Commercial decorators in London and the South East
We're commercial decorators for buildings that stay in use: churches, gyms, shops, offices and blocks of flats across London and the South East. Our own team prepares and paints walls, ceilings, woodwork and metalwork, inside and out, and repairs cracks and plaster first.
- Painting and decorating by our own team
- Churches, gyms, shops, offices and blocks of flats
- Free visit and a written quote
- £5 million public liability insurance
- A reply to every enquiry within one working day
Get a quote for your commercial decorating
Commercial painting and decorating: what's included
Our own team does the decorating itself, from preparation to the last coat:
Walls and ceilings, filled, sanded and painted, with cracks and damaged plaster repaired first.
Woodwork: doors, frames, skirting boards and handrails painted, and doors or pews stained and varnished.
Wallpaper, old paper stripped and new paper hung.
Damp patches made good once the cause has been fixed; for walls that need more, see plastering.
Metalwork and railings, prepared and repainted.
The outside of premises: fascias, gutters, windows, doors and painted walls.
Floors are a separate job: see commercial flooring.
Churches, gyms, shops and the other buildings we decorate
Each building sets its own limits on when and where we can work:
Churches and church halls
Planned around services and bookings. In a Church of England church, redecoration usually needs the archdeacon's written go-ahead, which may add conditions.
Historic wall paintings and listed churches
The go-ahead doesn't cover historic wall paintings, even if painted over, and work likely to affect a listed church's character still needs a faculty (the Church of England's own permission for church works).
Gyms
Changing rooms, corridors and stairs take hard wear, so preparation and a washable finish count for more than the colour.
Shops and retail units
Repainting the outside of a shop normally needs no planning permission: Class C of the General Permitted Development Order covers “the painting of the exterior of any building or work”.
Shop signs
Class C doesn't cover painting “for the purpose of advertisement, announcement or direction”, so painted signs and lettering fall outside it (Class C on legislation.gov.uk).
Offices
Redecoration while staff are in, and at the end of a lease: see office fit out.
Blocks of flats, councils and housing associations
Entrances, stairs and corridors, inside and out: see social housing contractors.
Why choose us as your commercial painters
Repairs and paint from one team
Cracks and plaster are repaired before we paint, so there's no second contractor to brief.
Seen before it's priced
We look at every surface on a free visit, then send the quote in writing.
On the public record
Companies House has listed us under number 06178781 since 2007; you'll also find us on Checkatrade and, verified, on MyBuilder. Public liability cover: £5 million.
Decorating a building in use: order, drying and fresh air
Fresh paint keeps a room out of use for a while after the work itself is done:
The order of the areas. Agree which areas close first and which must stay open, such as an entrance, a changing room or the main hall. Finishing one area before the next one closes keeps the building usable.
Drying before reopening. Every coat needs time to dry, and gloss on doors and handrails is slower than emulsion on walls. The busiest areas are best painted when they have the longest time to dry.
Fresh air. Rooms need ventilating before people come back in. The VOC Regulations 2012 make the paints and varnishes they cover show their maximum VOC content on the label (volatile organic compounds, which give fresh paint its smell), so lower-VOC products are easy to compare.
How to compare commercial painting quotes
Every commercial decorating quote follows a free visit. These five things change it most:
Area: the walls, ceilings and woodwork to be painted.
Height and access: a stairwell, a church nave or a shop front may need a tower or scaffold.
The phasing: how many areas, in what order, and which stay in use.
The preparation: cracked plaster, flaking paint, old wallpaper or bare metal.
The finish: the products chosen, and extra coats for a change of colour.
When you compare quotes, check that each one prices the same surfaces, the same preparation and the same finish, so a facilities manager, a managing agent or a parochial church council (PCC) can compare like with like.
Where we take on commercial decorating
Our base is in Beckenham, and most commercial decorating we take on is within about 20 miles of it. For larger jobs we cover the whole of the South East: we've carried out big commercial jobs in Haywards Heath and in Brighton.
Our commercial construction page explains how we cover London and the South East, and the client's legal duties, including construction health and safety (CDM) and asbestos.
Questions about commercial decorating
Call 020 8249 7303
What does commercial decorating cover?
Preparing and painting the inside and outside of a building that isn't a home: walls, ceilings, woodwork, metalwork and wallpaper, with the filling and plaster repairs done first.
Do we need permission to redecorate a Church of England church?
Usually not a faculty (the Church of England's own permission for church works), but you need the archdeacon's written notice. Under List B of the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules, the archdeacon gets details of the materials and colours, the overall appearance can't change, and the parochial church council's insurers are told about any external scaffolding.
How can we compare low-VOC paints?
By the label. Paints and varnishes covered by the VOC Regulations 2012 can't be placed on the market unless they stay within the VOC limit for their sub-category and show their maximum VOC content on the label, so lower-VOC products can be compared tin by tin.
Do you paint the outside of commercial buildings?
Yes. Our own team paints fascias, gutters, windows, doors, railings and painted walls on shops, churches and other premises. Upper floors may need a tower or scaffold, which adds to the price.
Guides to read before redecorating a block
Redecorating the common parts of a block raises three questions our guides answer: whether the doors are fire doors (fire door painting), whether leaseholders must be consulted (Section 20 works) and, in social housing, how quickly damp must be dealt with (Awaab's Law).
Painting fire doors: what the rules allow
Painting fire doors in a block of flats: what the fire door paint regulations check, which seals stay clean and how to paint one. Ask us for a quote.
Section 20 works and consultation
Section 20 works explained by a contractor: the £250 threshold, the three consultation stages and what an estimate should show. Read the guide.
Awaab's Law: the rules and timescales for social housing repairs
Awaab's Law explained: Phase 1 and Phase 2 dates, repair timescales, who it covers and what it asks of contractors. Read our guide.
Other work for your building
Homes: our painters and decorators page covers houses and flats, and interior painting explains old lead paint.
The outside of a house: permission and the national rules are on exterior painting.
Other trades in the same building: commercial electricians and commercial roofing.
Commercial construction and maintenance company in London and the South East
Commercial construction for offices, blocks of flats, churches, gyms and shops across London and the South East. Work planned around buildings in use.
Painters and decorators in Beckenham and South East London
Painters and decorators in Beckenham and South East London from a family firm. Written quotes, tidy work and repairs done before we paint.
Office fit out and refurbishment in London
Office fit out and refurbishment in London, planned around a building in use. Decorating, repairs and the main trades. Free visit and a written quote.
Social housing contractors for communal areas and maintenance
Social housing contractors for the communal areas of blocks of flats: entrance halls, stairwells and landings. Free visit and a written quote.
Commercial plumbers in London and the South East
Commercial plumbers for offices, blocks of flats, churches, gyms and shops across London and the South East. Free visit and a written quote.
Commercial electricians in London and the South East
Commercial electricians for offices, blocks of flats, churches, gyms and shops across London and the South East. Free visit and a written quote.
Commercial roofing in London and the South East
Commercial roofing for offices, blocks of flats, churches, gyms and shops across London and the South East. Free visit and a written quote.
Commercial flooring in London and the South East
Commercial flooring for offices, blocks of flats, churches, gyms and shops across London and the South East. Free visit and a written quote.
Ask for a quote for your commercial decorating
Tell us the building type, where it is, which areas need decorating and when they're in use, and send a few photos. For a church, say whether you've spoken to the archdeacon.