Need to vent.

Mmmmm....so why can't you do the wallpapering yourself? I used to all the decorating in my large Edwardian house, painting,wall-papering, tiling bathroom - even on one occasion taking down old internal wall and replacing it with plasterboard.
Even easier to do these days, with u-tube to guide you.
Five years waiting.....do not understand that

I hate to say this but it will get worse when he retires!
My husband is still working but has had a spell at home between jobs & behaves exactly like this.
I have learnt to do a lot of DIY things myself & find if I ask one of the sons to come over & help it sometimes gets him to shift himself.
Don't be fooled by the stress of the job- I find that men who have a stressful job thrive on it & miss it if they gets a different role.
I would really suggest putting your foot down now or get a decorator in & give him the bill- which I did! Mind you now DH suggests I get someone in to do it.
Good luck!

Could you get the pasting table out, the paper, etc and start measuring, 'sizing' and cutting? The sight of you starting might make him feel guilty and hopefully it'll spur him into action. Best of luck.

Yes, I'd get on and make a start. I've found with my DH that it encourages him to join in - or he'll go and do something else that needs doing. Maybe yours will feel that his expertise is needed.

Or you could start work and then pretend to get into difficulties and call for help....

If you make a mess of it, can it look any worse than nothing having been done?

Good luck!

I’m another one who says get on with it yourself. If you’re not confident in hanging wallpaper then paint the walls.
I’m always the one to do the decorating, I have high standards, not only in the execution of the task, but also in looking after the equipment! I struggle to even let the ‘professionals’ paint my walls!

I am in awe of all you wallpaper-ers out there, I will do anything else in the way of decorating, but not that.
I would give your DH an ultimatum about it, no more cooked meals until he gets going on the hall, what a disgrace,
Five years!

J52 you can come here any time........for a small fee?

Get some quotes for the job. Perhaps that will give him the incentive he needs.

We don't know that the OP doesn't have health problems preventing her from decorating. If not, I agree with what others have said, get up early, get everything out and start yourself. He will surely join in when he sees you. If he doesn't, or there isn't time to finish it, get a professional in. 5 years is long enough to wait!

I ended up paying a painter/decorator.

What would be say if you had a decorator round to give you a quote for the hall?
In fact, that is exactly what I would do.
5 years!!!
He has no intention at all of doing this job.

After five years I would definitely get someone in to do the decorating. Job done!

Definitely pay someone to do it after five years of waiting Bopeep just getting the quotes may spur him into action. Good luck.

Get a decorator to do it.

I learned to do a lot of DIY from watching Youtube tutorials. If your husband feels too weary or low in energy I would accept that and either do it myself or pay someone to do it.

Definitely tell him you are getting quotes in for the job. He obviously doesn’t want to do it and I certainly wouldn’t start it myself. Great if do it yourself is your thing but I can quite understand if not.

Personally I wouldn't put up with it for 5 weeks let alone 5 years. If you can't do it yourself employ someone to do it for you. Maybe having to put his hand in his pocket might spur him on in the future but don't be fobbed off on this occasion.

Where to start to reply to you Bopeep …….

My DH and I very rarely get any annual leave together (in fact he rarely gets any at all, but that is besides the point) and my own leave is usually booked well in advance for childcare.

Anyway, I was a single parent for many years and it was a case of if I didn't do it myself it wouldn't get done, so with years of practise I am now pretty good at wallpapering and really quite enjoy it, as long as I don't get interference. If you are not able to give it a go yourself however I would definitely get some quotes to have it done. Its not fair that you have to live with bare walls for years.

I agree with the posters suggesting get someone in to do it. You've said your husband has a stressful job and it's understandable he needs down time. His mistake was perhaps in agreeing that jobs would be started. I'd tell him the decorators are coming and the money you saved by not going away with friends this week will, in part, fund it. Good luck.

9 hours is really good sleep no wonder he's not tired before 3am, I'd be walking a brass band round the bed at 9 am !

Seriously though, I'd do something along those lines then leave the house for the caravan for a few days with or without him.
I'd get a decorator in when he's back at work and I'd do the whole house, get it all done before he's retired and under your feet again.
Memo to self, Never refuse a for a break with friends again

I'd arrange for a decorator and then tell him it's a done deal. And if he protests, point out that if he'd got off his backside and done it, then paying someone wouldn't have been necessary. And as for Franbern boasting almost about her DIY achievements - and good for her - she might do well to remember that not all women are physically able to do these things themselves.

I don't think Franbern was boasting at all ditzyme . Its the same with me, I taught myself to wallpaper as I had no-one else to do it for me and could never have afforded to pay a professional. I am really rather good at it now and quite the perfectionist. Sometimes we assume we can't do something because we have never tried.
Obviously if the OP is not physically able then that's a different matter entirely.

My DH had a stressful job so I did everything - painting, decorating even moving!

One sure way to get my husband to do anything was to start the job myself, - I always knew he would take over when he saw how incompetent I was being. It worked every time!