Planning your redecoration: a useful checklist

Redecorating your home (or office) is going to involve a certain amount of disruption, like it or not. Good decorators* will keep it at a minimum, but I thought a planning checklist might be useful. It might help to give an idea of how much work will be needed, and how long it may take.

(*The term ‘good decorators’ naturally includes GD Parvin Ltd)

1/ CONDITION OF WALLS

Before getting near a paint pot the walls have to be properly prepared. At this time of year any problems with damp will start to become visible, and they need to be dealt with before anything else.

Indications of damp problems include:
– Peeling wallpaper
– Mould
– Discolouration of paint

[A serious case of damp here]
There are many possible causes. Frequent ones include:
-blocked gutters
-gaps around windowframes or door frames
-rotten wood on frames
-missing roof tiles
-damaged flat roofing
-eroded or missing pointing in brickwork
-damaged flashing around windows or doors
-leaking pipes
-condensation

[Windows like this are a magnet for water and damp problems]
If you can’t immediately see the likely cause of damp it should be investigated by a builder, but we’re always willing to give our best advice so you have a good idea of what the problem is.

2/ CHOICE OF MATERIALS

An early decision is fitting the type of interior materials to the use the room will see. Will it have to withstand heavy wear? Delicate papers won’t usually suit a hallway, for example, nor a bathroom or kitchen. Washable papers or paint can withstand a fair amount of rubbing. Your decorator (that’s us, we hope) can give you sensible advice on what will do the job well, and how long you can expect it to last.
 
The choice of wallpaper or paint is your individual choice, but a decorator can tell you if lining paper  is needed, or what it would take to get a plaster wall into good condition.

[Matching colours is now quite straightforward]
3/ COLOUR (AND TEXTURE) CHOICES

It’s very individual, of course, but it’s worth considering the options: matt, semi-matt, eggshell, textured, or gloss paint, for example. Colour-matching these days is usually very accurate, if you want to repeat the colour of some furniture or fabric, or an existing wall. But the effect of light on different finishes will give them different visual qualities. 

We recently provided links to some of the paint companies colour charts on our website here, and also an App for your tablet which will ‘repaint’ your room in different colour combinations. Tester pots are the best method for seeing how a colour will actually look on your wall – but bear in mind that the surround colours will affect how the patches look, as well as their position in the room and closeness to a window.
 
4/ SCHEDULING

How long a job will take, and how much disruption it will cause, are very variable. You’re more likely to be able to trust time estimates from a larger decorating company who have the resources they can move around when needed. 

If you’re considering a decorating project – call and we’ll be happy to answer your questions and visit to give you a detailed quotation and any advice you feel you might need.
All the best,

Geoff Parvin
GD Parvin Ltd.