Service
Local painter and decorator for interior and exterior work
Most of a good paint job happens before the topcoat. We fill, sand, caulk and prime properly, so walls read flat under daylight and woodwork does not show brush drag.
We decorate single rooms, whole houses after a renovation, staircases, hallways and exterior woodwork and render. Period properties with ornate cornice and panelling are handled by hand rather than rushed with a sprayer.
Floors and furniture are sheeted, edges are cut in by hand, and we clear up at the end of every day rather than leaving a room unusable for a week.
If you are having a kitchen or bathroom done with us, decoration is built into the programme so the room is finished when we hand it back.
Stripping old paper first? Our guide covers wallpaper removal.
How we prepare before painting
Preparation runs in the same order every time. Cracks and dents are filled, then sanded flush. Water marks, knots and old smoke staining are stain blocked so they do not bleed back through. Bare plaster and timber are primed, and edges are cut in by hand before the walls are rolled.
Interior decorating
Inside, we paint walls, ceilings, doors, frames, skirting and staircases. Furniture is moved and sheeted, floors are protected and the room is cleaned down at the end of each day.
Exterior woodwork, render and masonry
Outside, we prepare and paint windows, doors, fascias and masonry or render. Work is planned around dry weather, because paint applied to damp surfaces fails early.
Wallpaper and the final stage of a renovation
We hang and remove wallpaper, from lining paper to patterned feature walls. When a kitchen or bathroom is being renovated, decorating is the last stage of the same programme, so the room is handed back finished.
What does a painter and decorator do?
A painter and decorator prepares and finishes the surfaces of a home: filling and sanding walls, priming bare plaster and timber, painting ceilings, walls, doors, frames, skirting and staircases, hanging or stripping wallpaper, and painting exterior woodwork and render. The preparation is the skilled part, and it is what decides whether a finish looks flat and lasts.
House painting outside is a separate discipline to interior painting, with its own products and its own reliance on dry weather, and we plan the two differently.
Finding a good local painter and decorator
When you are comparing decorators near you, ask how they prepare, not just how many coats they apply. A written, itemised quote should list the filling, sanding, stain blocking and priming, the rooms and surfaces included and the protection of floors and furniture. That is how our quotes are written, so you can compare like with like.
Painters and decorators are in steady demand, particularly in spring and summer for exterior work, so it helps to get in touch early if you have a date in mind.
Decorating services and guides
- Painters Cambridge: Preparation and Decorating Enquiries
- Painters and Decorators Bishop's Stortford
- Painter and Decorator Chelmsford: Preparation First
- Exterior Painting
- Wallpapering and feature walls
- Painting kitchen cupboards
- Painters and decorators in Harlow
- Painting and decorating cost
- Painter and decorator day rates
- Exterior house painting
What the price includes
- Full preparation, filling and sanding
- Stain blocking and priming
- Interior walls, ceilings and woodwork
- Wallpaper hanging and removal
- Exterior woodwork, render and masonry
- Spray finishing where suitable
- Daily clean down and protection
Guides on cost and timing
- What does it cost to decorate a house properly?
- Painter and decorator day rate, or a price for the job?
- Exterior house painting: preparation, weather and access
- Wallpaper removal: doing it without wrecking the walls
- Decorators in Chelmsford
- Painter and decorator in Harlow
- Painters and decorators in Harlow
- Painting kitchen cupboards
Common questions
- Do you paint exteriors?
- Yes. We decorate exterior woodwork, render and masonry, planned around the weather.
- Do you hang wallpaper?
- Yes, and we strip old paper as well.
- How do you price decorating?
- With a written itemised quote after seeing the rooms, because preparation time varies so much from house to house.
- Do you cover Harlow and Chelmsford?
- Yes, along with Bishop's Stortford and the rest of the towns on our areas page.
- Are painters and decorators in demand?
- Yes, steadily, and spring and summer are the busiest months because exterior work needs dry weather. Booking early gives you more choice of dates.
- What does a painter and decorator do?
- Prepares walls, ceilings and woodwork by filling, sanding and priming, then paints them, hangs or strips wallpaper, and paints exterior woodwork and render.