Painting and Decorating: Doing It or Paying For It
Decorating is the most commonly attempted home improvement, and the gap between a competent professional finish and an amateur one comes almost entirely from preparation rather than from painting technique.
What professionals actually charge for
Filling, sanding, caulking joints, sealing bare plaster, masking, and protecting floors and furniture. On a typical room this is the majority of the time.
Two coats properly applied with appropriate drying between them.
Cutting in neatly at edges, which is a genuine skill that takes practice.
Making good afterwards and clearing up.
A quote that looks high is usually pricing the preparation you were planning to skip.
Where doing it yourself works
Rooms in reasonable condition needing a refresh rather than restoration.
Areas where a small imperfection will not be noticed — inside cupboards, utility spaces, garages.
Where you have the time. A room a professional does in two days will take an inexperienced decorator a weekend or more, and rushing produces the visible failures.
Where it does not
Stairwells and high ceilings, where access equipment and working at height make it genuinely hazardous.
Wallpapering, particularly patterned papers, where errors are permanent and material is expensive.
Anything requiring significant plaster repair, which is a separate skill.
Spraying, which produces the best finish on woodwork and requires equipment and masking discipline.
Materials that make a difference
Paint quality varies substantially in coverage and durability. Cheap paint frequently needs three coats where better paint needs two, which erases the saving and triples the labour.
The correct primer or sealer for the substrate — bare plaster, previously glossed woodwork, stained areas — prevents the most common failures.
Decent brushes and rollers, which affect the finish more than most people expect and last for years if cleaned.
Caulk for the junction between woodwork and wall, which is what makes lines look crisp.
Getting a quote that compares
Specify the number of coats, whether woodwork is included, whether filling and sanding is included, and who supplies materials.
Ask what preparation is allowed for, since this is where quotes diverge invisibly.
Ask whether furniture moving and floor protection is included.
Check whether they are insured and ask to see recent work, since the finish is visible and easy to assess in person.
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