Painting and decorating
The right colour in the shop becomes a different colour at home: the light changes, the background changes, the way you read it changes. So before anyone buys twenty litres, we put two samples on the wall and look at them in the evening.
We handle painting, glazed and textured finishes, dado bands and making good, always starting from the surface underneath: that is where the difference between a job done and a job done well shows.
The finishes we do
Painting
Washable or breathable paint, two full coats over a prepared, evened-out surface.
Glazed and textured finishes
Lime effects, sanded textures and multi-coat glazes, sampled on the wall first.
Two-tone dado bands
A lower band in colour or washable eggshell, useful in corridors, schools and offices.
Repairs and making good
Cracks, damp stains and badly patched repairs put right before repainting.
Seventy per cent of the work happens before the paint
Anyone can roll on a coat of white. The difference is in the preparation and in how many coats go on.
Protection
Floors, windows, furniture and light fittings covered, skirting and switches masked. A well-protected decorating job is obvious at a glance, and it is also quicker.
Preparing the surface
Sanding, brushing off anything chalky, filling cracks and holes, skimming where the wall is uneven. Old distemper has to be scraped back: paint over it and the new coat peels away in sheets.
Primer and touching in
Primer or stabiliser chosen for the surface, and spot coats over the filler so it doesn’t flash in raking light. Smoke and damp stains need a stain-blocking primer, or they come back through.
Samples
We put two or three samples on the wall itself and look at them in daylight and under artificial light. Only then do we order the full quantity.
Application
Two coats by roller or spray depending on the room, respecting the recoat times, with clean brush lines at mouldings, corners and colour changes. Glazes are worked in several cross-laid coats, always wet on wet.
Clearing up
Protection comes down, the rooms are cleaned and any final touching in is done where it is needed.
Products and coverage
Prices per square metre
Guide figures, excluding VAT, for work carried out in normal site conditions. The final price comes out of the site visit: it depends on access, the state of the substrate and the quantities.
Questions about colour and finishes
Are two coats enough?
Over a prepared white base, yes. With saturated colours (reds, yellows, blues) or going from dark to light, you need three coats or a tinted base: anyone promising one coat is cutting corners on your job, and it shows in raking light.
Can you paint with the furniture still in?
Yes. We move the furniture to the middle, cover it and work room by room so you can stay put. All we ask is that you empty any bookcases and wall units on the walls being done.
Will a damp stain come back if I paint over it?
If the cause hasn’t been dealt with, yes, every time. First you find where the water is coming from, dry the wall out and apply a proper stain-blocking primer. Only then will the paint hold; otherwise we are just hiding the problem for a few months.
This job often goes together with
Samples first, spending after
We bring the samples to your home and look at them in your light. Changing your mind at that stage costs nothing.
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