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I repaired some holes in my bathroom with drywall compound, but didn't sand it. The painter I hired said he would prepare the walls before painting. He didn't, and put on two coats of paint.

It looks terrible. How can I fix this?

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    What exactly did the painter agree to do before he started the work? Because professional painters are not the same as professional drywall installers. Did you specifically tell him you wanted the walls sanded smooth prior to painting, or did he just agree to make sure there wasn't any remaining drywall dust? If the issue was not a communications breakdown, then the painter should definitely fix his mistakes free of charge. However, if you just told him you wanted him to prep and paint the wall, it's not so clear - he SHOULD have clarified, but it's not completely on him. Please add details.
    – Doresoom
    Mar 26, 2014 at 15:46
  • Two coats of paint, or one of primer, one of paint? It's an important distinction.
    – Bryce
    Mar 26, 2014 at 17:18
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    Shame on the painter for not making you aware that the walls were not really "paint ready". Sanding down a few repaired spots is not much work, I think your painter was lazy and didn't care what his work looked like. Mar 26, 2014 at 19:04

2 Answers 2

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1 - Sand down the spot.

2 - Prime the spot.

3 - Paint the spot with a fine brush. (Brush strokes make it easier to blend the paint with the surrounding walls)

(After drying the paint should look like the surrounding wall, if the paint looks lighter add a second coat)

As for your painter, you probably should have told him you wanted a smooth wall. Painters usually just wipe the wall down before painting, they don't sand the walls unless asked.

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As a professional painter, I always make sure to sand the walls and repair any holes or indentations with compound. I will also wash the walls if needed. This is very far and few, but doing this for as long as I have, I do run into it. The painter should have sanded any drywall compound smooth and even to the eye. It sounds like you hired an inexperienced painter.

I just ran into a problem where the painter I was working with did not sand down a couple of patches in the bathroom we were painting. I had done the first coat of paint, and there were still a few dings and holes that need to be patched. I will always check the wall a second time after the first coat. Well, he came in and sanded some of my patches, but did not send them all. I immediately noticed them as I entered the bathroom, for they will flash and show. This is very visible to the eye. So, with a coat of paint over these unsanded patches, it will be a pain to fix.

Not to mention, I had to told this individual that I would do the second coat in the bathroom. If I can, I always like to do the second coat if I am the one who puts on the first coat and also does the patching in between.

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