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- By The Handyman Writer
- Painting & Decorating
Every year, somewhere around the second week of December, the phones of painters and decorators in London start ringing with the same request. Can you fit us in before Christmas? By then, the honest answer is usually no.
Good decorators see their diaries fill from October onwards, as people picture the dining room full of family, the hallway that will greet every guest and the spare room that has quietly become a storage unit. If a fresh look is on your list this year, the time to plan it is now. Bonfire Night falls on Thursday 5 November, and it makes a useful deadline. It leaves seven weeks until Christmas Day, which is enough for most rooms with sensible margins either side.
October Is the Real Deadline
Decorating before Christmas is less about the painting and more about everything around it. A good decorator will want to see the rooms, talk through colours and finishes, and order materials. Specialist paints and wallcoverings can take a week or two to arrive. Then there is the preparation, which in a London period home is rarely quick.
Filling cracks, sanding back flaking gloss, cutting out blown plaster, sealing water stains and lining tired walls can take as long as the painting itself. A room that looks like a two day job may need four once the old wallpaper comes away and the surface beneath reveals itself. Leave enough slack in the diary and those surprises stay small.
| When | What should happen |
|---|---|
| Mid to late October | Site visits and quotes |
| By 5 November | Decorator, colours and start date confirmed |
| Early to mid November | Specialist paints and papers ordered, rooms cleared |
| Mid November to early December | Preparation and painting |
| Second week of December | Snagging done, furniture back, rooms aired |
| 25 December | A home ready for guests |
Cold Weather Changes the Rules
Painting in cold weather is perfectly possible indoors, but it asks for more care than a July job. Paint is a chemical process as much as a colour. Data sheets for standard trade emulsions advise against applying them when the air or the wall is below 8°C, in line with BS 6150, the British Standard for painting buildings. Several also warn against painting when relative humidity sits above 80%.
In a heated flat in Marylebone or Fitzrovia, those limits rarely cause problems in living rooms. They do in the places people forget: an unheated hallway in a converted house, a bay with single glazing, a basement room against a damp party wall, or a bathroom where the morning shower fogs every surface.
Paint drying time in winter stretches too. A trade vinyl matt that is ready to recoat after two to four hours in normal conditions can take far longer in a cool, humid room. Rush the second coat and you risk poor adhesion, patchy sheen and a finish that marks the first time someone leans a chair against it. Gloss and eggshell on woodwork are slower again, especially the oil based kind.
A few habits make a real difference:
- Keep the heating low and steady during the job, rather than switching it on and off
- Ventilate gently, with a window ajar, so moisture escapes without chilling the room
- Avoid drying washing indoors in rooms being painted
- Give fresh paint a few extra days before hanging heavy artwork or pushing furniture back
Period Walls Have Their Own Opinions
Much of central London is Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian, and period property decorating brings its own considerations. Older homes often have lime plaster, which needs to breathe. Sealing it under a heavy vinyl paint can trap moisture and lead to blistering or flaking later. Breathable mineral or clay based paints often suit these walls better.
Original cornicing deserves patience. Decades of distemper and emulsion blur the fine detail, and careful cleaning or stripping before repainting brings the crispness back. Sash windows must be painted so they still open freely, and old panelled doors may need small repairs before any coat goes on. These are the jobs that separate a quick refresh from proper decorating, and every one of them takes time. Which brings us back to booking early.
Painting Without the Smell
For homes with young children, pets or anyone sensitive to fumes, a low VOC paint makes sense, particularly in winter when windows stay mostly shut. VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are the solvents released as paint dries and the source of that familiar fresh paint smell.
Many tins sold in the UK carry the British Coatings Federation’s VOC globe, which groups products by content:
| VOC band | VOC content |
|---|---|
| Trace | Below 0.1% |
| Minimal | 0.1% to 0.29% |
| Low | 0.30% to 7.99% |
| Medium | 8% to 24.99% |
| High | 25% to 50% |
| Very high | Above 50% |
Most modern water based emulsions sit in the trace or minimal bands, and some trade vinyl matts are sold as 99.9% VOC free. Woodwork paints vary more, so ask your decorator what they plan to use on doors, skirting and radiators.
Living at Home While the Work Goes On
Most of our clients in central London stay put while we paint, and that is entirely workable with a little planning. Decorators usually move room by room, so one space stays clear and comfortable at any time. Clearing shelves, taking down curtains and moving small valuables before day one saves hours of labour and keeps your costs down.
If you live in a mansion block or a converted house, let the porter or the neighbours know when work begins. Dust sheets, paint deliveries and the odd early start are easier for everyone when nobody is surprised by them.
The Question Worth Asking First
“Which rooms will your guests actually see?”
That is where a sensible conversation starts. If time or budget is tight, a decorator will often suggest focusing on the hallway, staircase and main reception room, because these set the tone for the whole home. Bedrooms and studies can wait until January, when diaries are quieter and prices are often easier to agree.
You will also be asked about finishes. Flat matt hides imperfect walls beautifully but scuffs more easily. Durable matt or eggshell suits busy hallways and kitchens. Satin or gloss on woodwork adds depth and stands up to knocks. Expect a good decorator to recommend paint by how it performs, not simply by the colour card.
Booking With Us This Autumn
At Beck’s Homes UK, our painting and decorating team works across Fitzrovia, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and the run up to Christmas is one of our busiest periods. We prepare surfaces properly, protect floors and furniture, work cleanly in occupied homes and leave rooms ready to live in.
If you would like a room, a floor or a whole flat refreshed before the festive season, book a survey this month. October slots give us room to do the work properly, without hurrying the coats that matter most.
While the Leaves Are Still Falling
There is a particular pleasure in opening the door to guests in December and knowing the hallway looks exactly as it should. It rarely happens by luck. It happens because someone picked up the phone in October, while the leaves were still falling and the decorators still had space.