Painter and Decorator Chelsea: Period Property Painting and Decorating From £650
Your local painter and decorator for Chelsea’s period homes, from Cheyne Walk to Elm Park Gardens. In-house decorators, the right primer for every surface, and a fixed price after a free site visit.
Not the colour. Not the finish. The primer.
We had just finished renovating a four-storey Victorian terrace on Draycott Avenue, Chelsea SW3. We repaired the lime plaster in hydraulic lime throughout, cleaned the original cornicing back to its full profile, and brought the fireplaces back into use. We also fitted a new kitchen and two bathrooms, rewired the house and installed new heating.
The last job was the decoration.
The owner asked whether their own decorator could do it. He had decorated their previous flat and had good reviews. He walked the floors, gave a quote, and asked where we wanted him to start.
We asked what primer he planned to use on the lime plaster walls.
Vinyl matt, he said. The same primer he used on everything. The owner went with our in-house decorators instead.
Lime plaster sealed with vinyl primer and emulsion usually starts to blister within 12 to 18 months. The lime can’t breathe through a vinyl barrier, so moisture builds up behind the paint. The failure is gradual and then sudden. Small bubbles become large ones, patches lift, and the paint comes away from the wall in sheets.
A correctly renovated period home needs a decorator who knows what they’re painting on before they open a tin:
- a lime-compatible primer on lime plaster
- a mist coat on new plasterboard
- oil primer, undercoat and two finish coats, by brush, on original timber joinery
- a flat brush finish throughout, never spray, which leaves a texture that looks wrong in a period room whatever the colour
These aren’t optional extras. They are the correct specification for a Chelsea period property, and a decorator who doesn’t know the difference is the one whose paint blisters at 18 months.
Single rooms from £650 + VAT. Full Victorian terrace redecoration from £12,000 + VAT. Fixed price and free site visit. Call 020 7129 7418
- Lime-compatible primers on lime plaster, so no blistering
- Oil primer on original Victorian joinery, the right preparation for solid timber
- Flat brush finish throughout, never spray
- Mist coat on new plasterboard, so the paint bonds properly
- Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and other premium paint ranges supplied
- Specialist care for cornicing, ceiling roses and original features
- All decoration done by our own in-house decorators, never subcontracted
- Between-tenancy redecorating for landlords from £1,200 + VAT
- Pre-sale decoration from £2,500 + VAT
- Commercial painting and decorating, with landlord portfolios welcome
Fixed Price | Period Specialists | Free Site Visit | 12-Month Guarantee
📞 Free Quote: 020 7129 7418
Standard Call Out Charge | £95.00 +vat (additional hours @£75 p/h) |
Electrician | £115.00 +vat (additional hours @£95 p/h) |
Heating / Gas Engineer | £115.00 +vat (additional hours @£95 p/h) |
EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) | £240-420.00 +vat P.O.A |
PAT (Portable Appliance Test *incl 12 items) | £105.00 +vat (additional £5.00 per item ) |
GSI (Gas Safety Inspection) | £110.00 +vat |
Boiler Service | £120.00 +vat |
Combined GSI & Boiler Service | £210.00 +vat |
Every Chelsea Victorian and Edwardian terrace was built with lime plaster on lath. The plaster is breathable; it absorbs and releases moisture as the building moves through seasons and the internal humidity of the property changes. This is not a defect. It is how the material works and why it has survived 130 years in properties across Chelsea SW3, Knightsbridge SW1X, and Belgravia SW1.
Vinyl emulsion applied directly over lime plaster or with a vinyl primer beneath it creates a barrier. The lime cannot breathe. Moisture that would normally be absorbed and released by the plaster is instead trapped behind the paint film. The paint blisters. The cycle runs between six and eighteen months depending on the property, the aspect, and the humidity of the individual room.
Most Chelsea decorators use vinyl primer as standard because most properties they work on have modern plasterboard walls and ceilings. On a Victorian terrace with original lime plaster, this is the wrong specification.
