One of the largest contributing sectors in the economy of the United Kingdom is its construction sector. It currently employs 3.1 million people at work. But, more importantly, the number of domestic and commercial properties undergoing yearly renovations has increased drastically in the last two years.
Nearly 77% of UK homeowners have invested in domestic renovations in the past year, while the construction sector’s workforce now stands at 9% in the country. These stats prove that there is a high demand for painters and decorators in London currently.
In this article, you will find a guide for hiring a painting and decorating company for your needs and the types of services you can avail of.
Identify Your Painting And Decorating Needs
Before looking for London painters and decorators, you must first plan out your renovation project. To begin doing so, identify the upgrades your home or office needs. Here are the details to note:
- Do you need to perform an exterior or interior job on your property? Certain factors are necessary for consideration regarding this. For example, many companies employ different crews for exterior and interior projects. Moreover, you need to be very sure of the weather for the day you schedule the exterior painting. Raining or windy days are sure to ruin the project if you don’t plan well.
- The surface area or the number of rooms you plan to paint or decorate. You must note that a more cost-effective option for you is to conduct a painting or decorating project for larger areas or more rooms. Hiring an entire crew for just one room or a smaller portion will cost you more.
- Be very careful while choosing the time of the year for your painting and decorating project. The painters and decorators in London may only offer exterior services during spring or summer months, for instance. Hence, if you don’t want inclement weather to delay your project, pick the best time of year for it.
Look For The Best Painting And Decoration Company In London For Your Project
When you prepare a plan before contacting prospection painting and decorating companies, it works as a guide for you. When you are certain of the entire scope of your project, you will know exactly what services to look for when hiring a company.
Additionally, you must also ensure to verify the current insurance coverage and the license to ensure the company’s reliability. These two are the bare minimum requirements for every contractor to have. However, for further verification, you must also read reviews online and peruse the company’s online profile.
This practice will ensure that you select a company like Gruber Painting, where you can be sure of their expertise in the industry, their reliability, and the quality of services.
Deal Personally With The Contractors
It is best to interact personally with the prospective painters and decorators so that you can explain the entire scope of the project at length to them. No one will be able to do this job better than the owner who envisions what upgrades he/she wants to the property.
Here are a few points of discussion:
- Payment expectations of the client
- The company’s policies regarding the presence of the residents or the owner when the work is in progress
- The number of coat paints the package will include
- The inclusion or exclusion of the price of paints in the final estimation the company will provide
- The type of paints or brands the company uses
- Ask for the contractor’s license and insurance. It is your right as a customer to satisfy all your apprehensions regarding a prospective company. Hence, you can request the contractor’s certificate of insurance and license number as well.
- The crew members will work on your project. You can confirm about subcontractors or the company’s employees working on your case too.
- Ask for the contractor’s portfolio to check the level of experience they have on projects of similar scope and requirements as yours.
Written Quotations Are Important
We recommend shortlisting the London painters and decorators for your job. Then request the respective companies to send you a written estimation of their final costs for your entire project. Before they do that, you must note that a company representative will surely visit you.
They will check your house, taking careful note of the area or number of rooms that need work. This will include both the outdoor and indoor space. Based upon the representative’s observations, they will send you an estimate.
What Services Do Painters And Decorators Offer
Here are some of the services London painters and decorators offer:
- External decoration- including decorating and painting services for the entire exterior of properties. This also includes all kinds of masonry.
- Residential painting- including the overhaul of a home or office interior. This also includes paintwork on staircases and doors, around frames and windows, and other features as well for a high-spec finish.
- Domestic and commercial painting- including decorating and painting services for shops, schools, offices, hospitals, and leisure, retail, and education spaces.
- Specialist painting, such as wall coverings
- Wallpaper removal and hanging
- Spray painting
- Furniture moving for accessing areas to be painted
- Surface preparation, such as filling holes. Scraping or lighting sanding for clearing old paint.
- Surface evening out
- Painting molding and trim
- Two coats of paint on ceilings and walls
- Offering touch-ups on missed spots
- Surface priming (not many include this in the base price)
Final Thoughts
We all love living or working in upgraded, well-painted, and well-decorated spaces. It keeps us motivated, energetic, and in love with our daily surroundings. However, it is best to let a professional painting and decorating company handle the project for you instead of opting for a DIY that might not bring the high-spec finish.
