Special Projects
We are fortunate in having built a team of craftspeople who are not only experienced but well qualified. This means we can take on projects with confidence which others may find too technically demanding. Our specialist skills are regularly employed on period properties and listed buildings and we have worked on churches, a variety of stately homes, and even the Swindon cricket pavilion.
Problem Solving
We have developed a range of techniques and painting systems that allow us to overcome the challenges posed by older properties. For example, preventing salts from damp brickwork penetrating through to the interior, or using shellac-based primers to ensure resin bleed-through is eliminated when painting over stained timber. If you have a decorating problem that requires a solution, we can almost certainly help.
The High Life!
Working safely at height has always been an important part of our painting and decorating skill set. Our portfolio includes trompe l’oeil ‘sky’ ceilings, intricate plaster cornices, grand stairwells, orangery roof lights, multistorey fire escapes, and many other high level structures.
Sash Window Refurbishment
Traditional wooden sash windows are often a beautiful complement to a building but are vulnerable to neglect and our wonderfully varied weather. We use a highly effective system to renovate sash windows in situ, avoiding the substantial cost of having new bespoke windows made and fitted.
Because many paints lose their flexibility as they age, the expansion and contraction of the timber frame can cause the paint film to crack. This allows water ingress – particularly where there are joints – and can lead to rot. We start the renovation by stripping back the frames, carefully removing any rotten wood and applying an adhesion primer when moisture levels are sufficiently low.
Next, we use specialist resin to rebuild damaged or missing sections and to encapsulate new timber pieces where necessary. The resin is formulated to expand and contract at the same rate as wood and avoid the tendency of repaired areas to split. We also replace any damaged putty on the glazing bars with a more flexible compound.
With all repairs completed, we apply another coat of oil-based adhesion primer as an undercoat and then finish with top coats of flexible water-based acrylic. This paint system allows any trapped moisture to be released while preventing further water ingress.
The outcome is a sash window that looks as good as when it was originally installed.
An excellent example of this technique can be seen in our work for The Old Railway Museum, one of Swindon’s iconic buildings, which included the refurbishment of 64 exterior windows.
At D&R Furnishings, a well-known furniture shop in Marlborough, we employed the same system to renovate its traditional picture windows, ensuring safety and preserving its period character.