The correct specification: Lime-compatible, breathable primer, compatible with the lime substrate, allows the moisture exchange to continue. Applied correctly to a clean, sound lime plaster surface, it provides a stable base for two coats of emulsion. Properly applied, the result is stable for seven to ten years before redecorating is needed.
We use lime-compatible primer on every lime plaster surface in every Chelsea period property we decorate. Not because it is more expensive. Because it is correct.
Original Victorian joinery six-panel doors, skirting boards, architraves, picture rails, dado rails, and window boards was made from solid timber. Solid timber behaves differently from MDF. It expands and contracts with seasonal humidity changes. It has a grain. It has a surface that needs specific preparation before paint will adhere correctly and hold long-term.
The correct specification for original Victorian joinery:
Oil primer: a slow-drying oil-based primer that penetrates the timber grain and creates a stable bond between the wood and the paint system above it. Water-based primer on solid timber does not penetrate the grain in the same way and is more prone to peeling on original timber with movement.
Undercoat oil-based, applied over the primer, building the film thickness that gives the final coat its depth and opacity.
Two finish coats by brush, not spray. A sprayed finish on original Victorian joinery in a period property produces a surface texture smooth, plastic, and uniform that is visually wrong regardless of the colour. A brushed finish applied correctly by a decorator who knows how to lay off paint has a subtle texture that is appropriate to the period and the material.
The complete system on original Victorian joinery: oil primer, undercoat, two finish coats by brush. The result, correctly applied on correctly prepared timber, holds for seven to ten years without peeling, cracking, or separating at the edges.
Where new plasterboard has been installed in renovations, extension works, or where original plaster has been replaced, the correct first coat is a mist coat, not a primer.
New plasterboard and new skim plaster are highly absorbent. A standard emulsion applied directly to new plaster is absorbed immediately and dries too fast, creating a patchy, uneven surface and a weak bond between the paint and the plaster. The result is visible in the final coat.
A mist coat emulsion diluted with water in approximately a 3:1 ratio is applied first to the new plaster surface. It is absorbed, it seals the surface partially without creating a barrier, and it provides a uniform base for the full-strength emulsion coats above it.
Decorators who apply standard emulsion directly to new plaster are taking a shortcut that is visible in the finished result. We apply a mist coat to every new plaster surface as standard before any finish coat is applied.
Complete redecoration of Victorian terraces, Edwardian properties, Georgian townhouses, mansion flats, and mews properties across Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, South Kensington, and Kensington.
The full property redecoration programme covers every surface: walls, ceilings, all joinery including doors, skirting, architraves, window boards, and picture rails. Cornicing and ceiling roses treated with care; paint accumulation removed where it has filled the detail; correct primer applied before finish coats. Original six-panel doors: oil primer, undercoat, two finish coats by brush. All sash window frames correct specification for timber windows with moving parts.
Colour consultation included. Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Papers and Paints, Mylands, and all premium paint ranges supplied. Standard trade paint at client’s option.
Full Victorian terrace redecoration, Chelsea, 3-4 floors: from £12,000 + VAT. Programme typically 10-14 working days with a two-person decorator team. Fixed price. Free site visit.
Single room decoration for Chelsea and Knightsbridge period properties: correct specification regardless of whether it is one room or an entire property.
The lime plaster question is asked in every room, not every property. The joinery question is asked about every door and every skirting board, not just the ones in the reception rooms.
A single room decorated correctly with lime-compatible primer, two coats of finish emulsion, oil primer and brush finish on the joinery costs more than a single room decorated with vinyl primer and spray finish. The difference is visible at six months. The correct specification lasts seven to ten years.
Single room decoration in Chelsea from £650 + VAT. Period property room with cornicing and original joinery from £850 + VAT. Fixed price. Free site visit.
Between-tenancy redecorating across Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, South Kensington, and Kensington. Same-week availability. Fixed price. Clean handover ready for the new tenancy.
Between-tenancy redecoration is a practical programme: patch and fill, same-colour refresh on walls and ceilings, clean joinery where required, clean handover. It is not a full specification redecoration. It is the programme that presents a Chelsea rental property at its best for new tenants and for rental photography.
