2026 has already made UK weather history. We’ve seen record-breaking heat in May, June, and now into July, with the Met Office confirming this is the first year on record that temperatures have hit 35°C or higher in three separate months. Large parts of England have been under amber heat health alerts for days at a time, and for anyone running a commercial painting or refurbishment project across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, or the wider Midlands, that heat isn’t just uncomfortable — it directly affects the quality and lifespan of the work going on site.
Here’s what this summer’s heatwave actually means for commercial painting, and how a well-run contractor adapts to it rather than just pushing through.
Why This Heat Is a Real Problem for Paintwork
Most trade paints are designed to be applied somewhere between 10°C and 25°C. With daytime highs pushing into the low-to-mid 30s across much of the Midlands this summer, and surface temperatures on south-facing walls, cladding, and dark render running significantly hotter than the air temperature, a lot of exterior work this season has been sitting well outside that ideal range.
When paint gets applied in this kind of heat, a few things tend to go wrong:
The surface skins over too fast. The top of the coat dries before the paint underneath has properly bonded, which weakens adhesion and shortens the life of the finish.
Brush and roller marks stop blending out. Because the paint is setting almost as it’s applied, lap marks and stroke lines can stay visible in the final finish.
Dark colours suffer more. Dark cladding and render can reach surface temperatures well above the air temperature in direct sun, making them especially prone to blistering and premature failure.
Spray application becomes harder to control. Heat speeds up drying in the air between the gun and the surface, increasing overspray and leading to a patchier finish.
It’s Not Just the Heat — It’s the Dryness Too
This year’s heatwaves have also brought long dry spells, with hosepipe bans introduced across parts of southern and eastern England as reservoirs and rivers ran low. For painting contractors, extended dry weather isn’t automatically a bonus. Very low humidity combined with high heat causes the same rapid-drying problems as the heat alone, and dust and debris from parched ground can settle onto wet paint more easily when everything around a site is bone dry.
How We’re Adapting Our Programme This Summer
With 45+ years delivering painting, decorating, and refurbishment work across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Manchester, Birmingham, and the wider Midlands, we’ve adjusted the way jobs are run through this year’s heatwaves rather than just working through them regardless:
Shifting exterior work to the cooler parts of the day — early morning starts to get coats on before surface temperatures peak in the afternoon sun
Re-sequencing programmes so exposed, south-facing, or dark-coloured elevations are tackled when conditions allow, rather than forcing them through the hottest part of a heatwave
Choosing appropriate products and, where needed, adjusting application techniques for hot-weather use
Looking after our teams — hydration, shade, and sensible working hours during amber heat health alerts, in line with UKHSA guidance
Keeping clients informed if a heatwave means part of the programme needs to move, so there are no surprises on completion dates
None of this is about avoiding work in the heat altogether — plenty of commercial sites, from retail units to warehouses, can’t simply pause for a few weeks. It’s about recognising that a rushed job finished during a 34°C afternoon often costs a client more in the long run than one paced sensibly around the conditions.
Planning Ahead for the Rest of the Season
With forecasters expecting further hot spells before autumn, it’s worth building weather contingency into any commercial painting or refurbishment programme now rather than reacting to it as it happens. If you’ve got exterior work planned — or a project that’s already fallen behind because of this summer’s conditions — it’s better to talk it through with a contractor who plans around the weather rather than in spite of it.
Get in Touch
If you’re planning a commercial painting or refurbishment project this summer and want a contractor who factors in the practical realities of this year’s heat, get in touch with the Wallace Contracts team. We cover projects across Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and the wider Midlands, North West, and Wales, and for larger projects, nationwide.
Painting a wall might seem straightforward, but the secret to a professional, long-lasting finish lies in proper preparation. At Wallace Contracts Ltd, we believe that taking the time to prepare your walls correctly ensures not only a smooth and even finish but also a paint job that stands the test of time.
