Painters and decorators have never been busier, thanks to the COVID pandemic. With many people spending more time indoors working from home along with saving money by not going out or going on holiday, we’re taking more notice of our surroundings and having the cash to spend on home improvements.
Many of us don’t like decorating or are no good at it though and would prefer to hire the services of a professional. So, with this in mind, we’ll share some tips below on how to get the best from your decorator.
Tell the decorator what you want
We get it. When the estate agent in West London showed you around your soon-to-be new home, although the house needed work doing to it, in your mind you could see the potential.
However, your decorator isn’t a mind-reader and will need to be told exactly what your vision is. It’s no good leaving your decorator to it, then at the end, turning around and saying, ‘Oh, this isn’t what I wanted.’
Agree on colours and finishes beforehand and you’ll both be happy.
Agree on price
Another benefit of agreeing on what will be done at the beginning is that you can agree on a price for the work. Your decorator will, rightly, not be happy if you start asking them to do stuff that wasn’t agreed in the beginning.
Tell your decorator what you want them to do and ask what the price includes. Does it include taking any shelves down or ripping up old, unused BT wires, or do you need to do that yourself? After all, time is money and your decorator won’t want to spend time doing something they’re not being paid to do.
Clear the room before they start
Although your decorator might be more than happy to take down shelves and rip up old BT wires, they’ll be even happier if they’ve got an empty room to work in. We’re not suggesting you move absolutely everything out of the room but if you can clear it as much as you can, your decorator will be able to do his job better and more efficiently if they’re not tripping over stuff.
Let your decorator get on with their job
We know having your house decorated is exciting but try not to keep having a look at what your decorator has done so far. Let your decorator get on with their job and save admiring your freshly painted walls until your decorator’s left for the day.
Pay on time
If you’re happy with the work, pay your decorator when they’ve finished the job. You wouldn’t expect to not get paid on time, so don’t hold back from paying your decorator. They have bills to pay too.
Keep your decorator supplied with tea and biscuits
One of the perks of a decorator’s job is free tea and biscuits. Keep your decorator supplied with tea or coffee and a packet of biscuits and they’ll appreciate it.
How to get the best from your decorator
Having your house decorated by a professional painter and decorator is a two-way relationship and the better you treat your decorator, the best you’ll get out of them.