Available as part of the annual landlord certification programme alongside EICR certificates, Gas Safety Inspections, and PAT testing, one contractor, everything managed.
Between-tenancy redecorating Chelsea: 1-bedroom flat from £1,200 + VAT; 2-bedroom flat from £1,800 + VAT; 3-bedroom flat or house from £2,500 + VAT. Same-week availability. Fixed price. Call 020 7129 7418.
Pre-sale decoration for Chelsea and Knightsbridge period properties: the decoration that presents a property correctly for estate agent photography, viewings, and sale.
Pre-sale decoration is not a between-tenancy refresh. It is a full specification programme. The walls, ceilings, and joinery need to present perfectly under the conditions of professional photography, which reveals every imperfection that casual viewing misses. Patches, shadows from filled areas where the sheen differs, brush marks in the joinery, and paint accumulation on cornicing detail are all visible in a wide-angle lens at high resolution.
We assess the property at the site visit and specify the programme correctly: what requires full preparation and repainting, what requires touching up only, and what requires colour change advice for the sale market.
Pre-sale decoration in Chelsea from £2,500 + VAT. Fixed price on site visit. Free site visit.
Commercial painting and decorating across Chelsea and surrounding areas: offices, retail, serviced apartments, managed properties.
Landlord portfolio painting and decorating managed as a programme. Multiple properties in the same postcode. Rolling programme across the year. Fixed price per property. One contractor, all certifications and all decoration, managed.
Commercial painting and decorating Chelsea fixed price on site visit. Portfolio pricing for three or more properties. Call 020 7129 7418.
Painter and Decorator Prices Chelsea
Single room decoration from £650 + VAT. Period property room with cornicing and original joinery from £850 + VAT. Full Victorian terrace 3-4 floors from £12,000 + VAT. Between-tenancy 1-bedroom from £1,200 + VAT. Between-tenancy 2-bedroom from £1,800 + VAT. Between-tenancy 3-bedroom from £2,500 + VAT. Pre-sale decoration from £2,500 + VAT. Commercial portfolio fixed price on site visit.
All prices exclude VAT. Parking and congestion charges additional. Materials included unless otherwise specified. Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, and premium paint ranges at cost plus margin.
Every price on the list above includes: Correct surface preparation; no shortcuts on preparation. Correct primer for the substrate: lime-compatible, mist coat, or oil primer as appropriate. Two finish coats minimum on all surfaces. Flat brush finish on all original timber joinery. Cornicing and ceiling rose care not rolled or cut in carelessly. Professional dust sheets and property protection throughout. Cleaning on completion. 12-month workmanship guarantee.
The following are additional and priced at the site visit: Wallpaper hanging from £20 per metre including supply. Wallpaper stripping from £150 per room. Specialist finishes: limewash, colour washing, textured finishes. External decoration priced separately on site visit.
Why Painter and Decorator Chelsea
Before instructing any decorator for a Chelsea period property, ask one question.
“What primer do you use on lime plaster walls?”
A decorator who says vinyl primer does not understand what they are painting on. A decorator who says lime-compatible primer understands the building.
The answer to that question tells you everything about the quality of the result at eighteen months. Not at the end of the first week. Not at the first viewing. At eighteen months, when the failure mode of the wrong specification begins to appear.
Spray finishing is faster than brush finishing. For a decorator working in a modern new-build with flush MDF surfaces and contemporary interiors, spray finishing produces an acceptable result quickly.
For a decorator working in a Chelsea Victorian terrace with original solid timber six-panel doors, original skirting at 250mm deep, original architrave with a stepped ovolo profile, and original cornicing throughout, spray finishing is the wrong tool.
The flat brush finish on period joinery is not nostalgia. It is the finish method that works with the material, solid timber with a grain, movement, and a profile that a spray gun cannot navigate without producing runs at the moulding edges.
We brush finish all original joinery on every Chelsea period property we decorate. The result is visible at ten years. The spray alternative is visible at two.
