Painting a room or an entire house is considered by most people to be a pretty straightforward job, and for some it does prove to be something that can be tackled over the weekend. However, for most of us, the considerable front end investment in tools and supplies and allocation of time involved can be off putting. There are a number of key skills that are required, such as understanding undercoats and paint application that prevents finished walls looking patchy. One of the most difficult skills is learning how to paint in tricky areas, such as around window frames or maintaining a straight line where the wall meets the ceiling. This skill is called cutting in and requires some practice to perfect. There are also a whole host of new techniques being introduced all the time that requires some research or a level of professionalism that can’t be achieved at amateur level.

For some the cost of hiring a professional painter and decorator can be daunting, but if you really drill down into the figures you’ll be surprised by the cost involved if you handle the job yourself. Painters and decorators in London are plentiful. The key is to deal with a company that is acredited and has a good reputation. Talk to people that have worked with them in the past. Get more than one quote, but don’t base your final decision just on cost.

We are happy to arrange a convenient time to come over and give you a quote that will cover absolutely everything. No hidden surprises.

Some great tips for decorating your home

1. Don’t be afraid of colour. If you have just bought a new place and are planing on staying there for a while, then make sure you ask your painter decorator to give you a full set of colour swatches and some sample paint pots of the colours you like the look of. It’s wise to sample the colour as it can look differnt once on the wall from the swatch on the pot itself. Painting one wall in a rich colour like aubergine for a bedroom can add some real warmth and break up the monotony of a single wall colour. You can even paint doors a different colour on each side. Skirts and ceilings can also be given the colour treatment. However, it is probably wise to stay within an accepted range of colours.

2. Two areas that tend to get a decent makeover, simply for the fact that we spend so much time in them, are the bathroom(s) and the kitchen. You can really spend an absolute fortune on these parts of your home and obvioulsy it all depends on your budget as to how you want them to look. The sky really is the limit with kitchens, from marble/granite work surfaces to german designer cubpoards and built in coffe machines. If your budget is not so huge, then spend some time looking online for second hand equipment in really good condition that looks just as good as the new item, but for a fraction of the price. You could also buy all the elements of the kitchen seperately and employ a fitter/carpenter to put it all together for you. This could save you money. It really is a similar story with the bathroom, the sky is the limit. Shop around for bargains, they really do exist and get a reputable handyman to help you get everything fitted.

3. Safety is of paramount importance when taking on board any painting and decorating task. Make sure that you remove all furniture from the room or if this is inpractical, then move it to the centre of the room. Don’t stand on furniture, use good quality ladders. Make sure that the room is well ventilated as paint fumes can be dangerous if allowed to build up. Keep all pets and children away from the room while being painted and also while it is drying. Make sure that all spills are removed quickly and don’t use white spirit on your skin. Wear decent clothing while painting i.e. overalls and goggles if painting the ceiling to prevent splashes going into your eyes.

4. Preparation is KEY when it comes to a great professional finish. You will probably need to spend double the time preparing the surfaces that you are going to paint than the actual painting itself. The walls need to be prepared by firstly sanding and then washing down and finally leaving to dry completely. All the fixtures and fittings need to be removed or covered. This can be time consuming and pretty frustrating when all you really want to do is get that paint on the wall, but it is worth it in the end.

5. Buy the best quality paint you can afford. Dulux or Crown are household names for a reason, they are top quality and if you’re budget will cover it, it’s worth the investment. Poor paint does not give you the same finish and it will show. It is also wise to make sure that if you use a specialist colour, then buying a brand like Dulux will make sure that you can get that paint again if you need to touch up or repaint a part of the room/wall.

Benefits of good quality paint are as follows:

• Easier/far more coverage
• Washable
• Higher level of protection and far more durable
• Colour will last much longer and will be less prone to fading
• Will look smoother
• Will pick up less dirt and is usually far more mildew resistant

A quality painter decorator will use a very high quality paint without exception. Cheap paint really will turn out to be a false economy. Issues such as colour match can be a real problem. Picture this, you’ve just purchased buckets of cheap paint. You need an absolute brush full to get any sort of decent coverage. Before you know it, your painter decorator skills have come to an abrupt end as you no longer have any paint left and acres to wall still to be painted and to top it off your local cheap paint guy is now out of stock. Now what – you find another supplier who has the same paint, you buy more buckets of the stuff and start with the remaining walls. When it drys, your excited kids come in to see your excellent handy work and all you can hear is “Daddy, is it supposed to be two shades of pink?” Doh