Painting & Decorating

Painting & Decorating in Cornwall and Devon

Preparation done properly, then a finish that still looks right in five years, decorating built into the build programme so you are not chasing a separate trade at the end. Free site visit and quote.

Request a Free Quote 07770 946179

Preparation and making good included, not extra
Decorating sequenced into the build programme
£5m public liability, £10m employers' liability

20 years

Hands-on construction experience

£5m

Public liability cover

£10m

Employers' liability cover

15–25

People on the books

CPCS & SMSTS

Certificated plant & site management

Service Overview

Ninety per cent of a paint finish is what happens before the paint

Decorating is the part of a project people judge daily. It is also the part where corners are cut most often, because preparation is invisible in the quote and obvious eighteen months later: filler shrinking back at joints, paint peeling off unprimed timber, patchy walls where new plaster was painted before it had dried.

We decorate as part of a build, extension or refurbishment, and as a standalone job on a property that needs bringing back. Interior walls, ceilings and woodwork, exterior joinery and masonry coatings, and the making good that ties new work into old: filling, sanding, caulking, priming and finishing in the right order with materials suited to the surface.

Doing it inside our own programme means the decorator is not the last person on site trying to work around six unfinished trades. Plaster is dry before it is painted, second fix joinery is complete before woodwork is finished, and nothing is decorated twice.

What's included

Interior painting and decorating
Exterior painting and masonry coatings
Preparation, filling and making good
New build and extension finishing
Refurbishment redecoration

Who it's for

Homeowners finishing an extension, refurbishment or whole house
Self-builders needing the finish coordinated with the build programme
Landlords and investors preparing properties for letting or sale
Developers needing consistent finishing across plots
Owners of exposed coastal properties needing exterior work done properly

When it's needed

New plaster has dried and rooms are ready for decoration
An extension or refurbishment needs finishing and making good into the existing house
Exterior paintwork is flaking, chalking or letting water into timber
A property is being prepared for letting, sale or a new tenancy
A previous paint job has failed, peeled or discoloured

Why It Matters

What skipping preparation costs

Paint that fails within a year or two

Coatings applied over dust, chalking, damp or unprimed surfaces lose adhesion. It peels, flakes and blisters, and the fix is to strip it back and start again, paying twice for the same wall.

Water getting into exterior timber

Failed paint on windows, fascias, barge boards and doors lets moisture into the timber. Once it has started to rot, you are replacing joinery rather than repainting it, a much larger bill.

Cracks and joints reopening

Filler applied thickly in one pass, or caulk instead of proper filling, shrinks back. The lines reappear at ceiling joints, cornices and architraves within months.

Patchy, uneven walls

New plaster painted before it has dried, or without a mist coat, gives flashing, patchiness and paint that lifts with the plaster. It cannot be corrected with another top coat.

Masonry sealed so it cannot breathe

On older solid-wall Cornish properties, non-breathable masonry coatings trap moisture in the wall. That causes damp inside and blown render outside, a common and expensive mistake.

Damage to a finished house

Decorating happens when everything else is complete, so poor protection means damaged floors, marked ironmongery and paint on new glass, all in the most visible part of the job.

Common mistakes we're asked to put right

Painting new plaster before it has dried out, or with no mist coat
Filling in one thick pass instead of building it up and sanding back
Skipping primer on bare or previously bare timber and metal
Using interior-grade products in exterior or high-moisture locations
Applying non-breathable coatings to older solid walls
Decorating before second fix joinery and making good are finished

Our Process

How the job runs, step by step

Every job follows the same order, so you always know what has happened and what comes next.

Step 1
Free site visit and assessment
We look at the surfaces: existing coatings, plaster condition, damp, timber condition - establish what preparation is genuinely needed, and agree the scope room by room or elevation by elevation.
Step 2
Scope, colours and price agreed
A written scope covering preparation, making good, primer and finish coats, priced fixed, cost-plus or labour-only if you are supplying materials. Stage payments, no deposit normally required.
Step 3
Protection and set-up
Floors, fixtures, glass, ironmongery and finished surfaces protected and masked, access and dust control arranged, and work sequenced so you keep use of the rooms you need.
Step 4
Preparation and making good
Failed coatings removed, surfaces cleaned and de-nibbed, cracks and joints filled and sanded, caulking to joinery, and timber and metal primed. This is the stage that decides how the finish lasts.
Step 5
Priming and undercoating
New plaster mist coated, bare timber and metal primed with the correct product for the surface, stains blocked, and undercoats applied and sanded between coats where the finish demands it.
Step 6
Finish coats applied
Walls, ceilings and woodwork finished in the specified number of coats, applied in suitable conditions, with cutting-in kept clean and consistent throughout.
Step 7
Check over and hand back
Work inspected in daylight, touched in where needed, protection removed, ironmongery and glass cleaned off, and the rooms handed back clean and usable.

