Programme, procurement and handover

Defects and making good after decorating

A decorator examining a reopened hairline crack in a wall before repair.

Occasionally something is missed at snagging, or a flaw only becomes visible after the building settles back into use. Making good properly means understanding why it happened before repainting over it, not just touching up the surface again.

Questions we are asked about this

Will you repaint a whole wall for a small defect?

Only where a small patch repair would leave a visible sheen or colour mismatch — we will explain the reasoning rather than deciding without telling you.

What if a crack reopens after being filled?

That usually points to ongoing movement rather than a filling fault, and we investigate the cause rather than simply refilling it again.

Do you keep a record of defects and their causes?

Yes, particularly on larger contracts, so a recurring issue elsewhere in the building is recognised quickly.

Diagnosing before correcting

A crack that reopens, paint that lifts along a joint, or a patch that flashes a different sheen usually has a cause underneath the surface. We look for that cause first, because painting straight over it produces the same defect again within months.

  • Movement cracks checked for their underlying cause before filling
  • Adhesion failures checked against the substrate beneath
  • Sheen mismatches traced back to product batch or application method

Matching the correction to the rest of the room

A patch repair has to blend with surrounding paintwork in both colour and sheen, which sometimes means recoating a whole wall rather than a small area, even where the defect itself is small. We explain this trade-off rather than leaving a visible patch to save time.

Recording what was done

Once corrected, we note what caused the defect and what was done about it, so the same issue is recognised quickly if it ever recurs elsewhere in the same building.

How we work on this

  • We diagnose the underlying cause of a defect before deciding how to correct it.
  • Patch repairs are matched for sheen and colour, extending the repair area where that is genuinely needed.
  • Defects and their causes are recorded for reference against future issues in the same building.
A freshly recoated wall blending seamlessly with the surrounding paintwork after a repair.

Send photographs of the defect and we will advise on the likely cause before any repair work is agreed.

Making good properly means fixing the cause of a defect, not just repainting the symptom.

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