Ceiling and wall repairs before the decorating starts

Paint and paper both fail on a bad surface. Martin fills cracks, holes and dented patches, sands them flush, and primes them so the repair disappears under the finish. It is the work that happens before a room is decorated, and it is often the difference between a job that looks right in a month and one that does not.

The repairs he does as part of decorating

• Cracks, nail pops and holes from old fixings
• Scarred plaster after wallpaper has been stripped
• Ceilings with filler patches that need bringing in before paint
• Rough spots sanded so a side light does not show them
• Bare filler primed so it does not flash through the top coat

You can see the unglamorous version in the gallery: a dining-room ceiling filled and left to dry, with the furniture wrapped, and a stair wall part-way through panelling and paint. The finished rooms are the point of the repair. Once the colour is on, the fill should not announce itself.

What this is not

He is not offering structural repairs, a full replaster of a house, or a damp-proof course. If a wall is wet, papering or painting over it will not fix the cause. The stain comes back, or the paper lets go. He would rather say so before the finish goes on. If the damage is more than making good for decoration, he will tell you, and you can bring in the right trade.

Small making-good is often part of a painting or wallpapering quote rather than a separate call-out. Describe it when you ask for a quote, or send photographs on WhatsApp. The cost article explains why preparation changes a price: how much it costs to paint a room.