Our Painting Process: How Paez Brothers Delivers Quality Every Time
How our team works from survey to handover: preparation standards, coating control, and quality checks used on East London projects.
At Paez Brothers, we believe that professional painting quality comes not from luck or natural talent, but from a disciplined, repeatable process applied consistently to every job — whether it's a single bedroom or a full commercial building. This post walks you through our six-step process and explains why every stage matters to the final result you see on the day we hand the space back to you.
Step 1: Initial Consultation
Every job begins with a conversation. Before we give you a price, we need to understand the project properly — the scope, the surfaces, the condition of the walls, your colour ideas, your timeline, and any specific concerns or challenges the property presents.
For interior jobs, this means walking through each room with you, noting the condition of plaster, existing paint, woodwork, and any areas of damp, mould, or damage that need addressing before painting begins. For exterior work, we assess the condition of render, brickwork, woodwork, and previous paint to understand how much preparation will be needed.
This stage is free and carries no obligation. We ask questions, take measurements, and listen carefully. The better we understand the job upfront, the more accurately we can quote and the fewer surprises there are during the work.
Step 2: Free Written Quote
After the site visit, we provide a written, itemised quote. This sets out exactly what we will do, which paints are required, how many coats will be applied, and the total labour cost. Nothing is ambiguous or left to interpretation.
We never quote blind — over the phone or by photo — for jobs where the actual condition of surfaces matters. A wall that looks fine in a photograph may have years of mould behind its current paint, or crumbling plaster beneath its surface. We only quote on what we've actually seen.
If your project involves a choice of specification (for example, standard emulsion vs premium paint, or wallpaper preparation vs direct painting onto existing surfaces), we'll present the options with their respective costs so you can make an informed decision.
Step 3: Materials Planning
Once a job is confirmed, we plan the specification in detail. This means identifying the correct products for each surface and environment — the right masonry paint for exterior render, the correct primer for new plaster, bathroom-specific emulsion for humid rooms, satinwood for woodwork, anti-mould primer where needed.
Trade-quality materials from brands like Dulux Trade, Johnstone's Trade, Little Greene, and Farrow & Ball deliver superior coverage and durability. The specification agreed at quote stage is always honoured — no substitutions without discussion.
Colour selection is confirmed at this stage. Testing sample pots on the actual wall is always recommended before committing to a full quantity. Choosing colour from a small chip in a paint shop is notoriously unreliable — testing at scale on the actual surface in the actual room is the only reliable method.
Step 4: Surface Preparation — The Most Important Stage
We cannot overstate the importance of preparation. It accounts for 70% of the final result and the vast majority of the time on any job. This is where professional painters genuinely differ from DIYers, and where the quality of the finished work is determined before a drop of paint goes on.
Our preparation process includes:
- Thorough cleaning of all surfaces — grease, dust, dirt, and any mould must be removed before painting
- Sanding of all previously painted woodwork to provide a key for the new paint
- Filling of all cracks, holes, and surface imperfections with appropriate filler; sanded smooth when dry
- Spot-priming of filled areas and any bare plaster exposed during preparation
- Mist coat on new or freshly plastered surfaces
- Treatment of any mould with specialist solution before priming
- Full masking of all floors, skirting boards, architraves, and fixed fittings before painting begins
We don't cut corners here. The preparation takes as long as it takes — which is why our quotes always include adequate time for this stage.
Step 5: Painting — Precision and Patience
With surfaces properly prepared, the painting itself is methodical and precise. We work in the correct order: ceilings first, then walls (cutting in at the ceiling line and corners, rolling the main surface), then woodwork last. This sequence prevents emulsion overspray on finished gloss work and allows drips to be caught before they cause problems.
We apply the correct number of coats — never fewer, occasionally more if the surface demands it — with adequate drying time between each. Rushing the coating process is one of the most common shortcuts that leads to a substandard result: peeling, uneven sheen, or colour variation between dried coats.
Brush work is used for all cut-in lines and detail work; rollers are used for main wall and ceiling areas. The combination produces a smooth, uniform finish without brush marks on the broad surfaces.
Step 6: Final Inspection and Handover
Before we consider a job finished, we carry out a thorough walkthrough inspection. This means checking every surface in raking light (angled light that reveals any imperfections in the paint film), inspecting all cut-in lines, checking woodwork for drips or missed areas, and reviewing all masking removal for any paint bleed.
Any areas that don't meet our standard are touched up immediately. Only when we're satisfied with every surface do we remove dust sheets, clean up the work area, and invite you to do your own final inspection.
We want you to be genuinely delighted with the result — not just satisfied. If there's anything you're not happy with during your inspection, we address it before we leave. This isn't an exceptional commitment; it's simply how we work.
Our Quality Guarantee
We stand behind our workmanship. If a genuine defect in our work becomes apparent within a reasonable period after completion — a seam that lifts, paint that peels in an area we prepared, a cut-in line that doesn't meet the standard we set — we'll come back and put it right. We've built our reputation in East London over more than 10 years, and every job we do contributes to that reputation.
Want to experience the Paez Brothers process? Request your free site visit and quote — no obligation, no pressure, just honest professional advice and a transparent price for the work you need.
