Service
Decorating is only ever as good as the surface underneath. Our surface preparation service exists for one reason — every other decorator we've ever followed cut corners here, and we don't. Cracks raked out, fillers chosen for the job, sanded flat, primed and sealed.
From the journal · Lancaster
Surface Preparation in Lancaster: Why the Hidden Work Defines the Finish →
Hairline shrinkage cracks are filled with flexible decorator's caulk or a fine surface filler. Wider settlement cracks are raked out, bridged with scrim tape and skimmed before painting. We won't simply caulk a crack and hope.
We use the right filler for each substrate — gypsum-based on plaster, two-pack on woodwork, exterior-grade on render. Repairs are sanded back to feather invisibly into the surrounding surface so they vanish under paint.
New plaster is sealed with a mist coat. Repairs are spot-primed. Stains (water, nicotine, knots) are blocked with shellac- or solvent-based primer so they don't bleed through the topcoat.
How it works
01
Walk the property, mark every defect — cracks, blown plaster, damp staining, failed previous paintwork.
02
Rake, fill, bridge and skim. Replace blown plaster patches if needed.
03
Sand repairs back, feather edges and dust down with HEPA-filtered vacuums.
04
Mist coat, spot prime and stain-block before any colour is opened.
Recent work
Frequently asked
Fresh plaster is porous and absorbs paint unevenly. A thinned mist coat seals the surface so the topcoats sit on it properly and don't peel off when they dry.
Yes. Recurring cracks are usually movement cracks — we rake them out, bridge with scrim tape and skim across, which holds up far better than caulk alone.
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A Final Thought
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