The 4 Colours You Should Never Paint Your Kitchen

Choosing the right colour can be a real headache for some people.

The colour you choose will be a part of your home for several years – meaning you need to find something modern enough to stay in style, but timeless enough to avoid feeling outdated in the years to come.

Here are four kitchen colours to avoid if you a redecorating your kitchen in 2022

RED

Has always felt like something of a controversial choice in the kitchen, 

The kitchen is a place where you should unwind and relax while cooking, eating, or having friends round. For many, the colour red is to powerful and distracting 

Therefore, despite its reputed ability to enhance your senses (and potentially make your food taste better), for many this passionate shade is best used outside the kitchen.

YELLOW

When painting a kitchen, the one colour I always advise against is bright yellow, As with the colour Red, Yellow can be over powering and detact from the other more subtle colurs in the Kitchen.

BEIGE

While beige can feel like a safe choice that will stand the test of time, It could leave your kitchen looking boring and lifeless. Beige is often bland and has a safe and conservative feel to it,

DARK GREEN

While the look of your kitchen is always a priority, some colours can impact your house value.

Amongst the most prominent of these is dark green. 

Colours to be avoided are the darker shades of green, blue, red, and purple, which will cast a shadow on food and darken the space. 

So, if you’re thinking of selling your home with a dark green kitchen, you may want to re-evaluate your colour choice.

Thank you for spending the time to read our Blog, if you are considering a decorating / paint spraying project and you’d like some help or advice please feel free to get in touch. Call Trevor on 07532 778861 or email trevor@tjdecor.co.uk - TJ Painting and Decorating, Alton / Petersfield Hampshire

www.tjdecor.co.uk

Get The Perfect Paint Sheen For Your Project

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I have found there is a lot of confussion surrounding the type of paint finish customers want for their woodwork. 

I get asked for a matt gloss more than you know.

I have put together this quick guide to help make sense of a confussing topic.

What is a high gloss finish

This is the most durable and easiest to clean of all. It’s super-shiny and reflects light really well. As it’s so tough, it’s the perfect choice for wooden architectural trims such as skirting boards, stair stringers, window frames, cabinets and doors. Don’t be tempted to use it for interior walls and always prepare your surface well, as gloss will show up every imperfection. Although it was very popular until the end of the 90's we very rarely are asked to apply a gloss finish nowdays, with our customers prefering Satinwood.

what is semi gloss

Gloss paint is a great paint finish for rooms with moisture such as kitchens and cloak rooms as well as architectural trims, this highly durable paint combats grease and humidity.

what is satinwood

For a paint finish with luster that isn’t too shiny, Satinwood paint is more of a velvety paint that’s easy to clean and ideal for high traffic areas such as living spaces, entryways, children’s bedrooms and playrooms. it’s a great all-rounder, we reccomend using Benjamin Moore's Scuff X. Although it is slightly more expensive than other satinwood's the finish is great and amazing when it's sprayed.

What is an egshell finish

Eggshell is named after a chicken’s egg as it has a similar look. This is a flat paint with very little sheen and it can be used to hide blemishes on walls or woodwork. It’s not as hardwearing as gloss or satinwood but works well in living areas and dining spaces as well as bedrooms.

When it comes to choosing between satinwood vs eggshell, the main thing to bear in mind is that eggshell has a lower sheen than satinwood, which means it is duller and closer to a flat or matte emulsion.

Thank you for spending the time to read our Blog, if you are considering a decorating / paint spraying project and you’d like some help or advice please feel free to get in touch. Call Trevor on 07532 778861 or email trevor@tjdecor.co.uk - TJ Painting and Decorating, Alton / Petersfield Hampshire

www.tjdecor.co.uk

Painting the Outside of Your House - 7 Signs That The Exterior of Your Property Needs Attention

A question we get asked every year from about Easter until October is - I’m not sure if the oustide of my house needs painting, I was hoping you could help me?

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Hopfully this short guide will help answer a few of those questions and concerns?

Masonry Blistering / Bubbling

If the previously applied masonry paint on the exterior of your home is starting to blister and bubble, then this is a sure sign that moisture is getting behind the paint and pushing away from the wall area.

There are reasons for the moisture getting behind the paint. 

• It could be moisture coming from within the property,

• it could be coming in via cracks in the masonry,

• Rising damp due to an ineffective damp proof course.

• Even rainwater penetrating through the aging paintwork.

Dealing with these blisters / bubbles early is important because when they begin to burst and peel off, it will leave the surface exposed and will eventually make the problem worse.

Chalking

Chalking is very easy to identify, if you rub your hand over the surface of any previously painted wall area, and there is a chalky powder on your hand you have Chalking.

Chalking means that the resin in the paint have started breaking down. This is typically caused by UV light from the sun.

Essentially resin is the glue that holds all the other paint ingredients together.

Once the resin breaks down, the powders and pigments are no longer bonded together. So, they simply turn back to a fine powder.

Some paints are more resistant to UV breakdown than others but over time this will happen to all paints.

When a paint starts chalking it is at the end of its life cycle and needs to be re-painted. If left untreated the paint will start to come off and leaves the surface underneath exposed to the elemnts.

It is common to see this sort of thing on garage doors that have been neglected, as well as masonry surfaces.

