Decoration Guide for London Homes in 2025: Paint Specification, Surface Preparation, Plastering Standards, Coving and Cornices, Spray Painting, and Costs

Surface preparation for decoration (skim coat quality, fine surface filler, sanding, priming), plastering standards for a high-quality decoration result, paint brand specification (Dulux, Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Mylands), and decoration application methods (brush, roller, airless spray) for London homes in 2025: SURFACE PREPARATION IS THE MOST CRITICAL STAGE OF A DECORATION PROJECT: THE RULE IN HIGH-QUALITY LONDON RESIDENTIAL DECORATION IS: THE FINISH IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE SURFACE PREPARATION; the most experienced and commercially aware London decorating contractors spend MORE TIME ON SURFACE PREPARATION than on the actual paint application; this is the primary differentiator between a £10/m² decorator and a £25-£40/m² premium London decorating contractor; WHY SURFACE PREPARATION MATTERS SO MUCH IN A LONDON HOME: PLASTERING QUALITY: even a good plasterer will produce a skim coat that has some minor undulations, trowel lines, and imperfections when viewed under RAKING LIGHT (light that strikes the wall or ceiling at a low angle — which is how artificial lighting from spotlights and lamps interacts with a plaster wall in a real occupied room); the decorator's role is to TAKE THE PLASTERWORK TO A FINE SURFACE FILLER STANDARD that eliminates these minor undulations before paint is applied; WHAT PLASTERWORK QUALITY IS ACHIEVABLE: TRADE PLASTER SKIM FINISH: a good trade plasterer will produce a wall surface with minor undulations within approximately ±1-2mm over a 2m straightedge; visible under raking artificial light; requires the decorator to apply 1-2 coats of FINE SURFACE FILLER (distributed thinly over the whole wall surface with a wide-blade spatula, then sanded back) to bring the wall to a paint-ready standard for a high-quality London residential finish; FINE SURFACE FILLER FOR LONDON RESIDENTIAL DECORATION: FINE SURFACE FILLER (also called SKIMMING FILLER or FINISHING FILLER): a very fine-grained gypsum or polymer-based filler applied with a 300-600mm flexible blade across the entire wall surface; sanded back with a LONG-BOARD SANDER (a 350-450mm long sanding block that bridges minor surface undulations — as opposed to a sanding block that follows them); BRANDS: Toupret Fillite (high quality — used by premium London decorators); Polyfilla Smooth Over (entry-level alternative); Decorators' Caulk — used to fill and seal small gaps at junctions between plaster, architraves, and skirting before painting; SANDING SEQUENCE: 60-80 grit (knock back surface imperfections on new plasterwork) → 120 grit (smooth the surface after first coat of fine surface filler) → 150-180 grit (final flat sand before priming); PRIMING: NEW PLASTERWORK MUST BE PRIMED with a MIST COAT (a heavily diluted emulsion — typically 50-70% water: 30-50% matt emulsion — applied to the new plaster to seal the surface and prevent the topcoat being absorbed unevenly); ALTERNATIVELY use a SPECIALIST PLASTER PRIMER-SEALER (e.g., Dulux Trade Supagard, Zinsser Gardz, or Crown Trade Fastcoat Plaster Primer) which is a purpose-made water-based primer for new plasterwork; NEVER APPLY FULL-STRENGTH EMULSION TO UNPRIMMED NEW PLASTER — the topcoat will look flat and blotchy where the plaster has absorbed it unevenly; PAINT BRAND SELECTION FOR A LONDON HOME: THE LONDON RESIDENTIAL MARKET IN 2025 HAS A CLEAR BRAND HIERARCHY FOR PAINT: PREMIUM PAINT BRANDS (£20-£50+ PER LITRE — MOST SPECIFIED IN LONDON PREMIUM RESIDENTIAL IN 2025): FARROW & BALL: the dominant premium