Five Tips For A Premium Finish
Professional painter and decorator Chris Kerfoot reviews a recent project he undertook, highlighting his top five tips from start to finish:
The project
- Large three-storey townhouse in Hornsea, East Yorkshire
- Walls, ceilings and woodwork to hall, stairs, landing and three rooms
- Two newly converted loft rooms were freshly plastered
- Small room on second floor being converted into a sewing room
Tip 1: Take time to mask properly
Our process, when arriving on site, is to firstly protect any non-removable items including carpets and furniture, light switches and other fittings. For this we use Q1’s Multipurpose Tape on carpets, then Q1 Precision Line Tape on hinges and door handles, and the same on window surrounds.
For the sewing room and the hall, stairs and landing we covered the door reveals using Q1pre-taped masking paper, which is a great time and money saver, especially on a large project with many door openings. Covering doors means we can paint them further on in the process, knowing that for now, they are well protected.
Another product which saves me time and money is the pre-taped drop film which we use to protect windows from overspray.
Tip 2: Prepare the walls for a flawless finish
Always apply a mist coat to freshly plastered walls so that you can see imperfections. We used Tikurilla Optiva Primer, applied with a Graco GX21FF spray machine and the new contractor PC Pro Compact Gun.
Once the mist coat was applied, I was able to fill, sand and fill again, until the walls were smooth and defect free.
Because Q1 tapes offer such strong adhesion, I can prepare the walls safe in the knowledge that my masking will not curl or bleed. This saves time in the long run, eliminating any additional masking before the painting starts
Tip 3: Paint surfaces in the right order
I always paint the ceiling first that so that any over spray or dripping can be corrected on the walls and wood below. On this project, the ceilings were finished with Tikkurila Anti-Reflex 2. For the wood, we used a spray application with Helmi primer, followed by Helmi 30. Finally, the walls were painted with the customer’s chosen colour.
Tip 4: Allow for touch ups in high traffic areas
In high traffic areas like halls, stairs and landings, it is a good idea to opt for a traditional brush and roller finish, so that the customer can touch up any scuffs, wear and tear themselves. This enables them to keep their newly painted home looking fresher, longer.
Tip 5: Ask for feedback and an online review
Asking for feedback can help you to improve your processes and increases customer satisfaction. If feedback is positive, ask the customer to leave you a review online. More customers than ever before are checking online reviews before employing tradespeople, so making this part of each project is a great way to secure more business.
Five Tips For A Premium Finish
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