This Leeds painters and decorators case study blog shares the journey of Pete and Jen, busy professionals, and Leeds homeowners who:
Disliked their current living dining room colours and all the old woodchip wallpaper
Were unsure of what they wanted and reached out for some Leeds painting and decorating expert advice and ideas
Are busy professionals (workwise and socially) who did not have the time to paint and decorate themselves
Wanted someone to project manage all the renovations and improvement work to save them
Love Your Home Leeds were awarded the work and after three weeks of ‘dedication to perfection’ and ‘going to great lengths’:
Our clients had finally put their stamp on their home and got the right look and feel
Success story: The Leeds homeowners were ‘delighted’ with their on time, on budget* painting and decorating and now had the ‘living room they were dreaming of’
* In parts, we actually came in considerably ‘under’ budget – saving our clients money.
The initial challenges and difficulties our Leeds homeowners faced with their painting and decorating decisions
Probably best in the customers words and initial contact as it came in:
"Hi Love Your Home Leeds,
We've got a house in Moortown and looking at some significant changes to our living room/dining room. It's all cosmetic stuff but fairly extensive as it will include flooring, electrics, fireplace and decorating (including plastering). Because of our busy schedules, rather than project manage something ourselves we thought we'd like to work with somebody to do the work and I thought your site looked interesting. We're still not 100% sure what we want in terms of colour scheme, light fittings etc... but we were interested in getting your opinion and an idea of price if there was a time to discuss it?
Thanks
Pete & Jen"
After meeting with our clients we found that their existing room was:
(Again in their words): ‘very brown’ and ‘very woodchip’
Pete and Jen were struggling to get someone to handle their painting and decorating project. Before finding Love Your Home Leeds - they reported their Google search had either brought up:
Building firms ‘who only did building’ or were not interested - and considered their project too small
Interior design companies who’s indicative prices made them way too expensive
Or painters and decorators who were ok if you said ‘here’s the materials, get on with it’ but who weren’t able (or didn’t want) to also help with the interior design and colour scheme of the room
Or those who couldn’t (or didn't want) to also organise and manage other trade to make the whole project come together…
The painting and decorating and interior design brief
At the end of our initial meeting our clients wanted their living room to be:
‘Less brown and less woodchip’
They liked green as a colour scheme
They liked the idea of wooden floors
They wanted smooth walls (for smooth walls read: WE DO NOT LIKE WOODCHIP!!!)
Plus they wanted some electrical work such as removal of old wall lights; instead the addition of new ceiling light, and some new sockets (so they’d be less reliant on extension leads)
Top tip: electrical work is always best ‘before’ decorating a room.
Top tip: look at your current sockets and list what you currently (or would like to plug in). For a living dining room this may be TV, satellite, speakers, phone, router, lamp(s), phone/laptop charger(s), vacuum cleaner etc. Then add add least one for safety i.e.
"Why do we have too 'many' sockets" - said no one ever
Maybe even future-proof by adding another socket (on top of your safety one) in case something needs plugging in years ahead we haven't thought of yet (robots anybody?). Or maybe the robot can redecorate for you...
I digress. So while humans are still doing the decorating:
Our free Leeds painting and decorating interior design advice and ideas
Love Your Home Leeds are happy to offer free initial advice and ideas so we suggested to Pete and Jen:
To have the alcoves - on the longest wall - as the feature wall
To keep the fireplace (they liked the shape, not the colour) and we could make it look nicer/more modern by painting the surround white, and keeping the marble/hearth
[Customer decision]: In time, to source new furniture, furnishings and storage, and will try an incorporate their coffee table (which would/could add a slight Moroccan theme)
(If possible) reclaiming their original floorboards would both look good, plus save them
Their dining area would zone itself (though the back of a chair to it, could help in this)
Pulling their sofa out could give the impression that the cupboard door is ‘meant’ to be there (rather than being blocked when the sofa was pushed back against the wall/door)
Finishing touches like a more balanced position for their wall art and mirror over their fireplace will help complete the look
We then put everything in writing to Pete and Jen so they knew:
All the work they would be getting
Who would be responsible for and doing what
And how long the work would take
For thoroughness and transparency we gave best and worst case scenarios (i.e. if they needed re-plastering) so they knew what to budget and there would be no nasty surprises
Pete and Jen were very happy with their quotation and Love Your Home Leeds was awarded the work…
Painting and decorating is much more than just a tin of paint…
In our previous Leeds painting and decorating advice and ideas blog we advised (read warned) about rushing out and buying the first tin of paint – ‘thinking you will have you room decorated in an afternoon’. And underestimating the amount of work (planning, preparation, painting) that goes into a successful renovation project of this nature.
