About Traditional Painter

Andy Crichton started the Traditional Painter website in 2009. It was a simple Google blog for documenting his kitchen painting projects and the specialist decorating work he had carried out since the 80’s.

Post the 2008 financial crash, painting new kitchens made no sense. There had to be a demand for refurbishing kitchens. The trouble was, few people even knew you could successfully paint an older kitchen, let alone paint it to showroom quality.

Andy wrote up about 300 articles on specialist kitchen painting and decorating. The blog grew in popularity and started generating enquiries local to him in Cheshire. When a lady from Northampton commissioned Andy to paint their oak kitchen, it was clear that he was on to something.

In 2011, Andy received an email from a kitchen painter in the Home Counties. He asked if there was any way to combine forces. After much thought, the Traditional Painter site became the platform for an invitation-only, nationwide network of independent kitchen painter specialists.

In January 2022 Paul C Barber our long standing Traditional Painter for Northamptonshire became the proprietor of Traditional Painter. Paul has been onboard with the website from the early days and has been in the painting trade man and boy in fact for over 40 years, 30 of them specialising at hand painting bespoke kitchens and furniture. His son Paul Ian also works with Traditional Painter and carries out refurbishments in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire & Hertfordshire.

Traditional Painter members

The criteria for membership to the Traditional Painter team was simple. You had to specialise in kitchen and furniture painting, be a one- or 2-man band and be willing to share your knowledge online. In other words, do what Andy had been doing. The terms weren’t for everybody, but there are only 30+ counties in the UK, and there was never going to be more than one member for each county. For the most part, the core team from 2011 and 2012 is still together, plus new members.

With decades of professional experience between them, and a thirst for improving and learning and adopting new ideas, the Traditional Painter network has stuck to its guns. Mark quadrupled his business and Paul Barber still paints the kitchen for the lady in Northampton!

Transparency is key

2009-2010 Andy invented the £100 a door formula. Many painters copy it, without understanding the logic behind it. In simple terms, it eradicates most of the issues associated with the kitchen painting industry. This transparent pricing structure ensures unwavering quality and service for kitchens of every style or size. There is no room for changing prices according to the car on the drive. There is no excuse for rushing through a job, and there is every opportunity for the painter to do their best work every time. By earning a good living they can invest and plan and continually improve their service. Clients are paying good money, so they have every right, and are encouraged, to raise any issues they see as work is in progress. There is always time to address any concerns there and then.

Transparency makes for a positive working relationship where all parties are happy.

Extensive content on Traditional Painter

Traditional Painters operate a no secrets “teach not sell” philosophy and will share everything they know, given a chance! There are over 1000 articles on the website demonstrating to homeowners, DIY and trade how the independent kitchen painters and specialists associated with Traditional Painter approach their work.

Members document real-life examples of their kitchen painting and decorating projects. They even drill down into detail about what they consider to be the most suitable materials and tools on the market.

In summary

If you are looking to employ the services of truly professional kitchen painters, who share the Traditional Painter ethos for quality and integrity, you have come to the right place.

If the information here helps you decorate better or with more confidence, great.

Innovation and doing the right thing, don’t come without their challenges and even come at one’s own expense from time to time. But at least if you deal with Traditional Painter you know where you stand. And we are still here after the 2008 recession, 10 years of ongoing economic problems, lately Covid-19, and who knows what’s next.

TP Kitchen painters are core members of “Team TP“!

Lee In Yorkshire	James - Devon & Cornwall	Mark in Sussex
Paul in Northants Beds & Herts	Mark in London/Oxford	Emma in Kent
Matthew in S Wales	Neil in Dorset & Glos	Mac in E Midlands
Scot- E Cheshire/Manchester	Mark in N Cheshire & N Wales	Martin in W Midlands

We are in the service industry and that means customer service comes first second and third. All recommended craftsmen here agree to follow our Code of Conduct too, they are good, reliable people on and off the pitch!

ADR – Alternative Disputes Resolution

By law, all UK painting companies need to refer their customers to an Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR) service to protect clients with cause for complaint. We have stated throughout this website and on our quotes and invoices, that members of the Traditional Painter network, are covered by Traditional Painter’s legally binding ADR agreement with the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman.

Dispute Resolution Ombudsman

Only the kitchen painters listed here are members of the Traditional Painter network.

In the event of a customer complaint about work carried out in the name of Traditional Painter, our clients are referred to our 2-step complaints procedure and from there, if still not resolved, they will be referred free of charge to the Consumer Ombudsman, whose decision we are bound by legally.

The Ombudsman also holds the list of the kitchen painters included in this agreement, so as of Dec 14 2015, only a bona fide Traditional Painter craftsman who paints your kitchen or furniture, is covered by Traditional Painter’s agreement with the Consumer Ombudsman!

ODR – Online Disputes Resolution for Consumers

We do not take bookings online at this time or sell products from an online store, so this ODR directive does not apply at Traditional Painter, but for reference, if you go to 3rd party sites and make purchases, this directive may apply.

It says that consumers resident in Europe must be made aware that the European Commission has established an online platform for alternative dispute resolutions that provides for an out-of-court method to solve any dispute related to and stemming from online sale and service contracts. As a consequence, if you are a European consumer, you can use the ODR platform for resolving any dispute stemming from an online contract entered into with a website owner. The platform is available at the following link.

TP Associate Painters and Decorators. As of March 1st 2016, we will no longer be be undertaking any general painting and decorating work. We are however in the process of setting up some interesting specialist decorating services. Watch this space.

TP Associate Suppliers was a project to promote industry-leading companies whose products and ethos we have long admired. There have been no formal associations for many years now but we are still happy to recommend them. We used their kit long before we approached them about supporting our efforts, and long after.

Just to be clear, it is not unusual for manufacturers to be in direct contact with decorators, to get feedback on products and ask for ideas for future improvements. Therefore, Traditional Painter members are proud to be considered a reliable sounding board for some of the industry’s most respected companies and innovators. As part of our ethos to raise the bar in decorating, we are very happy to bring innovative products to the attention of our readers and highlight the good as well as outline the areas for improvement.

Referrals – no longer apply

In some cases you will see links marked with * This asterisk identifies links to good value and reliable products for sale on the website of a trusted supplier. We used to receive a small payment if you purchased a product via that type of affiliate link. The aim was to generate payments to help towards running this large website. The fact there may have been a payment accruing did not influence our references and recommendations. However it wasn’t a viable system and we have had no referral agreements with suppliers since 2016. More here

What next?

After 30 years’ working on the tools for most of us, we have a good insight into what is right with the decorating trade and what is wrong. We are quite clear on how to go about raising the bar in areas where we are able, and as a group, we believe we are able to achieve a lot more than when we were pre-internet isolated individuals.

At the end of the day, everyone at Traditional Painter wants to spread the word about techniques that work, and find and use products we can believe in. By increasing and improving the dialogue online, it is a win-win for anyone with an interest in decorating – work better, cleaner, more efficiently and, if you are a pro, offer your clients better value for money.

We will happily pay good money for paint and kit that meet our requirements for producing high end results with the minimum of fuss. We won’t accept mediocre kit at high prices, and we don’t really want to engage with people who try to pitch the idea that mediocrity is OK!

We really do appreciate your support and input.

Traditional Painter is an invitation-only, nationwide network of independent businesses, with years of professional experience. Every member of our team guarantees a showroom-quality, hand painted finish for your kitchen, with exceptional customer service at every stage.

Our transparent pricing structure ensures unwavering quality and service for kitchens of every style or size.

If you would like to employ the services of your local recommended TP kitchen & furniture painter, please use the map widget below.