I don't often decorate. We live in an old house, the plaster is ****
poor, the skirtings and architraves are battered and worn with layer upon
layer of drippy paint on them. Where I *have* bothered to decorate I have
paid for skimming and replaced woodwork.

I currently have someone in doing some decorating and he is quite happy
to paper over lousy walls and slap gloss almost straight on top of the
crappy woodwork without batting an eyelid.

It's all looking cleaner and brighter but it's like polishing turd to me
and a waste of paint and labour time.

Is this normal? Do people usually put more effort in?

I can't decide if my disappointment is valid or if i'm being a bit fancy.