Mould problems should not be ignored in your home. It is unsightly and there are worries over what it  could be doing to you and your family’s health. Mould can occur in a lot of places in our homes, but in particular, it does like to manifest itself in our bathrooms. According to The World Health Organisation in 2009, “in Europe, an estimated 10-50% (dependant on country) of indoor environments habited by humans are damp.”

The question is – Is mould really that bad for our health? Yes it is. In America, they have mould specialists who come in and treat the mould. Over here in the UK, more often than not, it is the home owner who calls in your decorator to treat your homes mould issues and get rid of it. Nothing wrong with that may I add. A good decorator can help clean up mould and repaint your home.

Here are some real good reasons why we shouldn’t ignore bathroom mould.

The bad damp odour.

I have placed odour first in this list because that, along with mould spotting can be the first signs that mould is present in your home. You will notice a musty smell in the room like that associated at times with the cellar in your Gran’s old house. It’s not a nice smell and it can often be smelt as soon as you enter your home if you have let it get hold. If it is in your bathroom and you let it continue to grow that same musty odour will begin to seep into the fabric of that room i.e. your bath towels, window curtains or fabric blinds and other such materials in that room. Find the cause and take action to rid your bathroom of mould and Gran’s musty cellar smell.

Mould can damage your health.

Mould is from a group of various fungi and medical proof shows that mould can be harmful to human health.  It is unwise to ignore any signs of mould in your bathroom or other rooms in your home. Living with mould can increase various ailments such as respiratory symptoms, asthma, allergic rhinitis and other allergic reactions. It can even flare up existing skin problems in eczema sufferers and those who are immuno-comprimised e.g. Chemotherapy patients.

Certain moulds promote greater risks than others, but when it comes to mould and your health never underestimate the dangers it brings to your home.  It is an issue that needs addressing immediately to prevent possible serious illness in your loved ones.

Mould can damage to your home.

When mould is growing, it produces spores. Those spores become airborne and find their way onto many surfaces and areas. Mould is a monster. The havoc caused to the surfaces it grows on range from rotting your floor boards,  the plastered walls and also your home fabrics such as the carpet.
It stains too. Mould causes unsightly stains (spotting) and could also cause damage the stability of your home if it is not addressed. Ignore it at your peril. Allowing mould growth to continue without treatment can lead to structural problems down the line which could be costly.  It won’t go away because you don’t look at it – eradicate it.

My Nan used to say “prevention is better than cure” and that holds true in this topic.

Mould thrives in warm and damp environments. If there is a lack of light in those environments, the mould is even happier in its growth. Your bathroom becomes warm and damp over the course of a day but by taking these few simple precautions you can to help prevent its growth.

• Open your windows for short periods 2 or 3 times a day. This will allow the warm air to exit and create air flow to help dry out the room.

• Using your extractor unit in the bathroom and leave it running for a period after your shower.

• Don’t let your rooms and walls become too cold.

• Don’t crunch up your damp towels, open them out to dry in a way that allows them to dry quickly.

This sounds like overkill but using one of those squeegee tools on the walls, the shower door and floor after each use can help keeping the damp conditions down. Opening your blinds or lifting them to let the light in will help prevent mould growth as well.
Lastly, regular cleaning of your bathroom and sorting out the first signs of mould with products such as Krud Kutter Mould and Mildew stain remover or Zinsser’s equivalent called Jomax. These great products will ensure you will keep your home free from mould in the long run.
If your home is mould free, you’ll be free to help your family enjoy good health and fresh air.

This article predominantly covers your homes bathroom but the same topic can be true for your kitchen area.

For additional information you can click that link -> Damp and Mould.

If you have any mould issues and are in my working area, by all means get in touch using the Contact Page.

This bathroom was stripped out and fully refurbished (apart from the painting) by Home Plumbing in Sittingbourne. It is a small family run business who I have carried out decorating work for previously in their own home and for their clients.

This client supplied the emulsion for the ceiling. It was Dulux pure brilliant white matt emulsion from Homebase. I don’t like retail paints on the whole, as they usually need an extra coat and this one didn’t me let me down on that score. After the industry standard mistcoat to the bare plastered ceiling and two further full coats, it still needed an extra coat. Not impressed, but hey ho!