Cracked or Blown Render

Cracked and blown render are typically caused by rainwater penetrating a wall, then expanding through freezing and thawing.

This is why it is essential that you keep your guttering and downpipes in good condition and free from leaks

You can easliy identify blown render by running a ring spanner across your masonry is a quick and easy way to identify blown areas.

Any areas that sound hollow have ‘blown’. Which essentially means the render has come away from the surface underneath.

Repairing cracks and blown render is essential to maintaining your property and should be done before any painting takes place. Most good Plasterers should be able to repair any damaged render for you.

If the blown render is not dealt with, water will still be able to get in behind the paint and cause further issues.

Peeling / Flaking Paintwork

If your paintwork is peeling and flaking this means there is an issue with the adhesion. (The paint has not stuck to the surface properly).

This can be caused by several things. Including incorrect products being used or the surface being damp, dirty or dusty before the paint was applied.

Dealing with this promptly will ensure your property does not remain exposed to further weather damage causing the timber underneath to rot.

Rotten Windows and Doors

When moisture does get into wooden doors and window frames it can cause a lot expense and damage. Including making them rotten. Regular maintenance is the best way to stop this happening and avoid having to replace windows and doors unnecessarily.

It can also mean windows and doors swell, making it impossible to close and secure them properly!

Mould / Dirt Pick Up

You can easily identify mould or dirt pick up on a painted surface, Areas or patches of green on a wall is mould and dirt pick up is usually more uniform and just looks grubby and well dirty.

Organic growth, such as mould, algae and lichen need moisture to survive and grow. If you have this on your walls then it means the surface has become porous and is holding moisture.

This is a good sign that the paint is coming towards the end of its life and needs to be re-painted soon.

Faded Colour

Another issue caused by UV light from the Sun is colour fading. Certain pigments in paint can fade over time and depending on which areas of your home get more sunlight than others you can start to see areas becoming patchy.

Investing in higher quality paints can reduce this issue.

What other benefits are there to painting the exterior of your home?

Painting the exterior of your home doesn’t just protect against these issues, it can also transform the look giving your home ‘kerb appeal’

This can be brilliant for the value of your property…plus it’ll make the neighbours jealous!

Final Thought

More often than not, prevention is way cheaper than cure.

Regular maintenance to the exterior of your home is essential.  

Not only to improve the look but also save you money in the long run.

If you need further help or advice please feel free to contact Trevor TJ Painitng and Decorating 01420 88910 or trevor@tjdecor.co.uk

How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Professional Decorator?

Hiring a Painter and Decorator can be a great way of avoiding DIY disasters and saving time and energy.

The difficult part is finding out exactly what decorators charge. There are so many variables to take into account when pricing decorating work.

But help is at hand! You can use our handy guide to figure out roughly how much you should be paying to paint the walls in your house. Then use our tips and tricks below to cut the cost of decorating your room.

What we quote to redecorate a room vary’s enormously, however looking through past prices the average room size of approximately  3.3m x 3.3m with decorating to the walls, ceiling, 1 door, 1 door frame and skirtings painted with 2 coats of emulsion and the woodwork undercoated and topcoated is between £450 to £900

To make this easier to understand this best way is to convert this to a square metre cost, which works out at between £42.00 and £83.00 a sqm. To help you calculate your room sizes please click the link below.

http://www.onlineconversion.com/room_area.htm

Ways to save time and money

Clear the Room and Storage

Clear your room of as much stuff as possible: take down curtains or blinds, and pile furniture in the middle of the room Give everywhere a good vacuuming and make sure all surfaces are dust-free. Use a dampened cloth to remove dust from sills, skirting boards and door and window frames. If you are struggling with places to put everything, we can supply plastic storage containers to store your items in for the duration of the decorating. We will then collect them once you have put your room back together.

Quality Materials

Of course, once your room is completely painted, you want it to last as long as possible. It’s tempting to skimp on the paint, as many budget options are available.  Yet, in the long run, this will only end up costing you more, as you will have to repaint your walls much sooner. Also some budget paints require more coats to achieve a solid quality finish, meaning more time is spent on labour costs. Always select a quality branded of paint such as Dulux, Farrow and Ball, Crown or Johnstones and you will be saving yourself money in the long run.

Discuss Problem Areas

Large undisclosed issues may set your project back, and send your budget spiraling. You don’t want to use paint to cover up water damage or a stain.

January and February are the best time to save money

As spring and summer arrive, many people revamp their homes to get rid of the winter cobwebs. This also applies to interior painting. .

This means that we are in high demand during this summertime, and the increased demand can lead to higher prices. So, if you’re willing to wait and book early, a lower cost to paint a room can be found during the first two months of a new year.

What effects our prices the most

All the jobs we carry out vary enormously, however we have found these four factors effect the price the most.

• The size of the room

• The condition of the ceiling, walls and woodwork

• The quality of materials (this is why we supply our own materials)

• Accessibility to the room (how much furniture etc is left in the room)

You may think that all you need to paint a room is a paint brush and a tin of paint. But, as professional Painters and Decorators we will use many more quality materials.

Preparation before decorating is key to reducing the cost of painting your room.

If you have any questions or decorating problems just contact us for a chat Office 01420 88 9 10 or call Trevor on 07532 77 88 61 trevor@tjdecor.co.uk