The first step in wall preparation is clearing the area and protecting your surroundings. Remove furniture, decorations, and fixtures, and cover floors and any remaining items to prevent paint splatters. It’s also important to mask off edges such as skirting boards, window frames, and door frames to achieve neat, clean lines.
Once the space is ready, the wall itself must be cleaned. Dust, grease, and grime can prevent paint from adhering properly. Washing the surface with a mild detergent and then rinsing with clean water removes these contaminants. Allow the wall to dry completely, as painting on damp surfaces can cause peeling and uneven coverage.
Inspecting the wall for imperfections is the next crucial step. Cracks, holes, and uneven areas should be repaired with a suitable filler. Once the filler is applied and has dried, sanding ensures a smooth surface that blends seamlessly with the rest of the wall. This sanding process also lightly roughens glossy or previously painted surfaces, helping new paint adhere better.
For newly plastered walls or surfaces that have been heavily repaired, applying a primer or mist coat is essential. This seals the surface, prevents stains from bleeding through, and provides a consistent base for the paint. Allow sufficient drying time before applying your chosen paint to ensure optimal adhesion and a flawless finish.
Taking the time to prepare your walls properly might seem like extra work, but it is the key to a professional-looking and durable paint job. At Wallace Contracts Ltd, our team brings expertise and attention to detail to every project, ensuring that walls are prepped to the highest standard. Proper preparation is the foundation for a beautiful, long-lasting finish that transforms any space.
Wallace Contracts Ltd has grown steadily from its roots in Stoke-on-Trent into a commercial contractor operating across a wide area of England and Wales. Over the course of more than 45 years, we have built relationships with clients in retail, hospitality, care, construction, education and property management — delivering projects from single-trade painting jobs to complex, multi-trade refurbishments worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
As our client base has grown, so too has our geography. Today we regularly deliver projects across the Midlands, the North West, Wales and, for larger projects, anywhere in the UK. This post gives a clear picture of where we work, what we offer in each area and why businesses across the country choose Wallace Contracts to look after their properties.
Based in Stoke-on-Trent, Working Nationwide
Our headquarters is Unit 1 Sneyd Business Park in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire — a central location that allows us to mobilise quickly to sites across a wide radius. Stoke-on-Trent sits at the heart of our operation and remains one of our most active areas, where we work for clients including JD Wetherspoon, Fuchs Lubricants, Hurstwood Holdings, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Arnold Machin and many others.
For projects over approximately £10,000, we offer our full range of services anywhere in the UK. This nationwide capability has allowed us to support clients with large property portfolios — including national retailers, bookmakers, care providers and automotive groups — who need a consistent, reliable contractor they can trust across all their sites, not just those closest to our base.
The Midlands: Our Heartland
The Midlands is the area we know best. We work extensively across Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Shropshire, Worcestershire and the East Midlands, serving clients in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Telford, Shrewsbury, Nottingham, Leicester and Derbyshire.
In Birmingham, we have completed projects at the National Exhibition Centre for Magna Projects, office decoration packages for Oktra at Forrester’s head office and Ingenuity House, and retail refurbishments for Coral. In Walsall, we have delivered multiple refurbishment programmes for Ladbrokes and Coral, as well as care home works for Achieve Together and CareTech. In Wolverhampton, our work for Arnold Clark included converting existing rooms into classrooms within their car showroom.
Across Derbyshire, we have delivered an extensive multi-phase refurbishment programme for Eurocell at their Alfreton head office and Ilkeston recycling centre, covering toilet refurbishments, office upgrades, flooring installations and full internal decoration. In Nottingham, we have carried out refurbishment and maintenance works for Ladbrokes across multiple stores.
The North West: A Growing Area of Operation
The North West has become one of our most active regions, with a strong pipeline of work across Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and Lancashire. We have delivered projects in Manchester, Liverpool, Stockport, Oldham, Wirral, Crewe and a number of smaller towns and cities across the region.