The feature wall in this bathroom was also newly plastered and needing a mistcoat. This is where the trade paints come in to their own. Even when thinning trade paints down to a mistcoat consistency, they still cover well.
As usual after a mistcoat to a ceiling or wall surface, the walls are sanded using the Abranet sanding system on smaller areas (such as this project) or the Mirka Ceros on larger surfaces. Both systems boast a virtually dust free system, which my clients like and so do I.

 Once the wall was prepped, it was on with clients choice of paint which was Farrow & Ball Modern Emulsion No.233 – Dayroom Yellow. I personally thought it would be “a bit too much” for the bathroom and so did the husband. But on completion and when the room was finished and fully dressed it looked quite stunning as I’m sure you would agree!

The work carried out by Home Plumbing from Sittingbourne and Before & After Painting was of a high standard. So much so, that the client has managed to sell their house in quick time due to the bathroom and cloakroom refurb as well. Now they have moved, they will be calling on Before & After Painting and Home Plumbing to carry out work in the new home.

This door and frame was just a small piece of the project. It was part of a complete lounge repaint. The paintwork to this interior face of the porch door was in poor condition due to general age and, also due to a lovely big Weimaraner dog scratching to follow her owner.

The door was given a good rub down using Oakey abrasive 60 grade (I didn’t use Abranet abrasives at the time) and then vacuumed off. The woodwork was then cleaned down using sugar soap and rinsed clean.
All dents and dings were filled with a two pack wood filler and rubbed down smooth using Oakey abrasives (80 grit).

Bring out the Zinsser Cover Stain.

Now to get some paint on. Using the brilliant oil borne primer sealer called Zinsser Cover Stain, which sticks like (you know) to the proverbial nappy. This paint has many uses and one of them, I find, is to help build out some of the unevenness of the surface. Cover Stain can be over painted with either a water borne or oil borne paint of your choice. I prefer water borne paints.

One coat of the Cover Stain was applied to the wood trim and allowed to dry fully for one hour. The Cover Stain rubs down to a lovely smooth finish when using Oakey finishing paper 180 grit. Another vaccuum over the surface has it ready for the next applications.

Bring out the Crown Trade Interior Acrylic Gloss.

Two full coats of Crown Trade interior acrylic gloss – brilliant white are applied. This time, rubbing down with a Scotch-Brite pad between coats.
Brush of choice: Wooster 2″ Ultra Pro Firm.

Now, some decorators say that waterbased paint doesn’t provide an adequate sheen level compared to an oil based paint. Well this is true. But I do know that the Crown interior acrylic gloss has been more than acceptable to all my past clients where I have recommended it.

You can see for yourself in the photo’s that it has a very good sheen level. I can also say that it holds it whiteness for at least 5 years unlike the current oil based paints of today (since 2010).

I have since started trialling Johnstone’s Aqua range of undercoat and gloss. Now this gloss has some serious shine for a water based paint. However, I do not personally know how long it holds it’s whiteness. There are a number of decorators who are now using this paint over at Painters Pit Stop decorating forum. We are all sharing our views and experiences with this new(ish) water based gloss.

For this conservatory paint project, the client supplied the feature wall colour which was purchased from Homebase. The feature wall colour is Dulux Teal Tension in a matt finish.

I don’t usually like “retail paints” because they don’t tend cover as good as the trade paints I always use. That said, this covered really well and I was actually quite impressed!

The emulsion for the three main wall colours was supplied by myself and purchased from Crown Decorating Centre in Gillingham. The colour was a simple and “safely goes with anything” Magnolia.

Prepare the wall surfaces.

The new plastered walls were lightly sanded down using my Mirka Abranet System which is a virtually dustless sanding system ideal for projects such as this. Once this was carried out, it was time to apply a mistcoat to seal the bare plaster, followed by a search of any cracks and imperfections which were filled with my favoured interior filler, Toupret Reboucheur. It rubs down very nice to a smooth finish using the Abranet 120 down to 240 grade sheets.

Cutting in freehand using a Proform Picasso brush.

Once the filler was dusted off using my Henry vacuum with the brush head, the filler was spot primed. Upon drying, the first of the two full coats of wall colours were applied. The main was first, then once dry, the feature wall was emulsioned.

