Dilapidations work on a car showroom brings its own challenges: large expanses of glazing, branded colour schemes tied to the manufacturer’s corporate identity, and a forecourt that can’t simply be closed while repairs happen. We recently completed dilapidations works at an Arnold Clark showroom in Rugeley, and it’s a good example of what this type of project actually involves.
Unlike a standard repaint, dilapidations work is measured against a schedule of condition set out in the lease — every wall, ceiling and fixture is assessed against what it should look like at handback, not just what needs a fresh coat of paint. If you haven’t come across the term before, we cover the basics in What Is a Schedule of Dilapidations and What Does It Mean for Your Business?
What made this project different
On a car showroom specifically, we had to work to the manufacturer’s exact colour and finish specification, protect display vehicles and glazing throughout, and keep the forecourt trading during the works. It’s a similar balancing act to the one we describe in The Benefits of Refurbishing Your Car Showroom, where presentation standards are just as important as the condition of the building itself.
Dilapidations and end-of-lease projects like this one are a core part of our work across Staffordshire and the wider Midlands — if you’re a landlord, tenant or letting agent facing a dilapidations schedule, get in touch for a survey and a straightforward breakdown of the works involved.
Aside from the teachers and their fellow students, a good and comfortable classroom also significantly affectstheir mental health and academic performance which is vital this year after the mental health impact on the current COVID-19 pandemic.Knowing some of these benefits will convince you to get started with your renovation project while waiting for the in-school learning to return.
Positive impact on students’ academic performance
Most students, especially in primary schools, stay in one classroom throughout the school year. Ensuring that the room is well-designed and comfortable can help the students focus on learning, developing skills, and interacting with each other.A well-designed school can boost the students’ performance in math, writing, and reading based on a study performed. A right school environment brings happiness to students and encourages teachers and staff to stay as long as possible.
Encourages group learning
A classroom designed to promote collaboration among students can help students develop skills that can benefit them in the future, such as self-steem, self-discipline, and open-mindedness. It will also help teachers and staff to identify problems or challenges students face and provide help quickly.
Proper lighting provides physiological benefits
The classroom’s lighting plays a massive role in the student’s attention and concentration. Aside from the artificial lighting, letting natural light enter the classroom is more beneficial to students. It is the reason why most schools are designed with large windows, not to mention the benefit it brings to the utility bills.
Staff and teacher retention
In addition to the students’ performance and well-being, one of the benefits of refurbishment is that it helps retain talented teachers and staff for your school. Investing in a refurbishment will not only help you improve your school and the students, but it will also save you from the expenditures and hassle of recruitment.
It can influence parents’ discernment
One of the critical factors in deciding where to enroll their children is the parent’s impression of the school. Withouta doubt, a modern and well-designed school facility can greatly influence both parents and students.Partnering with school refurbishment specialists that understand the students’ need for a conducive place for learning will help you achieve your goal of improving your school’s environment. Contact Wallace Contracts Ltd today and learn how our school refurbishment specialists can help you with your project.
Working on a live construction site means fitting around trades, phased handovers and tight programme dates — decoration can’t be the thing that holds a project up. That’s exactly the brief we worked to on a recent job for Wynne Construction in Wrexham, painting and decorating internal areas as part of a wider build programme.
As with all our office refurbishment work in Wrexham and North Wales, the job was scheduled around the principal contractor’s programme rather than the other way round: our team moved through completed areas in sequence, working to a Dulux Trade specification agreed in advance so there was no downtime waiting on decisions once we were on site.
Why main contractors bring us in
Working as a subcontractor on a live build is a different discipline to decorating an occupied building. It means:
Fitting into a RAMS-approved programme and site induction process
Sequencing work around other trades without causing delays
Keeping finish quality consistent even when access changes week to week
It’s the same reliability that underpins our work across the Midlands, North West and Wales — you can read more about our regional coverage in Commercial Contractor Covering the Midlands, North West & Wales. If you’re a main contractor or developer looking for a decorating partner who can work to your programme, get in touch to discuss your next project.
Painting your walls require a little bit of preparation. But wall preparation before a painting project should not be as complicated and overwhelming as some people think.
Here is a step-by-step wall prepping guide you might find useful.
Get Rid of All Adhesives
First and foremost, you need to remove any object or decorations (mirrors, stickers, etc.) you have on your walls.
After that, make sure that there are no adhesive residues left. Failure to do this would result in unsightly bumps on your walls after the new paint or coat is applied. A mixture of soap and water and some scrubbing usually works great in removing these adhesives. You may also need to use a dull putty knife for those stubborn, hard to remove adhesives.
Secure outlets and switches
Protecting outlets and switch covers is one of the most critical parts of wall prepping but is often forgotten.
You can do this by simply covering it with painter’s tape. This way, the paint will only land on the tape instead of the outlets and switch covers, and they will look the same as before, free of paint splatters.
Fix dents or holes on your walls
This is rather a simple step in most cases but is also very important. First, you need to make sure that all loose ends of any wallpaper tear left on the wall are cut off. Next, sand off any rough edges and then apply a plaster layer and smooth out the dents, tears, or holes.
Protect the trims
Regardless if you are planning on repainting the trims after your walls, you still need to protect it to avoid any paint splatter. Just like outlets and switch covers, you can use painter’s tape to cover it.
Remember to also apply tape on the edges where your ceiling and walls meet. If your painter’s tape is trapping bubbles, smooth it out using a putty knife. It makes an excellent tool for smoothing out those annoying bubbles.
Try out the colours
Doing this important step is an excellent way to avoid disappointment upon realizing that you don’t like the colour of your walls after the painting project is completed.
Paint a board with the colour you are testing out. Place it at different spots of the room so you can assess the paint in different lighting. Avoid painting a particular part of your wall for testing if you don’t want to see an uneven coating because you have decided on changing the colours later.
Wipe the dirt and dust away
While sanding smooths out surfaces and helps even out walls, it actually collects dust, grime, and dirt. So, it is crucial to have your wall cleaned out before painting it. You can use a broom or vacuum to dust off the walls. Then use a sponge and water to wipe that stubborn dirt.
Prime your walls
The last but not the least step is priming the walls. Primer works the same as paint but is applied before the actual paint. It helps the paint adhere to the wall effectively and prevents the old paint from seeping through the new paint.
Apply an even layer of primer to cover all corners of the wall. It is also important to note that the amount of primer to apply depends on the primer itself and the previous paint colour.
Now that you are done with prepping your walls, it should be much easier to start your painting project.
However, if you’re not confident enough to do a DIY painting, feel free to contact Wallace Contracts Ltd to hire professional painters to do it for you.
If you’re weighing up commercial decorators in Staffordshire, the difference usually comes down to three things: how well a contractor plans around your business hours, how consistent the finish is across a large site, and whether the paperwork (RAMS, insurance, Dulux specification) is sorted before anyone picks up a brush. As a Stoke-on-Trent based contractor working across the county, this is exactly where we’ve built our reputation.
We work with offices, schools, pubs, retail units and warehouses throughout Staffordshire, often out of hours or in phases so a Stoke-on-Trent refurbishment or repaint doesn’t mean closing your doors. Every job runs through the same process: a site survey, a Dulux Trade specification suited to the substrate and footfall, and a dedicated site team who see the job through from start to finish.
Where we work in Staffordshire
Alongside general commercial painting and decorating, we regularly handle:
Office refurbishment — full decoration and light refurbishment around live tenants
