Soho Painters & Decorators
Shopfronts & exterior joinery
A restrained fascia, a clearly defined doorcase and well-finished sash bars can give a frontage coherence. Establish what belongs to the shop, the upper floors and the street before settling the treatment.
Discuss your project
Look beyond the display window
Westminster’s shopfront guidance asks that material and colour relate to the building and wider street. Show the complete elevation when discussing a repaint, including the entrance to any upper-floor accommodation. Identify each fascia, pilaster, stall riser and glazing bar, then agree where preparation and finishing will stop.
Keep exposed materials out of an assumed paint scope
Photograph brick, stone, tiles and decorative metal before producing a surface list. Historic England cautions that painting masonry can hinder moisture movement and that removing modern paint can damage it. A fresh finish should follow an assessment of the existing material and coating history, with conservation advice where needed.
Inspect openings as well as their colour
Note sticking sashes, open timber joints, failed putty and corrosion separately from the repaint request. Confirm which repairs will be completed before decoration and by whom. The finished door or window still needs to operate; the brief should address hinges, catches, meeting rails and the surfaces concealed when the opening is closed.
Make room for the work on the street
Supply a view of the pavement beneath the frontage and identify the customer entrance that must remain available. Westminster requires a temporary-structure licence when work encroaches onto or over the highway. If new lettering, lighting or a projecting sign accompanies the repaint, check the separate advertisement requirements as part of the proposal.
Sources: Westminster: temporary structures and highway access; Westminster: advertisements and signs
Tell us what you have in mind
A room. A frontage.
A place to begin.
Share the Soho property address and a short outline of the work. For occupied premises, add the hours the space can be released and any instructions from the person managing the building.
Introduce your project
A little about the rooms, their condition and your intended finish will help frame the conversation.