Painters and Decorators in Reigate (RH2)
A good part of Reigate's older housing sits in or near a conservation area, and some of it is listed. On those streets the outside of a building is not simply a surface waiting to be repainted. What goes on it, and what colour it goes, can matter to more people than you.
Before the outside of a period house is repainted
Where a building is listed, the controls reach further than most owners expect.
Redecorating an external elevation, and sometimes work to internal surfaces, can need consent, and the material as well as the colour can form part of it. In a conservation area the position is different again and generally bites on alterations rather than repainting, but the street still reads as a whole and a frontage that jumps out of the run will be noticed. None of this stops the work happening. It just means the position is established before anybody buys paint, and the finish is specified with it in mind. We survey it, price it and run it. The building side — plaster, rendering and joinery repairs — is our own team; the painting is done by decorators we bring in and manage, so there is one firm to hold to the result.
Brick that has never been painted
This is worth saying plainly, because it comes up on period houses everywhere and it is close to irreversible. Painting bare brickwork puts a film across a surface designed to take water in and give it back up again. The paint traps moisture in the wall, and when it eventually fails it comes away in patches with the face of the brick attached to it. Taking it off later is expensive, messy and rarely completely successful. If brickwork looks tired, the answer is nearly always cleaning it and repointing where the mortar has gone, not a coat of masonry paint. Where brick has already been painted at some point in the past, that is a different conversation. The decision has been made for you, and the sensible course is usually to maintain the coating rather than attempt to strip it off.
The later housing and the southern suburbs
Away from the old town the picture is a good deal simpler.
The 1930s to 1960s housing and the newer builds carry none of the consent questions, and the work is straightforward painting and decorating: ceilings, walls, woodwork, doors and skirting inside, and render, masonry, fascias, soffits and timber outside. What decides quality on that stock is preparation rather than permission. Filling and sanding properly, sealing anything porous, and using the right paint for each surface instead of one tin for everything. It is less interesting to write about than a listed frontage, and it is where most of the difference between a good job and a poor one actually sits.
More in Reigate
Everything we do in Reigate is on the Reigate area sheet, and the full detail of how we approach this trade is on the decorating page.
Common questions
Q.01Our house is listed. Can we just repaint the front?
Possibly, but check first. On listed buildings external redecoration can need consent, and the colour and type of finish can be part of what is controlled. It is a short conversation beforehand and an expensive one afterwards.
Q.02Can we paint the brickwork to tidy it up?
We would advise against it if it has never been painted. It traps moisture, it fails in patches, and taking it off later damages the face of the brick. Cleaning and repointing usually does more for the look.
Q.03Does a conservation area control paint colour?
Generally the controls bite on alterations rather than on repainting, but a listed building inside one is a different matter. We check what applies to your particular property before quoting external work.
Q.04Do you cover the newer parts of Reigate?
Yes, all of RH2. We are at 27 High Street, Godstone, a short drive away, and we have been building and refurbishing across this area since 2005.
Thinking about decorating in Reigate?
Tell us what you are planning. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a price for it.