What do you do yourself before the painter arrives?

What do we arrange, and what do you do?

The split is simple. The skilled work, the materials and protecting your belongings are down to us. Access to the room and a few choices are down to you.

The whole process, from your request to handover, follows fixed steps.

Checklist: what to do in the week before the painter arrives

1. Clear the walls. Move large wardrobes, beds and sofas out of the work area or into the middle of the room. We cover whatever stays.
2. Take everything off the wall. Pictures, shelves, mirrors and loose hooks. If you are unsure about fixed brackets, such as a TV bracket, ask what will happen to them.
3. Clear away small items. Pack up or move whatever is on windowsills and cupboards.
4. Confirm your colour. White in RAL 9010 or 9016 is included in the price. If you are unsure, first compare RAL 9010, 9016 and a colour.
5. Arrange access. Agree who will be there when we arrive, or how we get in.
6. Keep the home warm. If the home is empty in winter, leave the heating on. Below 5 °C or above 85% relative humidity, wall paint such as Sigmatex Superlatex Matt does not dry properly, according to Sigma.

If a second coat is going on, the drying time of wall paint determines when it can be applied.

What do you tell us at the site survey?

A few things you cannot see on the wall still determine the price and the schedule. Mention them during the phone consultation or at the site survey:

• Which walls and ceilings are included, including the hall, the landing and the loft.
• Whether the wall is bare or new. An absorbent or powdery surface needs a primer first.
• Whether you are changing colour or choosing a dark one. A second coat is then often needed.
• Where there are stains or old repairs, which can still show through after one coat.
• Whether you will keep living in the home during the work, so we can plan room by room.

These are the prices that go with it, per m²:

Prices exclude VAT. For renovation work on a home over 10 years old, 6% VAT usually applies.

Whether we need to prime your walls first, and whether one coat is enough or you need one or two coats of wall paint, we see at the site survey on the wall itself.

Should you mask or do prep work yourself to save money?

No. Our painters cover and mask themselves, as well as priming where the wall requires it. We assess what a wall needs at the site survey, and it is then included in the final price.

With masking before painting it is all about where tape goes and where it does not, and what keeps the line between wall and ceiling crisp.

You do not need to fill holes or remove irregularities yourself either. Paint does not make a wall flatter, so an uneven wall needs repair first. We then level the wall before the paint goes on.

Who comes to paint, and how does the day go?

One of our 25 in-house painters comes, from a team of 97 tradespeople on permanent contracts. They cover the room, mask window frames, doors and skirting boards, prime where needed and paint with Sigma paint.

If a second coat is needed, we allow about 1 day between two coats in our schedule. When you can use the room again also depends on how long paint smells after painting. Interior painting comes with a 1 year guarantee.

Give us the points from the list above when you make your request. Then primer and coats are already right in the free quote you receive within 24 hours, and we check them on the wall itself at the site survey.

If it is only about your walls, it is having your walls painted. If more is involved, it falls under all our interior painting.