hand-painted kitchens, furniture & period property decorating

Refurbished and hand painted kitchen Lancashire

Posted: 02 Oct 2013 01:33 AM PDT

The post Refurbished and hand painted kitchen Lancashire appeared first on Traditional Painter

This article from Jason Walker is about a refurbished and hand painted kitchen Lancashire. It will answer some questions regularly asked by homeowners who are looking into a refurbishment that goes well beyond painting the units.

The clients were researching hand painted kitchens on the internet, and looking at my web site they thought I was the right man to repaint their wooden kitchen. They said there was more to the project than painting, and sent me photos of the overall kitchen space. From the pictures, I was able to work out a timescale, the extent of the kitchen painting work involved, and what they should expect to pay for my labour and materials. My proposal met their approval and we made an appointment to call by to discuss the overall project.

The problems to resolve

When I went to have a look at the kitchen, the units were exactly as portrayed in the photos, but to be honest, the visit was more about how to deal with what was needed, beyond a custard paint colour change.

On looking at the kitchen, it was well made, a Mark Leigh of Lancaster, and was well worth rejuvenating with a hand-painted finish. However, the cabinets were indeed very yellow; the wall tiles made the whole kitchen look even more yellow, and the ceiling and walls were covered in beautiful artex! It would certainly need some work by other trades to advance the kitchen from dated to timeless and elegant.

Talking it through with the clients, they were keen to have the wall tiles removed and the room re plastered, and beyond that, they needed help to pick colours and general advice on how to go about getting this project done well and with the least upheaval?

The solutions

Having a good network of other trades to call on, I knew I could recommend my mate, Wayne Addicott, for plastering and tiling.

Next problem – colours, and as with all jobs, you need a starting point, so we needed a tile shop. Working near Garstang, I knew a fabulous tile shop called Rockform, who have the most beautiful marble, stone and ceramic tiles, and more besides. I suggested that the clients go along for some inspiration and then I would meet them there and discuss the colour options.

They came up with two tile choices, but we all agreed that the warmer tone with a Jasmin white grout was the right one for the kitchen. With that decided, we picked a New White to complement the tiles. (For a bit of pizzazz, I thought a herringbone pattern tiled feature above the Aga would work well. That was agreed.) Wayne was booked in to complete all the works prior to me starting.

tiling before

Painters are in, everyone is out!

When we get asked for advice on what order would you should refurbish a kitchen, we’d say that the last person in should be the painter. Get all your structural work finished, modifications to units done, work tops templated and fitted, floors laid, room cleaned… and then it is ready for the finishing touch. Experience says that without having finish painted cabinets to worry about, every other trade can work faster and more relaxed.

Experience also seems to suggest that overall, a seamless kitchen refurbishment is surprisingly hard for a lot of companies, let alone homeowners, to pull off, unless the project manager is on top of things! Working with likeminded tradesmen you know is a great advantage. On the other hand, a colleague last week thought he was the last one in on a high end kitchen, but had to contend with the client’s builders’ boot prints on his doors. He had to put his own foot down when the whole work area, including wet paint was subsequently covered in a fine layer of grinder dust too.

How did Wayne the plasterer and tiler do?

When I came to start painting the units, the transformation of the room was fabulous. Wayne had made a great job, the kitchen was ready and he was nowhere to be seen. Brilliant. Now it was my turn.

tiling after

Down to work, painter

I tackled the kitchen the same way as usual, using my favourite citrus-based cleaner, rubbing every surface clean with the Mirka Mirlon pads supplied by Hallmark Fraulo.

Once dry, I gave everything a light rub down with Abranet, using the dustless system, also available from Hallmark Fraulo. (They have fixed the price at just over £33 delivered, exclusively for readers of the Traditional Painter newsletter, so that is well worth a look, if you do any sort of painting at home or professionally.)

I dusted everything and wiped over with meths to ensure a thoroughly clean surface.

Painting

Now for the paint, Otex base coat followed by 2 coats of Tikkurila Furniture Feelings supplied by Holman’s. I’d also ordered some new brushes. With constant use, synthetic bristles do wear down. I tried the Wooster and the much talked-about Rembrandt, all supplied by MyPaintBrush. I must say that in these particular paints, the finish was as good as I can achieve with my Coronas, IMO.

With the job nearing completion, all it needed was a clean up and a bead of silicone around the kick boards, ready to hand back to Anne.

Kitchen door knobs

During the initial stages, we had also discussed changing the cupboard door knobs. This is probably the simplest and most cost effective option for upgrading a kitchen and changing the look.

I use Slingers hardware, who have been trading since 1858. Their website is vast and the service is brilliant. One of my other Traditional Painter colleagues over in Staffordshire is also a fan of the company, and I think more kitchen painters will soon see what we see in Slingers too!

A polished chrome shaker style knob was picked from their catalogue, I ordered the hardware on the Wednesday, and the following day they had arrived. The finishing touch, I think you will agree, is great.

Myself and Matt enjoyed our time in Scorton and I would like to thank the clients for their kindness whilst we were in their home.

If you want a full run down on refurbishing a kitchen, read this article we have compiled to help you make the best decision.

Specialist painter and decorator, Jason Walker, is a member of the Traditional Painter UK network. He is the first port of call for hand painted kitchens from South Lakes, Preston to South Cheshire.

Jason has been hand-painting kitchens for 18 years, trading as JS Decor; and also writes regular tips for the Lancashire Magazine.

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Refurbished and hand painted kitchen Lancashire