GOOD REASONS WHY TO CHOOSE A PROFESSIONAL PAINTER AND DECORATOR

Decorating and painting can be a lot of fun.

Any job, whether it's a small paint job or decorating an entire house, can quickly turn into an entire project.

It is simple to excel at something you have done many times... However, when painting and decorating without prior experience, it is easy to overlook something.

So here are some reasons why you should consider hiring professional painters and decorators to assist you:

They have a great deal of experience.

Painters and decorators know which details to keep in mind when it comes to the task of painting and decorating. They understand how to prepare walls for painting, how to choose colours and finishes, and how to test them. They know where to go to get the best products for each need, so even if you want to buy paint and materials yourself, they can advise you. Operating in your neighbourhood also allowed them to gain experience on likely requirements such as strict timeframes and a high level of customer satisfaction.

We get the work completed quicker.

Even though painting and decorating take time, professional painters and decorators are used to working in tight deadlines to complete the job and thoroughly clean so you don't have to. You can even live in your own house while the painting and decorating is being done, as it can be done while you're at work and in stages. To learn more about how this works, check out this article about a family home we decorated.

we are insured.

Professional painters and decorators usually have health and safety insurance, so you won't have to worry about paying any bills if something goes wrong in your home. This can provide you with some peace of mind because events can happen to even the best of us, and it helps you avoid risks for yourself. Our painters and decorators also offer a 6-month warranty because we believe in taking care of our customers even after the job is finished to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

WE HANDLE ALL THE PLANNING FOR YOU.

The exciting part is deciding on a colour scheme for painting and decorating. However, the walls and materials must first be prepared. Professional painters and decorators will prepare the walls for you by scraping old paint and gently smoothing the surface with sand paper for best application. They will use primer for the best long-lasting results and will cover furniture with clean dust sheets to keep it clean and safe during the painting process. Typically, after assisting you in selecting the colours, the painter and decorator will go and provide the materials before the job begins.

WE work TO deadlines.

With a lot of experience in this field, painters and decorators can more accurately predict how long it will take to complete a job, what to do to fit into those time frames, and how to respond if there are any unexpected events. If it is discovered that additional services are required, they are most likely to know where you can obtain these.

WE already have the necessary equipment.

Even though this may seem like an obvious reason, hiring a professional painter and decorator will most likely save you money because it is a safe investment because they know what they are doing, and you will not have to buy the tools if you did the job yourself. Even if you buy the tools, you will need some knowledge, and if you only intend to use them for one job, it is worth hiring someone.

WE will complete the task.

If you've ever done your own painting and decorating, you're probably familiar with the feeling of joy gradually fading into frustration at the prospect of having so much to do. Hiring professionals is a good alternative to doing things on your own and knowing the results will be satisfying if you have the urge to quit midway or avoid the rush to avoid rushed results.

Painting over Silk and Washable paints

Painting with matt emulsion can be tricky at times, but it's not always the case.

Even the most skilled professional decorators, many of whom have never faced problems when painting matt over silk, are divided as to what is the best ways to deal with this problem, as I've seen on many of the decorating forums.

Why Is It Difficult to Paint Over Silk?

I'll explain how it works scientifically. Silk emulsion is extremely malleable, and matt is notoriously fragile.

When you use any form of water-based paint to paint over old silk, you're essentially rehydrating it. After your topcoat has dried, the silk expands and compresses.

Because of its elasticity, silk can withstand the expansion and contraction better than an emulsion like matt.

As a result, the matt breaks as the silk contracts due to the tension of the movement. Crazing is the term for this type of cracking. I've painted matt over silk several times and only have this problem once in a while.

Prevention

There are a few things you may take to reduce your risk of crazing.

The first step is to select a topcoat with some flexibility. Avoid using cheap contract matt because it contains little binder and dries excessively brittle!! Instead, use a high-quality vinyl matt emulsion.

Also, stay away from Dulux! It could just be luck of the draw, but I've used Dulux Trade every time matt paint has crazed on one of my tasks.

Sanding your silk before painting over it is another thing you should avoid.

This may go against the advise of some other decorators because we're built to sand everything to avoid difficulties, but trust me when I say that I'm right. If you sand silk-painted walls, the water from your new paint will seep into them and cause the silk to expand.

Another option is to apply a barrier coat.

This is a straightforward concept: you coat the silk with a flexible paint that serves as a waterproof barrier between your matt and your silk.

Mid-sheen emulsion, eggshell, Zinsser Gardz, or Peelstop are all options.

Whatever you choose, make sure you leave enough time between applying the barrier coat and painting the matt paint on top. Overnight is preferable, or longer if the room is cold.