Decoration is the last stage of the renovation programme. It is also the stage where every preceding decision is either confirmed or exposed.
Lime plaster repaired correctly and painted with the correct specification looks right at ten years.
Lime plaster repaired in gypsum and painted with vinyl primer blisters at eighteen months.
Original joinery prepared in oil primer and finished by brush looks right at ten years.
Original joinery primed in water-based primer and sprayed looks wrong at two years.
The programme produces the guarantee. The correct specification at every stage from the lime plaster repair to the final brush coat on the door is what the twelve-month workmanship guarantee is based on.
Areas We Cover for Painting and Decorating
Painter and decorator across Chelsea SW3: Draycott Avenue, King’s Road, Cheyne Walk, Flood Street, Paultons Square, Oakley Street, and all SW3 addresses. Victorian terraces, mansion blocks, mews properties. Oil primer, lime-compatible primer, flat brush finish. Fixed price. Free site visit. Call 020 7129 7418.
Painter and decorator across Knightsbridge SW1X Brompton Road, Pont Street, Hans Road, Lennox Gardens, Egerton Crescent. Period property and mansion block specialists. All premium paint ranges. Fixed price. Free site visit. Call 020 7129 7418.
Painter and decorator across Belgravia SW1: Eaton Square, Chester Square, Belgrave Square, Elizabeth Street. Listed building decoration: appropriate primers and finishes for Georgian plasterwork. Fixed price. Free site visit. Call 020 7129 7418.
Painter and decorator across South Kensington SW7: Onslow Square, Cranley Gardens, Wetherby Gardens. Edwardian terrace decoration specialists. All original fabric correctly primed. Fixed price. Free site visit. Call 020 7129 7418.
Painter and decorator across Kensington W8, Campden Hill Road, Phillimore Gardens, Victoria Road. Victorian villa decoration specialists. Period joinery, oil primer, brush finish. Fixed price. Free site visit. Call 020 7129 7418.
Painter and decorator across Fulham SW6: Rylston Road, Munster Road, Parsons Green. Victorian terrace redecoration. Between-tenancy specialist. Fixed price. Free site visit. Call 020 7129 7418.
Painter and decorator across Battersea SW11: Cabul Road, Albert Bridge Road, Queenstown Road. Victorian terrace decoration. Between-tenancy. Period property specification. Fixed price. Free site visit. Call 020 7129 7418.
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Painter and Decorator Chelsea: Free Site Visit
Call: 020 7129 7418
Painter and decorator in Chelsea, specialising in period properties. We also cover Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Westminster, Fulham, Battersea, Wandsworth and Richmond. Lime-compatible primer on original plaster, oil primer on original joinery, and a flat brush finish throughout. We supply Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and other premium ranges.
Single room from £650 + VAT. Full Victorian terrace from £12,000 + VAT. Between-tenancy redecoration from £1,200 + VAT. Pre-sale decoration from £2,500 + VAT.
Free site visit. Fixed price within 48 hours. 12-month workmanship guarantee.
Chelsea Property Renovation & Maintenance Ltd
289 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London SW3 2DY
Company No: 16973999
25+ Years Central London Experience
We’ve completed home renovations in Central London since 2000. Over 150 projects across Chelsea, Belgravia, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Marylebone, Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia, and Westminster.
Fully Insured & Guaranteed
£10M public liability insurance, £10M employers' liability insurance, and professional indemnity coverage. All work is fully guaranteed. Building control certificates provided. Electrical and Gas Safe certificates where applicable. Written guarantees on all home renovation services Central London. Insurance certificates available on request.
Quality Materials & Expert Craftsmanship
We specify and source high-quality materials from established manufacturers ensuring reliability and longevity.
Conservation Area Specialists
95% planning approval rate in Central London conservation areas. We've successfully renovated listed buildings and strict conservation properties across Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. We know what conservation officers want to see before we submit applications.
