Whether large or small, commercial or domestic, decorating budgets for all manner of projects are frequently squeezed.

However you still want a finish to last and be proud of. This provides an added challenge for all Businesses and Home Owners alike.

Contrary to popular belief, when it comes to value for money and excellent quality, it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

With this in mind we’ve used all our expertise to provide some top tips to help you achieve great results on a tight budget.

Talk to your Decorator

When the budget gets reduced the first thing any Home Owner should do is talk to their Decorator and question what areas really need attention and why.

If the Decorator truly understands the environment and your needs they will help you judge how you can adjust the budget to meet your expectations. This may help you to focus on front of house areas or a feature wall instead of decorating the entire space saving time, money and effort.

Agree the specification

Once you are clear on what needs to be done, the next step is to agree the specification and reasons why each product is being used.

This will help to ensure the right quality product is applied in each area, saving time and money in the long run.

For example, using highly durable and washable paints like Dulux Trade Diamond in high traffic environments will reduce the need for maintenance in the future.

This can be balanced by using Armstead Trade Vinyl Matt on ceilings or back of house areas which maybe aren’t seen by so many visitors.

You can also save on the Woodwork Trim while delivering a fashionable finish. Use Dulux Trade or Armstead Trade Quick Dry Satin finishes, which are self-undercoating, giving you the professional finish you need in two coats, compared to three for gloss.

Get the colour right first time

With the paint decided you can now turn your attention to the colour. Avoiding significant changes in colour will help you deliver the final finish in less coats but this doesn’t mean you can’t deliver an amazing transformation. AkzoNobel has lots of tools that can help you like the Dulux Trade Paint Expert app.Here you can take a picture of the space, select the product you want to use, pick from the list of available colours and see the space visualized in front of you.

This really helps to ensure the colour selected is right the first time, potentially saving time and money.If broad-wall colour is a stretch too far, consider applying tinted trim as this help can transform the space with less effort.

Prepare well

As the old saying goes ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’. This is true in decorating more than most other trades but preparation can also be quick and easy.

Clean, abrade and dust at the same time by using an abrasive pad with a suitable cleaning product or just water.

Fill gaps & prevent stains

As with any job the chances are some repair work will be needed to bring the surface up to scratch.

To quickly fill the gaps and give you a surface ready to paint, try using Polycell Quick Dry Fillers.

If there are stains we recommend Polycell Stain Block, which is available in a spray, to quickly and effortlessly block the stain coming through.

Both versions of the product dry in approximately 10 minutes , so you get on with the rest of the job.

Only paint the surfaces that really need it

Spaces often look tired due to dirty marks and small chips in the paint. By thoroughly cleaning many of the marks can often be removed bringing surfaces back up to scratch.

A good clean may mean you don’t have to paint every surface, saving time and money. This will also help you to invest in quality finishes where redecoration is needed.

Use good quality applicators

‘Look after your tools and they will look after you’ this may be an old fashioned saying but it’s still true today. A Pofessional Decorator looks after their brushes and rollers because they know this saves them time and money in the long run.

For example, a good quality woven medium-pile roller offers a more even texture and better loading, generating good opacity.

This helps you get a professional finish even faster. This also reduces the likelihood of needing to touch-up.