 Jun 2023 at 20:20

dLockers said:
100%

I did my WC in non-wipeable paint, and it looks a mess frankly (hand wash splatters etc). They'll need to bill their excess time to the "experience" charge code and move on.

However, do you really want all your walls to have a sheen to them? :S

You can get Matt ones.

Newborn baby and young family life is easy wipeable is needed.

kitkat9933 · 18 Jun 2023 at 20:23

dLockers said:
100%

I did my WC in non-wipeable paint, and it looks a mess frankly (hand wash splatters etc). They'll need to bill their excess time to the "experience" charge code and move on.

However, do you really want all your walls to have a sheen to them? :S

Found out when wife dried her hair and the water splats hit the wall on our new wall and stained.

kitkat9933 · 18 Jun 2023 at 22:11

Cornubia said:
Get them back, durable wipeable paint like Crown trade scrubable or Dulux trade diamond matt is a lot more expensive than regular matt paints. Possibly an oversight on there part or maybe they were trying to pull a fast one.

The finish he used says it’s wipeable but it definitely isn’t if it’s just getting water stains etc from a hairdryer.I

Johnstones Trade Covaplus Vinyl Matt Colour (Tinted) 5L

Johnstone's Trade Covaplus Vinyl Matt is a high opacity emulsion for interior use on plaster surfaces. Ideal for walls and ceilings. Can be applied to coated plaster surfaces without thinning. On new plaster, thin the first coat with water to manufacturers recommendations. Easy to apply with...

www.brewers.co.uk

So the paint is crap I guess or someone pulling a fast one.

The previous paint we had, we could spill curry on the kitchen wall, miss it being spilt and wipe weeks later and it would come off no mark..

kitkat9933 · 18 Jun 2023 at 22:48

dLockers said:
It does say "Ideal for walls and ceilings where it dries to a wipeable matt finish. " tbf.

Tbf this is what he said he used, not what he might have actually used.

kitkat9933 · 18 Jun 2023 at 23:04

Kohaashi said:
I know this doesn't help you, but issues like this is why we try to get a tradesperson in to do a smaller job as a trial run before giving them a bigger job to do. This isn't always possible, but helped when we were deciding which plasterer to use.

When I’ve done that before, they always do a great small job before messing us around on a big job. These guys came highly rated from people we know and online so will see what they say.

kitkat9933 · 19 Jun 2023 at 11:26

mickyflinn said:
How long did the job take ?

Why did you not check what paint they were using if it was what you wanted ?

A 1 minute conversation at the start of works about paint type would have clarified the situation.

Give them the opportunity to correct there mistake if they dont take them to small claims court

Took about 10 days.

I had confirmed in text and the invoice that it should be wipeable paint. I checked the day before on text as well. Just never checked in person as we were out of the house at the time mostly.

kitkat9933 · 19 Jun 2023 at 11:27

Abyss said:
Johnstone Cova Plus is fantastic paint and is often recommended as one of the better paints to use. When you wipe the paint with a damp cloth does any of the paint finish come off? If it does I'd suggest it isn't Cova Plus.

Yes bits of paint comes off.