Wall painting

Most painting is about getting a clean, even finish on every wall. This is the other kind: the wall behind a bed or a sofa, a hallway painted top to bottom in one strong colour, a chimney breast, a stairwell that runs up three floors. That work is less forgiving. Strong and dark colours show every flaw, so the preparation is stricter, and the light in the room is checked at the time of day the room is actually used. Colour drenching, where walls, ceiling, skirting and woodwork are all painted in one colour or tones of it, needs a painter who can cut in cleanly where there are no contrasting lines to hide behind. Specialist finishes are a craft of their own. Limewash gives a soft, cloudy, moving surface that suits old houses and plastered walls, and because it is breathable it is also the right finish on solid walls that need to dry out. Mineral and clay paints do the same with a wider choice of colour. Stripes, blocks, arches and geometric shapes are set out with a laser and a sharp edge. We always paint sample patches on the actual wall, because a colour on a chart looks different on a north facing wall in November.

Old walls and breathable paint

On older houses with lime plaster or solid walls, ordinary vinyl emulsion traps moisture and eventually flakes. Limewash and mineral paints let the wall breathe while looking better. We check what the wall is made of before recommending a paint.

What a feature wall costs, and why

The price is set less by the size of the wall than by the surface and the finish. A single wall in a flat emulsion over sound plaster is a morning of work. The same wall in a deep colour with a sheen needs filling, sanding and a primer tinted towards the colour, then two or three full coats, because thin coverage in a dark shade shows as cloudy patches in daylight. Limewash goes on in several thin brushed coats, and the look depends on the hand that applies it, so it is priced by the wall rather than by the square metre. Colour drenching takes longest of all: ceiling, walls, skirting, architraves and doors are all prepared and painted to the same standard, with no contrasting line to hide a wavy cut. Stripes, arches and shapes add setting out time rather than paint. The quote lists each wall, the paint system and the number of coats, so you can see where the money goes and drop or swap anything before we start.