Painters in central London, bringing you a |
 Inset artists hand |  A functioning rotating light |
A working gas fire
Also on the lower floor of the gallery there was an inset chimney with a delightful fire bucket. At first I thought it was just a decorative feature and very apt.
I had to remove this in order to treat the damp and peeling paint in the chimney. On closer inspection, I found that the fire bucket was attached to a small gas pipe with an isolating gas tap located in the paneling below the chimney. Absolutely amazing, and what a talking point to have this burning on a winters evening exhibition night.
I had to remove this in order to treat the damp and peeling paint in the chimney. On closer inspection, I found that the fire bucket was attached to a small gas pipe with an isolating gas tap located in the paneling below the chimney. Absolutely amazing, and what a talking point to have this burning on a winters evening exhibition night.
The stairs leading down to the rear of the gallery had glass paneled sides with carved newel posts.
The glass panels openes the view through the gallery as you approached the stairs and also accentuate the beautiful hand carved newel posts and carved rope like hand rails.
The new ivory white colour is now working well in the gallery reflecting more of the natural daylight and accentuating the exhibited artwork.
The glass panels openes the view through the gallery as you approached the stairs and also accentuate the beautiful hand carved newel posts and carved rope like hand rails.
The new ivory white colour is now working well in the gallery reflecting more of the natural daylight and accentuating the exhibited artwork.
Carved rope handrail and carved newel posts.
Coningsby gallery reception desk
The gallery designer had also made an interesting feature with the reception desk.
The front panels and mouldings creatively curve and blend in as an extension of the main wall.
The front panels and mouldings creatively curve and blend in as an extension of the main wall.
The Coningsby Gallery has become renowned for its dedication to outstanding contemporary illustration and graphic art.
Established in 1994 in Central London’s thriving Fitzrovia, collaborating with internationally recognised and upcoming artists.
Causes of bathroom mould
Mouldy bathroom ceilings have long been a source of concern for homeowners, landlords and Painters & Decorators here in London
Bathrooms that are poorly heated and ventilated and having little or no insulation, will cause the surface of the ceiling and walls to become cold and to remain cold.
When the warm air from the shower or bath comes into contact with the cold ceiling, the air cools.
This warm air, which will be laden with moisture, can no longer hold that moisture, therefore it condenses on the cold surface of the ceiling.
Particularly common in London are bathrooms and shower rooms constructed internally of the building envelope.
This therefore means that you have to rely on mechanical extractors to remove or reduce the moisture in the air.
As these rooms are internal, they are often better heated and insulated, thus producing less mould than a bathroom with external walls and single glazed windows.
At Painters in Central London, we often encounter ceilings suffering from mould and flaking paint.
The ceiling below was above a shower cubicle in a one bedroom flat in Covent Garden. The property was pre- 1930s built, no insulated walls, metal casement windows and a heated by a single towel rail.
Bathrooms that are poorly heated and ventilated and having little or no insulation, will cause the surface of the ceiling and walls to become cold and to remain cold.
When the warm air from the shower or bath comes into contact with the cold ceiling, the air cools.
This warm air, which will be laden with moisture, can no longer hold that moisture, therefore it condenses on the cold surface of the ceiling.
Particularly common in London are bathrooms and shower rooms constructed internally of the building envelope.
This therefore means that you have to rely on mechanical extractors to remove or reduce the moisture in the air.
As these rooms are internal, they are often better heated and insulated, thus producing less mould than a bathroom with external walls and single glazed windows.
At Painters in Central London, we often encounter ceilings suffering from mould and flaking paint.
The ceiling below was above a shower cubicle in a one bedroom flat in Covent Garden. The property was pre- 1930s built, no insulated walls, metal casement windows and a heated by a single towel rail.
Procedure for painting a mouldy ceiling
Surface Preparation
Priming
Prime all stained, bare and filled areas with one coat of shellac-based primer Sealer in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Decoration
Apply two full coats of an acrylic eggshell finish.
Dulux Diamond Eggshell is resistant to the levels of atmospheric humidity present in normal interior environments and will withstand repeated washing. It is suitable for use in kitchens and bathrooms.
- Remove any loose and failing material by scraping and brushing with a stiff bristled brush until you find a sound edge.
- Remove all visible signs of mould growth and treat all areas with a Anti-Mould Solution. Use in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
- Wash down all remaining surfaces with a hot sugar soap solution to remove any contaminants.
- Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove the residues.
- Fill any cracks and holes, sand down, and feather the edges, or fine fill and feather if the paint layers are too thick.
Priming
Prime all stained, bare and filled areas with one coat of shellac-based primer Sealer in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Decoration
Apply two full coats of an acrylic eggshell finish.
Dulux Diamond Eggshell is resistant to the levels of atmospheric humidity present in normal interior environments and will withstand repeated washing. It is suitable for use in kitchens and bathrooms.
A Laminated Material that reacts to water
Product Designer Chao Chen, currently studying at London's Royal College of Art has developed an innovative building material that changes shape as the material becomes wet.
As the material begins to dry, it slowly returns back to its original shape.
Below, Chao has creatively used the material to produce a floral design as the material slowly becomes wet.
By adding a colour to the background of the reactive panel, he produces a beautiful piece of artwork as the final design is set off by the background colour.
As the material begins to dry, it slowly returns back to its original shape.
Below, Chao has creatively used the material to produce a floral design as the material slowly becomes wet.
By adding a colour to the background of the reactive panel, he produces a beautiful piece of artwork as the final design is set off by the background colour.
