Fit-out and refurbishment

Decorating turnaround between commercial tenants

Empty retail unit mid-repaint with old signage fixing holes filled ahead of a new coat

The gap between one tenant vacating and the next tenant's rent starting is usually measured in days, not weeks, and every day the unit stands empty and unlet costs the landlord money. Turnaround decorating has to be quick without looking rushed to the incoming tenant.

Questions we are asked about this

How quickly can a small retail unit be turned around?

It depends on condition and size, but we can usually give a realistic day count after the first walk-round rather than a generic promise.

Do you deal with old signage adhesive and branding?

Yes, we assess and remove residue where it would show through or affect adhesion, and price that separately from a standard repaint.

Should we choose a colour now or leave it neutral for the next tenant?

Neutral is usually the more economical choice unless you already have a tenant lined up with a known fit-out spec.

Assessing what the outgoing tenant left behind

Fixings, signage residue, branded feature walls and fit-out damage all need identifying at the very first visit, because these determine whether the job is a straightforward repaint or a repair-and-repaint. A unit with heavy branded colour usually needs a stain-blocking primer before a neutral scheme will cover it in the coats available.

Fixing holes and cable routes made good before painting
Strong or dark branded colours primed to block through, not just overcoated
Signage and shopfront residue cleaned back before repainting adjacent areas

Working to a neutral, re-lettable scheme

Most landlords want a neutral palette that suits any incoming tenant's brand rather than a colour scheme, since repainting again for a new occupier within months is wasted cost. Agreeing that neutral base before starting avoids repainting twice within the same void period.

Compressing the programme without cutting corners

Running multiple decorators in parallel across different rooms, and choosing quick-drying systems where the void period is genuinely tight, both shorten the calendar time without reducing the number of coats a surface actually needs.

How we work on this

We assess fixing damage and branding residue at first visit to price accurately, not after starting.
We specify stain-blocking primers where a previous strong colour would otherwise bleed through.
We can run parallel teams across a unit to shorten a tight void period.