Commercial Painting, Daylesford

This job covered considerably more than wall painting: the staircase, ceilings, furniture lacquering, the shop floor, and exterior sill repair. Retail interiors tend to work this way, because the fittings and the fabric are finished to the same standard and seen at the same distance.

Lacquering furniture and fittings is a different discipline from wall painting. The finish is handled, leaned on and cleaned constantly, so it has to be harder wearing and far more even than a wall ever needs to be.

The completed staircase, ceilings, lacquered tables and sanded floor are shown below.

Retail interiors are seen at close range all day, by people with time to look, which raises the standard on everything within reach.

Ask what finish goes on handled surfaces. Lacquered furniture and fittings are leaned on and cleaned constantly, so they need a harder and more even finish than any wall.

Ask about the floor specification. A retail floor takes traffic no domestic floor approaches, which pushes the choice toward a harder surface film rather than a finish needing regular re-oiling.

Check the exterior timber. Decayed sills under a smart new finish are a delayed problem. Decay concentrates in end grain and the underside of sills and has to be cut out, not filled over.

Ask how trading hours are handled. Work in an open shop is slower than work in an empty one, and a quote that does not acknowledge that is a quote that will slip.