You can cut the feature wall in freehand using a good quality brush – I prefer the Proform Picasso (which you can purchase via Mypaintbrush Decorating Supplies, see their logo on my site), or if you wish to use a DIY brush, you could always use a good quality low tack masking tape to help you keep a straight line running down the corner of the wall. I prefer the Tesa brand available online or from your local Brewers paint supplies.

The wood trim glazed double doors and frame were finished using Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 -  Walnut colour.
The floor tiling was sealed with Mattstone natural finish flooring sealer.

Why not contact Before & After Painting NOW to decorate your conservatory in Kent.

Materials used on this project.

Main Walls: Crown Trade Mid-Sheen – Magnolia
Feature Wall: Dulux (retail) Matt – Teal Tension
Wood Trim: Rustins Brown Mahogany/Sikkens Cetol Filter 7 – Walnut
Floor Tiles: Mattstone Natural Finish Flooring Sealer – Clear
Mirka Abranet virtually dust free sanding system
Toupret Reboucheur interior filler

I have recently finished a small wallcovering job in a home in Rochester, Kent. It was for regular clients who are genuinely nice to decorate for. I had only had a call from them about 18 months previously asking if I’d be interested in painting a staircase for them.
They called me in to hang a Laura Ashley wallpaper design called Isodore Charcoal Linen to their stairs on the Well Wall, which is the long wall with the biggest drop from ceiling to floor, (you’ll see it in the gallery images below).

The wall area was filled where necessary and rubbed smooth using my Abranet virtually dustless sanding system from Mirka. Following the sanding and vacumming any surface dust off, the wall area being papered had one coat of Zinsser Gardz HPS applied. This is a great product which binds down chalky and porous surfaces ready to hang a new wallcovering on. It even takes most paints. In using Gardz prior to wallpapering, it helps to provide a good slip so the paper can be manoeuvred about when on the wall i.e. when sliding the paper toward the plumb line or laser line or when butting the second length to the first etc.

I always recommend lining your walls, as do Laura Ashley.

As usual, it pays to have the walls cross-lined prior to hanging any wallcovering. Some property owners try to save a few pounds here and there on a project. Why pay for a quality paper and then scrimp on lining the walls and run the risk of the joins splitting etc?
On a lot of decorative papers, the manufacturer requires the installer to hang a quality lining paper prior to hanging the decorative paper. If you don’t do it and joints split, the manufacturer may not be interested if any claim should arise due to faults, i.e. parting joints.
I cross-lined this wall with a quality MAV 1400 grade lining paper. Anything higher than 1400 would have been overkill.

Next day, it was back in to hang the Laura Ashley Charcoal Linen design paper which has a really nice pearlescent ink effect. It took four rolls to complete this project. I asked the home owner to initially order 6 rolls as there ended up being a return wall to paper as well. Six were ordered due to me not knowing anything about the paper being chosen i.e. the pattern size, whether the design was a straight match, offset match or a free match. These all affect how much paper is needed.

I was using Olfa black blades to trim this paper. They handle most papers very well and are one of the better manufacturers of blades on the market today.

The client was very happy with the finished look of this small project and I received a pleasant text message to say so too.

So, you have decided to get your home decorated and you have all these ideas running through your head for calming colours in the master bedroom and en-suite. With the children’s rooms, you want something with a bit more colour and brightness. Then you need to think about the landing and stairs, kitchen, lounge.
Your project might even be an office area you are looking to brighten up or a public house.
Whatever the project, this might be the point where you start pulling your hair out!

Your decorator (me), will be happy to guide you in your colour choice, but my suggestions might not hit your hot button. I am pretty good with colour choice, but I am not in the same league as an interior paint colour consultant.

Why use a Paint Colour Advice Professional online?

A consultant will work with the colour ideas that you have in mind for your bedroom, nursery, or office, etc.
They will bring out any ideas you have and also put their ideas on the table for you to see. Colour consultants have expert knowledge of colour and fabric and see areas differently to how you or most decorators see an area.
Once the colours have been chosen, using a professional decorator to apply the paint colours and finishes, will leave you with a stunning looking project that you (the client), the colour consultant and Before & After Painting can be proud of.

Where do I find Paint Colour Advice Online?

