We are a team of painters and decorators based in Camberwell. Our clients often ask us to re-do the work previously done by other decorators. For some reason people do not know how to check the work done by tradesmen. However, over a short period of time all the problems with decorating come out and it becomes obvious that the job has to be re-done.
So, what do you need to look out for when checking your painters’ work?
- Stains
Do any stains come through the new paint? If they do, they need to be treated with an appropriate stain block and painted over.
- Paint consistency.
Does the paint cover previous coatings well? Some colours and paints are very hard to cover. Make sure that every painted surface has colour consistency. If previous colours come through the new paint, another coat or even two need to be applied.
- Straight lines.
If you are not happy with how one surface is separated from the other, there is a high chance that decorators did not draw their lines properly. It is easy to see when they do cutting in between ceilings and walls and between walls and woodwork. Good decorators with steady hands can create illusions of even walls and ceilings just by painting visually straight lines separating one surface from another.
- Peeling or cracking paint.
Some surfaces need proper priming. Bare plaster must be primed with mist coat first to seal the plaster and ensure proper paint adhesion. The same goes for glossy paints. If your walls were previously painted with gloss or silk, they must be primed first. Without it the new paint will not adhere to the old paint well and will later crack and peel off. If this is the case, the new paint must be gently sanded down, properly sealed, primed and only then a new coat of paint can be applied.
- Mould
If you have mouldy walls, make sure that the decorators wash off the mould and treat the affected areas with a suitable fungicide before re-decorating the walls. Failing this, the mould will always come through the new paint. In order to ensure the mould does not bother you any more, you can ask your decorators to add some anti-fungal solution to the paint they are using. Make sure the solution is suitable for using in paints.
- Smooth surfaces.
When the decorators prepare woodwork for painting, make sure they are using sanders. Usually decorators sand woodwork manually with a piece of sand paper. If your woodwork is relatively new, this sanding should be enough. It will promote adhesion of new paint to the old one. However, if your woodwork has numerous layers of old paint and looks very uneven, manual sanding will not even out the old paint to make the woodwork look nice and smooth. This is where powerful electric sanders will do an excellent job.
- The last but not least – cleanliness.
Make sure decorators use clean dust sheets thick enough to keep dust from your carpets and furniture. Ideally, the floors should be covered with masking film. It will save them from paint spills, dust and muddy footprints of the tradesmen. If your decorators use paint sprayers in their work, then covering all surrounding surfaces with masking materials is a must.
When choosing painters always make sure they will take care of all of the above points for you. Simply ask your friends and family to recommend decorators they were happy with or call Painters Camberwell . With extensive experience in painting and decorating we can tackle even the trickiest jobs and always make sure our clients are happy with our work.