13/08/2026
Decorators get absolutely shafted compared to most trades.
We’re the last trade in.
Which means somehow…
The plasterer’s rough bits become our problem.
The carpenter’s gaps become our problem.
The builder’s damage becomes our problem.
Every crack, dent, hole, chase and bodged repair becomes our problem.
Because at the end of the job, nobody sees who caused it.
They see who decorated over it.
So we fill it.
Sand it.
Caulk it.
Prime it.
Repair it.
Make it disappear.
Then we get:
“Why is the decorating taking so long?”
Because half the bloody job isn’t decorating. 😂
But here’s the bit that gets me…
Quote $1,000 and finish quicker than expected because you’re experienced and efficient?
“Oh, will it be cheaper then?”
Yet if that same $1,000 job takes you 3 days LONGER than expected…
Nobody says:
“Here mate, have another $300.”
Funny that. 😂
You’re not paying a tradesman for how slowly they can do a job.
You’re paying for knowing HOW to do the job.
Years of experience shouldn’t make you worth LESS because you can do something faster.
And decorating isn’t “just painting.”
The painting is usually the easiest fu***ng part.
It’s everything we have to put right before we can even open the tin.