paint brand in London residential in 2025; particularly used in period London terraces for estate agent-friendly colours (Elephant's Breath, Purbeck Stone, Cornforth White, Mole's Breath, Borrowed Light, Hague Blue, Down Pipe, Railings); FINISH: Farrow & Ball Dead Flat for walls and ceilings (very low sheen — hides minor surface imperfections well); Estate Eggshell for woodwork and joinery (slightly lower sheen than Farrow & Ball Full Gloss); Full Gloss for skirting, architraves and doors where a high sheen is wanted; LITTLE GREENE: LITTLE GREENE INTELLIGENT MATT for walls; LITTLE GREENE INTELLIGENT EGGSHELL for woodwork; excellent colour depth; popular in London conservation refurbishments; MYLANDS: MYLANDS MARBLE MATT for walls; MYLANDS PURE FLAT for ultimate dead-flat wall finish; MYLANDS EGGSHELL for woodwork; MID-RANGE PAINT BRANDS (TRADE QUALITY — £12-£20 PER LITRE): DULUX TRADE: DULUX TRADE DIAMOND MATT for walls and ceilings; DULUX TRADE DIAMOND EGGSHELL for woodwork; DULUX TRADE SUPAGARD for high-traffic areas; the DULUX TRADE range has significantly better coverage and durability than the Dulux retail range; CROWN TRADE: CROWN TRADE BREATHE EASY MATT; Crown Trade Fastcoat for mist coats; JOHNSTONE'S TRADE: a popular London trade decorator's choice for mid-range projects; FINISH SELECTION FOR A LONDON HOME (SHEEN LEVEL): WALLS AND CEILINGS: DEAD FLAT or MATT (2-7% sheen) — the preferred finish for London residential walls and ceilings; hides minor surface imperfections better than higher sheen paints; WOODWORK AND JOINERY: EGGSHELL (10-25% sheen) — the standard specification for London residential woodwork; low enough sheen to be elegant; wipeable; SATIN (25-40% sheen) — higher sheen; more appropriate for commercial or utility areas; HIGH GLOSS (60-80% sheen) — not commonly used in modern London residential (too commercial in appearance); SPRAY PAINTING FOR WOODWORK AND JOINERY IN A LONDON HOME: all fitted joinery in a premium London home refurbishment should be SPRAY-PAINTED using an AIRLESS SPRAY GUN; brush-applied paint produces BRUSHMARKS AND ORANGE PEEL TEXTURE that are visible in raking light on a smooth, flat door or joinery panel; spray painting produces an absolutely flat, even, factory-quality finish; THE PROCESS: mask off all areas adjacent to the joinery to be sprayed (walls, ceiling, floors, windows — airless spray produces a very fine mist that travels significant distances); apply 2-3 coats of spray water-based eggshell or satin (typically in the project colour — e.g., Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell or Little Greene Intelligent Eggshell); lightly sand between each coat with 240 grit paper; AIRLESS SPRAY WALL PAINTING: for very large wall areas (a rear extension open-plan kitchen/living room) or a high-specification project, the walls can also be sprayed; produces a very fine, even finish; faster than roller-applying on very large areas; requires full masking; widely used in new-build apartment fit-outs in London; ROLLER APPLICATION FOR WALLS: for standard domestic wall areas, a SHORT-NAP POLYESTER ROLLER (9-inch roller with 4-6mm nap for smooth plaster; 7-10mm nap for slightly textured surfaces) produces a good, commercial-quality finish; apply in an M or W pattern across the wall, laying off vertically; CUTTING IN: use a 25-40mm angled cutting-in brush to paint the edges and angles (wall-to-ceiling junction, wall-to-skirting junction, around architraves); this is the most labour-intensive and skill-dependent part of a decoration project; a skilled London decorator can cut in cleanly without masking tape (faster and produces a crisper line than masking tape on textured surfaces).

