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DIY Fades as Paintmakers Cater to a New Favorite: Do-It-For-Me

  • Sherwin-Williams sales rise on booming contractor business
  • Americans happier paying others to do “miserable tasks”
Van English in Houston, on Feb. 20.
Van English in Houston, on Feb. 20.

Photographer: Loren Elliott/Bloomberg

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Houston homeowner Van English was repainting his suburban house when the two-story foyer and its curving staircase stopped him cold.

“It pushed me over the edge,” said the 62-year-old writer and interior designer, who decided, “I’m not going to do that.”