In Manchester, our portfolio includes decoration packages for Oktra at Sevendale House and multiple other office developments, internal decoration at Manchester University’s Williamson Building, refurbishments for CareTech and Hydes Brewery, and numerous projects for Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana, Jamieson Contracting and Coral. In Liverpool, we have completed multi-store refurbishment programmes for Ladbrokes, a comprehensive care home renovation for Mencap, internal decoration at Liverpool Lime Street Station for Jamieson Contracting, and floor and painting works for Arnold Clark.
In Stockport, our work includes the prestigious Stockport Exchange office development for Oktra and internal decoration for JD Wetherspoon at The Wilfred Wood. In Oldham, we have completed decoration works for JD Wetherspoon at both The Ash Tree and The Shay Wake. Across the Wirral and Birkenhead, we have delivered showroom refurbishments, fire door installations and specialist floor painting for Arnold Clark. In Crewe, our projects have included interior decoration at The Broughton restaurant for Parogon Group, office decoration for Assurant and retail refresh works for Frasers Group.
Wales: From North to South
Wallace Contracts is increasingly active across Wales, having delivered projects in North Wales, South Wales and Mid Wales. In Wrexham, we delivered a full decoration package for Wynne Construction at Wrexham University. In Llandudno, we have completed storefront repairs and redecoration for the British Heart Foundation and external decoration for Holland & Barrett. In Llanelli, we painted the café and swimming pool areas at Everlast Gyms. In Cardiff, we delivered internal decoration for Flannels.
We also delivered one of our most ambitious single projects in North Wales — a 13-week full conversion of a residential property into a fully operational care home, encompassing mechanical and electrical installations, fire safety systems, kitchen and bathroom fitting, external groundworks and full decoration throughout.
What We Offer: A Full Range of Commercial Property Services
Across all of these areas, we offer the same comprehensive range of services. Here is a summary of what Wallace Contracts can deliver for your property:
Commercial Painting & Decorating
Our core trade. We deliver internal and external decoration for commercial clients across all sectors, including retail, hospitality, care, office, industrial, education and healthcare. Our decorators are experienced in all finishes and surface types, from emulsion and satinwood through to specialist coatings, masonry paint and airless spray-painted suspended ceilings. We work at height using cherry pickers, mobile scaffold towers and fixed scaffolding, with all operatives holding relevant IPAF and PASMA qualifications.
Property Refurbishment
As an SSIP-approved main contractor, we plan, coordinate and deliver multi-trade refurbishment projects of all sizes. We manage joinery, plumbing, electrical, plastering, flooring and decoration under one contract, providing clients with a single point of contact and a seamless service from start to finish. Our refurbishment portfolio includes retail shopfits, care home upgrades, office conversions, hospitality refurbishments, industrial welfare facilities and residential developments.
Dilapidations
We support commercial tenants and landlords with all aspects of dilapidations works at the end of a lease. Services include strip-outs, making good, redecoration, flooring replacement and external repairs. We work efficiently to lease expiry deadlines and provide clear documentation to support a clean handover. We have experience working alongside chartered surveyors and property managing agents across all of our operating areas.
Minor Works, Maintenance & Repairs
Not every job is a major refurbishment. We also deliver planned and reactive maintenance works for clients across the UK, including gutter cleaning and repairs, roof tile replacement, render repairs, joinery repairs, glass replacement, external redecoration and a wide range of other minor works. Our maintenance clients value our fast response times, our quality of finish and our ability to manage small works programmes with the same professionalism we bring to larger projects.
Shopfitting & Dilapidations
For clients opening new retail premises or exiting old ones, we offer shopfitting and dilapidations services that cover everything from fixture and fitting installation through to full strip-outs and reinstatement works. We have worked with national retailers including Flying Tiger Copenhagen, Goldsmiths, Sports Direct, Flannels and Mind on projects across England and Wales.
