Fit-out and refurbishment

Where decorating sits in the trade sequence

Decorating rarely gets its own week on a fit-out programme. It threads between plasterers, electricians, floor layers and cleaners, and the biggest cause of a slipped finish date is the paint trade being asked to start before the trades ahead of it have genuinely finished.

Decorator applying emulsion to a stud wall while electricians work on containment nearby

The trades that must be done first

Wet trades — plastering, screeding, tiling grout — need to have released their moisture before a sealed coating goes over the top. First-fix electrics and containment also need to be complete and tested, because chasing a wall after painting undoes the finish in one afternoon. We ask for a written trade sequence rather than a verbal assurance that a room is ready.

Plaster moisture content checked, not assumed
First-fix electrical and mechanical signed off as complete
Any wet screed given its stated cure period

What can genuinely overlap

Mist coating a ceiling can often happen while joiners are still fitting skirtings elsewhere on the same floor, provided dust generation is managed. Working room by room rather than floor by floor lets decorating and second-fix joinery run in parallel without either trade standing on the other's fresh work.

Where the clashes actually happen

The recurring flashpoint is ceiling grid and light fittings going in after the ceiling has been painted, leaving cut edges and fixing marks that need touching in. Agreeing the exact order of ceiling paint, grid and fittings before the programme is issued avoids a return visit that nobody budgeted for.

Ceiling paint before grid installation, touch-in after fittings
Skirting scribe left until flooring is confirmed
Door leaves hung after final coat where swelling is a risk

How we work on this

We work from a released-areas list, not a floor plan assumption.
We check plaster and screed moisture before coating rather than trusting the programme date.
We sequence ceilings, grid and fittings to avoid double-handling touch-in work.

Questions we are asked about this

Can decorators start before the whole floor is plastered?

Yes, provided the rooms handed over are genuinely finished and dry. We work room by room against a released-areas list rather than waiting for the whole floor.

Who decides the trade sequence?

Usually the main contractor's programme, but we will flag where the order proposed will cause damage or rework, particularly around ceilings and floor protection.