Painters and Decorators in Coulsdon (CR5)
A great deal of what goes wrong with decorating is not a paint problem at all — it is a timing problem. Coulsdon's Edwardian and 1930s houses are old enough that many will have had plaster repaired or replaced somewhere along the way, and paint put on before that plaster was ready is one reason a wall fails.
New plaster has to dry, not just look dry
Fresh plaster changes colour as it dries, going from dark brown to a pale, even pink, and that colour change happens well before the wall has actually let go of its moisture.
How long the rest takes depends on how thick the plaster is, how well the room is ventilated and what time of year it is. The same wall that is ready in a week in July can still be holding water a month later in January. Paint it too early at full strength and the film seals the surface, the moisture behind it has nowhere to go, and the emulsion can come off in sheets. The first coat onto new plaster is thinned so that it soaks in and keys, and only after that does full-strength paint go on. It is not a corner worth cutting to save a few days.
The order everything goes in
On a whole-house job the sequence saves more money than any single decision about materials. Plastering, filling and making good first, then second-fix joinery, then decorating, then floors and carpets last of all. Plastering is one of the trades we keep on our own books, and the decorating that follows it is carried out by painters we bring in and manage. Ceilings before walls, walls before woodwork, so that nothing already finished gets spattered by what comes after it. Get that back to front and you pay twice: a newly painted skirting scuffed by a floor fitter, or a fresh ceiling marked by a plasterer who had not been yet.
Older houses and the conservation streets
On the Victorian terraces and the properties inside Coulsdon's conservation areas there is usually more history on the wall than in a 1930s house, and it is worth finding out what it is before deciding anything. Old distemper or a soft, chalky surface will not hold modern emulsion unless it is sealed first, and paper that has been painted over can pull the plaster face away when it is stripped. A small test area in an out-of-the-way corner answers both questions in ten minutes and stops a whole room being priced on a guess. Where a property is listed, external redecoration and some internal work can need consent, so that position is worth establishing at the start rather than partway through the job.
More in Coulsdon
Everything we do in Coulsdon is on the Coulsdon area sheet, and the full detail of how we approach this trade is on the decorating page.
Common questions
Q.01How long after plastering can a wall be painted?
Longer in winter than in summer, and longer for a full replaster than for a patch. Rather than pick a number, we look at the wall: an even colour right across it, and no cold or damp feel to the touch.
Q.02What is a mist coat, and do we need one?
It is a first coat thinned with water so it soaks into new plaster instead of sitting on top of it. On bare plaster it is what stops the paint peeling later, so yes.
Q.03Our emulsion has peeled off the new plaster. Can it be put right?
Yes. The loose material comes off, the surface is made good and sealed properly, and then it is repainted. Annoying rather than serious, but it does mean doing that wall again.
Q.04Can you do one room at a time?
Yes, and in an occupied house that is often the sensible way to run it. We agree an order first so rooms come back into use as they are finished. We are at 27 High Street, Godstone, a short drive from Coulsdon, and have been building and refurbishing since 2005.
Thinking about decorating in Coulsdon?
Tell us what you are planning. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a price for it.