Top tip: Proper planning and preparation prevents P%$$ poor peeling paint and promises perfectly painted... Er... living room?
Full credit to our clients Pete and Jen who were very realistic about how long (think weeks) a project of this nature can take. Hence being busy professionals; why they wanted to leave this to the painting and decorating (busy) professionals…
The step by step* painting and decorating process in transforming a room:
*To save you counting (the below) – with all the decorating decisions, plus carrying out the work safely, thoroughly, and to a very high standard – there are hundreds of steps involved in a project of this nature.
And here’s how we helped Pete and Jen (specific to their room and their requirements):
Painting and decorating planning:
Before and (proposed) after: a moodboard mock-up, or visualiser app can help you get an idea of how your colour schemes could work and new room could look
Meeting with customer and finding out their exact requirements
Showing, should they so wish, the customer examples (actual sites) of your previous painting and decorating work. This can help with ideas and inspiration. Plus gave Pete and Jen the reassurance that they were going to get very neat decorating and a great finish.
Discuss customer budgets for the improvements – for more help with budgets see previous blog here
Measuring and calculating paint coverage
Presenting a free no obligation quotation with options
Designing a moodboard for an outline colour scheme
Discussing different paint brands and paint finishes (e.g. matt or silk for emulsion surfaces, eggshell, satin or gloss for woodwork)
Using colour cards and tester pots to choose the exact colours
Ensuring you have the right quantity of and correct materials, tools and equipment for the particular decorating project
Top tip: it's easier to buy more, keep the receipt and return paint, than run out midway through painting a room...
Painting and decorating preparation:
Clear the room of furniture, furnishings and valuables (read breakables), as best as possible before the project, (for a safer working environment and more efficient work)
Remove any window blinds, curtains, curtain tracks etc.
Strip the old wallpaper from the ceiling, assess the condition
Strip the old woodchip from the walls, assess the condition
Clear up and put all the (damp) scraped off wallpaper in bin bags
Deciding with the customers (that with the state of their walls) that only a plaster skim would get them the smooth walls they really wanted
Getting a reliable, recommended (and available) plasterer to quote for the work
Electrical improvements element for painting and decorating room makeover:
Using our reliable and recommended NICEIC qualified electricians to do the first fix electrical work:
Where necessary, channelling walls and ceiling to run new cables including:
Removing old wall lights, new ceiling lights, new light switches and new sockets
Helping clients choose new decorative electrical plates
Plastering to achieve smooth walls with plaster skim
Make good walls where new cables have been run, infill with plaster bonding
Plaster skim walls and ceiling
Allow to thoroughly dry (walls will turn a pinky colour. Usually after a few days, depending on drying conditions)
The process of painting and decorating walls and ceilings with emulsion:
Protect and cover floors and surfaces with dust sheets
Prep, paint walls and ceiling with mist coat (diluted emulsion)
Top tip: without a mist coat, you run the risk of peeling paint on bare plaster
Paint ceiling with 2 coats of good quality white matt emulsion
Paint coving
Paint walls with 2 coats of good quality light green - matt emulsion
Paint feature wall(s) with 2 coats of good quality darker green - matt emulsion
(Very carefully cutting in)
The process of painting and decorating woodwork and radiators with eggshell:
Prep, fill and sand (to form a key) woodwork – skirting boards, door frames, doors, window frames/sills, pelmets before decorating
Fill any small gaps or cracks with decorators caulk
Prep, sand radiator before decorating
Sugar soap, wipe off with clean water, woodwork etc. before decorating
Prime any bare bits of wood
Apply self-undercoating white eggshell (customer wanted matt finish, but could have chosen gloss or satinwood) on all: skirting boards, door frames, doors, window frames/sills, pelmets
Paint 1 x radiator with white eggshell paint
Clean 1 x radiator (was already pre-painted white and was in good condition)
Top tip: cif cream cleaner (other good brands are available) got the radiator sparkling clean
The process of restoring by painting white an old brown wooden fire surround
Before, during and after: transforming a fireplace surround by painting white
Remove old (brown wood colour) fire surround
Clean prep and lightly sand (to form a key) existing wood coloured fire surround
Paint with Zinsser BIN stain block (to prevent the wood colour from seeping through)
Apply top coat of self-undercoating eggshell to turn white
Refit (new white painted) beautifully restored fire surround
Second fix electrics:
Once the room was decorated, the electricians came back to fit the customers new ceiling lights, light switches and sockets
The process of sanding and varnishing to restore floorboards:
Lift carpet and underlay (cut and roll up for ease of disposal)
Remove any sharp carpet edging strips
Assess the condition of the wooden floor
Deciding with the customers that the floor would come up nicely, so:
Remove any staples (that held the underlay down) and miscellaneous tacks (that now serve no purpose), as these metal objects could damage or rip the floor sanding sheets if left in
Similarly, meticulously and carefully hammer down any* protruding floorboard nails with a nail punch (to a few mm below the surface)
* In this project, for ‘any’ read ‘the many’ as there were ‘hundreds’ to tap down
Screw down any loose, creaking floorboards
Fix any minor repairs with wood filler
Meticulously fill all nail holes (again the above ‘hundreds’) with wood filler, leave to set
Where possible, open windows, cover and protect and block gaps under doors to minimise dust getting into other rooms
Wear appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) such as face mask, safety goggles, gloves, ear defenders, work boots etc.
