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Painting & Decorating

What finish to expect

Anonymous user 23/02/2024 - 3.35 PM

what is a glass finish? The reason I ask this question - we have just built a house and the PM hired a painter and decorator and given everything is brand I felt that everything would end up looking perfect given it wasn't pre painted etc.. I expected that they would sand architraves as even though they were primed they were still rough. I have now ended up with areas which are still visibly rough as they haven't been sanded. Areas have not been filled and have paint dribbles in lot's of places. Some of the walls are very rough in places with paint dribbles and look patchy. They put emulsion on wooden batons (without sanding) in our closets.It's so rough it would snag clothing. I had a snagging meeting with him this week and the PM this week and when I pointed out these issues I was advised that I was looking for a glass finish what I got was a build finish? I am appalled that anyone would do a less than perfect job given what we are paying them. The first painter left (due to PM) and we had to pay double to get the second painter. We were happy to pay it as we were promised a first class finish. this painter left the job to go to another without any prior discussion from the PM or the painter. Are there any paint inspectors that we could get a report from so we have an independent to say what is and isn't acceptable? Thanks!

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4 Answers

Decorating Naturally

Rating: 5 out of 5

Bedford

If someone is offering a glass finish you would expect just that - a paint finish that is literally like a mirror. To get that is quite a skilled job and requires particular paint products. Or you could have someone just saying they can get a high gloss finsh which just means a very shiny surface but you wont see your reflection in it. So from your additional information the 'glass' comment sounds like a bit of sacrcasm on the part of the PM/painter. A true glass finish you would normally only want on a door. So what you are talking about is the standard of work. Unfortunately on a new build, the standards can be pretty average and can always be improved. If you paid a painters specifically to do the wprk as a stand alone job I would expect a much better result. But even a 'quicky' paint job shouldn't leave behind drips and runs - those are basics that any compentant painter would avoid and something that is unacceptable. A slightly rough finish might be something you expect on a new build if the painter is employed by the main contractor - but not drips. It's hard to say what you should expect without knowing what was specified for the project but I would say there are minimum standards that you should be able to expect and if you believe the work should have been better quality you might take it up with the Trading Standards office if the PM isn't prepared to get it right.

Answered6 September 2020

Anonymous user

a glass finish can be achieved by adding yacht varnish to gloss, both products oil base 3 parts paint one part varnish.

Answered6 September 2020

Lady Decorators Hampshire Ltd

No reviews yet

Southampton

Most new builds have a standard finish that is not of high specification, mostly basic trade paints are used, general sanding and filling is carried out to get the house on the market and sold. When the new owners move in you can generally snag the work and hope it will be carried out but again this will only be a standard finish. If you want high spec work you will need to employ a good decorator I would only advise doing this after 12 to 18 months to allow for settlement cracks that may appear.

Answered8 September 2020

Alldates Decorating

Rating: 5 out of 5

Bicester

I like what 'Decorating Naturally' has said. There are painters and there are decorators. Generally, a decorator will either charge a little more or take more time with their work. Many painters, specifically contract painters, will bash a job out in a couple of days on new builds and this is often reflected on private domestic properties. However, by the sounds of things even the carpenters have been remiss. A proud carpenter would either reject that wood or at least sand it down. Sounds to me like anther situation where all the trades leave it to the decorator to fix. Either way, you expect a good standard of work and if you are dissatisfied you should at least have reasonable snags rectified without any complaints or accusations of being too fussy.

Answered17 September 2020