200+ Satisfied Customers
Proven track record across Central London with hundreds of completed renovations. Our reputation built on exceptional project management, quality workmanship, transparent pricing, and beautiful results that exceed expectations.
Meet Our Trusted Team
John Michaels
Renovation Consultant
Dan Wright
Plumbing and Heating Engineer
Glenn Knowles
CEO
Harry Collins
Repair Technician
Call 020 7129 7418 or send us your details through the contact form to arrange a free site visit. We will look at your rooms, advise on paint and finish, and send a fixed, itemised quote. Our office is at 289 Brompton Road, London SW3 2DY, and our decorators cover Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, South Kensington and the surrounding areas.
How much does a painter and decorator in Chelsea cost?
A single room starts from £650 + VAT, and a period room with cornicing and original joinery starts from £850 + VAT. Between-tenancy redecoration starts from £1,200 for a one-bed flat, and a full Victorian terrace over three or four floors starts from £12,000. We provide a fixed, itemised quote after a free site visit.
Why does lime plaster need a different primer?
Lime plaster needs to breathe. Sealing it with a standard acrylic or vinyl emulsion traps moisture behind the paint, which leads to blistering, flaking and damp patches. We use lime-compatible, breathable primers and paints on original lime plaster so the finish lasts.
How long does it take to decorate a room or a house?
A single room usually takes two to three days including preparation. A two-bedroom flat between tenancies takes about a week, and a full period house takes three to six weeks depending on the joinery, plaster repairs and number of floors. We confirm the timescale in writing with your quote.
Do you supply the paint, or can I choose my own?
Either. We can supply trade-quality paint, or use your chosen brand and colours. We advise on the right finish for each surface, such as eggshell or oil for original joinery and breathable paints for lime plaster, so the colour you choose also performs well.
Do you decorate rental properties between tenancies?
Yes. We work with Chelsea landlords and letting agents to turn properties around between tenancies, usually within a week, using durable, wipeable finishes. Repairs found during decorating can be handled by our in-house plumbers, electricians and carpenters in the same visit.
How do you paint original sash windows, doors and skirting?
Original timber joinery is cleaned, keyed and repaired before painting. We use an oil-based primer on bare timber and apply the finish by brush, not spray, so it matches the character of a period property. Sticking sashes can be eased and re-corded at the same time.
Can you match colours for a listed building?
Yes. We can match historic colours and work to the conditions of a Listed Building Consent. Changing the colour or finish of a listed building, inside or out, can need consent from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, so we check before any work starts.
Is old paint in a Chelsea period home a lead risk?
Paint applied before the 1960s often contains lead. We test older layers before preparation and never dry-sand or burn off paint that may contain lead. We use wet abrasion, dust control and safe disposal instead, which matters most in homes with children or pets.
Which areas do you cover besides Chelsea?
We cover Knightsbridge, Belgravia, South Kensington, Kensington, Fulham, Battersea, Wandsworth, Westminster and Richmond from our office at 289 Brompton Road, SW3. Call 020 7129 7418 to book a free site visit.
Central London
Your local team for fast, reliable electrical service throughout Central London.
Address:
289 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 2DY
Email:
info@chelseapropertyrenovation.co.uk
Phone number:
020 7129 7418
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:30 am-6 pm
Saturday -Sunday - Emergency only
Areas We Serve:
- Wandsworth
- Belgravia
- Pimlico
- Mayfair
- Marylebone
- Victoria
- Paddington
- Hammersmith & Fulham
- ower Hamlets
- Lambeth
- Plus Hackney
- Chelsea
- South Kensington
- Knightsbridge
- Notting Hill
- Earl's Court
- Camden Town
- Barbican
- Bank
- Liverpool Street
- Moorgate
- King's Cross
- Primrose Hill
- Hampstead
- Kentish Town
- Angel
- Barnsbury
- Canonbury
- Highbury
- Clerkenwell
- Southwark
We Are Accredited
All our tradesmen, plumbers, heating engineers, electricians, and builders are fully accredited by leading industry bodies, ensuring the highest standards of quality and professionalism on every job.