What You Get

The difference this makes on your painting & decorating job

A finish that lasts

Preparation, priming and correct products for each surface mean the coating stays on instead of peeling in the first couple of winters.

No chasing another trade at the end

Decorating sits inside our programme, so it happens when the building is ready rather than whenever a separate decorator has a gap.

Making good included

Filling, sanding, caulking and tying new work into the existing house are part of the scope, not an extra discovered halfway through.

Plaster painted at the right time

New plaster is allowed to dry and mist coated properly, which avoids the patchy flashing that cannot be fixed with more paint.

Exterior work that protects the timber

Failed coatings taken back, timber primed and finished with exterior-grade products, so windows and fascias stay sound.

Older walls treated appropriately

On solid stone and cob properties we use breathable coatings suited to the wall rather than sealing moisture inside it.

Your house protected while we work

Floors, glass, ironmongery and finished surfaces masked and protected, and rooms handed back clean.

Fully insured work

£5m public liability, £10m employers' liability and Contractors' All Risks cover, with one point of contact throughout.

In Detail

Painting and decorating in detail

Interior walls and ceilings

New plaster is left to dry, then given a thinned mist coat so the first proper coat has something to key to, followed by the specified finish coats. On existing walls, previous coatings are checked for soundness, unstable or contaminated areas are removed, cracks are cut out, filled in build-ups and sanded flush, and stains are blocked with the appropriate primer rather than covered and hoped for. Finishes are chosen for the room, washable and moisture-resistant products in kitchens, bathrooms and utility rooms, standard emulsions elsewhere.

Woodwork and second fix joinery

Doors, linings, skirtings, architraves, window boards, stairs and handrails need the most preparation and show the most. Bare timber is primed, knots treated, nail holes and joints filled and sanded, gaps caulked to walls, and coats built up with sanding between them. Water-based and oil-based systems each have their place, water-based products stay whiter over time on interior joinery, oil-based systems still suit some surfaces and exterior work. Existing paintwork is de-nibbed and keyed rather than simply overcoated, because a glossy surface with no key is where peeling starts.

Exterior joinery and metalwork

Exterior decorating is a protective job as much as a cosmetic one. Failed coatings are scraped and sanded back to a sound edge, bare timber is primed with an exterior primer, decayed sections are cut out and repaired or replaced before painting, and joints and cills are sealed where water sits. Ferrous metalwork: railings, gates, brackets - is prepared back and primed with the correct metal primer. Work is timed for weather: coatings applied in the wet, in frost, or into a surface that has not dried will not bond, so on exposed Cornish elevations we work with the forecast rather than against it.

Masonry coatings and render

Exterior masonry paint has to suit the wall behind it. On modern render and blockwork, masonry coatings are applied after cleaning down, treating any organic growth, stabilising chalking surfaces and repairing cracks in the render. On older solid stone, cob and lime-rendered Cornish properties, breathability is the priority, non-breathable coatings trap moisture in the wall, which comes out as internal damp and blown render. Using a coating appropriate to the construction is one of the most important decisions on an older property, and it is worth spending time on.

Materials and systems

Products are chosen for the surface and its exposure:

Contract and mist coats for new plaster, then the specified finish emulsion
Moisture-resistant and washable finishes for kitchens, bathrooms and utility areas
Water-based satin and eggshell systems for interior joinery, which stay whiter longer
Oil-based undercoat and gloss systems where the surface or specification suits them
Stain-blocking and adhesion primers for water marks, nicotine, bare plaster and awkward surfaces
Exterior wood primers, preservatives and flexible exterior finishes for joinery
Metal primers for ferrous surfaces, railings and brackets
Breathable masonry and mineral coatings for older solid-wall properties

Preparation, protection and working in occupied homes

Preparation is where the time goes on a good job: removing failed coatings, cleaning down, filling in build-ups rather than one thick pass, sanding back flush, caulking joints, and priming everything that needs it. Working in an occupied house then adds protection: floors and carpets covered, furniture moved and sheeted, ironmongery and glass masked, and dust controlled while sanding. We work room by room where possible so you keep use of the house, and we clean up at the end of each day rather than at the end of the job.