The Treatment

So you've painted your matt paint over silk and now your walls are covered with muck breaking and crazing. Don't be alarmed!!!

There is a straightforward solution!! The first thing you should do is sand every inch of your wall. This will not completely eliminate the flaws, but it will make them simpler to conceal.

The next step is to paint two full coats of Zinsser Peelstop on the surface. This will accomplish a couple of goals. To begin, it will conceal minor flaws such as cracks. It will also serve as a barrier coat between what is currently on the wall and the paint you are going to apply. Allow for another overnight drying period before re-painting.

How to Find a Good Decorator - Not a Bad One

Would you know how to spot a good decorating job from and bad one?

In my expericence not a lot of people can recognise the diffrence.

My aim with this quick guide is to help you the homeowners make sure you are getting the right quality for the money you are giving to your painter and decorator.

Please bear in mind if you decide to go with the lowest quote for the job then you are going to have to make compromises on the quality of the finishes.

Here is what they said you should be looking for…

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Clean lines

Every line a decorator makes should be clean and sharp. That goes for walls, ceilings, and woodwork.

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Paint only where it’s supposed to be

There should never be paint on hinges, door handles, light switches, plug sockets or anywhere else you didn’t pay for it to be!!

This also includes paint splatter on the floor, windows or anywhere else, as these areas should be adequately protected with cotton dusheets, plastic floor protection or sheeting before the decoratring work began.

The easy way to spot a professional Decorator is one who removes your door furniture and places it in a safe place or container to be clean and refitted when the decorating is completed.

Solid colour

Deeper colours nearly always take more coats to get a solid colour, but a good decorator will always ensure you are left with a solid wall of colour.

If the colour seems patchy in any way, or you can see signs of the prep work grinning through then you should be looking to have another coat put on.

NB: The colour and quality of the paint has a large impact on how many coats are required. As a homeowners should be expected to pay for additional labour costs if more coats are required than usual.due to a poor quality paint choice

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These roller marks left by a previous Painter are tottaly unacceptable. This all needed to be rubbed down and recoated.

Blemish free / smooth surfaces

A professional painter and decorator will often spend the majority of their time preparing the surfaces by filling and sanding. Sometimes it is not possible to get every wall, ceiling or piece of woodwork perfectly smooth, however as a general rule of thumb the surface should look much better than when it started.

When looking at a perfectly smooth and blemish free wall it will almost make your eyes go funny as there is nothing to draw your attention.

If a decorator makes your walls look like this then you know they’ve done a great job.

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No gaps or cracks

Gaps and cracks are very common around door frames, skirting boards and window cills. A good decorator will always look to fill and make good on these issues. A good Decorator will have an eye for detail, any gaps or cracks in the paintwork will drive them mad and they know it takes away from the overall look of the finished job..

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Wallpapering

A good paperhanger is a joy to watch at work. When having wallpaper hung, you should be checking that the seams are perfectly butted and completely adhered to the wall. No peeling edges, all the cuts are clean and there are no jagged edges, finally the pattern should be matched in perfectly.

On a side note when buying oyour wallpaper Please Please buy one or two more rolls than you need!!!

It can always be taken back for a refund. On the last two jobs we have completed we have been short of wallpaper. The last job we had to wait three days for another roll. That is bad enough as the customer incured additional costs.

However the job before was a feature wall in a bedroom. After hanging the wallpaer on a Saturday morning I was one drop short. After a few emails and phone calls the customer discovered that they were unable to purchase the same batch number of the already hung wallpaper.

Therefore I went back REMOVED the already hung wallpaper and then applied the new wallpaper. This time there was enough!!! This whole proces took TWO MONTHS to sort out and DOUBLE the original cost.

All because not enough wallpaper had be ordered originally. BUY MORE WALLPAPER PEOPLE!!!

A previously painted ceiling left by a “painter and decorator” we will let you decide!!

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No flashing / patchiness / roller lines

These issues are most commonly spotted on flat ceilings. Especially nearer to a window. A professional decorator will know how to avoid these issues and make sure you have a perfectly smooth surface with no roller marks, missed bits or flashing.

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Well adhered paint

After the paint has fully cured (this can be up to a month or so) you should be able to gently scratch the surface with your fingernail without the paint coming off.

NB: Certain paints are less durable that others. For example, dead flat chalky matt paints may not be able to withstand this, but generally it should not be a problem for correctly applied paints.

You certainly shouldn’t be seeing paint easily scratching off or even peeling off on it’s own.

No paint runs

Runs in the paint can happen, even to the most professional Painter and Decorators.

