Preparation work for decorating

[foxyferret]

Are professional decorators prepared to do only the preparation of a room does anyone know or do they want to do the whole job? I like to do the painting myself but I hate doing the prep, filling, sanding etc. Is it worth asking one or would they feel insulted? I don't want to upset them by asking. Thanks for any advice.

[ummmm]

I'm sure they would. Especially if work is short..

I've just prepped my hall...fancy painting it for me?

[AlBags]

Don't be lazy! The final result will be as good as the prep.
Get stuck in!

Any decorator would not like that idea.

[bimbo123456]

Why worry about "upsetting" them? Ask them, explain why you want it...sorted. At the moment they should be happy to get the business. Best to go by word of mouth to find someone reliable though!

[AlBags]

lol Ummmm

Quite like painting myself .. I am a very patient person tho .. and that helps.

[ummmm]

I don't mind it to be honest...I'm not looking forward to the glossing though. I don't think he's painted in the 15 years he's lived here :-((

[coccinelle]

Yes, you can get them in just to skim the walls. Mind you it wouldn't cost much more for them to emulsion them so you might think it's worth their doing the job. You could do your own thing on top of that.

[theshedman]

Was a decorator for many years and was never asked to do this. Was asked a few times to paint and paper after they had done the prep work but would only do this on condition that the prep had been done to my liking. If they didn't like that then I turned it down. Got standards to keep after all.

[The Builder]

I think the others would agree with me that, in my experience, there's no hard line between prep and finishing. Ant good decorator, and especially good DIYers, would get a coat of primer on, or undercoat.......... then find a few more "imperfection" that need some fine filler or whatever.
Some decorators I've worked with do some basic prep, then get a coat on "to see what they can get away with". It's not being unprofessional, it's just the way they like to work.
As Al says ............ get stuck in!

[The Builder]

"ANY" good decorator ^^^^

[AlBags]

The old places I do .. It's probably 90% preparation .. and 10% finishing!

[foxyferret]

Thanks for all your answers. I am not lazy Albags, just not as young as I used to be and have osteoarthritis. I can manage a roller if I do a wall at a time, as the preparation takes longer than the finish, I just wanted someone to do this as it is very time consuming in a big room. I always used to do the whole thing in my younger days.