New build, refurbishment and letting work

New build decorating is about volume and consistency: getting plaster dried, mist coated and finished across a whole house in sequence with the second fix trades. Refurbishment is more preparation-heavy, because there are decades of previous coatings and repairs to deal with. Work for landlords and investors is usually driven by a hard deadline between tenancies, where the value is in a durable, easily maintained finish rather than the most fashionable colour. Developer work needs the same detail repeated accurately across plots.

Coastal and exposed Cornish properties

Salt air, driving rain and wind take exterior coatings apart faster here than inland. Properties on the coast around Looe, Fowey and the Rame Peninsula need thorough preparation, sound repair of any decayed timber, and coatings suited to severe exposure, and they need repainting on a shorter cycle than an inland property. We will tell you honestly what interval to expect rather than implying a coating will last a decade in a location where it will not.

FAQs

Painting & Decorating questions we get asked most

If your question isn't here, ring Calum and ask, a straight answer costs nothing.

How much does painting and decorating cost?

It is driven mainly by preparation, a newly plastered room is quick, while stripping failed exterior paint from timber windows is not. We look at the surfaces first, then quote fixed price, cost-plus, or labour-only if you are supplying the materials. Site visits and quotes are free.

How long should I wait before painting new plaster?

It needs to be properly dry, which typically takes a few weeks depending on the thickness, the weather and how well the building is ventilated. Painting too early gives patchy flashing and paint that lifts with the plaster; we will tell you when it is ready rather than rushing it.

Do you include the preparation and filling?

Yes, always: removing failed coatings, cleaning down, filling and sanding, caulking and priming are in the scope, not extras. Preparation is the part that decides whether the finish lasts, so it is not somewhere to save money.

Can you decorate as part of my extension or refurbishment?

Yes, and it is the easier way to do it. Because decorating sits inside our own programme, plaster is dry before it is painted and second fix joinery is complete before woodwork is finished, so nothing gets decorated twice.

Do you do exterior painting on windows, fascias and doors?

Yes. Failed coatings are taken back to a sound edge, decayed timber is repaired or replaced before painting, bare timber is primed with exterior products, and joints are sealed where water sits. We work with the weather forecast, because coatings applied to damp or cold surfaces will not bond.

What paint should be used on an old stone or cob house?

A breathable coating. Non-breathable masonry paints trap moisture inside a solid wall, which shows up as internal damp and blown render. On older Cornish properties we use coatings appropriate to the construction, and we will explain why if the alternative looks cheaper.

How long does decorating a house take?

A single room is usually one to three days depending on preparation; a whole house is typically one to three weeks. Exterior work depends heavily on the weather and on how much timber repair and preparation is needed.

Will you protect my floors and furniture?

Yes. Floors are covered, furniture moved and sheeted, glass and ironmongery masked, and dust controlled while sanding. We clean up at the end of each day and hand rooms back usable rather than leaving one mess for the end.

Can you work around us living in the house?

Yes, we usually work room by room so you keep use of the property, and we agree the order with you first so kitchens and bathrooms are out of action for as little time as possible.

Which areas do you cover?

All of Cornwall and Devon as far as Exeter, from our base at Horningtops just outside Liskeard: including Liskeard, Callington, Menheniot, Dobwalls, St Ive, Looe, Saltash, Torpoint, Bodmin, Launceston, Fowey, St Austell and Tavistock.

Related Work

Services that usually go with this one

Most jobs cross more than one trade. Taking them together keeps the programme and the price tighter.

Extensions & Refurbishments Carpentry New Builds & House Building General Building & Property Development Block Work Electrical & Plumbing

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Get a free painting & decorating quote from someone who's walked the ground

Calum will come out, look at the site and give you a straight price: fixed, cost-plus or labour-only, whichever suits the job. No deposit normally required, and stage payments as work is completed.

Preparation and making good included, not extra
Decorating sequenced into the build programme
£5m public liability, £10m employers' liability

Request a Free Quote Call 07770 946179

Mon–Sat, 7:30am – 6:00pm

Ready to get your project moving?

Send us the details and Calum will come out, look at the ground and give you a straight, free quote: fixed price, cost-plus or labour-only, whichever suits the job.