Any of my clients and customers who want colour advice online, I am very happy to recommend them to Ingrid, owner of Lilou Interiors. Ingrid was recommended to me by a fellow Traditional Painter & Decorator who has used her online colour consultation service for many years.
You don’t have to rely on my word of mouth recommendation of Lilou Interiors. Instead, have a look at my friends reasoning as to why he uses her Paint Colour Advice Online and why you too, could benefit from it when you are stuck for colour inspiration.

Help the consultant with a few of your colour ideas.

To help Ingrid offer the best advice on colours for your project, it helps to have an idea of the colours you are thinking of, colours you like, are the colours to match in with a feature wall which is having a nice wallpaper applied by your decorator.
Are you looking for a traditional, contemporary or perhaps a bold look?
Photo’s of the room/area can be of assistance too.

The best bit.

For less than the cost of a 5 litre can of good quality emulsion, you can use an online paint colour consultancy service.

Yesterday, I was happily applying Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 to all woodwork in a hall/stairs/landing. The lady of the house popped upstairs to where I was just laying off a door with my Proform Picasso brush and said me – “Don’t use the cloakroom downstairs, we have a blockage.”

Next thing I know, I am outside helping her friend, who is over from Portland in America (a really, really nice guy) helping him to put together a Hozelock hose system, and then help in unblocking the drain outside and giving it a good blasting with the new hose.
I am not a man you want for that sort of thing as I am a bit weak stomached when it comes to poo smells!

We had a good giggle while doing it, did me and Jim. He got flicked with “stuff” here and there and, I laughed.

That is another item to add to my book, Life as a Decorator!

I know, it should be a prerequisite shouldn’t it? But not all painters and decorators carry out this routine part of the project.
I have worked on many homes in my time as a painter and decorator where the home owner came up to me saying – “the last painter hadn’t took that much time and effort in protecting my furniture or carpets. The last one we used put old bed sheets and newspaper down on the floor, you have dust sheets and plastic sheeting!”
Touching on another subject, I bet that same painter didn’t even have public liability insurance. I wish home owners would take more time in finding a good painter and decorator!!!

When visiting the project for the first time, I am already looking at how to go about protecting your furniture and flooring. First off is to remove my work shoes at the door. That goes a long way, especially with the ladies of the older generation.
Each room poses its own challenges on how or where to safely place dust sheets on the floor or protecting items such as kitchen cabinets or protecting wallpaper if the home owner only requires a ceiling painted.

Protecting the flooring when painting.

More often than not, the carpet will be staying in the room as the home owner may not need a new one just yet. There are one of two options here.
1/ Lift the carpet, roll up and take it out of the room until the decorating is complete.
Or,
2/ Mask up the carpet where it meets the skirting (see image to the right). This is the favourite choice of 98% of home owners I have worked with. The masking tape is tucked down between the carpet and the skirting. The dust sheets are then moved back toward the perimeter protecting the flooring.
Once the paint is dry, the tape lifts away easily and the carpet is paint free and the skirting is carpet fibre free.

Protecting the furniture when decorating.

Sometimes, it just isn’t possible to clear the room completely of all furniture. It’s not always the case of it can’t be moved, but more the case of where the flippin’ ‘eck are you gonna put it?
Large items such as lounge display units, bedroom wardrobes and dressers can’t always be removed from the room and kitchen cabinets obviously aren’t going anywhere.

As you can see by the image to your left, I protect all kitchen cabinets with poly sheeting. All sheets are secured to the cornice using masking tape. At the end of each day, if the kitchen is in use by the house holder, all the sheets can be rolled and tucked up above the units. *Only if there is no risk of fire with lighting on top of the units etc.

This kitchen was for a friend in Sittingbourne. New balustrades were fitted and stained (left of picture). I arranged for a carpenter friend to fit them. Sawdust everywhere (couldn’t be helped), but no sawdust behind my poly sheets!
My friend and his wife were over the moon with the standard of the finished work.

Here is another example of the lengths I take in protecting your furniture, for my benefit too really. I don’t want you chasing me and all upset because I have got paint over your cabinet or wallpaper.
The image to the right is first thing in the morning setting up for the day in another customers home.
All chairs were moved to the centre of the room and double sheeted with polythene on a roll, cut to length and then nice clean dust sheets placed over the top of the poly sheets.