Coving and Victorian cornice specification (plaster, GRC, polyurethane), restoration of period cornices, colour scheme selection for London Victorian and Edwardian homes, and decoration costs for London homes in 2025: COVING AND CORNICES FOR A LONDON VICTORIAN OR EDWARDIAN HOME: THE CORNICE IS A DEFINING ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE OF A VICTORIAN OR EDWARDIAN LONDON TERRACE: period London Victorian terraces typically have a PLASTER CORNICE at the junction between the wall and the ceiling — a profiled moulding running around the room at ceiling height; the profile of the cornice is one of the architectural markers of the property's construction period and quality; COMMON VICTORIAN LONDON CORNICE PROFILES: EGG AND DART: the most elaborate Victorian moulding profile — found in higher-value Victorian properties and in the principal reception rooms; DENTIL AND BEAD: a row of small square projecting blocks (dentils) combined with a round bead moulding — common in Victorian bay-fronted terraces; ACANTHUS LEAF: an elaborate leaf scroll moulding found in high-value properties; PLAIN COVE CORNICE: a simple concave quarter-round transition between wall and ceiling — more common in later Victorian or Edwardian properties and in simpler rooms; HOW TO MATCH EXISTING PERIOD PLASTERWORK: if a section of the existing Victorian plaster cornice has been removed or damaged, the correct approach is to: TAKE A MOULDING CAST of the existing cornice profile; CAST OR REPRODUCE THE PROFILE in new material; MATERIALS FOR PERIOD CORNICE RESTORATION OR REPLACEMENT: IN-SITU RUN PLASTER (THE ORIGINAL METHOD): a plasterer uses a PURPOSE-MADE RUNNING MOULD (a steel-bladed template cut to the exact profile of the cornice) dragged along the wall and ceiling to form the cornice in situ in wet lime plaster; this is the original Victorian technique and requires a highly skilled specialist plasterer; very expensive and increasingly rare in London; FIBROUS PLASTER SECTION (GRC): pre-cast in a mould from the original profile; fixed to the wall and ceiling with plaster adhesive and screws; joints between sections filled and rubbed down; this is the standard method for new cornice installation and for matching damaged sections of existing cornices in London; POLYURETHANE COVING (LOWEST COST ALTERNATIVE): LIGHTWEIGHT, PAINTABLE, QUICK TO INSTALL; does NOT replicate the look of a genuine plaster cornice — thinner profiles, less depth of relief; the difference between a plaster fibrous cornice and a polyurethane cove is immediately visible in a period London home and can be a commercial negative; for a period property: ALWAYS SPECIFY PLASTER (FIBROUS GRC) for any cornice — NEVER polyurethane in a Victorian or Edwardian London home; HOW TO REPAIR AN EXISTING VICTORIAN PLASTER CORNICE: 1. CONSOLIDATE LOOSE SECTIONS (plaster cornice sections that have become detached from the ceiling can be reattached using fine-thread brass or stainless steel screws and washer plates — drill through the plaster to the ceiling structure above); 2. FILL CRACKS AND MISSING SECTIONS WITH LIME PUTTY or fine casting plaster (fine casting plaster sets very quickly — mix in small batches only); 3. SAND AND KEY THE REPAIRED SURFACE; 4. DECORATE (SEE BELOW); DECORATING A VICTORIAN CORNICE: the cornice should be painted in the same DEAD FLAT MATT EMULSION as the ceiling (the standard treatment in London is: CEILING COLOUR on the ceiling and cornice, WALL COLOUR on the walls, with the LINE between wall colour and ceiling colour running along the bottom