September 8, 2026
From decorator to inventor: how 40 years in the trade inspired Spray Dogz
After four decades in painting and decorating, Gareth Thompson knows that seemingly small problems can have a significant effect on the working day.
Gareth entered the trade straight from school and went on to run his own decorating business for more than 30 years. During that time, he built a loyal customer base by focusing on craftsmanship, consistency and attention to detail.
Kitchen refurbishment became a particularly important part of his work. Like many decorators, Gareth spent countless hours removing cabinet doors, labelling hinges, sanding, priming and hand-painting before carefully rehanging and adjusting everything.
As spraying became more widely used across the industry, Gareth embraced the technology. He retrained, invested in specialist equipment and made the transition from traditional brush application to cabinet spraying, achieving faster and more consistent finishes.
Spraying doors while suspended offered another potential advantage: both sides could be coated as part of the same process. However, Gareth found that the available hanging systems did not provide the secure, practical solution he needed.
Finding a better way to hang doors
Cup hooks provided a secure fixing but required holes to be drilled into the edges of the doors. Wire hooks and clips were less invasive but could feel unstable, creating the risk of a door slipping or falling during spraying.
Drawing on his experience of the job, Gareth began developing a system that would hold doors securely without compromising them. The result was Spray Dogz.
Designed in the workshop and shaped by real-world experience, Spray Dogz aims to give decorators a stable and efficient way to suspend doors while spraying. The system allows both sides to be coated as part of one workflow and can accommodate different hinge configurations.
It is suitable for use in workshops, spray booths and on site, helping decorators work more efficiently while maintaining the standard of finish their customers expect.
Early users across the UK have described the system as simple, solid and easy to use. For Gareth, that positive response confirms that Spray Dogz addresses a practical challenge many decorators have experienced.
Created by the trade, for the trade
Spray Dogz is an example of how product innovation can emerge directly from the people carrying out the work.
Gareth may not come from a product-design background, but his 40 years in decorating have given him a detailed understanding of the pressures tradespeople face and the improvements that can make a genuine difference to their working day.
The resulting product reflects the qualities Gareth has valued throughout his career: simplicity, reliability and professional results.
Spray Dogz also marks the beginning of a new chapter. Gareth continues to refine the system alongside his own spraying techniques, with further products already being considered.
After a lifetime spent working in the trade, his ambition is now to use that experience to make the job easier for other decorators — and Spray Dogz could be just the start.
