Traditional Painter articles 2008-2020
This is a trip back and forth between Traditional Painter articles 2008 and the current day! It starts from day one, October 2008, 3 years before the Traditional Painter network of kitchen painters was launched. Where appropriate, there are updates to what is relevant in 2020. The original content is pretty much left intact, but where necessary, links to companies and websites are changed or deleted. Not every business has made it to 2020.
Mobile phones
This was the first Traditional Painter article ever published. Not the longest ever written, but it was a start. It includes an update referencing where the decorating industry finds itself today.
Paint pod review
This is a trip back to the old days, when I trialled what can best be described as a precursor to the Dulux Paint Pod. Don’t remember that gizmo? Thought not. The article has been updated and takes a look at Jack Pauhl’s video of when he painted a 10′ x 10′ room in 6 minutes. There was not a power tool or gimmick in sight.
Green paint products
This early Traditional Painter article was not exactly prophetic, more an observation. In 2008 the decorating industry was deep into a period of greenwash marketing. You couldn’t believe a word about environmental credentials, and as the years progressed it even went as far as labelling abrasive as eco. The mainstream didn’t care as long as products worked and were the right price.
In the update, it shows that companies like Newlife, and the people behind Safecoat and Degree of Green were ahead of their time. Their “out there” eco stories from back in the day make more sense with every new year. The greenwash marketing angle is rapidly unravelling. Look around. It has to.
Summary
The ethos of the original blog was to openly share hard earned information about decorating. The idea was two-fold.
- demonstrate to local readers that I had a vague idea about which end of a brush to hold.
- do my bit to try and introduce some “new” ideas to the UK trade, based on my 30 years of experience around the world.
Through thick and thin, I have never lost sight of that basic aim. It was contrary to the mindset that has prevailed in the industry, but as they say, if you see everyone heading right, it is best to walk left.
Everyone associated with Traditional Painter has learnt plenty in the meantime. The members have enjoyed myriad and mysterious benefits from being part of a network based on helping out both trade and keen DIY decorators. And we know that thousands of people have implemented our ideas, particularly related to kitchen painting, with great results.
Fast forward
We might have been ahead of the curve, but it’s been good to see a growth in decorator websites and forums freely exchanging info. For sure the UK trade is in much better shape than it was in 2008. How could it not be! In 2008 UK decorating was still in the 80’s. It’s a shame about closed FaceBook groups, though. They are just a modern version of the old closed shop where useful info is silo-ed away and it is very difficult to reference older content.
A silo… is a centralized web site (like most social media) typically owned by a for-profit corporation that stakes some claim to content contributed to it and restricts access in some way (has walls)
Indie web
Blog – Forum – Share: By far the most beneficial way to share info for the good of all in the trade.
As we navigate our way through the current crisis, hopefully everyone in the decorating industry can take stock of the period since the last crisis in 2008. Lessons must be learnt and we need to make appropriate changes, shore up collaborations, so the trade can come out the other end in good shape.
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