We all know not to slap the paint on. You need to prepare each surface to be decorated first and the more time you spend on preparation the better the result. There are many products to help a trained decorator achieve this.
Unfortunately the painting and decorating trade is the easiest trade to copy which is why you usually see a spike in the amount of decorators available when there is higher unemployment, much to the dismay of the professional decorator. I have seen advertised 23 decorators in the same local area at the same time. It takes 10 seconds to talk like a decorator, 10 minutes to dress like one but 10 years to become a decorator.
I have been on jobs where people pretending to be decorators have charged just £80 for a large living room, stairway AND banister rails (65 in total). I don't really need to comment on the finish, but it was pathetic.
How do you tell if the decorator is worthy of employment? Well, if I were employing a decorator to enter my home, work hard and do a good job, I would expect them to turn up clean in appearance and with a friendly and professional approach. I would expect them to have a portfolio of work with photos of their own work and not images downloaded from the internet. There are many decorating websites that use american images to promote their UK interior painting and decorating services. I would also like to see testimonials and references of previous projects.
You do indeed get what you pay for, so if you require a decent job then it's probably best to pay a little extra and feel safe in the knowledge that you will receive a better service.
Believe it or not, using certain colours can help us feel good. Some colours can influence our mood, such as to motivate, calm and excite while others can depress, impose and warn. The colours used on packaging are cleverly put together to influence our decision example to make a product seem tasty, expensive or in fact unsafe.
Warm colours like reds, orange, yellows have what's called a long wavelength which requires us to use more energy to view them. That's why those colours seem to pop out at us as they stimulate our brain and raise our pulse. However cool colours like blues and greens have a short wavelength which produces a calming and relieving effect that slows our metabolism.
The colour of our rooms also speak volumes. Would you be more relaxed with a decorated room painted in white or black? Would you feel safer with a decorator wearing a navy tie or a bright orange one? Who would you choose as your decorator, a woman in a blue suit or one in hot pink? The colours we wear can hypnotise, enlighten or energizing and while there are no good or bad colours, we can make a selection to help us convey ourselves effectively.
Some examples of the use of colour in our society:
Are your guests yawning at your dinner party? It may not be the company they keep if your dining room is painted in lavender, a colour that encourages daydreaming and drowsiness.
Due to high visibility red makes ideal for catching audience eye in advertisements and safety products from Campbell soup to fire extinguishers and exit signs. The dynamism of red also makes it the most commonly used colour in national flags.
Green not only represents life and growth. It is the most relaxing, comforting colour in the spectrum.
The reason is physiological. Unlike other hues, green focuses directly on the retina without being refracted, making it especially easy on the eye. It is also thought to have great healing powers and the ability to relieve and refresh.
The lighter green is more calming. That is one of the reasons hospital walls are often painted sea foam, to literally affects worried patients and visitors. Then there's the use of green rooms backstage at theatres and television shows to reduce tension to performances.
The calming quality of green has made the official colour of safety worldwide as in safe to go traffic signals.
Greens send a variety of messages, depending on the shade. Greens bring to mind spring and the outdoors, conveying happy, youthful feelings. But that can also suggest immaturity and inexperience, such as a newcomer being too green to succeed.
In decorating many shades of green show harmonious through of house. Bright greens bring the feeling of nature inside and can create a smooth visual flow between the indoors and out. This hue has a refreshing quality making it particularly appealing in kitchens and dining rooms.
In interior design, brown is considered grounding, a base for all the other colours. In a lush garden, earthy brown is the perfect backdrop for nature entire palette, whether warm or cool. Although it is the colour of wood, brown is practically visible in every room setting.
Muted neutrals are often favourites in living rooms, studies, and family rooms because they appear simplicity and peace while creating intimacy. A rich mix of textures keeps the naturals from being boring and can offer a relieving sensuality. Farrow and Ball have a beautiful collection of natural hues.
Pale neutrals make a room feel large and less cluttered, while darker browns create a sense of warmth and security. Chocolate brown walls can be particular rich and sophisticated.
It just goes to show how difficult it is to choose a colour for your room. Many people spend a small furtune on tester pots before a decision is made. At Hodgson and Anderson Decorating Services we offer advice on this matter to help you decide.
Shabby Chic is a beautiful effect that really enhances a room with its soft and artistic presence. Improving the aesthetic quality of our home life can be achieved easily by buying one or two pieces of select shabby chic furniture.
However it does not come cheap. Most stores sell shabby chic at a premium and you will probably notice the poor quality of the factory finish. Put simply they make a compromise on the quality of finish because they are massed produced and I personally feel a little cheated. As a master decorator specialising in shabby chic<\a> I can see through the veil of style over content. They pretend to offer shabby chic but really it's just damaged.
If for example you enter a store and you see a large chest of drawers in shabby chic you would be expected to pay between £500 -£900 depending on the store. Our service provides a much improved painting process with customised styling for a lot less. Typically this would cost you £300 - £400 for a bespoke one off piece of furniture that will last you years.
An old piece of furniture can be given a new lease of life with www.hodgson-anderson.com
I recently saw a lamp stand that would have cost me £105! I wouldn't mind but it looked absolutely rubbish. Alternatively, we guarantee brilliance with the furniture we paint.
We have been using Purdy brushes for a while now and we think it's time for a change. There are bucket loads of brush types, brands, sizes and shapes to choose from and it can be a bit confusing on what to buy. We have decided that Hamilton Acorn are far superior to the vast majority. This year we will be mainly using the Hamilton Perfection range as they hold their shape much longer and do not leave streaks in the paint after application.
Due to EU legislation, oiled based paints have changed. What that mean in a nutshell for customers is a yellowing effect regarding whites. This occurs after a few weeks once the paint has dried. The yellow is slow and in most cases unnoticeable but in others it is obvious.
Water based gloss and eggshell can offer a longer lasting white but overall, it's finish is not as easy to achieve as it was with solvent based paints. It takes an extra two coats on average to get a decent finish and still it does not compare to solvent based paint.
The solution, well I suggest spending money on a very good brush as cheaper brushes tend to drag and leave your finish streaky. If you are after that flat, smooth finish accustomed to solvent based paints, you will need a set of very good brushes. You will also need to apply a water based undercoat.
On application it really helps to damp the area with a cloth and make sure your brush is damp prior to dipping. After each coat, it is extremely important to sand each coat once it has dried. The benefits out way the efforts involved if you desire the best finish.
Still the finish is not as good as solvent based paints and if, as a customer you prefer water based, then you have to understand that it will take twice as long to administer to a surface.
Hodgson and Anderson decorating services are offering a reward for recommendation. If your recommendation turns into a live job you will receive a FREE £10 shopping voucher to spend at the metro centre. Every little helps.
My first post and I would like to introduce our new website http://www.hodgson-anderson.com
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