However the key is that a good professional Painter and Decorator should be rubbing them down and re-painting so that there are none showing at the end of the job.

Summary

If a good quality Painter and Decorator has done their job correctly, your space should feel almost brand new again.

When you walk into the room it should have that wow factor. The room should feel clean, crisp and have none of the issues mentioned above.

If you need to discuss any of the issuse mention please get in touch and we would be happy to help.

Flaking Exterior Paintwork - Is never a good sign!!!

Does your home have flaking and cracking paintwork?

This is never a good sign; Commonly known in the “trade” as paint failure.

It is due to the reduction of the bond between a coat of paint and the surface to which it was originally applied.

This failure can occur if a coat is thin, inconsistent, a failed adhesion in the application process or the coating has just simply failed over the years through lack of a regular exterior maintenance programme.

Without proper preparation and know-how, a seemingly nice coat of paint can fail, ruining your exterior timber and forcing you to start from scratch.

 CAUSES OF FLAKY AND CRACKING PAINT

While flaking occurs when paint is lifted from the underlying timber surface, cracking is caused by the splitting of a dry paint film from one or more coats of paint. According to painting experts, these two symptoms can occur for a few main reasons:

Water/Humidity: Paint that’s applied to a damp surface or paint that’s exposed to high humidity can peel easily. Plywood especially can expand and contract depending on humidity levels, making it prone to cracks and flaking in the surface coating.

Lack of Surface Preparation: When your paint surface is dirty or isn’t primed properly it’s prone to cracking and flaking even with a just a thin layer.

Expired or Low-Quality Paint: These paints can peel much more quickly than fresh, high-quality paint.

Improper Application: This is the most common cause of paint failure, especially when wood with an excessive amount of a “flat” hard grain is used.

Your best chance for avoiding paint failure when applying a coat of paint on your own is to be sure you’re using quality paint on a properly-prepared dry surface.

 If you’re not sure you can tackle this yourself, reach out to a painting professional you can trust

 HOW IT’S HARMFUL

To be honest a house with cracked, flaking paint isn’t inviting.

But besides being a visually unappealing, cracking, flaking paintwork on timber can leave to more expensive repairs if left unchecked.

If your building was built before 1978, there’s a chance that you could be dealing with paint that has lead in it. Lead paint is most dangerous when it’s cracking, blistering, or flaking, because it’s deteriorating and can cause lead-contaminated dust to be released into the air. This may lead to health problems in people of all ages, so it’s important to take precautions against it. Make sure your exterior timber is tested for lead before taking on any big renovations.

BENEFITS OF FIXING PAINT FAILURE EARLY

By keep your external timber in good condition, you’ll be able to save yourself hassle and money in the future.

Smaller, hairline cracks can be fixed more easily as a DIY project with the proper tools. But, if you have peeling or flaking paint, you’re at risk for water damage or damage to the substrate beneath that require professional attention. Depending on how deep the damage goes within the timbers, it will cost more and more to replace it, so it’s important to call in a professional immediately.

By routinely looking for smaller cracks, you’ll be able to avoid pricier renovations and replacements of your exterior woodwork.

BRINGING IN AN EXPERT

Since flaking or cracking paintwork can cause a property to lose its aesthetics and can also affect the value of your home, it is important that you repair the issues when they begin to appear.

Considering that improper paint application is a major factor in this, it’s imperative to choose a reputable and reliable Painter and Decorator who can repair flaking and cracking paintwork and will properly apply high-quality paint and coatings that are formulated for the specific surface and environmental conditions.

If you are noticing hairline cracks or peeling, flaky paint on your home’s external woodwork.

Please consider calling us we’d be happy to examine your property and determine the best solution possible.

Click the link below to make an appointment today

Online Appointment

What Happened to Kitchen Interiors in 2020?

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A new report carried out by Wren Kitchens has analysed Google searches in 2020 to reveal how this influenced our kitchen design ideas.

 The key points in the report include.

75% rise in Google searches for “kitchen island ideas”

American Fridge Freezers have become more desirable, with 70% more searches when compared to 2019.

‘Smart kitchens’ had almost 50% more Google searches at the end of 2020 compared to 2019.

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With so many people getting into the habit of home baking and cooking during lockdown, it would appear that people have discovered they need extra space to store all their ingredients.

 “Kitchens pantry ideas” has seen the largest increase in demand with Google search volumes increasing a staggering 147%

This is followed closely by kitchen pantry shelves seeing a 124% increase with kitchen island ideas increasing by 76%.

What will 2021 hold in store for kitchen?

For more information, read the full report at: Wren Kitchens report

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