Painting and decorating services
Painting and decorating services London for timber windows, doors and period joinery. Careful preparation, quality paint systems and lasting finishes.
At Barnsbury Joinery we offer painting and decorating services London homeowners turn to when timber windows, doors and period joinery need protecting as well as freshening up. A coat of paint on an old sash or panelled door is not just decoration. It is the barrier that keeps water out of the joints, stops the wood swelling and shrinking with the weather, and holds the finish together between one redecoration and the next. Done properly, it can add years to the life of original joinery. Done in a hurry over unsound timber, it fails within a season.
Our studio is based in London and this is a supporting service that sits alongside our restoration and joinery work, so we approach painting the way a joiner does rather than a general decorator. That means the preparation matters as much as the paint, the finish is matched to the material underneath, and the work is planned around the way timber moves. We work across the capital and the South East, with supply only available across the rest of the UK.
What we guarantee
We keep our promises simple and we keep them. Every job is carried out by experienced painters and decorators who understand timber and period property, not by whoever happens to be free that week. We turn up when we say we will, protect your home while we work, and leave it clean at the end of each day rather than at the end of the job.
We are honest about condition before we start. If timber is unsound, if old paint is failing, or if a surface will not hold a finish without repair first, we tell you plainly and explain the options. We would rather have an awkward conversation at the survey than hand back work that looks well for a fortnight and then lifts. Where we quote for preparation, repair and finishing, the price reflects the whole of what the timber needs, so there are no surprises once the work is under way.
We use quality materials suited to each surface and we stand behind the finish we leave. If you would like us to look at your windows, doors or wider decoration, you can request a survey and we will set out clearly what the work involves and what it will cost.
Our painting and decorating services
Our core work is the hand painting of timber windows, doors and joinery. We paint sash and casement windows inside and out, front and internal doors, and the detail that gives period rooms their character, from architraves and skirtings to panelling, shutters and staircases. On windows we take particular care at the meeting of timber and glass, laying the paint so it overlaps the glazing very slightly to seal the join and keep water from tracking back into the frame. This is easy to miss and one of the first things to fail when it is skipped.
Alongside the joinery we handle the wider decoration that usually goes with it. That includes interior and exterior painting of walls and ceilings, preparing and painting previously papered surfaces, and tidying up the junctions between old and new so a redecorated room reads as a whole rather than a patchwork. Where a scheme calls for it we can advise on colour and finish, and we are comfortable working with premium ranges such as Farrow and Ball where a client has chosen them.
Because this service sits beside our restoration and bespoke joinery, it works best as part of a joined‑up plan. New or repaired windows are hand finished after installation rather than left in primer, and a room being reworked can be decorated in step with the joinery so the whole thing is completed once, cleanly, rather than in disconnected visits.
Preparation, repair and priming
Good painting is mostly preparation, and this is where the difference between a lasting finish and a quick cover‑up is decided. We do not paint over failing coatings. Loose and flaking paint is removed, sound paint is cleaned and keyed so the next coat can grip, and edges are feathered back so there is no visible ridge where old meets new. On timber that has been buried under years of build‑up, careful stripping back to clean, stable wood is often the honest starting point, and we can carry that out as part of the same job.
With the surface back, the true condition of the timber shows itself. Open joints, small splits, soft patches and old filler that has let go all become visible once the paint is off. We fill, splice or repair as needed, easing sticking sashes and making good around beading and glazing bars, so the surface we paint onto is sound rather than simply hidden. Bare and repaired timber is knotted and primed before any topcoat goes on, which seals the wood, evens out absorbency and gives the following coats a stable base.
We protect the rest of the home throughout. Floors, cills, glass and adjacent surfaces are covered before work starts, dust is kept down, and on older properties we assume earlier coatings may contain lead and handle and clear the material responsibly. The aim is a home that is looked after while the work is done, not just at the end of it.