of the cornice profile — NOT along the top); the alternative (relatively fashionable in London in 2025) is to paint the cornice in the same WALL COLOUR as the walls below, with the LINE between colours running at the TOP of the cornice (where the cornice meets the ceiling) — making the cornice appear to be part of the wall rather than the ceiling; COLOUR SCHEME SELECTION FOR A LONDON HOME IN 2025: COMMERCIALLY SAFE NEUTRAL COLOUR SCHEMES FOR LONDON PROPERTY SALE OR LETTING IN 2025: the most commercially safe approach for a London refurbishment in 2025 is a NEUTRAL, WARM GREY-WHITE OR OFF-WHITE COLOUR SCHEME — the kind of scheme that estate agents consistently recommend because it does not exclude or repel any buyer segment: WALLS: FARROW & BALL Cornforth White (a warm grey-white; the most specified colour in London estate-agent-recommended schemes in 2025); or FARROW & BALL Elephant's Breath (warm mid-grey); or LITTLE GREENE Bone; CEILING: WHITE (typically WHITE from the chosen brand — e.g., Farrow & Ball All White or Little Greene Loft White); WOODWORK (SKIRTING, ARCHITRAVES, DOORS): WHITE or OFF-WHITE (e.g., Farrow & Ball Pointing — a warm creamy white; FARROW & BALL All White for a crisper white; LITTLE GREENE Loft White); COMMERCIALLY DISTINCTIVE COLOUR CHOICE FOR A PREMIUM LONDON REFURBISHMENT: for properties where the refurbishment is being positioned at the premium end: BOLD COLOUR IN ONE ROOM (UTILITY ROOM, CLOAKROOM, OR STUDY — often the most daring room choice in a London terrace): FARROW & BALL Hague Blue, Railings, Down Pipe; LITTLE GREENE Obsidian; KITCHEN CABINETRY COLOUR: sage green (e.g., Farrow & Ball Mizzle, LITTLE GREENE Sage), navy blue (e.g., Farrow & Ball Hague Blue), or off-white (e.g., Farrow & Ball All White or Little Greene Old White); BEDROOM: a warmer, more personal colour choice is more commercially acceptable in a bedroom than in a reception room; DECORATION COSTS IN LONDON IN 2025: SURFACE PREPARATION AND DECORATION OF WALLS AND CEILINGS (NEW PLASTERWORK — MIST COAT, SURFACE PREPARATION, 2 COATS EMULSION — PER m²): approximately £10-£18/m² for standard mid-range finish; approximately £15-£30/m² for a premium finish with full fine surface filler preparation and spray applied walls; SPRAY PAINTING WOODWORK AND JOINERY (SPRAY WATER-BASED EGGSHELL — PER LINEAR METRE OF SKIRTING, ARCHITRAVE, DOOR — SUPPLY OF PAINT AND SPRAY APPLICATION — MASKING INCLUDED): approximately £8-£20/linear metre for skirtings and architraves; approximately £80-£200 per door (both sides spray, including prime, fill, flat, 2-3 top coats); COVING AND CORNICE (FIBROUS PLASTER — SUPPLY AND FIX NEW CORNICE — PER LINEAR METRE): approximately £30-£80/m including fixing and first fill; CORNICE RESTORATION (REPAIR, FILL, CONSOLIDATE EXISTING PERIOD PLASTER CORNICE — PER LINEAR METRE): approximately £25-£60/m depending on extent of damage; FULL DECORATION OF A 3-BED LONDON TERRACE (WALLS AND CEILINGS THROUGHOUT, WOODWORK THROUGHOUT — CONTRACTOR-SUPPLIED TRADE PAINT — APPROXIMATELY 200m² WALL AND CEILING AREA): approximately £6,000-£14,000 for a standard quality mid-range finish; approximately £12,000-£22,000 for a premium spray-finish joinery and high-quality surface preparation specification; PREMIUM PAINT UPCHARGE (FARROW & BALL INSTEAD OF DULUX TRADE — PER m²): approximately £2-£5/m² additional for wall and ceiling emulsion (Farrow & Ball is approximately 30-50% more expensive per litre than Dulux Trade but has slightly lower coverage — approximately 12-14m²/litre vs 15-18m²/litre for Dulux Trade Diamond Matt).