Hopefully you can see that painting and decorating is not just getting the paint tin open and slapping a bit of paint about with a brush and roller. A lot of pro painters do care about your home and its contents. I am one of those pro’s.

Make sure your home is looked after by Before & After Painting!

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!

If only we really knew! I only say that because each potential new client looks for and likes different things in their decorator.

Here are some ideals the home owner should look for, when considering employing a painter & decorator to work in their home:

• Recommendation – is the painter being referred to you by a friend, neighbour or relative. Can you see the work the painter has carried out. Are they registered on a review site online?
• Public Liability Insurance – does the decorator carry adequate liability insurance. They ought to if working in or around your home. What if they break something?
• Trade Association – Does your painter belong to one? The Painting & Decorating Association is one such association. It is the only association specific to the trade. It also investigates any complaint made against a member & makes every effort to resolve disputes through mediation.
• Qualifications/Experience – Has your decorator achieved any qualification or had more than 5 years experience within the trade working alongside qualified decorators?
• Guaranteeing All Work – Does your painter & decorator guarantee their work? A minimum requirement for interior work could be six months and a minimum for exterior work could be twelve months (both from completion). Will they stand behind their guarantee?
• Do NOT give money up front – A good painter and decorator holds trade accounts with a number of trade decorating centres. When painting a majority of the homes I work on, I don’t receive a penny till I have finished the decorating. On large jobs, usually anything over three weeks, I may ask for a small interim payment. Other than that, payment is always on completion.
• Presentable – Which do you choose?
  1/ You see the van pull up outside, nice signage, looks clean & roadworthy. The decorator gets out and walks to your door. You open it and greet him. He too looks clean & presentable. Has a nice logo’d t-shirt, clean trousers and he takes his shoes off before stepping onto your nice hallway carpet.
  Or?
  2/ A car pulls up, paint all over the rear bumper with poor vehicle livery (if any) stuck to the side windows. A man walks up your drive with more colours on his trousers and shirt than Jason & his Technicolour Dreamcoat. You open the door, he walks in, shoes still on and proceeds to sit down (in work clothes) on your new leather sofa!
• Detailed quote/estimate – It might look like a boring thing to read, but a comprehensive quote or estimate on headed paper is worth reading. It will show what your painter is going to do for you and will enable you to see why the cost is what it is. Better to have a detailed quote you can refer back too, than a quickly written out piece of plain paper which just shows “Paint all ceilings and walls – £***.00″
• Can they be found – Does your decorator have business cards with an address? Does he or she just use a mobile number on the stationary/advert/van signage? Just having a mobile number may indicate they don’t always like to be found.

Those are just some things I would be looking for when considering employing the services of a trades person. Obviously, having the bullet points listed and then ticked, doesn’t guarantee you a pleasant experience with the service provided. You could still end up with a pig in a poke, but my guess is that if all of the above are ticked, chances are you will have found a good trades person whom you would be willing to do business with for many years to come and whom you would recommend to friends and family. So start spreading the word!

Have you been wanting to create that wall into a feature wall but said out loud, “Ooh, I just don’t know!”

Be brave! A feature wall in a room can make a statement. People walk into a room and stop in their tracks saying, “Wow! That looks n-i-i-ice!”
Create a feature wall with paints or wallpapers of your choice.

Which wall is the best wall?

Favoured walls are plain walls with no doors or windows to break up the flow of colour, or pattern if you were to choose a wallpaper.
Chimney breasts and also the alcoves either side are often good choices for feature walls.
Bedroom feature walls are always a good choice too. More often than not, the headboard wall is a favoured choice of wall.

Emulsion or Wallpaper for the feature wall and what colour?

An emulsioned painted wall isn’t the only option for a feature wall. Having your feature wall in wallpaper looks amazing too. A nice bold patterned wallpaper can look really classy.

A great independent wallpaper supplier I send my local clients to is Astra Décor. They are a very helpful team there who bend over backwards to help you choose the right paper out of the 300 pattern books they have in store. They are based in Sittingbourne and well worth the trip to visit them if you are outside of town.

I love it in there!

Check out the ever growing gallery of feature walls I have decorated (below) to find some inspiration.
Arrange an appointment with me to discuss your ideas for that feature wall – Contact B&A NOW!