Hand painted kitchen in Tattenhall Cheshire
Traditional Painter member, Mark Roberts, has been hand painting kitchens for many years in the Cheshire and N Wales area. This is a review from a client currently enjoying their newly hand painted kitchen in Tattenhall Cheshire
Just to say thanks so much, you’ve gone above and beyond and we’re thrilled with the kitchen! Absolutely thrilled with how it looks.
Newly hand painted kitchen in Tattenhall Cheshire
The custom made kitchen has a very clean design, with several lovely traditional kitchen features. A lovely over mantle around the oven sets off the kitchen. The industrial lighting over the island is another focal point.
The dresser is a feature all of its own, with glazed cupboard doors, slatted lights in the centre top panels and the natural timber top setting off the paintwork. And the kitchen table and matching painted chairs finish off the overall well coordinated and practical kitchen space.
Painting kitchens for 10 years. Is that 10 x 1 year or 1 x 10 years?
My grandfather was a great one for comments that cut to the core. As a salesman he knew all the lines, all the tricks. When someone told him they had been in their line of work for 10 years, and he felt that was code for “Therefore I know it all” he would quietly ask.
“Would that be 10 x 1 year, in which case, good on you for keeping learning and staying current. Or is that 1 x 10 years, in which case you have been treading water for 10 years.”
Mark went full time into kitchen painting in 2010. To have stayed in this line of work for so long, he has certainly kept his passion for kitchen painting alive. You only have to talk to him for 5 minutes to understand that he is still driven to perfect his craft from one job to the next. Anyone treating kitchen painting as just a job, soon learns there are easier ways to earn a living in decorating! The level of preparation and painstaking attention to detail soon wear thin, unless you are completely fixated on improving your techniques and methodology on every job. Mark has fine tuned every aspect of his craft, and is always looking for further tweaks.
Proven trade paints from outside the UK
Mark has been using waterborne paints since 2010, which was a big year in decorating. Why? That was the year the EU introduced far-reaching legislation to force the paint industry to cut out oil paint from the marketplace. (It has been a slow process!) Designer retail paints from Little Greene, Mylands and Farrow and Ball were actually way ahead of the trade at that time. As the UK trade brought new formulated water based trade paints to market, Mark, like many of us, quickly realised that most home trade brands were playing catch-up with the EU legislation.
Rather than give up on water-based paints, which were inevitably the future, he kept looking for products that met the standards and consistency he required. Mark soon gravitated towards Scandinavian furniture paints many of which have a proven track record going back 25 years! And for a couple of years now, he has been specifying Benjamin Moore paints. They are another well tried and tested overseas trade paint range that has only been in the UK for a relatively short time. (There is an indepth review of Scuff-X from US company Benjamin Moore, which Mark used on this kitchen.)
Seeing the light
We often say there is more to painting than a smooth coat of paint. Mark was all over the Festool Duo Light, a not inexpensive portable lighting system.
The usual trade approach in dark work areas is to turn on halogen lighting. It is cheap, certainly bright, but tends to be too bright and casts shadows. Within a short time you also realise they run hot, hot, hot. Investing in the Duo light, Mark can not only spots every surface flaw, he can paint without dodging shadows. Fortunately for his clients he doesn’t have to strip down to his undies either, because of hot lights. He can also work normal hours all year round, a point lost on most people hooked on price. ie Not all kitchens are well lit and in winter it is not unusual to have to stop painting or fine surface filling at 3pm. The dark stopped play.
As a Traditional Painter, Mark will have had access to many products that were off the mainstream radar. For years he has been able to keep fine-tuning that kit selection and working out all the tricks. Look through his van and you will see abrasives, fillers, paint kettles, brushes and tapes, each with its job, each with its place.
Consistency is the key
It is one thing to show a picture of a painted kitchen and state, “That is what we do“. But as full time kitchen painters, once you set the bar, you need to maintain it, kitchen after kitchen. No homeowner cares if you painted 100 or 1000 kitchens, if their particular kitchen doesn’t meet expectations. With Mark’s commitment to ever improving his craft skills, and staying ahead of current, he has been able to deliver beyond expectations time after time.
You can contact Mark here for a quote or advice.
Please share it on Twitter, Facebook, or print it out for reference. Thanks.
|
|
Please ask a question or leave a comment