All images by Chao Chen
Inspiration came from the opening & closing of a pine cone
Chao used one of natures products to help him produce this innovative material. One day, walking through London's Hyde Park, which I regularly have the pleasure of walking through, he took several cones home with him and begun to study their make up and what made them function as they did. He found that the cones consisted of two types of layers that reacted differently to water.
The outer layer elongates more that the inner layer which naturally makes the cone contract when wet
The outer layer elongates more that the inner layer which naturally makes the cone contract when wet
All mages by Chao Chen
With this important information, Chao cleverly produced an innovative laminate, consisting of multiple layers of different materials. This remarkably reproduced the natural closing action of the pine cone.
Reactive materials hold huge potential for architects and engineers in the near future,
Here, Chao uses the reactive material to produce a roof.
When the conditions are dry, the tiles let the sun shine through and when they become wet, they close up.
When the conditions are dry, the tiles let the sun shine through and when they become wet, they close up.
Here Chao models a pine cone and reproduces the natural opening and closing motion that first inspired him
All images by Chao Chen
When the soil is dry the stick is in an upright position and the red is a warning that it needs to be watered.
The soil now has enough water and the stick lowers itself and shows the blue side as being ok.
Worlds first photovoltaic additive
| Every surface could become an electric generator   Green Energy Revolution A London-based company is looking for investors through indiegogo.com to make this product become a reality as they claim it could revolution renewable energy. They claim that.... The additive can convert surfaces into a solar panelThere are three basic electric components
The cells work as an intelligent conductor and transforms light sources into electricity.  | The solar Layer can be added to the manufacturing process of paint and applied to domestic and commercial premises. Your ceilings and walls could be able to generate low voltage electricity. The Solar Layer can also be mixed to the manufacturing process of asphalt to be applied as the top layer of road surfaces.  This could then convert all roads into low voltage electricity generators. We always try to embrace modern technology and new industry products here at Painters in Central London and we will be first in the queue for this energy paint revolution. |
Expectations RiseRenting has become a well-established London way of life - changing the capital’s housing market. In London, tenants can often rent more centrally than they could afford to buy. Homes within a 10-minute walk of a Tube or train station are at the top of the list for London's growing number of renters. |  |
As rents rise, so do tenant's expectations and it is therefore vital to have your apartment decorated to a high standard in order to realise the full rental potential.
The London lettings market is unique from the rest of the country in its sophistication, competitiveness and demands.
It is essential that the furnishing and decoration is of a high standard in order to let the property quickly |  |
| At Painters in Central London we can transform that tired ageing property into a fresh, modern and sought after abode. |  |
ProcedureTo obtain the best results, you will need to maintain a wet edge between each section of the door. Therefore if you paint the panels in the numerical order, this will give you the shortest time that an edge is left, thus stopping it from drying out thus avoiding an uneven build up of two coats of paint. Make sure the surfaces are clean and free from grease  *First start by painting the edges of the door avoiding excess paint being brushed onto the vertical stiles. *Then start on the upper left panel and the sunken rebate. Again avoiding excess paint being brushed onto the adjacent stiles and rails. *Lay off the paint lightly, with the tip of the brush, out from the corners of the rebates, otherwise you will get a build up of paint and dripping will occur. | *Check all of the panels and rebates again and lay off any developing runs. *Then begin painting the upper vertical stile 8 down to 10. The aim here is to coat the door as it was constructed . i.e. paint only up to the joints of each section. *Then proceed to the upper horizontal rail 11 working your way down to the bottom rail 14. Again only paint up to the constructed joint. *Finally finish off with the two long outer vertical stiles. *Check carefully over the whole door for any drips or runs and lay off with light strokes using only the tip of the brush. *You should now have a perfectly painted and evenly coated Panelled door. What type of paint to use on an internal doorThere are many paints and finishes available on the market today. These are available in oil and water based mixes. Satin and eggshell finishes are most popular these days as it gives a more contemporary look and feel to the wood. .5 of a litre will be sufficient for a single coat of paint on both sides of the door. |
Serving up #MondayMotivation to get you through the week
This particular location is about an hour out from Cartagena Colombia.
We hired a boat and a guy for the day and headed off away from the main port.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous as you would expect in Colombia.
Colombia is a country that many people avoid because of the bad press that it has had over the past decades.
 | Tourists not travelling to Colombia is not a bad thing, as it leaves areas like this unspoiled and undiscovered, solely for the likes of us! |
We will be heading back there very soon.
Have a great week guys!
Magnetic Whiteboard Wall Covering
We were instructed by Fielden Mawson Architects in Central London to redecorate their main meeting room.
 The room was painted with Dulux white matt emulsion and a slight off white matt on the walls. This was a vast improvement on the existing colour which was an outdated yellow. The meeting room now has a crisp modern feel to it which compliments the large wooden meeting room table that dominates the center of the room. Previously, as you entered the room, you were greeted with a cumbersome magnetic white board that had been bolted to the wall. This was removed and replaced with a modern magnetic whiteboard wall covering that was fixed to the wall with a vinyl adhesive. This particular magnetic wall covering, as specified by the architect,s was a white gloss finish with feint gridding printed on the surface. The complete wall was covered with the 1.2m magnetic white board wall covering. It was cut around the existing light switch so it could meet the adjacent glass curtain walling. The architects now have access to a large white board area and gives the meeting room a sleek new look. |
Andrew GARD
Painter Decorator based in Soho Central London
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