The Sectors We Serve
Wallace Contracts works across a broad range of commercial sectors. Our key areas of expertise include:
✅ Retail — shopfits, refreshes, dilapidations and maintenance for national and regional retailers
✅ Hospitality — pub, restaurant and hotel refurbishments and decoration, typically completed outside trading hours
✅ Care — refurbishment, wet room installation, accessibility improvements and maintenance for care homes and supported living facilities
✅ Construction — decoration and finishing packages delivered for main contractors on new build and fit-out projects
✅ Education — decoration and refurbishment works in schools, colleges and universities
✅ Office & Commercial — office refurbishments, fit-outs and decoration for occupiers, developers and property managers
✅ Automotive — showroom refurbishments, fire door installation, specialist floor coatings and maintenance for car dealerships
✅ Industrial — welfare facility upgrades, building repairs and maintenance for industrial occupiers
Why Clients Choose Wallace Contracts
Clients across the UK choose Wallace Contracts for a number of consistent reasons. First, our single point of contact model means there is always one person responsible for the project — someone who knows the brief, manages the programme and answers the phone when you call. Second, our SSIP accreditation gives clients confidence that our health and safety standards are independently verified and consistently maintained on every site. Third, our track record of working for major national clients — including JD Wetherspoon, Arnold Clark, Coral, Ladbrokes, Frasers Group, Achieve Together and many others — demonstrates that we can operate to the standards expected by large, demanding organisations with multiple sites across the country.
We are big enough to deliver complex, multi-trade projects to tight programmes and significant budgets, but small enough to care about every client and every job. That balance — articulated in our strapline, Big Enough to Deliver and Small Enough to Care — is at the heart of everything we do.
Get in Touch
If you have a commercial property project anywhere across the Midlands, North West, Wales or beyond, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how Wallace Contracts can help. Whether you need a painting contractor for a single store, a refurbishment partner for a rolling programme of sites, or a dilapidations specialist to help you exit a lease cleanly, our team is ready to help.
The first step to extending the life of your exterior paint is to choose the right paint for your needs. There are many different types of exterior paint available, so it is important to choose one that is designed for the climate you live in and the type of surface you are painting. For example, if you live in an area with hot, dry summers, you will need a paint that is specifically designed for those conditions.
2. Prepare the surface properly
The next step is to prepare the surface properly. This means cleaning the surface thoroughly to remove dirt, dust, and loose paint. You may also need to sand the surface to create a smooth, even finish. If you are painting over old paint, it is important to use a paint stripper to remove all of the old paint.
3. Apply two coats of paint
It is important to apply two coats of paint for the best results. The first coat will seal the surface and the second coat will provide the final finish. Be sure to apply the paint evenly and to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Use a primer
A primer is a type of paint that is applied before the topcoat. It helps to seal the surface and to create a better bond between the topcoat and the surface. Using a primer can help to extend the life of your exterior paint by preventing peeling and fading.
5. Protect the paint from the elements
Once you have applied the paint, it is important to protect it from the elements. This means keeping the paint clean and free of dirt and debris. You may also want to consider applying a sealant to the paint to protect it from the sun, rain, and snow.
Additional tips
Here are some additional tips to help extend the life of your exterior paint:
Paint in the shade. Painting in direct sunlight can cause the paint to dry too quickly and to not adhere properly.
Avoid painting on windy days. Wind can blow dirt and debris onto the wet paint, which can damage the finish.
Repaint every 5-7 years. This will help to prevent peeling and fading and will keep your home looking its best.
By following these tips, you can extend the life of your exterior paint and keep your home looking its best for years to come.
Warehouses and distribution centres are among the most demanding environments to refurbish. They are often large, operationally critical and difficult to take out of service — yet they can deteriorate quickly when maintenance is deferred, and a poorly maintained facility creates real risks around safety, staff morale and customer perception.
Whether you are planning a full warehouse refurbishment, a rolling maintenance programme, or simply bringing a tired facility back up to standard before a lease renewal or property sale, this guide covers what to expect and how to approach it.
