CAL Painters & Decorators

With many people spending the vast majority of their time this year confined to the home, 2020 has been a year of decorating. This has allowed for a range of creative, colourful and interesting trends to occur in the decorating and home-wear industry this year.

Nature in the home

With us being confined to the indoors, why not bring the outdoors in? 2020 has allowed people to embrace nature within the home. using sustainable materials, natural colours, wood, plants and more, there has been a boom in naturalistic and bohemian design.

Did you know that the number of people doing DIY has increased by 28% during the Coronavirus outbreak, according to rare consulting?

If you’re looking for a do-over after a DIY disaster, why not contact us?

The most popular DIY activity that have been taking place during the coronavirus outbreak is painting and redecorating.

From interior and exterior painting, DIY stores have seen a surge of customers during the coronavirus outbreak, with B&M sales increased by 22.7% in comparison to early in the year.

If you have done a budget job that didn’t turn out as you hoped, why not give CAL a call? We specialise in professional and high-quality decorating services at competitive rates. We offer services such as wallpaper hanging, painting and renovating and painting windows.

Have a look at some of the different projects we have worked on!

I hope we have seen the last of the really bad weather and a bit of sunshine is hinting that Spring is well and truly on its way. No doubt thoughts of Spring cleaning are uppermost in your minds but it is also an excellent time to think about having the exterior of your home painted.

Spring tends to be the month when temperatures are at their mildest, neither too hot nor too cold. This is good news for external painting.

Although the maximum and minimum temperatures for exterior paint vary from brand to brand, a good rule of thumb is that oil-based paint should be applied when the temperatures are between 40° to 90°F and for latex paint between 50° and 85°F.

The best drying will take place when the relative humidity is 40% to 70%.

If the temperature is too high or too low, it can mean the paint not binding together efficiently and result in it cracking or peeling. At too high a temperature latex paint can become difficult to apply as it dries out too quickly to brush out properly.

When painting externally, I always try and work my way around the building. This means I am able to avoid painting in direct sunlight.

If you are undertaking exterior painting then I wish you well. Make the most of the good weather while it lasts.

If you would like a professional to do the job for you, however, feel free to give me a call on 01452 540067.

I expect you have noticed the plethora of articles and blogs about the best/worst things of the decade that have been appearing since the turn of the year.

Not wishing to buck the trend, here are 10 of the worst decorating trends, according to Ideal Homes anyway!

1. ‘Live, Love, Laugh’. Fun for a while, perhaps, but the phrase has definitely outstayed its welcome.
2. Glass block bathroom windows. Glass blocks in bathrooms, either as windows or shower curtains, are now more eyesore than eye-catching.
3. Bean bag chairs. Oh so trendy for a time in the 2010s. Then people tried getting out of them…
4. Rustic hearts. You know what I mean, those twigs that accompanied the shabby chic phase. Guaranteed to snag your clothes.
5. Furniture stencils. Another part of the shabby chic trend, stencilled drawers or cupboard doors now simply say ‘dated’.
6. Mason jars. Not the worst offender, perhaps, but totally ubiquitous as they double up as candle holders, flower jars and even terrariums. 
7. Chevrons. Shout out to the chevron – featured on everything from flooring to cushions. And you wondered why you got those headaches on the 2010s? 
8. Chalkboards. Either as featured boards or even an entire wall, this seemed such a good idea to encourage free drawing and list making. Now looks, well, untidy.
9. Acrylic furniture. Everything from nests of tables to dining room chairs was acrylic and appeared contemporary and chic. Now seems cheap, even though it wasn’t!
10. Vintage frames with nothing in them. Why?

Apologies to anyone who has any of these features in their homes. After all, what do I know?

Checkatrade recently conducted nationwide research to see what UK homeowners are thinking about the current housing market, what with the election and Brexit looming.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority (68%) of homeowners are expecting to be staying put for the next year at least. Some 51% are considering carrying out renovations to their property.

This led Checkatrade to ask property experts to suggest which home renovations would be most likely to help sell a home. The message was loud and clear.

Renovate the kitchen and bathroom.

Buyers will often look to negotiate the price of a property down if the bathroom or kitchen needs replacing. Not only that, but their estimates of how much the work would cost are usually far too high.

This being the case, it makes absolute sense for the homeowner to grasp the nettle and have the work done before putting the property on the market. Having said that, the experts added that any such renovations should be to a reasonably high specification.

If you are in the Gloucestershire area and are considering kitchen or bathroom renovations, then I can provide the expert painting and decorating to provide a professional finish. Give me a call today on 01452 540067 to find out how I can help you.