Finishes and paint systems
The finish is chosen to suit the surface and the demands placed on it. Exterior joinery has to cope with sun, rain and constant movement, so it is built up as a system of primer, undercoat and topcoat, with flexible, breathable coatings that expand and contract with the timber instead of cracking as it moves. A finish that flexes with the wood lasts far longer than a hard, brittle one that looks good on day one and splits along the grain by the following winter.
Inside, we match the finish to the room and to the client's taste, from soft matt walls to hard‑wearing eggshell and satin on joinery that is touched and knocked in daily use. Where a durable, high‑performance result is wanted, for example on a front door or heavily used interior woodwork, we can specify tougher systems and, where appropriate, two‑pack coatings that stand up to wear better than a standard finish. We are glad to work with the ranges and colours a client has already chosen, and to advise on what will actually perform where it is going.
Whatever the system, the finish is built up in proper coats and given time to cure between them. Rushing the coats or overloading a single one is a common cause of runs, sags and early failure, so we work at the pace the material needs. The result is an even, well‑bonded finish that both looks right and does its job of protecting the timber underneath.
Maintenance and aftercare
Paint is not permanent, and the best way to protect timber joinery is to stay ahead of wear rather than wait for it to fail. Once the initial work is done, a light programme of maintenance keeps everything sound for far longer. Repainting a window before the coating has broken down is straightforward and inexpensive. Leaving it until water has reached the timber turns a decorating job into a repair job.
We are happy to keep an eye on decoration we have carried out and to return periodically to touch in the surfaces that take the most weather, typically the outward‑facing edges of windows, cills and exterior doors. For clients with several elevations or a whole property to look after, this can be organised as an ongoing arrangement so the work is spread sensibly rather than all falling due at once.
Because this service sits alongside our restoration and joinery, aftercare naturally links back to the wider health of your windows and doors. If a routine repaint uncovers movement, rot or a repair that needs attention, we can deal with it in the same visit. If you would like us to look at what your joinery needs now, or to set up a maintenance plan for the years ahead, you can request a quote and we will set out a clear plan for the work.
Common questions
Do you only paint joinery, or full rooms and exteriors too?
Both. Our core strength is hand painting timber windows, doors and period joinery, but we also handle the wider decoration that goes with it, including interior and exterior walls and ceilings and previously papered surfaces. Working on the joinery and the surrounding decoration together means the finished result reads as a whole.
Why is preparation so important before painting?
Preparation is where a lasting finish is decided. We remove failing paint, key sound coatings, and repair and prime bare timber so the topcoats bond to a stable surface. Painting straight over unsound timber or flaking paint hides problems for a season, then lifts. Doing the preparation properly is what makes the finish last.
What paint do you use on timber windows and doors?
We build exterior joinery up as a system of primer, undercoat and topcoat using flexible, breathable coatings that move with the timber rather than cracking. Inside we match the finish to the room, from matt walls to hard‑wearing eggshell and satin. Where a tougher result is wanted we can specify high‑performance and, where suitable, two‑pack systems, and we are glad to work with ranges such as Farrow and Ball.
Do you handle old paint that might contain lead?
Yes. On older properties we assume earlier coatings may contain lead and handle and clear the material responsibly, protecting the surrounding surfaces and the home while the work is carried out.
How often should timber joinery be repainted?
It varies with exposure, but the key is to repaint before the coating breaks down rather than after. Repainting sound timber is quick and inexpensive, while leaving it until water reaches the wood turns decorating into repair. We can keep an eye on work we have done and touch in the surfaces that take the most weather as part of an ongoing arrangement.
How do I arrange painting and decorating in London?
Contact Barnsbury Joinery to request a survey. We will look at your windows, doors and wider decoration, advise on the most suitable approach and paint system, and provide a quote for the work. We offer full service in London and the South East, with supply only across the rest of the UK.
Request a survey
Request a survey for your project, from a single commission to a whole scheme.
Request a surveyA studio of The Barnsbury Group
Barnsbury Joinery is the flagship studio of The Barnsbury Group, a second‑generation heritage joinery house. Established in London in 1987, it makes bespoke joinery by hand and carries the parent voice for the family of studios.