Why Warehouse Refurbishment Is Often Deferred — and Why That’s Costly
Warehouse and distribution facilities are working environments where operational continuity tends to take priority. Refurbishment work gets pushed back, deferred to quieter periods that never quite arrive, or addressed only when a specific problem becomes impossible to ignore. Over time, the accumulated cost of this deferral tends to be significantly higher than a structured, proactive approach would have been.
Faded and damaged paintwork, worn flooring, failing lighting, damaged dock levellers and deteriorating welfare areas are not just aesthetic problems — they affect staff safety, workforce morale and, increasingly, client and customer expectations. Many large retailers and logistics clients now include facility condition as part of their supply chain audit criteria.
What Does a Warehouse Refurbishment Typically Include?
The scope of a warehouse refurbishment varies considerably depending on the size and condition of the facility, but typically includes some or all of the following:
Internal & External Painting
Structural steelwork, racking areas, walls, loading bay surrounds, external cladding and roof structures all require periodic painting. Industrial environments are harsh — UV exposure, condensation, forklift impact and chemical contamination accelerate deterioration. We use industrial-grade coatings suited to each substrate and environment, applied by trained operatives working to H&S compliant procedures including working at height.
Flooring
Warehouse floors take significant punishment. We install and repair a range of commercial and industrial flooring including safety vinyl, anti-slip coatings and carpet tiles for office areas within warehouse facilities. Line marking for traffic management and pedestrian zones is also available.
Welfare & Office Areas
Staff welfare facilities — canteens, locker rooms, toilets and office areas — are often the most visible indicator of how well a facility is maintained. We refurbish welfare areas including full decoration, flooring replacement, kitchen installation, toilet upgrades and partition installation.
Suspended Ceilings & Lighting
We install and replace suspended ceiling systems in office and welfare areas within warehouse facilities, including integrated lighting. We coordinate closely with electrical contractors to ensure all installations are compliant and certified.
Minor Works & Repairs
Doors and shutters, dock boards, fencing, paving, drainage and general external fabric can all be addressed as part of a warehouse refurbishment programme. Our minor works and planned maintenance teams handle the broad range of tasks required to maintain a large facility to a consistent standard.
How to Minimise Operational Disruption
The most common concern with warehouse refurbishment is how to carry out the works without bringing operations to a halt. The answer lies in careful programming. A few principles that make a significant difference:
Phase the works. Rather than closing down sections of the facility entirely, works can be phased across zones — completing one area before moving to the next, keeping the overall operation running throughout.
Work in off-peak periods. Evenings, nights and weekends offer the opportunity to carry out more disruptive works when the facility is at lower capacity. Wallace Contracts can work flexible hours to accommodate operational requirements.
Agree clear exclusion zones. A detailed programme with clearly marked exclusion zones — agreed in advance with the operations team — prevents conflict between trades and live operations.
Appoint a single project manager. Having one point of contact who is accountable for all trades and all communications eliminates the confusion that arises when multiple contractors are on site without coordination.
Planning for Asbestos
Many warehouse and distribution buildings constructed before 2000 contain asbestos-containing materials — most commonly in roof sheets, insulation boards, floor tiles or pipe lagging. Before any refurbishment works begin, an asbestos survey is a legal requirement. Wallace Contracts coordinate asbestos surveys with our ARCA-approved partner as a standard part of every refurbishment project.
How Wallace Contracts Can Help
Wallace Contracts Ltd have been refurbishing commercial and industrial properties across the Midlands and North West for over 45 years. We work in warehouse and distribution environments for clients in logistics, manufacturing, retail supply chain and third-party logistics — managing all trades in-house under a single project manager and delivering to agreed programmes with minimal disruption to operations.
Our warehouse refurbishment services cover Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Stafford and surrounding areas, with nationwide coverage available for larger projects.
To discuss a warehouse or distribution centre refurbishment, contact us for a free site survey and quotation. You can also explore our transport, warehouse and distribution sector page to find out more about the work we do in this sector.
