Most of the work in a good paint job happens before any colour goes on. Filling, sanding back, caulking the gaps where walls meet woodwork, and sealing any bare patches so they do not flash through the finish. Skip that and you can see exactly where it was skipped, in the right light, for years.
We sheet up and mask before starting, cut in by hand for a clean line at the ceiling and the skirting, and lay off the walls so the finish is even rather than patchy where the roller stopped. Older Kent properties rarely give you a straight line to work to, so the cut-in is done by eye and by hand rather than trusted to tape.
Everything gets tidied at the end of each day rather than at the end of the job — it is somebody's house, and living around a decorator is easier when the room is put back each evening. Clean, reliable and tidy is how they describe it themselves, and it is the part clients mention most.
