CAL Painters & Decorators

I have mentioned before that I am a great fan of the Farrow & Ball range of paints.  This month I thought I’d tell you a bit about the history of the company and why I think their products are so good.

John Farrow and Richard Ball first met when they working in a clay pit in Dorset.  They soon realised they had similar ideas and proceeded to form the company in 1946.

Bucking the trends of the industry from day one, they abandoned acrylic paints and went back to traditional methods of paint making using natural minerals with high levels of pigments that they still use today.

I am sometimes asked whether white is a good choice as a room colour.  

There seems to be some confusion as I have been told it can make a room bland or even clinical.  In my opinion it is an ideal colour for creating a room that reflects the individuality of the person living in it.

The argument goes that a white room is a cold room but that needn’t be the case.  Using a shade with a well pigmented base that will play with the light can actually provide warm undertones.

Light is very important when using white.  Some whites might appear to have a yellow, pink or blue hue depending on how they react to the natural and artificial light in a room.  Amber light bulbs can be used to create a warmer feel in the evenings.

In my mind prepping a room for decorating is the one big thing that separates a professional decorator from an amateur.  While an amateur is prepared to cut corners to rush to get a job finished I will always take my time to get it absolutely right.  

Here are some of my tried and tested prepping methods.

1.    Remove the furniture.  It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many people leave furniture in a room and try and paint round it.  You are virtually guaranteed a disaster.  If you do have a piece of furniture that just will not fit through the door, place it in the centre of the room and ensure it is properly covered up and protected.

As you know I am passionate about the environment and recycle whenever possible.  A recent survey by the British Coatings Federation (BCF) highlighted some problems with recycling unused paint.

It is estimated that a staggering 55 million litres of leftover paint is generated in the UK each year.  The majority if taken to Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) is put in land fill or incinerated and only one in three HWRCs actually accept paint.

The problem for the local authorities that run these HWRCs is that incinerating paint safely is expensive and that seems to be the main reason why they don’t accept it.

There is another solution, however.  The BCF has found that sending the unused paint to a paint recycler or remanufacturer can lead to a saving of up to 40% for local authorities.

I am well aware of the old adage that ‘the customer is always right’. It means in effect that you should always carry out the instructions given to you by a client, no matter what you think about them.

I am a great believer in communication, however, and would rather explore the client’s ideas than follow his instructions to the letter without question.

What I aim to achieve is a solution that the client is completely happy with, even if it involves ideas he would never have dreamed of.