As we are well-placed to realise here at Professional Painters MK, listed building decoration is something of an art in itself.
While it can be wonderful to live in a historic structure, the task of redecorating it can also present certain issues to which you may not be accustomed.
You are certainly strongly urged to seek advice – such as from a local authority conservation officer – before undertaking any redecoration work for which consent may be needed, or which could cause damage to the property’s historic fixtures.
External decoration is crucial for protecting your building
It is important to regularly redecorate the exterior of a listed building to help protect it against decay. External wooden doors and windows are in particular need of regular painting to shield them from the elements.
However, this rule does not apply to old hardwood such as oak, which you should leave unpainted. Nonetheless, oiling or another traditional treatment may still be useful.
For an external coating such as stucco or lime render, special ‘breathable’ paint like limewash may be needed to protect the material while not trapping moisture in the wall, given the importance of allowing moisture in the walls of older structures to evaporate to guard against damp.
What about the inside?
While it is, of course, up to you precisely how you decorate the interior of your listed building, you should still be careful with redecoration, given that there may be traces of earlier decoration that could be damaged or destroyed if care is not taken.
Remember, for example, that it is customary in most historic houses for woodwork to be painted or stained rather than left bare, so stripping these finishes may cause damage.
Talk to us about a domestic paint job
Here at Professional Painters MK, we realise that the task of deciding what you can and can’t do with your listed building decoration can be time-consuming and intimidating. Even once you do have a good idea of what needs to be done, you may be extremely wary of making mistakes.
So instead of taking on the perilous work yourself, why not contact our highly qualified and experienced professionals?
We know the finer points of what does and doesn’t work with listed building decoration, and can oversee the most diligent and thorough, but also sensitive, painting of the exterior or interior of your historic property. Why not contact our team now for your free quote?