Hire an industrial floor drum sander, plus buy sanding sheets (course, medium and fine grit)
Sand edges with floor edge sander, plus buy sanding discs (course, medium and fine grit)
(Regularly change sanding sheets and discs)
Finish awkward areas (such as room corners or ‘very carefully’ around radiator pipes) with a mouse/detail sander or by hand
Hoover floor, and gaps between floorboards
Clean floorboards (de-grease) with white spirit
Test small area with floor varnish to ensure customer is happy with colour
Paint floorboards with 3 coats of high quality floor varnish
(Leave minimum recommended 4 hours drying time between coats)
Who knew that such a beautiful floor* was hiding beneath the old carpet... (*admittedly after much prep, filling, sanding and many coats of varnish)
Great attention to detail: Leeds painters and decorators ensuring your home improvements project runs safely and smoothly:
Project managing, saving your time, including:
Source, order and collect and return paint materials and hire equipment
Organising and managing other trade professionals
Ensuring health and safety throughout the project
Ensure good communication with customer throughout the project
Miscellaneous decorating project finishing touches at end:
Put back up any curtain tracks, window dressings (in this case the original blinds were going back up temporarily until the customer decides on new)
Hanging any new mirror they got, above fireplace
Ensuring customer premises are (clean throughout) and particularly clean at the end
Love Your Home Leeds helped customer make savings on their painting and decorating project:
We cannot promise this all the time, however for Pete and Jen, all the:
Painting and decorating came in on time and on budget*
(*The woodchip removal was much harder than anticipated, but we'd quoted a fixed labour price at the outset - for this eventuality - to protect our customer)
Electrical work came in on time and on budget
Plastering came in less than original estimate – saving the customer money
By restoring original wooden floor (although this was a good few hundred pounds) this ‘saved’ the customer a good few hundred pounds by not having to buy and have fitted new solid wood flooring
The painting and decorating results
A great team effort lead by Love Your Home Leeds for the decorating and full credit to Pete and Jen who have started to furnish their room beautifully...
The brief was 'green colour scheme/smooth walls, with wooden floors, and some new electrics' - so all boxes ticked.
The before and after pictures speak for themselves:
Main paint colours used (in addition to pure brilliant white):
Feature alcove walls: Dulux matt emulsion paint, Pine Needle
Chimney breast and other walls: Dulux matt emulsion paint, Pale Opal
Floor: Ronseal diamond hard floor varnish, satin, Light Oak
Such attention to detail: especially the neatness of the decorating cutting in
Priorities: nice to see the guitar also made the final cut of what stays...
'Dedication to perfection... to bring us the living room we were dreaming of'
Leeds painters and decorators received glowing 5 star review from delighted customers:
Glowing Google 5 star review from Pete and Jen for Love Your Home Leeds:
"We needed a complete renovation of our living room – including stripping ancient woodchip, rewiring, plastering, reclaiming neglected floorboards, and total redecoration. We were struggling to get someone who could handle the project, and we could not have been luckier to find Andrew from Love Your Home Leeds. We're very busy people, but he co-ordinated absolutely everything, arranging quality electricians and plasterers, sourcing materials, and generally handling every aspect to make a difficult project a breeze for us. Andrew's dedication to perfection saw him go to great lengths to bring us the living room we were dreaming of. He also did everything he could to make the project affordable for us, even negotiating with suppliers on our behalf. No detail is too small for Andrew to attend to it, and it shows. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to anyone, and will definitely look to hire him for jobs of all sizes in the future. Thank you Andrew!"
Love Your Home Leeds are highly recommended and 5 star rated painters and decorators based in Moortown LS17 and mostly help homeowners and landlords in and around North Leeds area. For any Leeds painting and decorating expert advice and home improvements design ideas to help you get your dream rooms and home please get in touch.
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